I spend a fair amount of my week devoted to feeding my family: menu planning, sporadic coupon cutting (which then I rarely redeem), grocery shopping, and cooking.
Breakfast duty is light except on the weekends, when we tend to spend time preparing bacon & eggs or pancakes. This year, thanks to Hubby’s Christmas gift of an electric crepe maker, we have been eating sweet crepes filled with bananas/Nutella or fresh berries. Weekday breakfast meals usually consist of applesauce, cereals, yogurts and juice.
Lunches are a smattering of whatever is available: deli meats/sandwiches, dinner leftovers, canned soups, or frozen meals. I make school lunch for kiddo. Hubby is usually on his own, which means if I don’t pack it for him, he either dines out for lunch or grabs a frozen meal (sodium overload). I dine out at least twice a week for lunch either with friends or because I am on-the-go (and making use of my precious preschool hours to get as much done as I can without kiddo in tow.).
Dinner duty is both a joy and a pain. Some weeks I am very inspired to cook healthy, flavorful dishes: rotating my the tried-and-true recipes while trying new recipes. And then there are some weeks, putting dinner on the table is the most draining duty I have.
All women’s magazines devote articles on how to stretch your grocery budget and make what-I-think-are-amazing claims of feeding a family of 4 for under a $100 a week. My question is what do these families eat?! My grocery bill is at least twice that. I budget a $150 a week to include groceries and toiletries, but I’m sure I spend over $200 a week.
This year, I decided that I am going to get my grocery bill under control or at the very least understand my shopping habits better. So I can either stop feeling guilty and validate spending $800+ a month on food. Or make adjustments either to the budget or the menu planning. Maybe $150 is completely unrealistic for us and $200 is a better marker.
My Shopping Habits:
1. I shop twice a week. I have a designated day for the big shopping trip to a single grocery store (usually the Commissary at a military facility, selection is sometimes limited but prices tend to be 20% to 30% cheaper.). However, I usually have to pop into a neighborhood grocery store at least once for items unavailable at the Commissary or to get me through the week.
2. I rarely buy bulk. I shy away at bulk discounters such as BJs or Sam’s Club, because based on my shopping history from years past, I feel I have a tendency to over-shop, buying too much of things that will not be consumed in a timely manner. I also have storage issues in my home. And I am of the opinion that adding another stop to my shopping routine adds more time than it’s worth. Although I am willing to revisit a bulk store to see if indeed it may be beneficial now that my family has grown.
3. I do not have a deep freezer. At this point in time, I do not anticipate purchasing one for two reasons. One, we have space issues in our current location. Two, I am not thrilled with the idea of moving it and I know I have several more moves in my future.
4. I am working with a regular-sized refrigerator with a freezer top.
5. My family does not follow a special diet. Thankfully, we do not have any significant dietary concerns or allergies (gluten, lactose-intolerance, peanut, etc). However, I do give a passing thought to low-sodium, low-cholesterol, low-fat when I can. I am not fanatical about it though, at least not yet. There are foods I limit or do not buy outright, mainly foods that you find on ALL children’s menu at any major restaurant. I limit hot dogs, chicken nuggets, french fries, and frozen pizza (We eat pizza every Friday night for Family Movie Night.) because the kiddo gets these enough when we dine out.
6. Organics. It’s a lovely thought. I try to incorporate organics when I can but think it is cost-prohibitive for my entire grocery trip. The only item I buy organic on a consistent basis is milk. We drink a gallon and a half each week @ $5.99/gallon. Sometimes I go on an organic kick, taking a closer look at my fresh fruits and vegetables and then I am in awe at the checkout and it’s back to mainstream, pesticide-treated produce.
In January, I spent $835 for groceries and toiletries. This does not include our dining out expenses or Friday night pizza dinners. My menu is as follows:
Jan 1:
NYE leftovers (Indian food)
Jan 2:
Baked potatoes stuffed with cheese & bacon
Corn & broccoli
3-berry salad
Spinach salad
Jan 3:
Hodge-podge
Matzo ball soup
Red beans & rice mix
Turkey, leftover corn & broccoli (Kiddo)
Leftover berry salad
Spinach salad
Jan 4:
Arugula, bacon, potato au gratin
Fruit salad
Lima beans
Jan 5:
Black bean soup w/ chorizo
Cheese & corn quesadilla
Black olives
Mexican corn
Homemade guacamole
Santa Fe rice mix
Jan 6:
Warm turkey & cheese sandwiches on baguette bread
Fresh fruit salad
Black olives
Potato chips
Jan 7:
Pizza & chicken wings from Pizza Hut
Jan 8:
Homemade pork meatloaf
Mashed potatoes
Spinach-arugula salad
Jan 9:
Homemade Thai beef noodle bowl (pho)
Jan 10:
Leftover Thai beef noodle bowl
Jan 11:
Mushroom ravioli
Lima beans
Salad
Jan 12:
Red beans & rice mix with sausage
Jan 13:
Salmon & rice
Jan 14:
Pizza & salad from Homemade Pizza
Jan 15:
Don Pablo's DINING OUT
Jan 16:
Vegetarian chili
Jan 17:
Leftovers
Jan 18:
Spaghetti w/ meatballs and broccoli
Jan 19:
Red beans & rice w/ sausage (mix)
Mini corn on the cob
Jan 20:
Salami & arugula sandwiches
Fresh fruit salad (pineapple, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries)
Black olives
Jan 21:
Pizza
Jan 22:
Crepes (new potatoes, cheese, & sage)
Arugula salad
Cake
Jan 23:
Baked potatoes stuffed with cheese & bacon
Corn & broccoli
Jan 24:
Leftover pizza (kiddo)
Frozen dinner enchilada & rice (wifey)
Ramen & pork roll (hubby)
Jan 25:
Tacos w/ black beans
Jan 26:
Chicken, mushroom, leek fricassee
Rice pilaf
Green beans
Jan 27:
Breaded pork chops & rice w/ peas (bust for me & kiddo)
PB & J sandwiches for me & kiddo
Jan 28:
Pizza (hubby & kiddo)
Baby Shower (wifey)
Jan 29:
Kale & White Bean Stew
Jan 30:
Roasted Chicken & Potatoes
Spring Mix salad
Jan 31:
Spaghetti w/ meatballs & corn
Happy Eating!
