Shopping Guide - Part 2

I thought I'd share what we bought this week and how that corresponds to food.

Breakfast:
We have 2 toaster waffles left, 3 or so bagels (and cream cheese), and plenty of cereal... so no need to buy anything but milk

Lunch:
Take left-overs of dinner

Dinner:
1. Left Over BBQ Pork from Saturday night
2. Use Pork that wasn't BBQ-ed. Pork with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy?
3. Sloppy Joes
4. Chicken Rotel
5. Stir-Fry
6. Taco Night
7. Grilled Cheese sandwiches
We're actually ahead of the game this week. Usually, I only plan for 4 or 5 nights with Grilled Cheese as a back up. We just have a lot of left-over pork. I recommend buying a pork roast...it was only about $4.50 and it's going to feed us for about 3 days.

What I bought:
Store Brand Milk, $3.75
24 pack water, 3.88
Store Brand Bread, 1.16
Ground Beef, 2.27 (already had 1 in Freezer)
Boneless, Skinless Chicken strips, 4.96
Tyson Pre-Cooked Steak strips, 2.50
Sunbelt Granola, 1.66
Mini Snickers 8 pack, .97
1 box Store Brand Pasta, .88
Soy Sauce, 1.63
McCormick Sloppy Joe Seasoning, .98
McCormick Pork Gravy Mix, 1. 04
G2 120z, 4.98
Store Brand Pasta Sauce, 1.25
Store Brand Chunky Mixed Fruit, .88
Store Brand Diced Italian Tomatoes, .48
Store Brand Diced Tomatoes, .48
Healthy Choice Cream of Chicken Soup, 1.25
Rotel Tomatoes, .98
Swanson Chicken Broth, .98

Total for food: $37

Okay...so how what I bought translate to this weeks menu.

In Red is what I bought today and in Blue is what I already had in my pantry.

Milk, bread, and water are a given. Every week you just need more. Save money in the long run and buy yourself a water purifier for your kitchen sink. Instead of soda, this week we're trying the new G2 drinks.

The Ground beef I have will be use with the McCormick Sloppy Joe Seasoning. It also requires 1 can of tomato sauce, which I already have in the pantry.

The new Ground Beef will be used for Spaghetti or Taco Night. I always have a Taco Seasoning or Taco kit in the pantry AND I always make sure I have the fixings for Spaghetti night. That's why I picked up 1 can Diced Italian Tomatoes and 1 can of Spaghetti Sauce.

The Chicken Strips will be used for Chicken Rotel. I bought an extra box of pasta just to make sure I have enough. It also requires 1 can of Rotel Tomotoes, 1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup, and Velveeta Cheese. I will cook the the pasta in the Chicken Broth.

The Steak Strips and Soy Sauce will be used for Stir-Fry. I usually have some fresh veggies on hand or a bag of stir-fry veggies in the freezer.

The Pork Gravy is going to be used with the left over pork. I will serve it over rice or mashed potatoes. I will probably also heat up some rolls (about $2 for 15) and some green beans.

The Granola and Snickers bars are our fast snacks. I also like to pop open a can of Chunky Mixed fruit and keep it in the fridge for a quick snack (see Fruit Salad recipe).

The only thing not accounted for is 1 can of regular diced tomatoes, and honestly, I was just out and always try to have at least 1 can on hand. I can use that can in a quick chili, spaghetti, noodles with tomatoes, veggie soup....

Also, some things I buy can be picked up even cheaper, like the seasonings, soy sauce, and soups. However, I specifically look for items that do not contain MSG. Often, these items cost a few cents more than their counterparts.

Happy Shopping!