What's for dinner?

[tortoise]

Week 1
crockpot whole chicken
Marinara
Chicken salad/soup/sandwich
Sausage and bean (hot dogs and baked beans from a can totally counts!)
Breakfast
Chili
Macaroni (anything based on pasta)

Week 2
Venison roast/potato
Roast sandwich (often BBQ), plan B meatloaf
Brat/potato salad (summer), IDK (winter)
Stir Fry / oriental
Mexican
Wiggle (leftovers, whatever. 14 meals in 14 days is more than we eat)
Macaroni (anything pasta, winter) or brat chowder (summer)

Each days leftovers can be incorporated into the following meals within 4 days. When I follow it exactly I have zero food waste and my grocery budget is <$150/month for 4 people. However, I've based it on the cheapest/most available ingredients for my family, your mileage may vary.

 

[NH Homesteader]

Hey I like your grocery budget! I can keep mine around that if I really make an effort, but I have all the meat in my chest freezer so that saves at the grocery store.

 

[Country homesteader]

I should be able to keep my food budget at $150 or less seeing how I'm a single person and on a very strict diet but I don't. I end up spending $175 or more.
Sure, there's plenty of meat in the freezer so I really don't have to buy any but it's mostly red meat and I'm only allowed 3 ozs per week.

 

[Mini Horses]

Here's a tip for shopping -- most buy too much of things they don't need & maybe shouldn't have. Make a list & stick to it.

Take a look at your buying habits -- save some receipts & spread sheet the buys. Do you buy a lot of paper towels? Use cloth & wash! A lot of prepared foods? A lot of SNACKS? Soda? etc. Breads that you toss because stale? (Freeze at once, use couple slices at time, make croutons/crushed breading crumbs with other pieces). Use leftovers....now or freeze for later. Waste?

My son's GF spends a LOT & ends up short end of each month. Most because she buys a whole lot of sugary snacks, cereals, sodas, empty calories! I could take her money & stretch it for at least 2 weeks more than her for that family.

 

[tortoise]

I agree about spreadsheets. Track everything you're purchasing to look for patterns. Also go through your pantry and identify everything that you're not using - make a list of things you won't buy (because you won't use them).

Do you have much food waste?

 

[NH Homesteader]

one of my biggest issues is my husband is a junk food junkie. Trying to break the habit but it's hard. And my parents have introduced my daughter to chips and candy and... Ugh. I always have to be the mean one!

 

[Country homesteader]

I do make a list of the things I need- coffee, creamer, stuff like that but I don't always stick to it. Even if I don't use something all the time I like to have it on my pantry shelf so when I want to use it, it's there.
No, I don't buy a lot of sugary snacks (soda, chips or cookies). I do treat myself to a DIET soda when I'm able to.
Yes, I go through a lot of paper towels and toilet paper but I also go through a lot of dish liquid so I normally get the bigger packages ( and bottles) of that stuff.
When I buy meat I get family packs then when I get home I break it down.

 

[Country homesteader]

Tonight for dinner it's grilled sausages with onions, peppers and mushrooms.

 

[Britesea]

we had eggs and chorizo for dinner last night. Tonight we're going to a pot luck and I'm bringing my Chinese Chicken Salad. Tomorrow will probably be burgers on portobello shrooms. I try to have a green salad every night although last night I did a big batch of green beans because I gathered what's probably the last gasp from the bush beans. For dessert lately it's been low-carb ice cream (Breyer's Smart Carb), with strawberries from the garden and/or some homemade low-carb chocolate syrup; but I need to make some more desserts- maybe a batch of chocolate mug cakes that I can freeze.

 

[baymule]

Last night we had fried fresh ham steak. When we slaughtered out hog, I took 4 center cuts from each ham, then ground the rest for sausage. I cut the ham slice in fingers, dredged in seasoned flour and fried. We had that and baked, buttered sweet potato. Today we had a late lunch of home made spaghetti sauce, spaghetti and garlic French bread.