Woo!
It’s been a while since I wrote one of these. Ohh, those holidays.
I did cook and feed my family these last three weeks, but I guess you’ll just have to trust me on that. 😉
What I Spent
It’s a new year now, so it’s a fresh start on tracking my spending. I ended the year with a $165 weekly average, and we’ll see what happens this year. I imagine my spending may slowly creep up over time as my kids get older and hungrier, especially since I am not in the nest-emptying stage of life yet.
I’m pretty happy with $165 a week, given that it averages out to $23 a day. That’s a pretty good price for feeding six people.
Anyway! Here’s what happened the first week of grocery shopping in January (blessedly little, actually).
I just made one trip out where I stopped at Aldi and at a regular grocery store, and here’s what I bought:
I wouldn’t normally buy so many crackers, but they were on sale for $1.67 and there were tear-off coupons for $1.15 off two, which meant that each package was only $1.10.
These will be handy for when we have snacky Sunday night meals. Yay!
I spent $131.64, plus $33 on my produce box.
January Grocery Spending
Week 1: $164.64
What We Ate
Monday
I made a stir-fry, which always makes Joshua happy. He digs stir-fry.
We had that over rice, naturally. And I cut up a bunch of oranges.
Tuesday
I made fish cakes.
Which was all well and good, except I forgot that I had no mayo in the house.
And since I was prepping the fish cakes in between visiting two cousins in the hospital (one was in a car accident and the other has a sick baby) and taking Sonia and Zoe to dance, I didn’t have time to go buy mayo.
Happily, Cook’s Illustrated’s website had a recipe, so I printed it and made some mayo in my Vitamix. Yay!
I was all pleased with myself and then went further on in the recipe and remembered I had no bread crumbs in the freezer (normally I keep a stash in there made from odds and ends of bread.)
So, I toasted up some random bread that was on my counter and made bread crumbs.
I’m pleased to say that the rest of the recipe went off without a hitch. 😉
We ate a green salad with our fish cakes. And of course we had tartar sauce.
Wednesday
I made kebabs with citrus-marinated chicken, kielbasa, red peppers, and onions.
Thursday
I needed a breakfast for dinner night because, hello, easy!
Buttermilk waffles and local sausage fit the bill nicely.
Friday
It’s gonna be a pizza night. And I think it’s gonna be a pizza-that-Kristen-isn’t-making night (which we all need every now and again!)
______________
What did you eat this week?
Marie
Tuesday 10th of January 2017
What do you do about weekends? Do you cook, do leftovers, go out, a combination of all? I spend $65-100/week for my husband and I and we hardly eat out. Some weeks we stock up and some weeks we don't. We average about $80/week but we sacrifice by not buying organic too often and not buying the freshest produce.
I am going to look around your blog for tips but please point me in the right direction if you have any content about these topics! I don't know where you find the time to do this blog but I appreciate it as a new adult in the world & a mom-to-be!
Kristen
Wednesday 11th of January 2017
Usually one night of the weekend is a $20 date night for Mr. FG and me, and the kids eat something easy.
Often the other night is a snacky kind of meal....crackers, veggies, fruit, dip, popcorn, cheese, ham, etc.
Not eating out is HUGE part of keeping food spending down, so kudos to you!
Emily
Sunday 8th of January 2017
Did you eat anything with your kebabs? I can see my husband eating $20 of meat in one meal if that's all I served, hehe
This weeks meals have been different because my husband's schedule is 4pm-midnight for the next month, so we had our big meal at lunch. Monday I wasn't home as my grandma was in town. Tuesday was leftovers. By Wednesday I came off the post-holiday drag and made burrito bowls! Thursday was fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and chicken gravy, and Friday was spaghetti and meat sauce. Last night was family night and we redboxed a movie and ordered pizza muffins from a local shop.
Kristen
Sunday 8th of January 2017
Yup! I grilled veggies too, plus we had rolls. And I feel like a couple of other things too but memory fails me at this point!
Susan
Saturday 7th of January 2017
Monday - tortelli sausage vegetable soup (from your recipe) Tuesday - Spaghetti, green beans, fresh veggies Wednesday - Hamburgers, green beans, fries Thursday - Chili beans, corn bread Friday - Potato ham soup (potatoes were super cheap and ham was leftover) Great for the cold snowy weather here
JD
Friday 6th of January 2017
I can't remember! Okay I know we had a frozen pizza from the freezer the night I got home late. We had New Year's Day leftovers for one meal. I fried two pieces of chicken and served them with a combination of fresh and leftover veggies for one meal. I put a small beef roast in the crockpot and made mashed potatoes with our last couple of potatoes, gravy and cooked carrots for one meal. We had leftover roast and carrots with the addition of squash from the freezer and onions tonight since we were at a doctor appointment 90 miles from home much of the day. Hey I remembered most of it after all! I'm still working to reduce my grocery budget. I ended December a little under budget but I want to cut that budget number more.
Petey
Friday 6th of January 2017
Monday: Fabulous Leftovers from out to eat Sunday at the Brewpub ..yum!
Tuesday: Tortellini with sauce (post dental procedure) for him... leftover protein everything remaining in the fridge including a dab of cottage cheese for me....I am as feverishly committed to reducing food waste.... as I am to meeting my low carb dietary goals
Wednesday :Mushroom steak and green beans
Thursday: Chicken Alfredo for him ..chicken and broccoli for me
Friday: Burger night! Burger bowl for me, and a small side of Tots for the man I love.
Happy Friday!