Last Friday I planned out the menu for this week and on Saturday I went and bought groceries for the entire week. My hubby is going to be gone this weekend on a fishing trip so I also had to buy groceries for his trip. He is taking food with him for breakfast and lunch. I planned meals I knew would give me leftovers to stretch the food. Hopefully I can make it through the week under budget. So far I have spent $112.54
This has all been spent on food or supplies for the hubby. I have to get gas tomorrow and paper plates for the hubby.
September Savings Challenge
Week # 2 -
Food - $ 112.54
Gas - 0
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Meal Plan Monday
Last week I was able to stick to my Meal plan everyday. Here is this week's meal plan
Sunday: Youth Group Night: We help at our church and meal is provided.
Monday: Tater Tot Casserole - kids love this. Corn, Salad
Tuesday: Baked Teriyaki Chicken, Green Beans, White and Wild Rice Pilaf
Wednesday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches , Chips
Thursday: Busy night - Either Sandwiches or Leftover Pulled Pork
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Ranch Meatloaf (recipe from Thrifty Crafty Girl), Potatoes, Green Beans.
That is it for this week. Wednesday and Thursday are our busiest nights so dinner has to be quick. Pulled Pork will be made in the Crockpot and everyone can help themselves when they have time to eat.
Hope everyone has a good week. I will update with my spending challenge tomorrow.
Sunday: Youth Group Night: We help at our church and meal is provided.
Monday: Tater Tot Casserole - kids love this. Corn, Salad
Tuesday: Baked Teriyaki Chicken, Green Beans, White and Wild Rice Pilaf
Wednesday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches , Chips
Thursday: Busy night - Either Sandwiches or Leftover Pulled Pork
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Ranch Meatloaf (recipe from Thrifty Crafty Girl), Potatoes, Green Beans.
That is it for this week. Wednesday and Thursday are our busiest nights so dinner has to be quick. Pulled Pork will be made in the Crockpot and everyone can help themselves when they have time to eat.
Hope everyone has a good week. I will update with my spending challenge tomorrow.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
September Savings Challenge Update Week 1
I joined Carla this month on doing a September Savings Challenge. My Goal was to save $100 a week. I set my limit at $200 a week for Food and Gas. Here is my earlier post on it. September Challenge- My Goals
I am happy to report that I did it!! I was able to stay within my spending budget!
One of the rules is to track everything you spend. This was very helpful so I knew exactly where my money was going. Here are my totals for the week.
Food - $85.50
Gas - $104.00
Total - $189.50
I made it with $10.50 to spare. I was doing really well until Friday. My biggest expense is always gas. I drive 30 miles one way to work. So 60 miles a day adds up pretty quick on gas. I did go ahead and fill up on Friday even though I was just under half a tank. I live in a small town and gas is always 10 - 15 cents higher than in the town where I work. I also had to stop at Sam's Club yesterday to get a few things. I was good though I only ended up getting one item that wasn't on my list. I usually go overboard when I stop there. I stopped mainly for Milk , Lemonade mix and Fruit snacks. Milk is $1.09 cheaper a gallon at Sam's instead of my local grocery store so I bought two gallons.
I didn't have anything but food and gas expenses this week which is really unusual for our house. I took my lunch everyday. Taking my lunch also helped with me not going anywhere on my lunch hour so I wasn't spending gas leaving my office.
This week I have already done my menu planning and figured out what I don't have on hand. I made sure to plan out the side dishes this week. That is something I don't always do and this week I had to run up to our local iga store to get a few things. Our local store is very nice and I like their sale prices but if it is not on sale then some things get very high. We do buy most of our meat from there since it is usually good quality but only buy when it is on sale.
Today will be spent taking my daughter for a sports physical for cheerleading. While I am in town I will be doing the grocery shopping for the week.
Have a good weekend!
I am happy to report that I did it!! I was able to stay within my spending budget!
One of the rules is to track everything you spend. This was very helpful so I knew exactly where my money was going. Here are my totals for the week.
Food - $85.50
Gas - $104.00
Total - $189.50
I made it with $10.50 to spare. I was doing really well until Friday. My biggest expense is always gas. I drive 30 miles one way to work. So 60 miles a day adds up pretty quick on gas. I did go ahead and fill up on Friday even though I was just under half a tank. I live in a small town and gas is always 10 - 15 cents higher than in the town where I work. I also had to stop at Sam's Club yesterday to get a few things. I was good though I only ended up getting one item that wasn't on my list. I usually go overboard when I stop there. I stopped mainly for Milk , Lemonade mix and Fruit snacks. Milk is $1.09 cheaper a gallon at Sam's instead of my local grocery store so I bought two gallons.
