Meal Planning

I'm still alive over here! Apparently, I'm a fits a fits and spurts kind of blogger. I recently made a large meat purchase and thought it might be helpful to know what I cook to keep our budget so low. I currently budget $350 per month for 5, sometimes 6 (we have one away at college eight months out of the year).

OK, here's what I bought:

10lbs. ground beef $1.99/lb

10lbs. Country pork ribs $1.49/lb

10lbs. chicken drumsticks $0.89/lb

10lbs. chicken leg quarters $0.49/lb

7lbs. boneless skinless checken breast $1.69/lb

4lb chuck roast $3.49/lb

TOTAL: Just under $75

By making a trip to the grocery (Aldi's and Sam's) for some staples and adding that to the items I already have in my pantry, fridge, and freezer, I was able to plan out 29 meals. I also plan in leftover days (about one every 5-7 days) and we buy take and bake pizza on Sundays (with a coupon), so I actually have enough meals to last us about five weeks. So, with keeping chickens, thus having fresh eggs always on hand and adding in breakfasts and lunches for the weeks, you can see how I keep our costs so low.

So, above you see our menu for that period of time. I don't necessarily go down the list in order, but try to mix it up, so that we aren't left with beans and soup at the end of the month. I also try to scan the menu every few days and make sure that the recipes that use fresh produce are made before the produce goes bad. Pretty simple system.

And I made my menu board out of a frame from the dollar store and a pretty sheet of scrapbook paper. It hangs on the wall in my kitchen and I erase each meal as we eat it.