Wait...$30? For the whole week of groceries? Yep, it's called stripping down to the bare essentials for the week. Maybe you are saving for a pair of shoes. Maybe you can't find the money for the electric bill. Carrie and I were planning to spend extra money on booze (typical) and plan for company coming in town (YAH!!), so we needed a couple extra bucks. Here is what a day looks like on a $30 grocery week:
Breakfast:
Coffee with Creamer
Two eggs scrambled
Apple or Banana
Lunch:
Seasoned Chicken Breast
Half a Sweet Potato
Carrots and Celery
Dinner:
Potato and Broccoli Soup
No, we aren't skipping meals and we are not starving to death. Here's how it worked out.
Last week I realized I had enough food in the fridge and freezer to skip a week at the grocery store. Since I have learned to save a buck on groceries, I also learned that it is ok to have condiments as the only item in the fridge by the time you get around to the grocery store. Keeping your fridge organized and a little bare lets you know what is on hand, therefore you do not throw out food or let anything spoil.
Carrie ended up having some students over for a class assignment so she made a grocery run for beer,
vegetarian chili, and cornbread. She spent $40. I pulled out some frozen cookie dough I saved from making cookies two weeks ago. I went to the grocery store yesterday with the intention of spending as little as possible, which totaled $31. So, here is the breakdown of the last four weeks.
Week 1: $62.08
Week 2: $89.16
Week 3: $40
Week 4: $31.54
Monthly Total = $222.78
Budget = $300
So, I essentially squeezed $77 out of our grocery budget to spend on other priorities. I skipped a week because of the freezer dinners and cutting down to the bare essentials for one week out of four.
My inspiration for the $30 grocery week can be found
here at PeacefulMom.
Here's what the week's plan looks like:
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Potato and Broccoli Soup
Saturday: Leftover Soup
Sunday: Chicken Pot Pie (Homemade Freezer Meal)
Monday: Burgers (Homemade Freezer Meal) with Zucchini
Tuesday: Spagetti and Meatballs (Meatballs are Freezer Item) with Salad
Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner
Also, spending some extra time searching for the best deal at the grocery store can save you a lot of money. I had potatoes on the list for potato soup. After browsing all my options for potatoes looking for the best deal, I realized the 10 pound bag and the 5 pound bag were both $3.29. SO WAIT. I can get DOUBLE the amount of potatoes for the same price? Yes, 10 pounds of potatoes is a lot but potatoes last forever when kept in a dark, dry place. Great!
Here is my list of groceries:
Potatoes (10 lbs)
Sweet Potatoes (2)
Carrots (2 lbs)
Celery
Zucchini
Bananas
Bag of Apples
Dozen Eggs
Chicken Breasts (3)
One packet Herb Seasoning
Milk
Bread
Strawberry Jelly
Spagetti
I will have enough Potato Soup to make one freezer item this week.
Here is a cheap option for dinner that can make one big pot pie or two smaller pot pies. These also freeze well! If you buy a rotisserie chicken like I did, you can repurpose the carcass after cutting off the meat to make your own chicken stock.
What are your recipes that freeze well?
Pioneer Woman Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 1/2 cup Finely Diced Onion
- 1/2 cup Finely Diced Carrot
- 1/2 cup Finely Diced Celery
- 3 cups Shredded Cooked Chicken Or Turkey
- 1/4 cup Flour
- 3 cups Low-sodium Chicken Broth, Plus More If Needed
- Splash Of White Wine (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon Turmeric
- Salt And Pepper, to taste
- Chopped Fresh Thyme To Taste
- 1/4 cup Half-and-half Or Cream
- 1 whole Unbaked Pie Crust
- 1 whole Egg
- 2 Tablespoons Water
Preparation Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat, then add the onion, carrots, and celery. Stir them around until the onions start to turn translucent, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the chicken or turkey and then sprinkle the flour over the top and stir it until it’s all combined with the turkey and vegetables. Cook for 1 minute, then pour in the chicken broth (and wine if using) and stir it around and let it cook and thicken.
Once it starts to thicken add the turmeric, salt, pepper, and thyme.
Add the half-and-half or cream, then stir the mixture and let it bubble up and thicken, about 3 minutes. If it seems overly thick, splash in a little more broth. Turn off the heat.
Pour the filling into a 2-quart baking dish. Roll out the pie crust on a floured surface and lay it over the top of the dish. Press the dough so that the edges stick to the outside of the pan. Use a knife to cut little vents here and there in the surface of the dough.
Mix together the egg with 2 tablespoons water and brush it all over the surface of the crust. (You will have some egg wash left over.)
Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbly. To prevent the crust from getting too brown, you might want to cover it lightly with foil for the first 15 minutes of baking time.
Serve up servings by the (big ol’) spoonful!
Here is my recipe for pie crust. You can use half for the pot pie and freeze the other half to use another time. Also, this is a cheap option because these items are always in my pantry.
Pie Crust
Source Unknown
1 1/2 sticks Unsalted Butter, Cold
3 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Sugar
1/3 cup Shortening
6-8 tablespoons Ice Water
Combine flour, salt, and sugar in food processor. Add diced butter and shortening. Pulse until pea-sized. Run processor and pour in ice water until dough forms a ball. Remove and roll into ball. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Makes top and bottom.
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