Meal Plan for March

So I have been doing my meal plan for 2 weeks at a time, so for every pay check. Which worked great, but I decided that I wanted to try for a month! Without repeating a dinner! That was the hard part! I have a picky eater, who doesn't like anything with tomatoes, except ketchup. Yeah, it is hard. But I don't cater to her, she has learned, along with everyone else, that you eat 2 taster bites, then you can eat the other things you like, I try to have sides that she likes for the meals she doesn't.

I am still working on putting all my recipes and shopping list per meal together in a binder like I found on Pinterest here:

My goal is to have more than 30. And since my life has kind of calmed down a little, I have a little more time to try new recipes. And my food budget isn't so tight, so I can afford to buy a few new things we don't normally have on hand for these new recipes. Some are a hit, others not so much. But I have learned that if I make it once and it is just ok, to make it again with a few changes, that my culinary husband suggests would be good with it. ((Yes he is a better cook than me! He is not afraid to try new things and change recipes, me I am a little more hesitant. It doesn't hurt that he has master taste and smell buds that can eat something somewhere, say what was in it, and recreate it at home, often better than the restaurants!))

Anyway... I am working on finding a calendar that works for me, until then I have my trusty notebook and pencil :)

I know, it is hard to read, sorry! Basically this is it:

Left column

Fri. 27th Oatmeal

Nachos

Breaded Chicken

Sat. 28th cereal

Frozen Pizzas

Enchiladas

Sun 1st crepes

sandwiches

roast

Mon 2nd eggs

Cheese, pep, crackers

tacos

You get the idea. Breakfast, lunch (mainly for my picky daughter who takes lunch), and dinner. 

I need to be better about planning lunches for us at home and sides for dinner, plus snacks. Getting there, baby steps! I also mark the pay days so I know when I will be going to the stores and can plan my grocery list accordingly. 

I made a master list on Excel the other day, done by isle for the grocery stores, by memory. It was ok, and nice to have it by isle, but I am still working on the perfect list!

Here is a link to free printable lists I found on Pinterest. This is my Meal Plan board. Lots of different styles. Find what works for you. Or just write it out! 

https://www.pinterest.com/eleanor_rolfe/meal-planning/

Then I look and see what I need and mark it on my list, only getting what is needed for my menu, Plus snack things we normally always have, like yogurt, nutella...

Stay tuned for recipes! And a master list of my 30+ meals!

RE-START!!!

So, a few things have changed in the last 2 years! Imagine that! LOL So I am re- stating, with some edits my Kick-off post! ((My changes, moving to a new country, adding a child, bills and budget has changed... just to name a few! LOL)) Changes are Italicized

When you decide to start trying to save money, I recommend first taking a good look at your budget.

-Decide what your REALLY spend on everything! (I was surprised at all the 'little' spending we did that added up to a 'BIG' amount!) Break it down, writing it all out helps a lot! And know when the money leaves your account, or when you send the bills. (So you can plan better.) To do this I like to hand write it all out. I have a notebook where I have a page for each paycheck, in one column I start with my paycheck amount, under it I start listing and subtracting bills, starting with the important ones that can not, or will not change (ie. mortgage payment amount, auto loans, insurance...). Then I do the other bills that come our of that paycheck. LAST on the list is my food/gas amount and savings- hopefully ;) These can change so I like to keep them flexible at the bottom. Right now we are trying to get out of debt, so I put extra to those bills at the bottom. Try to leave a little 'cushion' so if you happen to go over somewhere you are okay. (I pretend that my cushion is not there, so hopefully it will add up- fingers crossed!) So this time when I re-wrote it all out I did it on the computer in Excel. But did the same basic thing. I listed all our bills and expenses, amounts, due dates, and if they were set on auto pay or not. Then I did 2 columns for our 2 paychecks every month. Ours our not the same amount on the 1st and 15th, and since we are overseas where we get COLA (cost of living allowance) since it is so expensive to live here, but because the Euro is hanging daily that changes every month! NOT helpful when planning out like I like to do!  So having it on Excel where I can change the same amounts and not have to re-write it all out is nice, even for someone like me who likes to write it out! 

The next page is the next paycheck... (We get paid twice a month so I only need two pages per month, but we have more than one account, so I list them on the same pages...)

