A Budget Meal Challenge: Local Shopping on $25, Part 2

 

My second stop for shopping was at our local grocery.  This store is still fairly new to us, less than a year old and most welcomed in the community after nearly 3 years without anything but a Dollar General.  I don't mind pointing out that is a true story for many small old towns these days.  The local grocery has shut up and gone and the residents are left with Dollar General.

At the local grocery, I spent $24.26.    I acted as though I had not just spent $27 over at Dollar General, because I wanted to see what I could come up with for meals from just what I'd purchased at each store, first.  

I bought:

almost 2 pounds ground beef    $3.83

                                                    3.95

Jiffy corn bread mix                      .99

Green Beans, 1 can                     1.09

Diced Tomatoes, 1 can                1.09

Chili Beans, 1 can                       1.29

1 Bell pepper                               1.09

1/2 gal. milk                                2.29

8 ounces cheese                          2.99

1 dozen eggs                               3.12

1 white onion                                .64

1 packet of instant potatoes        1.09

1 pound bag of rice                   $1.00

                                                $24.43

I can't recall now how much tax was but this total did not go over $25.  So, we'll just call it $25 and leave it at that.  

Again, I planned to use some pantry basics from home, mostly seasonings, but this time also 2 cups of flour, and a box of macaroni (on my expired shelf).

Here was my menu plan for two people:  

Meal #1.  Chili served over rice:  1/2-pound ground beef, 1/2 c chopped onion, 1 can chili beans, 1/2 can tomatoes, 1/2 c of the bell pepper, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Enough water to rinse the can of beans clean.  Cook half the package of rice.  Mix up cornbread muffins and serve two with this meal. The muffins require 2 spoons of melted butter (or any oil really), 1 egg and 1/3 cup of milk.

2.  Burritos:  I expected to have chili and rice leftover.  This time I planned to draw on my pantry. I figured I could make up a batch of tortillas (essentially flour and water and a bit of oil and salt).  Shredded cheese. Even if there's not much left of the chili and rice, it's a great filling for a tortilla and would make a tasty lunch.

 3.  Shepherd's Pie: using my old favorite recipe this time I'm subbing in ketchup for the tomato soup the recipe calls for.   1 pound of ground beef, about 1/2 cup of onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper, ketchup.   Spread drained green beans on bottom of 8 x 8 pan.  Top with hamburger meat.  Mix potato packet with water and spread over meat mixture.  Sprinkle of cheddar cheese (not much cheese required here perhaps 1/4 cup.  Serve with 2 cornbread muffins.  4.  This casserole will serve four, so two servings without the muffins (could have tortillas though) for lunch the next day.

5.  Pasta Bake: 1/2 pound ground beef, remaining onion, rest of bell pepper, rest of can of tomatoes, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper, cooked pasta from the mac and cheese packet.  Mix and sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Served with 2 cornbread muffins.

That leaves me with Tortillas and Eggs, half a package of rice, milk.   Again, we could make a rice cereal (or go one better and make a rice pudding for dessert but these meals have enough carbs in my opinion, so I'd save the rice for breakfast (6).  And of course, eggs and tortillas could be eaten for breakfasts. (7 and 8).

Again, the meals seem poor, and that's partly because I couldn't figure out how much I should dig into my pantry and fill things out.  I decided to just go with what I'd purchased with the exception of the macaroni package and flour.  

What I noted was that Dollar General is the place to buy canned vegetables which I've noted once before when doing one of these challenges.  Eggs were much cheaper at the grocery than at Dollar General as was milk.  Hamburger was $3.99/pound for freshly ground meat at the grocery.  The chicken was at least as high as the frozen at Dollar General.  I did think to price the whole birds.  They were the size of Cornish game hens and while a good buy, one would about feed one person, once the meat was removed from the bone.  

I did price romaine lettuce the day I was in the store and while it was fresh looking, the package was about $3.29, which oddly is a better price than I've paid at Kroger (about $4.29).   Still, lettuce was too dear an item to consider on this budget.  And potatoes were less expensive than at Dollar General, but I was trying to get as many meals as I could out of this, and they were too dear in cost to warrant buying.

Now, I want to do one more post, this time not actually going shopping but revamping what I bought at both stores and (now that I know prices) adding in a few items to see what I might make with $50 worth of groceries.  

Please leave any comments.  I'm interested to hear what your thought are and what you might have done with the same ingredients.

