Grocery Shopping on the Cheap part 1

I am known among my friends for feeding my family of five for very little. Some think I am a little loopy for doing it, but the others are genuinely interested in the whole idea. I get great satisfaction knowing that if something horrible happened, like hubby losing his job (knock on wood!), I would still be able to make nutritious meals and keep us healthy. Not to mention our bellies happy! Food to me is everything, and when my pantry is stocked I am happy. It's when the food gets low that I start to stress a little. A grumpy mama is no fun, let me tell ya!

Here is the menu plan for the next couple weeks. I have everyone pick out their favorite meals, and will make them until I go shopping again at the end of the month. I am going to list each meal once, but it will be the same for the next week. Also, mostly everything you see will be made from scratch, and that is the secret for keeping your cost down.

Breakfast:
-Pancakes
-Waffles
-Oatmeal
-Applesauce Muffins
-Banana Muffins
-Biscuit and Egg Sandwich (identical to the ones you find at McD's but better!)
-Toast and Eggs
-Bagel(store bought) and Eggs
-Granola Cereal (hm)

Breakfast is pretty easy. I have a list of meals, and I let the girls choose for the most part. We don't eat cereal very often, so that is why it is not on the list.

Lunch:
-Tuna
-PB&J
-Rice Bowls
-Meat Sandwich(when it's on sale. I like the gooood stuff from Vons, but I can't justify $7 a pound)
-Chicken Salad w/ Blue Cheese Dressing
-Cheesy Chicken and Rice
-Pesto Pasta (pesto is usually store bought)
-Empty Cupboard Pasta (kids favorite!)
-Leftovers from the night before (my favorite!)

The lunch plan is pretty much the same as the breakfast plan. We choose whatever suits our fancy.

Dinner: September 6-September 20

Monday- Spaghetti (homemade noodles and sauce), salad, French Bread (hm)
Tuesday- Shredded Chicken Tacos, Spanish Rice(need to make enough for Thursday), black beans
Wednesday- Pizza, and bread sticks (hm recipe is the best! I will post it soon!)
Thursday- Chicken Enchiladas, Spanish Rice (from Tues.), corn
Friday- Stromboli, salad
Saturday- Taco Casserole, salad
Sunday- Meatloaf, potatoes, green beans

The dinner plan is the tricky one. If I don't write it down on paper, I get completely scatter brained and forget to even prep for dinner. So plan I must!

Snacks: I make all our snacks from scratch. It's so much cheaper this way, and healthier too!

-Salsa and Tortilla Chips
-Granola Bars
-Granola
-Muffins
-Popcorn(air popped)
-Veggie sticks and Blue Cheese dressing
-apples & peanut butter (store bought)

I also plan my snacks since I don't buy any boxed foods(fruit snacks, Wheat Thins). The only boxed food I get is the occasional cereal treat, and oatmeal. This keeps my grocery spending way down, so if I want to spend a little on ice cream I can without feeling guilty.

Stay tuned for part two!

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