-See if there is anything extra you can cut out: cable, subscriptions to extra channels or to magazines or newspapers, club memberships... You need to be willing to cut where you can. Even an extra $20 a month adds up! (Sadly we are under contract so I couldn't cut off my cable like I wanted to, but I did ask about what I could do to lower my monthly bill, and they gave me a total of $35 off per month! Bonus! So don't be afraid to ask! We have no other subscriptions or memberships, and nothing else I could get rid of, but I tried HARD to find something!) So since we have moved we have cut some things! Yay! We have decided not to do cable and just do internet and Netflix, hulu, amazon prime... But to do them overseas we had to sign up for unblockus service. Still and extra $4.99 a month to use what we where already paying for is great, instead of $75 for tv we rarely watched! We also don't have a home phone.Somethings to look at are getting rid of home phone, if you have one you don't really use. (We did this a while ago.) Cutting or changing your cell phones around, if possible, to save money. Seeing about lowering your auto insurance. We have limited options for cell phones, but found a great family plan. And auto insurance is a whole other ball game here! LOL 

-After you have cut and know exactly what you have for food, gas, extra expenses, then the fun begins!!!

Right now we spend, on 6  7 people, (Remember I have a solider and a growing 12  14 year old boy! Plus 3  4 growing active girls and I am pregnant... so we eat a LOT!!!) about $800 $900 a month on food! CRAZY!!! Now, this changes in my home for different reasons, ie. kids go back to school so they aren't home snacking so much, hubby deploys or is TDY (work trip)... so that is a rough estimate. But that is what we are going to change!!!

I already try to shop sales and coupons too! So I will start by what I have been doing, and then together we will build, transform and adjust to hopefully bring that WAY down! (I have a super frugal friend who decided to spend about $200 a month, yes a month! on her groceries- feeding a family of 6!!! I asked how, and they cut way down on what they eat. Which is awesome for her, but that wouldn't altogether work for me. Plus her 4 kids are all younger and eat less. I think she said once that my 18 month old ate more than her 6 year old! So be sure to be realistic for YOUR family! What works for one, may not work for another.) ANYWAY... back to what I have been doing:

-I shop sales: now I only go to one store, I don't have time or really find it that helpful to shop multiple stores. I have tried in the past, when I had less kids and more time, but only for special sales.

Here is a link to a

- I coupon: First- know your stores rules on coupons! Even within the same chain, they can vary.

 I was getting the Sunday newspaper, the only one with coupons, but my subscription ran out (I got special starting rate), so now I only print my coupons. (I haven't been lately tho, so this is on my list to kick things off and get saving!) Or put them on my store card. Let me explain that last one. My fav store to shop at is Safeway, they have a club card that gets you savings, but you can also register it online, and put digital store coupons on it, so you don't need the Sunday add to clip coupons from. Now the reason this is my favorite store is because not only do they have the club card with digital coupons, and I have an app, so I can see my 'list' of deals and make sure I have added the coupons, but I get points for every dollar I spend, to save money on gas!!! If I am going to be buying food anyway, I might as well be saving money for it somewhere! AND they double coupons everyday! Only up to a dollar, but still! I can either buy twice as much as my coupon says, or save twice as much on whatever I am getting. (By double up to a dollar I mean they will double a .25 coupon to .50, a .50 to $1.00, or a .75 to $1.00.) (I also really like the customer service and people at my local Safeway, they make my shopping trip more pleasant, and know and are ready for my shopping trips!) Safeway also will let you use their store coupons WITH manufacturer coupons! Double savings! So check around at your stores and see which ones will give you more bang for your buck!

*Now there is a trick to using coupons and saving money! I have a whole power point from a class I taught I will upload soon, but for now the MAIN things to remember are:

1- Read your coupon! Know what rules and dates are on it! (Must buy xx to save $$...)

2- Using coupons are great, but if it isn't used in COMBINATION with a sale, you really aren't saving much if anything!

3- Some stores and coupons will let you use multiple coupons with the correct number of items. Example: For cereal lets say you have 2 coupons that are the same, each for $1.00 of 3 boxes, you then can use them both, if you get 6 boxes. Some won't, so read them baby!

Man, I wish I could still shop like that above! Before we moved I was and saved a ton! And we even had extras that I got for next to nothing for the kids. NOW is another story! Living overseas I am limited in my options! The commissary is the on base grocery store, they have all the american foods that you can get in the states, they ship them over. Which is nice, and not... It is nice to be able to get certain ingredients needed for your favorite dishes, that the Germans don't eat. But it costs a LOT more, and they only have name brands, no store brands or options. (ie. a loaf of Home Pride bread costs $3.30 here :(  The other option is to shop at a local german store. My fav! Don't be afraid to go out and try local things when you move somewhere new! Not only an I get a loaf of 'square' bread (the only kind my picky kid will eat) for only .55 euros- roughly .64 cents! I can get a fresh loaf from the bakery for only 1.30 euros, about $1.48!!! AND it is SOOOOO gut! (Good!) Plus anything fresh, fruits, veggies, yogurt... is way better! Doesn't go bad as fast and tastes amazingly fresh!