Moody Fall Decor

 

I was so ready for Fall in September!  I decorated the mantel right away and then it took weeks to get the table and buffet done.  I finally finished up the bookcases last week.  That officially saw me finished with the living room.  I'd have done a wee bit more ...Alas, I ran out of autumn picks and was aghast at the cost of what I liked best.  I do have great taste...just can't afford myself.  

Anyway, I've done my bit.  I'll share it, small as it is.

First, the mantle, which I love in all its moodiness.  I wish I had more autumnal pictures to go on the wall but that's something I shall have to look to replace over time.  My inspiration for the mantle came with the Imari plate that I found in the buffet when I was decluttering a couple of months ago.

I pulled the old books from my shelves.  Each one is genuinely old, some from old family members, some from antique shops (but the cheap sort of shops).  The two lamps were my great grandmother's 'Parlor Lamps' and still have a residue of kerosene in them.  I really want to clean them, fill them with oil and use them once more, but part of me is afraid I shall ruin them taking them apart to clean.

My next project was the buffet.  I had it looking so much fuller and prettier, but I borrowed from it to decorate the bookcases.  I was looking at it this morning and mentally kicking myself for not buying at least one more autumn stem of leaves to add back to it.  Ah well.  Note to self: when all this stuff if on clearance go buy some more!

Here's a close-up shot:

Then I decorated the dining table. Since I took these photos, I've changed the yellow candles (appropriate in September) for amber colored ones.  

And last I put the glass pumpkins on top of the bookcases.  Then I borrowed from the Rooster arrangement and used some extra pieces I had to decorate around them.  

I put out my fall/winter pillow covers from last year that look like old tapestry rugs.  Then on sudden inspiration borrowed the pillows from my bed with the rust velvet pillow covers and put those in the room as well.  Now to find cozy throws to carry us through the chillier days of autumn.

It's simple...Using what I had.  But it looks nice and not too over the top.  I think I like it better than anything I've done in years.

Meal Plan for the Third Week of October

 

Ho Hum.  Here we are planning meals again.  If last week's plans went awry, just imagine how far off the meal plan was...Well you don't have to imagine.  You can go read all about it on last week's Journal, lol.  Anyway, here we are trying again to cough up inspiration for meals.  The nice thing is that the weather is trying to cool down.  Nights will be chilly.  The days will continue to warm up.  

To Do List for Third Week of October

 

1.  Zone Three: Bedrooms and Baths.  I went ahead and started on Friday with this job.  I wanted to feel I'd done something last week and that seemed doable.  It took about 45 minutes and while the job wasn't completely done it was more than half done.  I still need to mop the floor and clean the shower.  Very doable!

Journal of My Week: Autumn Comes Slowly

 

Saturday:  It was a lovely day today.  It was breezy and cooler (still closer to mid-80 but less humid).  I picked the children up at their house for a library day out with Gramma.  This is apparently a much looked forward to by the children and they let me know how happy they were.  

After the library we went to Subway.  Golly gee!  Even being very careful I realized that this simply not a 'cheap' option for meals.  I told the kids next time I'd pack a picnic lunch, and I mean to do just that.  We ate outdoors on the covered patio and had a pretty good time overall.  

A Budget Challenge Meal Plan: Just General Shopping Part 1

 

I decided the other day it was time to bite the bullet and do another pantry challenge.  I went first to our local Dollar General.  Then I went over to the local grocery store.  I've debated how to do this challenge, and I think it's going to turn into three posts.  Two $25 challenge posts and one $50 challenge because that extra $25 opens up a few more meal plans than the $25 challenges allowed.

Here's my why: twice now I've seen some videos about what can be made for a 'budget' dinner with $25.  The food served four people.  I figured if one concentrated and only spent $25 for dinner 7 "budget" days a week, it would cost a family of four $175 for a week of evening meals only.  That's $750 for a month of dinners. That doesn't include breakfasts or lunches.  That figure to me is mind boggling.

Meal Plan for October, Week 2

 

Last week's menu plan proved to be difficult.  I was missing a few ingredients, but didn't realize it at the time I was planning.  I kept switching up the plans, meals stretched further than I thought they might, one meal was prepared but not enough for the number of people who'd be here, so that required a second thought.  

To be honest, this week I come to meal planning with planning fatigue, but not just because of last week.  I've been working on the Budget Meals Challenge I set myself.  Figuring out those meals plus last week's changes has just bogged my thinking down.