$50 Per Week Grocery Challenge: Week #51

How Much Did I Spend For Weeks #51?

It was a slow week and I only spent $,30.17.  I desperately need hamburger (I am down to 3 lbs), but there were no sales.  I also found out my food allergies were much worse than I thought and I now have a list of foods a mile long I am not allowed to eat.  Luckily I grind my own wheat, we drink whole milk and I try to make as many items from scratch or I would really be up a creek.  I can't eat any fruit and this even includes olive oils and coconut oils along with many fruit based vitamins (Vitamin A Palmate found in all milks but whole) and I also am not to eat grains with potatoes.  And let me tell you potato starch is in everything!  It has been an interesting few days trying to figure out what I can and can't eat.  I can't even have baking powder or cream of tartar.  I guess my baked goods will come out of the oven a bit flat.


Here is the breakdown for Week #51

Meat:  None

Fruit and Vegetables:  Cabbage ($.33/lb) - $1.72, Shredded Lettuce - $.98, 4 lbs Frozen Vegis - $.85 each

Dairy:  2 Gallons Milk - $3.89 each, 3 8oz Packages Cheese - $1.33 each, Free Package Cheese, Coffee Creamer - $2.22

Misc.:  2 Boxes of Taco Shells - $.98 each, 1 Jar Taco Sauce - $.98 (free Kraft cheese with these 3 purchases), Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (8 pack) - Free, MJB Coffee - $5.55, Ramen Noodles - $2.22, Cereal - Free



Meals we had this week:

Breakfast:  Homemade Granola, Homemade Grape Nuts, Oatmeal, Malt-O-Meal, Waffles or Toast.

Dinner:  Leftovers from supper or Sandwiches from my Freshly Ground Whole Wheat Bread and Yogurt

Supper:  

Sunday - Leftovers

Monday - Bacon Ranch Casserole (I make my own Alfredo sauce and 1/2 the bacon since it is so expensive.  This is always a hit in our family - super yummy)

Tuesday - Breakfast for Supper :  We had Quiche

Wednesday - Supper at Church for Lent

Thursday - Seasoned Chicken, Twice Baked Potato (I didn't eat), Bread and Vegis

Friday - Corn Muffin and Hamburger Casserole

Saturday - Leftovers



Desserts: 
Strawberry Muffins (I increased the sugar by 1/2 cup and split it between white and brown sugar:  These were super yummy)

$50 Per Week Grocery Challenge: Week #49 & #50

How Much Did I Spend For Weeks #49 & #50?

I spent a whopping total of $145.36!!  The biggest factors in my spending was I purchased quite a bit of frozen chicken breasts, 12 lbs of butter and 1 gallon of olive oil. After 50 weeks of trying to stay under $50 per week I am still ahead by $168.58, but the last couple of months I have been spending slightly more than my target goal and this disappoints me a bit.  I suppose one reason is we are in the dead of winter and I do not have a garden to gather produce or a tree to pick fruit.  One other problem I see is inflation - prices are rising.  For example milk 50 weeks ago whole milk was $3.48 a gallon and the last time I purchased milk it was $4.00 per gallon.  And we are guzzling milk right now in our home.  We went through 9 gallons in 2 weeks.  So, unless we befriend a dairy farmer or a cow meanders into our yard, I must resign myself to the fact that I will be forking out at least $12-16 a week on just milk.  And I do not see a decline in my spending in the next weeks as I badly need hamburger.  But, to be honest for a family of 5 we have spent only $2,331.42 on food for almost 1 year.  I am sure there are families out there who have spent less, but I am proud to say we have kept within our budget.

