Let's Talk Grocery Budgets ...

I wrote this post for my Menu Plan Monday post over at my cooking blog but decided to post it here as well ... I'd love to know your budgeting thoughts and if you have any ideas, suggestions, great CHEAP but healthy recipe ideas ....

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

So, last week, we spent way over our grocery budget. Various factors contributed to it ... including my constant frustration that our weekly budget is too low. But ... the way we have structured our finances doesn't leave room to make it bigger, and that is totally our choice (meaning we could change it but we've chosen not to) so I'm DETERMINED to find a way to make this budget work. $220 a week. Feeding a family of four, three meals EVERY DAY. We eat out very infrequently. Working it out per meal, you're looking at $10 a meal EXCEPT that we buy toiletries, laundry/dishwashing/cleaning supplies and cat food out of that $220 as well. I don't know exactly what the breakdown is to be able to determine how much that makes it per meal that we are working with ... But, that one of my new goals.

In my menu planning, I am going to use the online shopping site to determine how much each meal will cost to make. I'm going to do it as if I had to buy every item and then list that price with my recipes. So ... for future menu's I'll be able to choose according to price as well ... and if I already have some of the ingredients then the price will come down and that is a BONUS ! I think that with proper planning, I can still cook the way we are accustomed to me cooking, but within the confines of our budget that we want to stick to.

I need to shop more in season too. I'm not real good at knowing what is 'in season' since we can get most things year round here. But ... obviously, there are seasons when they are 'in season' and they are cheaper. I'm going to buy meat at the butcher. I'm going to try and get back to doing one bulk meal a week (or maybe a fortnight) to freeze for later weeks. I am going to try and bake something each week to go in the lunches. And I'm going to experiment with making grain bread in my bread maker. Did I mention I am determined ?!?!

We've also got grand plans to expand our little garden beds so we can grow as much as we are able. Australia has great weather for growing veggies year round and we are trying to get our garden established so we can take advantage of that.

Our plan for this week, through Thursday ... I will shop on Friday ... is to get through without going to the grocery store. I had to buy milk and a bag of oats this morning. Cost me $3. But ... we were totally out of cereal and Rory needs milk for his coffee so those had to be bought. As for the meals, we're getting creative ... using up what we have in the pantry and fridge/freezer, which isn't much.

So ... there you have it ... I'd love to know your thoughts !!

If you want to see what we are actually going to be eating, you can read the menu part of this post over at The Beans Blog ...

{hooray}

yes, my menu is planned
yes, my grocery shopping is done
yes, it is being delivered tomorrow morning
no, i have not brushed my hair
no, i have not gotten out of my pajamas
no, i don't usually stand like that
(i was crouching to fit into the web cam space)
yes, i love shopping this way

have you tried it yet ?

tomorrow
i'll do a quick run to
my favorite fruit/veg shop
my butcher
and a cute asian shop
just to pick up the things
i can't/don't buy on line

and that'll be it for the week
all that's left is to enjoy week two
of school holidays
with my kiddos

i'm so enjoying having them home !!

{internet fabulousity}

phew.
i've been busy this afternoon !
i've done the menu plan for next week and the shopping !
and all from my computer !
and all while i was doing laundry !
i'm so excited about the prospect of internet grocery shopping !!




i think it will be fabulous on so many levels.

1. i don't have to try and fit it into school hours
2. i don't have to take the kids with me
3. i don't spend extra because i go into the store hungry
4. or because something is on sale
5. or because something looks good and i just can't resist it
6. or because it's at eye level
7. or because the right music is playing !! ha ha
8. i can see what my total is and adjust it if necessary before I pay and without a headache !
9. all the 'unit prices' are worked out for me and i can sort by them
10. i can change my order until a certain number of hours before delivery
11. it all gets delivered to my door
and best of all
12. I CAN SHOP IN MY PAJAMAS !!!!!!

Seriously, I think it's going to be great for our budget.
I don't tend to make it out of the grocery store for less than $200 a week.
Today, I spent $119.47 !!!
TOTAL !!!
Guess that shows you how much of an impulse buyer I am !


Anyway ... gotta run.
Rory's stokin' up the fire outside in the brazier.
We're going to eat out there
snuggle under the stars
and enjoy the night.



Here's to a fabulous weekend to you and yours !