I didn't have anything but food and gas expenses this week which is really unusual for our house. I took my lunch everyday. Taking my lunch also helped with me not going anywhere on my lunch hour so I wasn't spending gas leaving my office.
This week I have already done my menu planning and figured out what I don't have on hand. I made sure to plan out the side dishes this week. That is something I don't always do and this week I had to run up to our local iga store to get a few things. Our local store is very nice and I like their sale prices but if it is not on sale then some things get very high. We do buy most of our meat from there since it is usually good quality but only buy when it is on sale.
Today will be spent taking my daughter for a sports physical for cheerleading. While I am in town I will be doing the grocery shopping for the week.
Have a good weekend!
Friday, September 7, 2012
Best 2.99 I ever spent
When I am not busy being a Mom and Wife I work full time out of the house as a Computer Programmer. I am a computer geek and I love it. :) I also love electronic gadgets. I have a Kindle Fire which I love! I have a smartphone and an Ipad. The kindle fire was my Christmas gift last year and the Ipad was given to me through a deal at work. I LOVE my Ipad. My husband says I love it more than him. ;)
One of the apps I downloaded earlier in the year was a Menu Planner When I first bought it I didn't use it very much because I thought it was too much work to setup. At the end of July I gave it another shot.
This app is wonderful! If you do Menu Planning this app is worth a try. There are several sections, Meals, Recipes, Pantry, and Shopping Cart. The best part is the Pantry section. This setup part can be time consuming. You have to enter items you have in your cupboards/Frig/Freezer. I did mine as I went along adding recipes and meals. The Meals section lets you add items for Breakfast,Lunch, Dinner, Snack etc. You can also import recipes from many recipes sites. The app will compare with what you have in your pantry and if it isn't in there it will create the item and add it to the Shopping Cart. You do have to be careful when adding items because it is case sensitive so "Ice Cream" is different than "ice cream".
The Shopping Cart can be organized by Shopping Groups(Isles). I can categorize each pantry item by shopping group. I can also organize the Shopping Groups in any order I want. I set mine up based on the layout of the store.
I am not doing this app justice. If you have an ipad go check this app out. I did my meal planning in August using this and it really helped having everything in one area. There is also a website for it Menu Planner
Just thought I would pass along a tool I discovered and has helped me out. I will post tomorrow on my Savings Challenge.
One of the apps I downloaded earlier in the year was a Menu Planner When I first bought it I didn't use it very much because I thought it was too much work to setup. At the end of July I gave it another shot.
This app is wonderful! If you do Menu Planning this app is worth a try. There are several sections, Meals, Recipes, Pantry, and Shopping Cart. The best part is the Pantry section. This setup part can be time consuming. You have to enter items you have in your cupboards/Frig/Freezer. I did mine as I went along adding recipes and meals. The Meals section lets you add items for Breakfast,Lunch, Dinner, Snack etc. You can also import recipes from many recipes sites. The app will compare with what you have in your pantry and if it isn't in there it will create the item and add it to the Shopping Cart. You do have to be careful when adding items because it is case sensitive so "Ice Cream" is different than "ice cream".
The Shopping Cart can be organized by Shopping Groups(Isles). I can categorize each pantry item by shopping group. I can also organize the Shopping Groups in any order I want. I set mine up based on the layout of the store.
I am not doing this app justice. If you have an ipad go check this app out. I did my meal planning in August using this and it really helped having everything in one area. There is also a website for it Menu Planner
Just thought I would pass along a tool I discovered and has helped me out. I will post tomorrow on my Savings Challenge.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Mid Week Update-Savings Challenge
I am halfway through the Savings Challenge week 1. Yesterday was my biggest spend day but I knew it was going to be. I had to put gas into the van, $58.00 and then buy the rest of the groceries for the week. So far I have spent $99.65 out of the $200 I had planned. Of course last night the kids inform me that we don't have enough cereal for the rest of the week. Why is it that whenever you get home from the store there is always something that was missed? Usually it is from the kids finishing something off and not telling me. :) The only items I believe I will have to get before end of week is cereal, Milk and OJ. I also may have to top the van off with gas. I drive 30 miles to work so 60 miles round trip every day adds up on the gas.
I have also so far been able to stick to the menu plan for the week. I did a menu plan every week in August so by now everyone in the house is used to it.
Spending total:
Food: $41.65
Gas: $58.00
I have also so far been able to stick to the menu plan for the week. I did a menu plan every week in August so by now everyone in the house is used to it.
Spending total:
Food: $41.65
Gas: $58.00
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
September Savings
September Savings Challenge
I am joining up with Carla on doing a September Savings Challenge. This is the first time I have done one of these so we will see how it goes. I am posting this a few days late but I did start this on Saturday 9/1.
Here are the rules.
