We made our first visit to the orthodontist last week and it seems as though life as we have known it is about to change. Both youngsters will be in braces next month. Luckily the orthodontist uses payment plans, but I have a feeling that this is going to take all the "fun money" out of our budget. Exactly HOW much is yet to be seen.
Regardless, the little man is overly excited about this new adventure and very proud to be one of the firsts in his class to wear braces. The sweet tween is not happy to say the least.
I am in search of ways to save on the grocery bill. For the past year or so, I have not been restrain ted by a confining grocery budget. But I need to now! On average, I spend $150 on groceries and the goal is to knock it to $100 or less. Coupons do NOT work for me as I have tried to use them on and off during the years, so I am trying to just cut back the old fashion way. Budget friendly meals, homemade snacks, shop from what you already have on-hand.
I am proud to say that I have made this goal for 2 weeks now even on a restricted diet!
Sunday - Nana's homemade vegetable soup and grill cheese sandwiches ( all ingredients at home already)
Monday - Spaghetti with rice noodles (noodles on hand, buy sauce and meat) I already have Parmesan cheese too!
Tuesday - Chicken Stirfry and rice - bought a frozen pack of stirfry vegetables ( I like to make my own seasonings and rice to add so I buy vegetables only). I added fresh broccoli and canned water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Chicken tenders were also purchased for this meal.
Wednesday - Black Beans and rice. I already had 2 cans black beans. I bought some celery, carrots, onions and smoked sausage.
Thursday - Chicken sandwiches and roasted fresh veggies. I marinate the chicken overnight ( all ingredients for marinade were already on hand) I bought chicken breasts, tomato and lettuce. I all ready had buns. Andy I bought a pack of fresh cut up veggies to roast.
For school lunches I added lunch meat, bread, yogurts, chips, granola bars, grapes and strawberries. Carrots and celery will be used here too. I eat left-overs for my lunches.
Breakfasts will include cereal, oatmeal and homemade muffins.
Add in couple of cleaning supplies and my total was $93.00!
Don't forget to visit Organization Junkie for more ideas!
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2 comments:
Good job! Our budget has changed so much year to year month to month. When I was pregnant with the twins we spent so much on food. Now I'm able to cut back and start serving more simple, and less expensive meals.
I find that shopping the clearance meat is one of my best ways to cut back our budget. I found hamburger for 99 cents a pound that way yesterday.
I agree that for me the best way to cut back on groceries is just to make more from scratch. Plus it is healthier and tastes better too, so my family doesn't feel deprived when I am cutting back.
I do use coupons if the item is something I would normally buy, but so many coupons are for processed foods that I wouldn't eat. I also check all the different clearance sections in my store (meat, produce, and canned goods). I have found some great deals that way.
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