What I Spent
I spent:
- $25 at Aldi
- $26 at Potbelly
- $17 at Safeway
So, $68 for me. A pretty low week even with the Potbelly stop! Perhaps my eat-down-the-freezer efforts paid off a bit. 🙂
What We Ate
Saturday
Pizza!
Sunday
Zoe and I got Potbelly together; I did pay full price for our sandwiches, but I got a half-price shake for Zoe and a free cookie for me, using the app.
Monday
Sausage, corn, and potatoes, plus some shrimp for me.
Tuesday
I made the ground beef tacos I mentioned in my last freezer update; between the beef, cabbage, and tortillas, I figured they were a one-dish meal.
I used the leftover taco meat to make breakfast tacos the next morning, with the addition of chopped green pepper and scrambled eggs. I used up more corn tortillas too, obviously.
I sure have eaten a lot of corn tortillas lately!
Wednesday
Chipotle chicken kebabs, mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus.
Asparagus prior to grilling, obviously
I made the dipping sauce for the kebabs (because of course. I love sauce!) and I was reminded how good the combo is. The sauce recipe is included with the kebab recipe.
Chipotle chicken kebabs
Thursday
It was just me here for dinner, so I heated up some leftover mashed potatoes, stirred in some sun-dried tomatoes, and topped them with sautéed green peppers and some fried eggs.
The sun-dried tomatoes were really good in the mashed potatoes and I would 100% do that again!
Friday
I don’t know yet, but I do know I have cauliflower in my fridge that needs to be used. Hmmm.
Colleen
Friday 14th of July 2023
WIS: $18 at NEX on snacks, Herbs Country Store $36 (raw milk & baked goods), Costco $40 (cleaning supplies & milk), $14 Lucille’s Cafe aka date night. Total is $108. Shopping with Gent my week is bit higher
We have been adjusting to Gent being on nights and finding time for shared meals when he is less hungry.
Gent has been having banana muffins for breakfast, leftovers for lunch & my dinners for his dinner. WWA: Sun: ate at a neighbors, they made pork stir fry with rice - super good! Mon: Cajun chicken & veggies Tues: leftovers Wed: salsa chicken & rice (I had fried rice with eggs) Thurs: Gent grilled swordfish & we had potatoes Fri: scrambled eggs, bagel with jam & shredded pork.
Next week will be more pantry meals.
Carol G
Friday 14th of July 2023
Kristen, I am wondering how you will handle things like baking now that you are a party of two. For example, I love your hamburger buns, but even a half a recipe is too much and I have a tough time with frozen bread. When I make yogurt, I send half of it to my daughter, and it still seems frugal since yogurt is like six bucks!! I would definitely love to bake more, but it is just challenging to size down.
Ginger Bruce
Friday 14th of July 2023
I wanted to share what I ate for breakfast today. It's more like lunch for most (3:00pm) but it is breakfast for me because I am working overnight this week and I just got up. I travel for work so I take what I can for meals so I don't have to go out. Some of the hotels have kitchens but no breakfast. Most have breakfast but only a microwave and mini fridge. I microwaved a cheese quesadilla. I brought sour cream and salsa but didn't use those. I ate some baby carrots and some yogurt covered raisins. I will have some coffee from the lobby when I get around. I need more cream and sugar than they have in the room. This week I bought discounted bread (an everything loaf for $1.25 and two Sub rolls for $.70) because I finished my homemade bread and did not have time to make another one. I bought 2 packages of bacon ($3.49 12oz)with the rest of a gift card I received for employee of the month. Froze one and fried the other to take with me on my trip. It's a different kind of creativity but y'all inspire me to think more outside of the box. I strive to be more succinct in my writing but one thing at a time. Hope you have a great weekend.
Marlena
Sunday 16th of July 2023
@Ginger Bruce, my husband travels once a week and we are blessed he has a fridge at work so he can travel with a cooler, put things in a fridge and transport to the hotel. I usually pack him something to stay cold on the first day for lunch and a supper he can warm up, but then I send him with a bagged lunch for the second day. He is up and at work before his hotel starts serving breakfast, but at least they have coffee at work. He usually takes fruit with him and some dry oatmeal in a mason jar that he can add water to at work for that second day. It's a bit of a hassle and it is frugal, but he mainly does it because of he is really watching his salt intake and his blood sugar has been high so eating out is a rare thing for us that we like to enjoy...not use it on a work lunch.
Ginger Bruce
Saturday 15th of July 2023
@Jody S., Thank you.
Jody S.
Friday 14th of July 2023
@Ginger Bruce, Wow. I think your food situation is a big challenge. I'm impressed with your drive to save.
Beverly
Friday 14th of July 2023
We had a use it up week so I didn't go to the grocery store all this week, so spending was zero. Well, unless you count that $1000+ for the 1/4 side of beef we picked up on Saturday! Saturday: grilled hot dogs with ketchup slaw, fruit, chips Sunday: burrito bowls Monday: Slow cooker Asian-inspired chicken drumsticks, pan fried cabbage, roasted carrots, and rolls Tuesday: didn't feel well so I had chicken and rice soup and DH has leftovers Wednesday: baked chicken breast, rice and orzo pilaf, and roasted carrots Thursday: chicken tenders, green beans, and rolls Friday: cheese and crackers at happy hour with BFF for me and DH will have whatever he can find in the freezer
Marlena
Friday 14th of July 2023
I made bbq turkey breast at the beginning of the week to slice for lunch meat, but we ate some turkey for dinner that night. Turkey/stuffing/salad/brussels sprouts pork chop/blackbeans/salsa baked over rice with a bit of cheese on top carnitas with various veggie toppings and corn grilled chicken kabobs/fried potatoes/baked beans/salad tonight may be going out because I've done yard work all morning in 90 degree heat and I'm done!