My Challenge is to save $100 a week. I am putting this into savings for Christmas since I really haven't planned much for Christmas yet. At the end of the month I should have $400. My husband gets paid weekly and his check is used for weekly expenses. My check is twice a month and we use that for monthly bills. Starting on Saturday I set aside $200 for gas and food for the week. I am keeping it out as cash so I can keep track of what I spend. So far for food I have spent $22.00. I planned my menu on items I had on hand so I wouldn't have to buy much. Saturday was my Daughter's birthday and we did go out to eat but I had already budgeted that dinner from my bonus check I received on Friday so I didn't count that. Her gift was already bought also.
Meal Plan:
Sunday: Ham, Corn, Potatoes
Monday: Spinach Cheese Manicotti- This had been on the meal plan for the week before but we didn't end up making it so I already had everything bought.
Tuesday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Wednesday: Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole, using leftover ham.
Thursday: Brats/Hotdogs/ Mac & Cheese. Kid Friendly meal. :)
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday:Meatball Sandwiches, Chips, Salad.
I am joining up with Carla on doing a September Savings Challenge. This is the first time I have done one of these so we will see how it goes. I am posting this a few days late but I did start this on Saturday 9/1.
Here are the rules.
- No buying "stuff" of any kind. No clothes, books, fabric, toys, etc...
- Meds & fixed bills as always, are excluded.
- No "pre-stocking" up allowed. If I go out and spend $500 on food before I start, it's not much of a challenge is it? ;)
- Track every penny spent.
My Challenge is to save $100 a week. I am putting this into savings for Christmas since I really haven't planned much for Christmas yet. At the end of the month I should have $400. My husband gets paid weekly and his check is used for weekly expenses. My check is twice a month and we use that for monthly bills. Starting on Saturday I set aside $200 for gas and food for the week. I am keeping it out as cash so I can keep track of what I spend. So far for food I have spent $22.00. I planned my menu on items I had on hand so I wouldn't have to buy much. Saturday was my Daughter's birthday and we did go out to eat but I had already budgeted that dinner from my bonus check I received on Friday so I didn't count that. Her gift was already bought also.
Meal Plan:
Sunday: Ham, Corn, Potatoes
Monday: Spinach Cheese Manicotti- This had been on the meal plan for the week before but we didn't end up making it so I already had everything bought.
Tuesday: Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Wednesday: Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole, using leftover ham.
Thursday: Brats/Hotdogs/ Mac & Cheese. Kid Friendly meal. :)
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday:Meatball Sandwiches, Chips, Salad.
Debt Update
This post is a few days late. On Friday 8/31 I received part of my yearly bonus. We get it paid out twice a year. It was enough to pay off the kid's school registration and one of my credit cards completely and have a little left over. That was the plan until Friday. I changed my mind and decided to pay off several small bills instead.
Before Friday Debt:
Store Credit Card #1 $196.95
Store Credit Card #2 $122.91
Appliance Store Card $210.00
School Registration All 3 Kids $483.00 - 8th,5th & 1st. 8th Grade was $290 by itself.
Taxes: $215.96
Dinner Out for Daughter's Birthday. $80.00
This ate up all of my bonus but I figured two credit cards are paid off and appliance store card is down quite a bit. The Appliance Store card still has a balance of $166 and that will be paid off by the end of the month. I will now start applying all these payments to the Credit Card. After the Credit Card is paid off I have two hospital bills to pay off from my son's surgery earlier in the year.
School Registration definitely takes a chunk and I wish it wasn't so expensive. Our middle school/High school registration fees are ridiculous.
Debt Still to Pay:
Credit Card: Orchard Bank: $1085.00
Dr Bill $1300.00
Therapy Bill $1400.00
Capitol One Card:$ 1100.00
Van
Motorcycle
House
We still have a long way to go but I am making a dent in it.
Before Friday Debt:
Store Credit Card #1 $196.95
Store Credit Card #2 $122.91
Appliance Store Card $210.00
School Registration All 3 Kids $483.00 - 8th,5th & 1st. 8th Grade was $290 by itself.
Taxes: $215.96
Dinner Out for Daughter's Birthday. $80.00
This ate up all of my bonus but I figured two credit cards are paid off and appliance store card is down quite a bit. The Appliance Store card still has a balance of $166 and that will be paid off by the end of the month. I will now start applying all these payments to the Credit Card. After the Credit Card is paid off I have two hospital bills to pay off from my son's surgery earlier in the year.
School Registration definitely takes a chunk and I wish it wasn't so expensive. Our middle school/High school registration fees are ridiculous.
Debt Still to Pay:
Credit Card: Orchard Bank: $1085.00
Dr Bill $1300.00
Therapy Bill $1400.00
Capitol One Card:$ 1100.00
Van
Motorcycle
House
We still have a long way to go but I am making a dent in it.
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