I've been on a computer diet lately...and I love it! It's too easy to stay online for too long, so I've just kept the computer off a lot this week. I haven't taken any pictures either, but here is what we've been up to:
Family Fun Center Anderson family BBQ swimming with cousins Toy Story 3 tumbling swim lessons summer preschool potty training -don't ask how it's going right now homemade ice cream movies in the basement Dowell cousins sleepover
Due to a few unforeseen expenses (hospital bill from May, broken tooth, etc...) I have decided to micromanage our budget - especially in the area of groceries. It's amazing how much you can trim off your grocery bill when you take a little extra time to plan out meals and simplify your menu. Trent has been joking that we're eating like newlyweds again, but it's been an interesting experiment that has reminded us how spoiled we've become with food. I'm also saving every single receipt for one month to make sure I stay within our new grocery limit. I bet you, dear reader, have already acquired this skill, but I have not. It's silly to say, but I like the challenge of having to stay within the set limit while still looking for ways to be creative with our meals. And thank goodness for food storage! If you have any favorite thrifty meals or grocery budgeting tips, I'd love to hear them!
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4 comments:
I am so with you! I have a fairly large budget for just 2 people for groceries and I still can't keep within it! I'd like to hear a sampling of your meal ideas. My problem is that my husband is a snob about some stuff (won't eat hamburger helper and stuff like that--which sucks cuz I love it!). Anyway, I started itemizing what I spend and can you believe I spend about $40 a week on JUNK FOOD?! If I just ate healthier, I'd save so much money! Good Luck!
Ahem. Did you think I could remain quiet when the subject of thrifty meals comes up? Hope not.
My all time favorite cheapest meal is tostadas/burritos/fry bread, whatever you choose for the base is up to you. I cook my pinto beans in the crockpot with just onion, garlic, liquid smoke and cook them down to almost mush. Top w/ lettuce, tomato, avo (when it's in season), cheese, etc., etc.
Others: baked sweet potatoes fruit & veggie sides, toast and watermelon (seriously, and it's good for you if you eat the right bread), nachos (last night I took chips, spread them on my pizza stone, sprinkled canned/rinsed corn & black beans and then cheese and stuck it under the broiler for a few minutes and topped with lettuce, sour cream and salsa - simple and easy) and salads are always good with some extra hearty toppings to make it a meal.
I have some awesome tips of grocery budgeting, but I have a really hard time sticking to that budget. I love grocery shopping and I love to cook, so I normally don't pay attention to that area (bad, bad Anna).
I should bring you some tomatoes, zucchini, melon, eggplant and bell pepper from our overflowing garden. It's easy to not spend when you eat from the garden! I think I have heard that the top three reason why people go to the store is milk, eggs and bread. We have chickens that lay our eggs, we don't drink milk and I make our own bread. I hardly ever go to the store especially when we have stuff in our garden. So just simplify and attempt to make things at home. If you have powdered milk from the cannery just use that. If you haven't already...learn to make your own bread (this is so rewarding), and don't you have chickens? Maybe it wasn't you, but anyways that is 2 off the list! I just bought a book with recipes for powdered milk. You can basically make your own cheese, ricotta, yogurt, etc. It is so cool! Those are things I go to the store for as well but it would be cheaper to make them!
Go vegetarian. At least for the majority of your meals for the week. There's some great zucchini or eggplant recipes on Allrecipes. Also, quiche has been a weekly staple at our house.
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