After my bulk foods purchases last week, we are having a more “eat from the freezer and pantry” type menu this week. I did buy some produce and other weekly essentials, but for the most part I will be using things we already had on hand. I am looking forward to being back in my semi-finished remodeled kitchen!
Aldi
1 gallon Milk – $3.69
2 bags Carrots (@$0.69 each) – $1.38
1 10lb bag Potatoes – $3.49
1 3-pk Green Peppers – $1.29
1 8oz container Mushrooms – $0.79
1 (4 ct) package Zucchini – $1.29
1 2lb bag Sweet Onions – $0.99
3 Roma Tomatoes (@$0.99/lb) – $0.67
1 bunch Bananas (@$.44/lb) – $1.26
1 (3-ct) package Romaine – $1.99
(one bag of carrots, and one head of romaine were consumed before this picture was taken :))
Total: $16.84
Harris Teeter
8 bags (8 oz each) of Shredded Cheese (@$1.25 each) – $10.00
2 cartons (18 ct each) Eggs (@$1.77 each) – $3.54
1 box Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory cereal – $2.19, used $0.70/1 printable (doubled), plus $0.70/1 evic - $0.09 after coupons
Total after Sales and Coupons: $13.63
(I didn’t get this picture taken until the day after I came home from the store – so yes, some of the Coke is missing :))
BI-LO
2 loaves Arnold Sandwich Bread – (B1G1 @$3.49) – used 2 $0.55/1 printable (doubled) – $1.29 for 2 after coupons
1 2-liter Diet Coke (for my mother-in-law:)) – $0.99, used $1.00/1 Bi-Lo ecoupon - $0.01 MM after coupon
1 box Banana Nut Cheerios – $1.97 (clearance) – used $1.oo/1 cut from the back of another Cheerios box – $0.97 after coupon
Total after Sales and Coupons: $2.25
Weekly Total for all Groceries: $32.72
Menu Plan for This Week
Breakfasts
Smoothies (using frozen fruit from freezer), Scrambled Eggs and Toast, Cereal and Fruit x 3, Oatmeal, Veggie Omelettes
Lunches
Baked Potatoes with Cheese/Grapes (my in-laws are at our house for a few days, and bought cherries, grapes and strawberries for us – so we are well supplied in the fruit department!), PB&J Sandwiches/Strawberries/Pepper Slices, Leftovers X 2, Fried Egg Sandwiches/Cherries/Carrot Sticks, Macaroni and Cheese/Bananas/Pepper Slices, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches/Fruit/Carrots
Dinners
Venison Roast in the Crock Pot, Seasoned Baked Potato Wedges, Steamed Carrots, Tossed Salad
Spaghetti (using homemade sauce), Crusty French Bread, Sauteed Zucchini
Pizza Bierocks, Tossed Salad
Dinner Out with In-Laws
Chicken Chimichangas, Spanish Rice, Broccoli
Tailgate Party at Church (Each family brings food for only their family, so I’ll be keeping ours simple with sandwiches and picnic-friendly finger foods.)
Eggs/Potato Hash, Crispy Baked Parmesan Green Bean Fries, Gluten-Free Oatmeal Spice Muffins, Fruit
Health Food Store
2 Organic Greens – Marked down to $0.99 each
2 Bell Peppers – $0.49 each
2 Limes – $0.25 each
1 Rudi’s Cinnamon Raisin Bagels – Marked down to $0.99
Total with tax ($0.32): $4.77
Aldi
1 pkg (18 double rolls) Toilet Paper – $6.99
1 pkg Green Peppers – $1.49
1 Chocolate Ice Cream – $2.29
1 pkg Strawberries – $1.25
1 pkg Tomatoes – $0.99 (I’ll get back $0.50 from Checkout 51.)
3 Cucumbers – $0.59 each (I’ll get back $0.25 from Checkout 51.)
1 Sour Cream – $1.29
2 cans Refried Beans – $0.79 each
1 pkg Flour Tortillas – $1.19
2 pkg Cheese – $1.99 each
Total with tax ($1.63): $24.45
Dillons
1 Frosted Flakes – $1.99 (My hubby requested me to buy this.) 
1 Dish Detergent – $0.99
2 Horizon Mac & Cheese – $1 each, used $0.75/2 printable - $0.63 each after coupon
1 Kroger Tortilla Chips – $1
1 Cheese Slices – $0.99
4 Kroger Greek Yogurts – Marked down to $0.10 each
2 Jennie-O Ground Turkey – $1.99 each, used $0.75/2 printable - $1.61 each after coupon
1 Kroger Cottage Cheese – Marked down to $0.49
3 gallons Milk – Marked down to $1.75 each and I’ll get back $0.25 from Ibotta. (I will freeze these to use in pancakes/breads/smoothies.)
Total with tax: $16.70
Total for all grocery items: $45.92
Menu Plan for this Week
Breakfasts
Cereal x 2, Toasted Bagels, Smoothies using frozen fruit, Pancake Bites
Lunches
Macaroni & Cheese, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Cheese Quesadillas, Salad, Fruit/Veggies/Cheese
Dinners
Boys’ night out (I’ll be at a girl’s get together so my guys are eating out. I’m bringing chips and this dip to my friend’s house.)
Tossed Salad, Strawberries
Sour Cream Enchiladas, Tossed Salad
Hamburgers (using frozen burgers my parent’s gave us), Homemade French Fries, Steamed Broccoli
Chicken Noodle Casserole, Peas, Peaches (My mom brought us a bunch of fresh peaches she picked this week. Yum!)
Homemade Cheese Pizza, Breadsticks, Tossed Salad
Ground Turkey/Potatoes/Green Beans Skillet, 30 Minute Rolls
Lisa from Created for Learning sent me a link to her blog post this week and I just LOVED it:
Transitioning from teacher to mother has been more difficult than I thought . . . I mean, I could patiently handle twenty 1st and 2nd grade students, how hard could it be to parent three kids? Right? But I currently feel like I’m in survival mode. I am overwhelmed by all the responsibilities that my brain is telling me I need to juggle. I LOVE my girls but I find myself saying, “I procreated myself out of my sanity,” more times than I care to experience.
Time-management is a weakness of mine. I desperately want to think through and set up household routines that will help maintain order in our home . . . basically I want my home to run as peacefully as my classroom did.
To help with this, I’ve been listening in the car to an audiobook, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine. Usually my kids ask for me to change it to music, but sometimes I can slip in some listening time for “mommy’s turn.”
Well, the other day we were getting ready to leave for a fun day-trip (so I was trying not to feel frantic, thinking I would forget something) and my just-turned-six-year-old daughter, online we’ll call her Miss Responsible, came up to me and said her list was all done for this morning just like the lady on my CD said to do. I stopped my swirling preparations to look at her and ask her for more details to see what she had paid attention to when listening.
She amazed me.
She led me into her bedroom where *Holycowwhendidshehavettimetodothis!* she had posted all these lists on her wall. She’d written her list for what she needs to do in a day. It was on 4-separate pages and labeled accordingly, “Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Bedtime.” Well, I’m assessing, she may not know the difference between evening and afternoon…”
You can read her whole post here.