Here is the breakdown for Week #49 and #50

Meat:  4 Packages of Chicken Breasts (3 lbs each) - $4.98 each, 2 Packages Imitation Crab - $1.48 each

Fruit and Vegetables:  Carrots - $1.79, Apples ($.88/lb) - $6.27, Bananas - $2.80, 5 lbs Frozen Strawberries - $8.98, Bananas - $1.36, Oranges ($.58/lb) - $3.05

Dairy:  2 Gallons of Milk  $3.81 each, Whipped Topping - $.88, 5 Packages of Cheese (8 oz each) - $1.28 each, 3 Gallons Milk - $3.79 each, 1 Gallon Milk - $3.89, 4 lbs Butter (3 packages) - $8.98 each, 3 Gallons Milk - $4.00 each

Misc.:  French Bread - $1.01 and another at $1.18, 2 Coffee Creamers - $2.48 each, 1 Gallon Olive Oil - $16.98, 20 Boxes Mac&Cheese - $.25 each



Meals we had this week:

Breakfast:  Homemade Granola, Homemade Grape Nuts, Oatmeal, Malt-O-Meal, Waffles or Toast.

Dinner:  Leftovers from supper or Sandwiches from my Freshly Ground Whole Wheat Bread and Yogurt

Supper:  

Sunday - Popcorn night and leftovers

Monday - Samurai Sams

Tuesday - Pizza

Wednesday - Spaghetti

Thursday - BBQ Chicken, Twice Baked Potato and Corn

Friday - Homemade Hamburger Helper and Green Beans

Saturday - Leftover night

Sunday - Spaghetti

Monday - Mac & Cheese with Sausage and Broccoli, Potato and Broccoli Soup and Popovers

Tuesday -  Seasoned Baked Chicken, Olive Bread and Vegis

Wednesday - Supper at Church for Lent

Thursday - Hot Dogs, Pasta Crab Salad and Seasoned Potatoes

Friday - Oven Fried Chicken, Potatoes and Vegis

Saturday - Leftovers

Desserts: 

Chocolate Cake, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Angel Food Cake with Strawberries and Cool Whip

$50 Per Week Grocery Challenge: Week #48

How Much Did I Spend For Weeks #48?

I only went to one grocery store.  Our whole family has an extremely bad cold and so shopping was not a high priority for me.  I spent $23.37.

Here is the breakdown for Week #48

Meat:  None

Fruit and Vegetables:  3 Avocados - $.99 (I purchased 9 total), Apples $.98/ lb - $2.73, Celery - $.98, Cilantro - $.99, Cabbage - $1.54, 8 oz Mushrooms - $1.48

Dairy:  2 Gallons Milk - $3.97 each, Cottage Cheese - $2.78

Misc.:  2 Packages Tortillas- $.98 each



Meals we had this week:

Breakfast:  Homemade Granola, Homemade Grape Nuts, Oatmeal, Malt-O-Meal, Waffles or Toast.

Dinner:  Leftovers from supper or Sandwiches from my Freshly Ground Whole Wheat Bread and Yogurt

Supper:  

Sunday - Young Family Event at Church - Taco Bar

Monday - Spaghetti

Tuesday - Leftover night

Wednesday - Lasagna

Thursday - Breakfast for Supper :  We had Quiche

Friday - Quesadillas and fixings

Saturday - Take out pizza



Desserts: 

Chocolate Cake - probably one of the best homemade chocolate cakes ever.  Plus I made it with 100% whole wheat and it still was light an fluffy.  My husband thought it was a box mix. Frosted with a homemade chocolate frosting and I could't keep from eating it.

$50 Per Week Grocery Challenge: Weeks #45 - #47

How Much Did I Spend In the Last Three Weeks?

One would think as I approach my 52 week challenge of spending $50 or less per week I would be eagerly recording each week, but for some reason I have been neglecting my blog.  Not because I am not staying on track - I am - but for some reason I have had just a "ho-hum" attitude about this and just ignored my blog.  I can't explain it, but that is the case.

Well, I must get down to the brass tacks and say what I have spent on groceries for the past 3 weeks:  $151.16.  So, I went over my goal by $1.16!  Not bad, especially with grocery prices going up.  Milk is skyrocketing in price!

