These are the steps I took in preparing for this adventure (and that's totally how I view this - an adventure!!) in uber-thriftiness - hope you find them helpful!! Keep in mind that this is only the main course of our dinner meal - it's not like I've made 22, 3-course meals here... but it is a decent sized entree for four people (we're two girls, two boys in our house - ages 34, 34, 10 & 9...)
- Determine what meals you'd like to make - think of thing that freeze well. For inspiration take a stroll down the freezer aisle (inlist a friend to take your wallet from you so you don't "accidentally" stock up on Stouffer's mac& cheese!) or - and this is safer - explore pinterest! Type in "freezer meals and you'll be bombarded with everything you ever wanted to know about the subject! For reals!
- Here's my menu - I'll make two of each... I've linked these recipes to my pinterest board for October 2012 with the exception of the Moravian Chicken Pie which is further up in my blog ("A Little Comfort Please" post)
- Make a master shopping list - I included most everything except for stuff that is regularly in my pantry unless there was an extraordinary amount of something like the chili powder for this shopping trip. Here's my master list...
- 38 chicken breasts (I've started splitting the breasts I get at the store - they're portioned so large they should be split for healthy eating reasons anyway...)
- 6lbs ground turkey/beef
- 1lb. ham
- 6 cans Cream Of Chicken Soup
- 4 cans Kidney beans
- 4 cans diced tomatoes
- 2 cans (19. oz) red, mild enchilada sauce
- 2 cans (4.5 oz) chopped green chilis
- 4 cans chicken broth
- 3 taco seasoning packets
- 2 packs Burrito size tortillas
- 1lb. Swiss cheese
- vegetable oil
- olive oil
- self rising flour
- chili powder (1/2 c.)
- soy sauce
- Worchestershire sauce
- parsley (dried will do)
- red wine vinegar
- Italian bread crumbs
- 16oz jar of salsa
- noodles
- dijon mustard
- 5 sticks butter
- Parmesan cheese
- Greek yogurt
- eggs
- frozen carrots
- onions
- celery
- garlic
- lemon juice
- cheddar cheese
- American cheese
- Time to shop your own kitchen!! I got this tip from www.blissfulanddomestic.com (click here for exact post I read) Go through your freezer and pantry and see what you already have - such a simple step but I wasn't regularly doing this - this tip has totally changed my world!! Here's everything I found in my pantry:
- 4 frozen chicken breasts
- 1lbs. ground turkey
- frozen carrots
- onions (frozen)
- celery (frozen)
- 2 cans Cream of Chicken soup
- 3 cans of black beans - subbing in for 3 of the cans of kidney beans
- 1 large can of tomato sauce - subbing in for 2 cans of diced tomatoes
- 4c. noodles
- bread crumbs
- Worchestershire sauce
- 3 sticks of butter
- Greek yogurt
- cheddar cheese
- American cheese
- garlic
- red wine vinegar
- soy sauce
- veg oil
- 1 can diced chilis
- bouillion cubes - subbing in for cans of broth
- bisquick - subbing in for self-rising flour
- salsa
- Bust out the ol' computer and your coupon file and search it out!! Look for all the deals you can! Don't forget to check your favorite brands website for any special coupons or perhaps their facebook pages too - a lot of times if you like a product on fb, you get a coupon towards your next purchase - yay!! Also be sure to check sites like www.southersavers.com and www.couponmom.com that will compile all the specials and coupons for you - takes a TON of the work out for you! Double check the "VIP" programs for the stores in your area, or their websites to see if they have a "silent" sale for their members or personalized sales. I found that my store had frozen chicken breasts as the manager's special for the week - yeah - I'd rather have fresh, but given the cost savings how could I refuse?! Seriously the 2.5lb. bag was $3.99!! Can't beat that!!! I grabbed a couple of coupons from www.target.com too. We don't have a super target, but the pantry section is pretty decent and they had a special on their store brand tortillas too!! Sweet!
- Shop!! I know - what every woman lives for, right? Umm... no, not me... I can think of 100 different ways I'd rather spend my off-time!! Here's the list I took with me to the stores...
- 34 chicken breasts
- 5 lbs. ground beef/turkey
- 1lb. ham
- 4 cans Cream of Chicken soup
- 1 can Kidney beans
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 2 cans (19oz) red, mild enchilada sauce
- 1 can chopped chilis
- 3 packets taco seasoning
- 2 packs Burrito size tortillas
- 1lb. Swiss cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- eggs
- 2 sticks butter
- milk
- lemon juice
- olive oil (of all the times to run out!!!)
- chili powder
Target $42.82
Harris Teeter + 51.97
TOTAL $94.17
Now you may have noticed, I left out the flank steaks... and I intended to buy it with what I had left over once I realized I forgot it... but now I've got an overage of chicken breasts and I'm going to use the marinade on that instead of buying the beef... yes - it's a chicken heavy month but seriously - with Cordon Bleu on the menu, who cares!!!??!!! Once the groceries are in your kitchen get to cookin'... Some folks advise doing it all at once - I've been doing a little at a time. I've made the chicken tacos, enchiladas (I froze them as rolled burritos and I'll make as the casserole when we decide to have it... this way we can eat them as burritos if we'd rather...), meatloaves, chicken pies, chicken cordon bleus, chili, chicken noodle soup, and oven fried chicken. I've still got the chicken gyros, marinated chicken breasts (subbed in for flank) and the chicken kiev to go... Hopefully I'll be done by tomorrow and then the rest of the month should be smooth sailing and happy eating!!
That's it - I hope you found it helpful. Between the links and the tips you should totally be able to do this too. Most of what I was able to get came from store specials and not coupons - I had almost $40 in specials savings and only $4 in coupons... Imagine what the savings will be when I amp up the couponing - woot!! I can see a lot more spa trips on the horizon... ok - so truthfully, it enables our family to pay off our bit of credit card therapy faster and have savings for those fun things we want to do - to the tune of almost $300 each month!! What?! And eating at home is healthier than eating out... and eating planned meals just takes the one decision out of the days craziness!! To this I say - woot!! I can do all things - including feeding my family for less - through Christ who gives me strength - and kitchen savvy! Yeah - not exactly Philippians 4:13 but it is the essence of what is there... along with this one... "My God shall supply all your needs, according to His riches in glory," Phil 4:19... not as often memorized but nonetheless true and power-filled. Walk in His provision today...
PS - ok - so not exactly a "post script" but... Seeing as all these meals freeze super well, you will always have something in the freezer to take to a friend in need - when a baby is born, when a loved one dies, when someone is sick, and even when you just see a sister stressed beyond measure... share what you've got in that freezer - you've just saved a bundle on your grocery bill so you can afford to be generous ;-)
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