March Meals – Keeping Within the Budget

Budget cycle: February 26-March 24 (4 weeks)

Our budget is still $200 a month (4 weeks) for groceries, though there is $25 set aside every month also for the summer produce… which I hope to begin spending on strawberries really soon!!! I didn’t do a good job of taking pictures this time, but blogging the meals has been fun. I think I’ll do it one or two more times. As soon as we have lots of lettuce available (May cycle?) then I’ll blog our beans and rice month.

March Meal Plan:
1. Turkey… plus potatoes and veggies – no pic, but just think Thanksgiving without all the extras!
2.

3.
4. Meatball sandwiches on pita bread – Haven’t made yet
5. Pork roast sandwiches – no picture
6. Turkey & Pasta with Peanut Sauce – Haven’t made yet
7. Bean & Rice enchiladas – no picture
8.
9. Tacos – no picture
10. Salmon and rice pilaf – no picture. But I’ll note that my favorite rice pilaf recipe is no good with brown rice.
11.
12. Turkey Tetrazzini – it was really yummy!
13.
14.
15. When we got sick and near the end of this month, we had pancakes for dinner and more leftovers. That sick part of the month is right now… don’t really care about fancy food today!

The grocery trips:

March Grocery Trips:
Winco – 02/28/2012 – $108.10
1.96 – 2 lbs. of thin spaghetti
1.96 – 2 lbs. of fettucini pasta
.96 – 2 boxes of hy-top mac & cheese
6.17 – bag of 40 flour tortillas, Mission brand (went into freezer)
2.66 – 2 cans of pineapple tidbits – store brand is cheaper, but not as good so I buy Dole or something
6.52 – 4 big containers of strawberry yogurt
1.42 – 8 count hamburger buns
8.15 – 5 big containers of peach yogurt
.58 – water chesnuts. You read me right. They have next to zero nutritional calories. Why did I buy them????
.45 – store brand water chesnuts. Because crunchy water might be better in the expensive brand?
5.16 – 2 gallons of milk
8.72 – 4 lbs. of butter (went into freezer)
1.88 – 1 pint whipping cream (to put in Jordan’s meals for added calories)
1.76 – 2 bags of frozen peas
1.25 – bag of frozen mixed veggies
1.88 – big bag of frozen broccoli
.88 – bag of frozen corn
1.56 – two packages of frozen chopped spinach
4.29 – 7.14 lbs. of bulk oatmeal… should last us a month or more
.70 – .92 lbs. of bulk wheat germ for some muffins I like
2.40 – 4.29 lbs. of long grain brown rice
1.11 – 1.26 lbs. of oat bran for these other muffins
1.78 – big tub sour cream
7.04 – 4.19 lbs. of bulk raisins. That’s alotta raisins
1.58 – A bag of bagels I’ve been really wanting. Not sharing if I can help it. 😉
1.91 – 18 count eggs
2.00 – about a pound of deli ham
1.62 – about a pound of deli ham
2.67 – about a pound of deli roast beef
2.13 – 1.94 lbs. bulk black beans
1.73 – 1.99 lbs. bulk lentils
2.39 – .83 lbs. roasted salted peanut (for a stir fry)
2.28 – 10 lbs. potatoes
2.00 – chili paste (Melissa, I’m making that Kung Pao Chicken)
1.38 – Cream cheese (for the bagels)
.99 – 2 lb. bag of carrots
1.58 – Head of lettuce
1.29 – 2.22 lb celery (one big bunch)
1.09 – 1.11 lb. broccoli (three small heads)
1.54 – 3.21 lb. onions (four big onions)
.58 – one bunch green onions
.68 – cucumber
3.32 – 3.77 lbs. apples (about 8 small ones)
1.94 – 3.35 lbs. bananas (8 bananas)
.58 – two small yellow squash
.51 – two small zucchini
.96 – 2 green bell peppers
.12 – four dried pitted dates for the girls for being good.

03/02/2012 – Fred Meyer – $43.16
$4.49 – experimenting with cheap big tub o’ vanilla ice cream
$1.76 – experimenting with cheap small tub o’ vanilla ice cream
$4.95 – five loaves of Country Oven bread on clearance
$.99 – 8 hamburger buns on clearance
$9.98 – 4 lbs. of tilamook cheddar cheese on sale
$4.53 – one whole chicken at $.79/lb.
$14.87 – one whole wild caught Alaska salmon, about 3 lbs. I had them filet it for me
$.49 – one bunch cilantro
$1.00 – 1.01 lbs. asparagus

03/02/2012 New Seasons $9.98
$9.98 – 4 lbs. Tilamook cheddar on sale

03/03/012 Cash N’ Carry $17.27
1 gallon of cheap olive oil and two pounds of butter

03/04/2012 Fred Meyer $13.18
Twelve bottles of beer. Yep. It’s good with enchiladas, though! Six with alcohol, six without. First time I’ve ever bought beer from the grocery. And I wasn’t carded.

Still going to need some fruit and veggies… how much do I have left? $8.41? AGH! Panic! 2 1/2 weeks to go.

03/15/2012 Fred Meyer 10.79
OVERSPENT! Argh!
$1.69 – Crackers that were supposed to be a gift but didn’t need them so now we’ll eat them
$3.86 – 5.68 lbs. of Fuji apples at $.68/lb. (that’s about 10+ apples)
$2.69 – 4.21 lbs. of bananas at $.64/lb. (that’s about 10 bananas)
$1.98 – two loaves of bread on clearance… should have just left them. Oh well. They freeze.
$.57 – two medium onions at $.49/lb.

03/22/2012 Fred Meyer 4.58
Couldn’t finish the month without yogurt and milk…
1 gallon milk and 1 tub yogurt

Overspent by $6.96