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A peek at our weekly grocery shopping
Each week I plan on sharing a picture of our cart at each store along with a breakdown on what we bought and what we paid. Thankfully we have zero dietary restrictions or allergies which helps us keep our budget on the low side. We try to stick between $80-90 each week for our family of seven. A lot of times what is on the menu doesn’t directly correlate to what we buy because I like to plan our meals from what we have on hand currently and use our budget to stock up on good buys plus produce and dairy products.
This week’s grocery budget is a little funny compared to other weeks. My parents came up mid week so we could on a date (they were camping near by) and were able to swing by Aldi – that one that’s about an hour away – and pick us up a good bit of produce and dairy products that I knew would be cheaper. We spent $20 to get milk, eggs, watermelon, cantaloupe, broccoli, strawberries, cherries, cucumber, sugar, creamer, and mustard. I was so excited that cherries were only $1.99/lb at Aldi! That’s an incredible price.
Because we bought extra produce (and summer produce that needs to be eaten quickly) we are going to need to make another produce stop in a few days. I left room in the budget for us to swing by the store early in the week so we can pick up some sweet corn and another watermelon. It’s a good thing it’s the 4th this weekend and those are always a great deal right now!
But as for the rest of our groceries, here’s what we bought.
Sam’s Club
Sour Cream $3.99
Cheese Brick $5.98
5pk Avocados $5.19
– 1.00 instant savings = $4.19 (I was super excited for this price!)
Macaroni & Cheese $12.80
– 3.60 instant savings = $9.20
15lb Potatoes $6.98
Bananas $1.38
Total: $31.72
Walmart
Cereal $2.38
Hot Dog Buns $1.48
Olives $1.54
Pineapple $1.16
*submitted receipt to ibotta for any item rebate (-$0.25)
Total: $6.31 after rebate
Costco
Pickles $5.79
Total: $5.79
Target
3lb Apples $4.69
– 5% off apples cartwheel (0.23) = 4.46
Mushrooms $1.89
– 5% RedCard discount (0.32)
Total: $6.03
Grocery Total: $69.85
Menu Plan
I love menu planning and seeing other’s dinner plans! I’m weird like that 😉 As I’ve shared before, being in the kitchen is my happy place so I love finding meals that are new but I also never forget our favorites! These will link to the author’s original recipe unless it’s my own recipe/creation that I don’t have a link for… yet.
If you need some inspiration for how to create menu plans you can read here where I go into detail about how I make a plan for our food week and here to read how I create our grocery list.
I don’t make specific plans for breakfast and lunch but these are the basics I rotate between while throwing in a few other things for special days or weeks when I have the right ingredients.
Breakfasts: Pancakes, Coffee Cake, Egg Sandwiches, Sausage Balls, Eggs (various ways), English Muffins, Banana Bread, Biscuits and Gravy, and various types of muffins.
Lunches: Leftovers, PB&J, Meat and Cheese Wraps, Cheese Quesadillas, and Mac ‘n’ Cheese.
Dinners, however, are always planned for since they tend to take the most ingredients and prep time.
Here’s what’s on our menu this week:
Sunday: Family dinner for early 4th of July celebration – We are heading to Micah’s sister’s house for a BBQ and some family fun! I’m making brownies and probably another dessert. I want to bring more (because making food is my jam!) but we are leaving right from church and have a little over an hour drive so most side dishes won’t travel well. Oh well!
Monday: Bean & Cheese Enchiladas – I’ve honestly been dreaming about these for a few weeks now. I made a big batch of refried (or smooshy as the kids call them) beans a few weeks ago and I’m ready to put them to good use. Plus these are simply scrumptious!
Tuesday: Brats & Hot Dogs – Happy 4th of July! Micah’s home so we can fire up the grill and enjoy a fun bonus day as a family. Stay safe and enjoy the holiday!
Wednesday: Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese – Spicy shredded chicken melted between layers of cheese on crispy buttered bread? Sign me up. I always serve these with a side of ranch so the kids can cool down their mouths. It’s also great with carrot sticks or celery sticks on the side – just like buffalo wings at a restaurant!
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Homemade Pizza and Movie Night – pizza crust recipe here and pizza sauce recipe here.
Saturday: Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce – I pulled this meal from my list of 10 dishes I want to try and I’m pretty excited. I think the kids will love having skewers of chicken with peanut butter dipping sauce and we will all dig the flavors. Served with some roasted veggies to make it a full meal.
Do you want to get your kids in the kitchen with you? Check out Kidstir! They offer a monthly subscription box with kid friendly recipes and tools so you and your child can work side by side in the kitchen creating healthy meals and fun memories.
What’s on your menu this week? Share your plans in the comments below.