So my shopping has changed! I list everything I can get at the local store, and try to get as much there as I can! Then I get what is left at the commissary... So I do save on some stuff, but it is off set by what I have to spend at the commissary. And they do do coupons, but I haven't found any for what I buy... working on that one! 

- I Meal Plan- I have only been doing dinners, but am going to start doing all our meals and snacks! There are lots of fun ideas for decorative meal planning boards and lists ect. on Pinterest! (Yes, I LOVE pinterest and look for things often on there!) Here are a few links:

http://www.lifeinyellow.com/2012/03/meal-planning-and-a-free-download/

http://www.designsponge.com/2010/01/diy-project-kates-grocery-planner.html

http://clairsfairytale.blogspot.com/2012/01/ultimate-menu-board.html

http://www.bhg.com/decorating/storage/organization-basics/free-printable-storage-labels/?sssdmh=dm17.577381&esrc=nwdc012512&email=3687570976#page=9

http://fussymonkeybiz.blogspot.com/2010/08/menu-board-tutorial.html

And here is the link to MY pinterest Board: Meal Planning- with all of the above in one place!

http://pinterest.com/eleanor_rolfe/meal-planning/

And that is what I have been doing to try and save money. But I know there is a lot more I can do, and I can do better at doing what I am doing... so here we go!

Join my journey and maybe we can all learn a little something and save big!

I still LOVE pinterest and go there a LOT for all kinds of ideas! And I have been meal planning for all 3 meals! I haven't been doing snacks tho... So I am still a work in progress! 

Weekly Meal Plan 2

Whats on your menu this week???

Here is mine! 

As I said in a past post about my meal 'plan', it is just that, I often switch things around during the week tho! 

For example, the end of last week, when we were suppose to have smoothies and muffins, I hadn't had time to bake the muffins yet, so I swapped them for this mornings breakfast! Since it was on my plan I knew I had everything and it was no big deal! 

I had done pancakes with some frozen strawberries I had left in my freezer for our breakfast for dinner on Friday, from the last time I made jam, since I had defrosted them and had left overs I needed to use I decided to try a new recipe for some Strawberry Muffins! They turned out great! 

So here is the recipe, changed a bit, as I always seem to do! 

Strawberry White Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 2/3 cup diced strawberries- I used the frozen, (defrosted) ones I spoke of, they were a little mushy I just chopped them a little more to make them smaller pieces. 
• 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips- I used mostly white chocolate chips instead, with a few chocolate chips, and regular size, not minis (And probable more than the 1/3 cup, I just poured till it looked good ;)

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, gently toss the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and applesauce until together until no brown sugar lumps remain - a fork works well to break up the brown sugar here. Add the beaten egg white until fully incorporated. Add the wet ingredients to the dry until just combined - do not overmix. Fold in the strawberries and chocolate chips.
3. Divide the batter evenly between  muffin tins. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Muffins will be lightly golden in color and a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean. Mine took about 20 minutes. Allow muffins to cool and enjoy!

I, of course, found the recipe on Pinterest! Here is a link to the website it came from:

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/01/03/skinny-strawberry-chocolate-chip-muffins/

SO, What is on your menu for the week?

Weekly Meal Plan: 1

So, I am really trying to cut our food budget! So here is this weeks meal plan!

 (Normally I will post on Mondays, but I was driving home from our road trip and didn't get a chance to do anything till today!) 

I downloaded one of the many meal planning sheets I have given links to, or if I didn't cause I found them after the fact, then they are posted on my Pinterest Board Meal Planning: 

http://pinterest.com/eleanor_rolfe/meal-planning/

Now the one I used is a free download, for personal use, which I am doing, I am just sharing it with you for ideas of how I am planning! 

Here is the link to the one I used:

http://www.delish-blog.com/2012/01/free-printable-menu-planners/

AND here is my menu!!!

(((To make things really confusing, ya know how I said I started on Tuesday, well I did, the meals listed for Monday are really for NEXT Monday! I know crazy! But I was planning for a whole week! I don't want to go back to the store until Monday of next week!)))

ANYWAY...