Here is the breakdown for Week #45:  $59.44

Meat:  None

Fruit and Vegetables:  Cilantro - $.68, 1 lb Mushrooms - $3.00, 3 Avocados - $2.64, 3 More Avocados - $2.64, 3 lbs Clementines - $3.98

Dairy:  2 Gallons Milk - $3.81, 2.5 lb Block Cheese - $6.12, 5 lbs Shredded Cheese - $12.98, Coffee Creamer - $1.59, 15 Packages of Kraft Cheese (8 oz each) - $14.7 [plus with each 5 package purchase I received $2-$3 coupons for my next visit]

Misc.:  Gluten Free Crackers (for a friend of mine) - $3.49

Here is the breakdown for Week #46:  $50.55

Meat:  2.5 lb Chicken Breasts - $3.88

Fruit and Vegetables:  None

Dairy:  1/2 Gallon Buttermilk - $2.15, 7.5 Dozen Eggs - $11.56, 1 Gallon Milk - $3.81, 1 Gallon Milk - $3.97!!!, 5 8oz Packages Kraft Cheese - $4.90, 2 Gallons Milk - $3.69 Each [Milk has fluctuated so much lately]

Misc.:  Bagal Crisp Chips - $4.98 and 6lbs Tortilla Chips - $7.92 (for a super bowl party), Spaghetti - Free

Here is the breakdown for Week #47:  $41.17

Meat:  2 Packages Bacon - $2.67 each

Fruit and Vegetables:  Apples at $.98/lb - $3.28, Red Potatoes - $1.98, 5 lbs Onions - $4.98

Dairy:  3 Gallons Milk - with my previous grocery store coupons = $.91, 2 Dozen Eggs - $1.16 each

Misc.:  2 Containers of Folgers - $6.44 each, 10 Cans of Spaghetti Sauce - $.50 each, 1 Small Jar Peanut Butter - $.98, 3 Packages Spaghetti - $.85 each, Free Jar of Jelly, 1 Box Cake Mix - $.98,  Sunny Delight - Free

Meals we had this week:

Breakfast:  Homemade Granola, Homemade Grape Nuts, Oatmeal, Malt-O-Meal, Waffles or Toast.

Dinner:  Leftovers from supper or Sandwiches from my Freshly Ground Whole Wheat Bread and Yogurt

Supper:  
I am unable to recall - sorry.


Desserts: 
I have no idea what I made, but I know we had at least 1 dessert each week.

$50 Per Week Grocery Challenge: Week $44

How Much Did I Spend For Weeks #44?

This post is going to be short and sweet as I have a paper to write for a class and unlike my usual self I have not started and it is due tonight.  I am a bit frantic thinking about it.

For some reason my family has been downing milk and I purchased 5 gallons this week!  I spent a total of $43.98.

Here is the breakdown for Week #44

Meat:  None

Fruit and Vegetables:  Bananas - $1.48, Carrots - $1.48, Cabbage - $.98, Spinach - $2.98, Onions - $1.97

Dairy:  2 Gallons Milk - $3.79 each, 3 Gallons Milk (from Menards - they have the best price for milk but they never carried whole in the past, but I looked this week and they had some!) - $3.59 each

Misc.:  25 lbs Sugar - $12.44, 2 Boxes Cornstarch - $.96 each, Coffee Creamer (a treat for my addiction) - $2.38



Meals we had this week:

Breakfast:  Homemade Granola, Homemade Grape Nuts, Oatmeal, Malt-O-Meal, Waffles or Toast.

Dinner:  Leftovers from supper or Sandwiches from my Freshly Ground Whole Wheat Bread and Yogurt

Supper:  

Sunday - Leftovers

Monday - Tacos with all the fixings

Tuesday - Macho Nachos

Wednesday - Chicken and Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Thursday - Samurai Sams

Friday - Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup and Twice Baked Potatoes

Saturday - Pizza



Desserts: 
Monsters Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies and an extremely awful coffee cake

$50 Per Week Grocery Challenge: Week #43

How Much Did I Spend For Weeks #43?

I spent a fair bit this week as not only did I shop at two different grocery stores, but I also purchased my supply of bulk spices from Azure.  I wait for Azure to have its sale on their spices and this year I bought 5 lbs some of which included cinnamon, garlic, and chili powder.  My total for this week was $73.15.  On a side note we finally were able to celebrate Christmas with my in-laws and spent the weekend away from home so I will not be recording those meals.