PS ... do you shop on line for your groceries ?
what are your thoughts ? did you like it ? why ? why not ?
i'll let you know what I think on Monday after my first delivery arrives !!

Happy Homemaker Monday

I've been reading Sandra's Happy Homemaker Monday posts over at her blog 'Diary of a Stay at Home Mom' for a while now and thought it might be fun to participate. You might like to participate as well. You can, just grab the button, copy the categories and fill in your answers. Then pop back to Sandra's place and add your post to the Mr. Linky ...

Here goes ...

On my bedside table:
You Sexy Mother by Jodie Hedley-Ward
and
Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott


On my TV:
Dora the Explorer.
The kids are watching it.
In French ...


On the menu for tonight:
We're having fish and chips with Rory's parents. I'll be taking Quinoa Black Bean Salad to have as a side dish ! You can see the rest of this week's menu at the beans blog ...


On my To Do List:

• bake poppy seed muffins and these cookies

• swim - aiming for 1k today

• go to some second hand shops with Toni

• friends coming over in the afternoon

• hanging out with Mum and Dad tonight

New Recipe I tried last week:
Mexican Chicken in the crock pot ... so delicious !!! You have got to try it !!!


In the craft basket:
My scarf - almost finished
Materials for a new scarf I want to make


Looking forward to:
Indoor soccer season finishing and outdoor soccer season starting !


Homemaking Tip for this week:
Come back tomorrow for the answer to this ...


Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
The secret life of a happy homemaker by Rhonda at down ---- to ---- earth.
I did a post about her post, I was so inspired !!


Favorite photo from last week:
I forgot to post this photo last week ... it was my uber healthy lunch on Friday ....

I don't know what uber means but I've always wanted to use it in a sentence.

Thought it might make me feel younger.

Can't say as though it did.

At least now I know.

Lesson learned the past few days:
Twisties and OJ make an uber orange but uber unhealthy lunch.

Nope, didn't work that time either.

I'll quit !

On my Prayer List:
We're contemplating buying our first house ...


Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

I'm reading through Exodus at the moment. Just finished the ten commandments. Been thinking about a day of rest. Wondering if I really have one and how in today's society, we could incorporate one ...

Any thoughts ?

Sharing Menu Plans

One thing that really helps me in keeping my life simple is menu planning. I plan for a week at a time. I try to shop for a week at a time as well, but that doesn't always work. This week, I'm determined that it will ! I even got a can of fruit salad so that we can eat that at the end of the week when we run out of fresh fruit !

I have been planning menus for many years now. I can tell such a difference in the weeks that I do plan to the weeks that I don't. Our budget, nutrition and my sanity all suffer when I don't plan our menus !

Planning once a week means I am in the grocery store less. I love to grocery shop but I tend to spend more than I need to each time I go in. The fewer times I go in, the less I spend ! It's true !

Planning once a week means I am not stressed about what to eat each night. It means we eat out less because there is always something yummy on the menu ... I am the one planning it, after all !

Planning once a week means I can plan ahead for days that I know are going to be busy. Those days usually have a meal in the crock pot cooking away and ready when we all get home !

Planning once a week means I am able to plan nutritious meals for my family. I don't get stuck in a rut of cooking the same old un-healthy fall back meals night after night !! It also means that I don't need to feel guilty cooking homemade pizza most Friday nights for our family 'pizza and a movie' tradition because I know we've eaten healthy all week long !

Planning once a week means I can plan inexpensive meals as necessary to help keep the budget under control.

In January, I started posting my weekly menu plans to my cooking blog ~ The Beans Blog. You can pop over and check out what we're eating this week by clicking HERE. Keeping my menus online has been very helpful as I can go back and look at what we've had previously. I participate in Menu Plan Monday as well. A great resource for planning menus. Bloggers world wide link in each Monday at a website called "I'm an Organizing Junkie". There are over 300 posts each week. I probably visit 10 or 12 each week just to see what's cooking ! I have found some great blogs that way ! And some great meal ideas.

Planning menu's takes a little bit of time each week, but the peace of mind, the savings in both money, sanity and time make it well worth the effort !

"You do not like it. So you say. Try it ! Try it ! And you may. Try it and you may, I say."
~ Sam I Am, Green Eggs and Ham ... Loosely Quoted !!