This week is a little different because 1- it is the first week I am actually planning what we will eat for ALL three meals! Hoping to save time and maybe a little money to; 2- My kids start back to school this week; 3- my hubby goes out of town for almost two weeks, which doesn't play in a whole lot, but a little; and 4- I am taking dinner to another family one night, they also have 6. 

As I was planning this weeks menu, I looked at what I already had, and I had a lot! While I was out of town for a week, I had bought groceries for my hubby to make things for dinner, he didn't! So I had everything needed for a lot of dinners, saving me money!!!

So, are you ready?!?! I only spent $37 to get everything I thought I would need for the whole week!!!! Including drinks for lunches, and my hubbies extra drinks! Now, I may need something else I forgot to get, but still!!! My goal is $100 a week, not counting my dairy delivery, which for a month is normally about $100 (that's 4 gallons fresh milk and 2 1/2 gallons of OJ- a kind we love a week, not to bad, I probably could save money if I got it with coupons and watched sales, but I am hugely pregnant, with 4 kids, and an unplanned run for milk is not something I want to mess with!) So I think I am doing good at $37 so far!!! I think I can make this weeks budget!!! Next week we will see...

Tonight's dinner was Sheppard pie! A super easy dish, most everyone in my house likes (my one super picky eater eats the top and the beans... better than nothing I guess!)

I just brown a pound of hamburger,

put a can of tomato soup in a 9 x 13 pan, 

along with a can or jar (I do a home jarred, thanks to my mother in law!) green beans,

add the hamburger and mix,

top with instant potatoes and sprinkle on shredded cheese! 

Then I bake until the cheese is melted and it is heated through, about 20 minutes at 350.

Nothing fancy, but my kids don't need or really want fancy! And for about $5 a meal to feed 6, not bad! 

As for the rest of the week, I always like to plan a big 'Breakfast for Dinner' in there because 1- in normally cost less; and 2- my hubby isn't ever home for breakfast, so he misses anything special I make, but he likes it. So this way we can all enjoy it! I remember reading a long time ago, that if you have one meatless meal a week, you save about $100 or more a year (I think it was a year), anyway, I like to do one that way if I can. So you will always see a breakfast for dinner in my menu's. 

I also like to make my kids a warm, home cooked breakfast most mornings, but they like cold cereal as well, so I alternate during the school year. I found a few recipes for egg muffins and other ideas I may try at some point, but for now I am sticking to the regulars to get going on the school year and my budget planning! (I grew up the opposite, where my mom made a big breakfast every Saturday and Sunday, but we are still up at different times on the weekends, and my hubby normally goes for a long run, and doesn't eat a big breakfast, hopefully someday it will work for us!)

I will keep you updated on how my budget goes! And remember this is just my 'plan' I often forget to pull out meat or start the crock pot early in the day, and have to switch things around, that is fine to do, I just know I have everything needed for any of these meals on hand! No fast, run in for 'one' thing at the store kind of things!!! 

Share your thoughts and meal ideas! I would love to hear how your plan works! 

I will share more recipes as the week goes on! 

**My spelling is horrible! LOL And my program I used to add to the menu doesn't do spell check, so please forgive me! If I forget to double check things, as I am normally in a hurry (4 kids remember!) then I will have mis-spelled words! Sorry!**

Kicking Off!

When you decide to start trying to save money, I recommend first taking a good look at your budget.
-Decide what your REALLY spend on everything! (I was surprised at all the 'little' spending we did that added up to a 'BIG' amount!) And when the money leaves your account, or when you send the bills. (So you can plan better.) To do this I like to hand write it all out. I have a notebook where I have a page for each paycheck, in one column I start with my paycheck amount, under it I start listing and subtracting bills, starting with the important ones that can not, or will not change (ie. mortgage payment amount, auto loans, insurance...). Then I do the other bills that come our of that paycheck. LAST on the list is my food/gas amount and savings- hopefully ;) These can change so I like to keep them flexible at the bottom. Right now we are trying to get out of debt, so I put extra to those bills at the bottom. Try to leave a little 'cushion' so if you happen to go over somewhere you are okay. (I pretend that my cushion is not there, so hopefully it will add up- fingers crossed!)
The next page is the next paycheck... (We get paid twice a month so I only need two pages per month, but we have more than one account, so I list them on the same pages...)