Here is the breakdown for Week #43

Meat:  3 Packages of Hot-dogs - $1.00 each, 5 Bags of Frozen Chicken Breasts (2.5 lbs each) - $3.88 each

Fruit and Vegetables:  3 lbs of Apples - $2.77, Salad Mix - Free, 3 lbs of Frozen Corn - $.77/lb

Dairy:  3 Gallons of Milk - $3.63 each, 3 8oz Packages of Italian Cheese Blend - $1.66 each

Misc.:  2 Boxes of Saltines - $.97 each, Spanish Rice Packet - Free, 5 lbs Spices (Cinnamon, 2lbs Chili Powder, Garlic and Minced Onion) - $28.86
(I also had $1 coupon to use at one of the grocery stores.)



Meals we had this week:

Breakfast:  Homemade Granola, Homemade Grape Nuts, Oatmeal, Malt-O-Meal, Waffles or Toast.

Dinner:  Leftovers from supper or Sandwiches from my Freshly Ground Whole Wheat Bread and Yogurt

Supper:  

Sunday - Leftovers

Monday - Pot Roast, Potatoes and Carrots

Tuesday - Pork Chops and Hash-browns

Wednesday - Spaghetti and Salad

Thursday - Sweet and Sour Chicken, Rice and Broccoli

Friday - On the road to Grandmas = McDonalds

Saturday -



Desserts: 
Pumpkin Bars

$50 Per Week Grocery Challenge: #41 & #42

How Much Did I Spend For Weeks #41?

This was a slow week: no meat sales and really not a sale on anything, so I only spent $14.71.  I was craving nachos and so splurged on a couple of avocados (wished I lived in Hawaii and had an avocado tree).  Other than that I hunkered down in our warm home and stayed out of the 20+ below weather.  Sometimes I wonder why we live in this area?


Here is the breakdown for Week #41

Meat:  None

Fruit and Vegetables:  1 Head of Lettuce - $.88, 3 Avocados at $.88 each

Dairy:  3 Gallons of Milk - $3.73 each

Misc.:  1 Bottle of Catalina Dressing - Free



How Much Did I Spend For Weeks #42?

I spent a little more this week, but not much - $22.26.  This brings my total spent on groceries for the past 42 weeks to $1,894.40.  That is an average of a little over $45 per week.


Here is the breakdown for Week #42

Meat:  None

Fruit and Vegetables:  Bananas - $1.89

Dairy:  3 Gallons of Milk - $3.73 each

Misc.:  1 Brownie Mix - Free, 1 Loaf of Bread - Free, 24 Cans of Tomato Soup and 12 Cans of Creamed Corn (they were supposed to be $.37/can, but I never looked at my receipt until now and I am not sure how it happened, but they came to a bit more than $.25/can?)




Meals we had this week:

Breakfast:  Homemade Granola, Homemade Grape Nuts, Oatmeal, Malt-O-Meal, Waffles or Toast.

Dinner:  Leftovers from supper or Sandwiches from my Freshly Ground Whole Wheat Bread and Yogurt

Supper:  

Sunday - Kabobs (Baked not grilled - it was close to 20 below, I wasn't venturing outside.)

Monday - Nachos

Tuesday - Went to the movies for $5 plus free popcorn - got full on popcorn

Wednesday - Quiche, Potatoes and Banana Muffins

Thursday - Meatloaf, 3 Corn Casserole and Baked Potatoes

Friday - Nachos

Saturday - NDSU Bison party (They won!) and a late Christmas Party with my husband's employer.  So FULL!

Sunday - Leftovers

Monday - Spaghetti

Tuesday - Chili and Corn Bread

Wednesday - Chili Dogs

Thursday - Orange Chicken, Rice and Vegi

Friday - Pizza

Saturday - Leftovers



Desserts: 
Banana Muffins, Lemon Poppy Seed Bread, Brownies