I have been using the "70 Meals: One Trip to the Store" book for almost a month. The goal was to learn to make some good home-cooked meals, begin using an easy grocery list and save money on our grocery budget at the same time. How did it all pan out? :o)
1. The recipes are a huge hit. I'm still trying new ones and we've already found some immediate family favorites. (Kitchen Sink Meatloaf, Buttered Noodles and the Fried Chicken are total favorites)
2. The Grocery List is spelled out in the book. I typed up the "Twice a Year" list and the "Weekly" list and printed them. They are so easy to use that our 18 year old son, Kazz, his wonderful lady, Becca, and one of our 6 year old twins, Kole, went on the first grocery run! Easy Peasy!
3. I have kept a tally of our grocery expenditures for the past 4 weeks as well as what we've eaten. Brian and I went grocery shopping at Save-A-Lot last Friday to round out our monthly shopping. He put in a few items that weren't on the list...so take that into consideration! :o) The total bill for that trip was $227.83...SO... without further adieu....
For Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks for our family of 8 and my husbands lunches to work our grand total for 4 weeks is $360.40 plus $227.83 Equals $588.23! We have enough food to last through this week and next week. That's 5 weeks on less than $600.00. I'm one happy gal!
That is a savings for our family. Not only that, we used to spend more than that on food AND my husband would buy lunch at work AND we would go out to eat a lot!
Now we are eating at home, taking lunches to work and our fast food days are nil to none now. We are learning to eat at home, spend time together and stop eating fast food at the drop of a hat! Whoot!
The book is a success for our family. It's OFFICIALLY a staple in our home! Thank you Kelly Donlea for all of your hard work!
For those interested in what we've eaten recently....
Sunday August 1st: Italian Style Chicken w/ Spinach and Tomatoes pg. 14
I LOVED it. The kids liked it....my hubby asked me to use less spinach next time. :o) So that means I can serve it again. Thumbs up!
Chili Mac: 1 can Black Beans, 1 can Diced Tomatoes flavored w/ onion and garlic, 2 canst Tomato Sauce, 1 Tbls. Chili Powder, Boil Elbow Noodles, Drain, Mix w/ Chili, Top w/ Parmesan. Serve with Cornbread
Tuesday August 3rd: Chopped Steak p. 36
Very Good! Serve with Parmesan Rice or Some other Cheesy Side dish.
The next 4 days I made Cheesy Ravioli from the Freezer Isle, (one of the things NOT on the list) Buttered Pasta, Mexican Rice w/Tortillas, Sandwiches, had leftovers and basically sluffed off making easy stuff.
Sunday August 8th: Chicken Strata p. 27
Oh My Word! This was TERRIBLE! Grody-To-The-Max! I can't believe it's even a recipe. We all hated it so much that I ended up throwing everyone's serving in the trash. I rinsed the plates and used them for the emergency pasta meal that I had to make. Thank goodness I had extra hamburger, spaghetti sauce and the "fixin's" for a nice little salad. Blech!
Monday August 9th: Brian cooked tacos.
Tuesday August 10th: Classic Fried Chicken! pg 20 Fabulous!
Okay, that's our life in the grocery isle! Hope you had fun traveling along on our first month. I hope to have a book to give away soon. Keep watching for updates. :o)
2 comments:
That is just fantastic! I really need to do something like this. Basically, I need to get myself organized. I need to start making weekly menus...Help!
Good job!! Doesn't it feel good to sit as a family and eat at HOME? Maybe, when we're not hermits, I can see that book. :)
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