-See if there is anything extra you can cut out: cable, subscriptions to extra channels or to magazines or newspapers, club memberships... You need to be willing to cut where you can. Even an extra $20 a month adds up! (Sadly we are under contract so I couldn't cut off my cable like I wanted to, but I did ask about what I could do to lower my monthly bill, and they gave me a total of $35 off per month! Bonus! So don't be afraid to ask! We have no other subscriptions or memberships, and nothing else I could get rid of, but I tried HARD to find something!) Somethings to look at are getting rid of home phone, if you have one you don't really use. (We did this a while ago.) Cutting or changing your cell phones around, if possible, to save money. Seeing about lowering your auto insurance.

-After you have cut and know exactly what you have for food then the fun begins!!!

Right now we spend, on 6 people, (Remember I have a solider and a growing 12 year old boy! Plus 3 growing active girls and I am pregnant... so we eat a LOT!!!) about $800 a month on food! CRAZY!!! Now, this changes in my home for different reasons, ie. kids go back to school so they aren't home snacking so much, hubby deploys or is TDY (work trip)... so that is a rough estimate. But that is what we are going to change!!!

I already try to shop sales and coupons too! So I will start by what I have been doing, and then together we will build, transform and adjust to hopefully bring that WAY down! (I have a super frugal friend who decided to spend about $200 a month, yes a month! on her groceries- feeding a family of 6!!! I asked how, and they cut way down on what they eat. Which is awesome for her, but that wouldn't altogether work for me. Plus her 4 kids are all younger and eat less. I think she said once that my 18 month old ate more than her 6 year old! So be sure to be realistic for YOUR family! What works for one, may not work for another.) ANYWAY... back to what I have been doing:
-I shop sales: now I only go to one store, I don't have time or really find it that helpful to shop multiple stores. I have tried in the past, when I had less kids and more time, but only for special sales.
Here is a link to a
- I coupon: First- know your stores rules on coupons! Even within the same chain, they can vary.
 I was getting the Sunday newspaper, the only one with coupons, but my subscription ran out (I got special starting rate), so now I only print my coupons. (I haven't been lately tho, so this is on my list to kick things off and get saving!) Or put them on my store card. Let me explain that last one. My fav store to shop at is Safeway, they have a club card that gets you savings, but you can also register it online, and put digital store coupons on it, so you don't need the Sunday add to clip coupons from. Now the reason this is my favorite store is because not only do they have the club card with digital coupons, and I have an app, so I can see my 'list' of deals and make sure I have added the coupons, but I get points for every dollar I spend, to save money on gas!!! If I am going to be buying food anyway, I might as well be saving money for it somewhere! AND they double coupons everyday! Only up to a dollar, but still! I can either buy twice as much as my coupon says, or save twice as much on whatever I am getting. (By double up to a dollar I mean they will double a .25 coupon to .50, a .50 to $1.00, or a .75 to $1.00.) (I also really like the customer service and people at my local Safeway, they make my shopping trip more pleasant, and know and are ready for my shopping trips!) Safeway also will let you use their store coupons WITH manufacturer coupons! Double savings! So check around at your stores and see which ones will give you more bang for your buck!
*Now there is a trick to using coupons and saving money! I have a whole power point from a class I taught I will upload soon, but for now the MAIN things to remember are:
1- Read your coupon! Know what rules and dates are on it! (Must buy xx to save $$...)
2- Using coupons are great, but if it isn't used in COMBINATION with a sale, you really aren't saving much if anything!
3- Some stores and coupons will let you use multiple coupons with the correct number of items. Example: For cereal lets say you have 2 coupons that are the same, each for $1.00 of 3 boxes, you then can use them both, if you get 6 boxes. Some won't, so read them baby!

- I Meal Plan- I have only been doing dinners, but am going to start doing all our meals and snacks! There are lots of fun ideas for decorative meal planning boards and lists ect. on Pinterest! (Yes, I LOVE pinterest and look for things often on there!) Here are a few links:
http://www.lifeinyellow.com/2012/03/meal-planning-and-a-free-download/

http://www.designsponge.com/2010/01/diy-project-kates-grocery-planner.html

http://clairsfairytale.blogspot.com/2012/01/ultimate-menu-board.html

http://www.bhg.com/decorating/storage/organization-basics/free-printable-storage-labels/?sssdmh=dm17.577381&esrc=nwdc012512&email=3687570976#page=9

http://fussymonkeybiz.blogspot.com/2010/08/menu-board-tutorial.html

And here is the link to MY pinterest Board: Meal Planning- with all of the above in one place!
http://pinterest.com/eleanor_rolfe/meal-planning/

And that is what I have been doing to try and save money. But I know there is a lot more I can do, and I can do better at doing what I am doing... so here we go!
Join my journey and maybe we can all learn a little something and save big!