Half way

Kids have made it halfway through the first week of school. Everyone seems to like their classes and their teachers. That always helps!
I was going through our expenses this morning and realized I had put more on one of our cc this summer than I thought. It is not a large balance but I now have a $1100 balance when  a few months ago I had it down to $200. I was paying enough attention to what was going on there. We have a very busy schedule during the summer with baseball. We spent two weekends at a hotel so that all added up. I have the money in savings and I should just transfer and pay this off but I like to have the EF money.

I am going to take a look at the budget and see what I can add to the monthly payment to get this paid down quickly.  I have been doing good on the food budget this month and have spend very little. The extra from that went towards the school supplies. If I have any left at the end of the month I will also add this to the CC.

Back to School

Today was the first day back to school for my kiddos. This year I have one in 8th, 5th and 1st. I enjoy Summer but I am ready to get the kids back to a routine. We have spent the summer at ballgames and running from event to event.
I am also working on being more organized. I used to do a good job with this but this has really fallen by the wayside. I started with the meal plan and for the last couple of weeks that has gone really well. The next thing I am organizing is bills. I pay all the bills online but my filing system is a pile and that is very frustrating.  So this is the next thing I am working on.
This week's meal plan.
Monday - Chicken in the Crockpot Pinterest recipe
Tuesday - Breakfast for Dinner
Wednesday - Chicken & Noodles ( using leftover chicken from Monday)
Thursday - Pizza
Friday - Italian beef sandwiches

I am still pretty new at this blogging thing but I am trying it out to keep myself accountable.

Meal Plan

Monday- Pork Chops
Tuesday - sloppy Joes
Wednesday - State Fair Day/ frozen pizza
Thursday - Chicken Wraps
Friday - spaghetti
Saturday - Tacos

I did pretty good last week with sticking to the menu. I ended up moving some around because of scheduling changes. My oldest son and I did end up eating out on Friday night. It was just the two of us so wasn't bad.  I am still working through my freezer to use things up. This week I only had to spend $7.64 to complete my meal plan. I think that is pretty good.
We are taking the kids to the State Fair on Wednesday and I know this will be expensive but I don't feel so bad after seeing my food expenses for the week.
I am really trying to make sure that no food goes to waste. Last week we had chicken two different nights. We had leftovers for one meal and I took leftovers in my lunch. Tonight I took what was left and picked the chicken off the bone and stuck it in the freezer. I also put the bones in the freezer. I will use the bones for making chicken stock.

Meal Plan Monday (a Day Late)

Meal Plan:
Monday: Teriyaki Chicken, White & Wild Rice pilaf and Green Beans.
Tuesday: Pork Tenderloin, Corn and ??
Wednesday: Hot Dog/Brats
Thursday: Spaghetti
Friday: Meatball Subs
Saturday:Chicken on the Grill
Sunday: Leftovers

Over the weekend I took an inventory of my freezer and cupboards and was able to make this week's meal plan with items on hand. I only had to buy a few items and the staples like Milk and Bread.
I am also making an effort to make more meals from scratch instead of buying mixes.  I am always trying something new like the White & Wild Rice pilaf. I had never cooked Wild Rice before, kids thought it was ok but the husband liked it.

To Do List:
1. School supply Shop for Daughter. Boys are done!
2. Call Dr Office abt Son's bills.-Made some progressive last week but is hard to make phone calls at work.
3. Dentist/Eye appts for kids. Appointments have been made.