Our food bill is astounding. I know that some of it has to do with the fact that we eat organic and some of it has to do with the fact that our kids inhale fruit (could be worse). It also probably has to do with the fact that my kids eat a lot of snacks (like Veggie Booty and bagel chips). Lately, we have been trying to figure out how to significantly reduce our bill. In today's Oregonian, there was an article about how four families cut their food bill. Perfect timing! Last year, Rebecca Blood did a whole series on how to eat organic on a reduced budget. Although we learned some things, they didn't seem to affect our total food bill. One thing has really helped, and that is Citymama's Meal Planning Mondays. I subscribe to her blog so every Monday I see what she is cooking for the week. This inspires me to talk to W about what we are going to cook for the week. Having a meal plan and sticking to it is a great way to reduce food bills. Otherwise you are wandering around the grocery store grabbing random things that may not add up to an actual meal!
This is our menu for this week:
Sunday - Will's Indian style franks and beans with brown rice
Monday (yesterday) - Tacos (ground turkey, refried beans, tomatoes, avocado, cheese)
Tuesday - Meatloaf (pre-cooked and frozen), mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans
Wednesday - Pasta with white beans, arugula, garlic bread
Thursday - Salmon sushi balls (basically canned salmon wrapped in sushi rice with nori around it)
Friday - Out for sushi and to see Ani Difranco (yay!)
Saturday - ???
We make it a practice to bring leftovers for lunch so I had Will's Indian style franks and bean with rice for lunch yesterday and today I am planning to make a taco salad. W is actually starting to gather data on exactly how much meals cost.
So what do you do? Do you create a menu for the week? Do you know how much your meals cost? Do you have any tips for us? :)
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Hmmm. This is timely for me too. We've discussed that I eat from 1 to 2 lbs of frozen veggies per day. Depending on what Trader Joe's has, it can cost me anywhere from $1.79 to as much as $2.69 per pound if I have to go to Whole Foods. With limited time on my hands, I add to that, pre-made items either from TJ or from the coop, or from WF. (normally half of one serving) which is not particularly inexpensive. This is the price I pay for working longer hours. When the kids get older, maybe you can all garden together, either at home or at a community garden, and have those chicken coops you've mentioned. That will definitely help. And so will the planning. There is nothing worse than having to toss something out because of poor planning. --- One more thought. Would it help you to have an additional freezer? Or perhaps a weekend of canning veggies with your pals? m. xoxoxoxo
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