And I thought I might make it this week!
But I needed to go to Costco (just for frozen fruit) and we all know how that ends up.
So!
Unpictured produce box ($35)
Aldi ($58)
A run to a local store ($22)
And not pictured are four big bags of frozen fruit from Costco ($39).
That puts me at $154 for the week which isn’t insane, especially given that I went to Costco. But I was secretly kind of hoping to continue my below-budget pattern of the last few weeks. 😉
Maybe next week I can do it, especially if I keep rummaging in my freezer for meal inspiration.
February Spending
Week 1: $76
Week 2: $120
Week 3: $154
What We Ate
Monday
I cleaned and organized my kitchen freezer and found a partial package of mahi-mahi and a partial package of tilapia. So, I thawed and sauteed those, made a pan of muffin-tin popovers, and cut up some raw fruit and veggies.
Tuesday
It was Valentine’s Day, but Mr. FG and I figured that with our Florida trip, we’d already had a lot of date nights.
Plus, I surprised him by driving over to meet him for lunch that day.
So, we took the girls out for subs instead (Joshua was at a meeting or we’d have taken him too, obv!) and I think they were pretty happy with that. 🙂
Wednesday
This was our Arroz con Pollo night.
I sauteed some green beans from my produce box to go on the side.
Thursday
Easy button night! I made whole wheat pancakes, strawberry syrup, and local sausage from the freezer.
Friday
Well, tomorrow is Zoe’s birthday, but she’s having a friend over for a birthday sleepover tonight. So, she’s having her birthday meal tonight.
She’s picked homemade chicken nuggets, jello, SunChips, a fruit salad, and a homemade ice cream cake for dessert.
(Birthday dinners are not generally a super nutritious meal at our house!)
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Anne
Monday 20th of February 2017
I'm sure you've talked about this before, but where do you get your produce box? I would be interested in having this service, especially if it is organic. I see terrible reviews for Farm Box Direct. Thanks!
HeatherLiz
Sunday 19th of February 2017
Hi Frugal Girl! I have a question about your produce box. I've seen you include it in your weekly food totals before, Is it something that you have to commit to long-term, or can you choose to buy one on particular weeks? Do you pay by the week or by the season? And does it run all year long?
I've been a CSA member at a local farm for the past few years, and signed up again this year, but it is a commitment to the season that runs June-October and is paid upfront (well, can be in two installments). I certainly wish it went through the winter, when fresh produce is more expensive.
Kristen
Sunday 19th of February 2017
This one is like a year-round subscription, but you can cancel at any time. So, you can't just order boxes willy-nilly, really, but you're also not stuck in a contract.
And you pay week by week, which is nice.
Tina S
Saturday 18th of February 2017
Here was my week:
Monday: Chicken Burrito Bowls from Skinnytaste Tuesday: Honey Cashew Chicken with rice (cooking light recipe) Wednesday: Harissa Chicken Tacos in slow cooker Thursday: Creamed Chicken noodles Friday: went out to dinner (client stayed later than I wanted and dinner was at 8 pm) Saturday & Sunday: Not sure
I saw a video the other day on YouTube about Aldi and prices. WOW.... I so wish we had one here. We have Trader Joe's which I love but a lot of process foods which I buy to have on hand. But it is hard to go there just to buy meat, produce, diary, pantry items, spices as their produce selection isn't the best at least not here & the meat is so, so... I buy most of my produce at the farmer's market. I buy my beef at the farmer's market as well. I do majority of my shopping at Costco. So, this week I wanted to compare prices. We live in a large metropolitan area in CA but not Los Angeles or Silcon Valley area so our prices are pretty reasonable for CA. So, on our $22 grocery store stop: It would have been $28 at Safeway and $27 at a local store. I went with the cheapest spice since I couldn't tell what you bought. I also guess you bought heavy cream or buttermilk. I couldn't tell. It would be more if you picked a more expensive spice. Just kind of fun to compare prices. Thanks for keeping us on a menu plan this week.
Suzan
Saturday 18th of February 2017
I went to Costco today and spent under $20 Australian. I am stoked.
Liz F
Friday 17th of February 2017
Monday breakfast for dinner - French toast, potatoes, eggs and bacon. I also had breakfast for breakfast and breakfast for lunch that day (your Apple pfannekuchen) so every meal was amazing. Tuesday - pepperoni and meatball pizza Wednesday - leftover pizza Thursday - chili, cornbread, edamame Friday - odds and ends, the most sought after leftovers were turkey cheese pesto melts o. Sourdough bread