It's going to be a busy week!

Well it's a rainy and cold day up here in New York state today. What better day to get a lot of things accomplished inside.

First up on my to-do list is a meal plan. My husband will be starting his new job tomorrow after being laid off for more than a year. We're really happy that he found something, but it also means we need to start following a more strict schedule and plan everything out. The first two weeks he will be on first shift and then will be on second. What I plan to do is utilize my crock pot during the week. The night before I will cut everything up and have it all ready to go in, so that I can just throw it all in each morning. I will also need to plan lunches for the little ones since they will be going to the sitter during the day for the first two weeks (will mostly be sandwiches or mac n cheese, with a fruit and/or a veggie). I plan on giving the sitter an extra $5 to cover the milk they will drink. So, here is my meal plan for the week:

Sunday -not sure yet (leftover chicken from yesterday)
Monday - chicken n cornbread dumplings (crock pot), veggie, pudding or jello
Tuesday - leftovers
Wednesday -ham (crock pot), stuffing, veggie
Thursday - breakfast for dinner
Friday - turkey breast (crock pot)
Saturday - spaghetti, homemade bread (bread machine), green beans

Now that I've got that done, there is still plenty of things that need to get done today:

• I need to go through my coupon binder and clean it out. After my husband goes to the store and gets me a paper I will also have to cut out and add those coupons to my binder. I already looked at the sales at Tops and they're really bad, so I guess I will just get exactly what we need for the week. No stock-up shopping this week.
  
• For my database class I need to finish reading the chapter and take the quiz. For my C++ class I need to rework 2 lab programs and work on reading the next chapter. I also need to see how many weeks I actually have and schedule time to get all the work done.
• Laundry. Mine and the kids clothes needs to be washed and I also need to wash a load of towels. I really should do up a laundry schedule so I am not trying to do it all on Sunday.
• There is at least one more load of dishes that need to be washed. Maybe I can get hubby to work on those this afternoon. One can hope!!!
  

I am sure there are tons of other things that need to get done, but it won't be happening today. I will be lucky if I get all that done, especially since I don't feel well. My little girl gave me her illness. :( So I may need to add a nap to that list too, lol.

I am hoping everything goes semi-smoothly this week. If you have any suggestions on how to make the transition better, I would love to hear them.

Menu Plan Monday

On Saturday I finally got my $5 Dinner Mom cookbook by Erin Chase. The first third of the book talks about how to save money and feed your family healthy, yet frugal dinners. Although I knew most of the things Erin wrote about, I did learn a few new things. Then I went on to look at the recipes. WOW!! They are easy to make recipes that sound so yummy! Many times when I am looking for frugal recipes they tend to take a while to make or are complicated. Since I now work full time, I need to get it done quick. Erin's cookbook is a great resource for someone who is trying to save time and money.

Now on to my meal plan for the week:

MONDAY - leftovers
TUESDAY - ham steaks, scalloped potatoes, vegetable
WEDNESDAY - spaghetti with homemade meatballs, vegetables
THURSDAY - leftovers
FRIDAY -pork roast in crock pot, baked potatoes, vegetable
SATURDAY - homemade macaroni and cheese with chicken and broccoli
SUNDAY - leftovers


Meal planning not only saves you money but also time and frustration. There is no more "What's for dinner?" moments. What's your meal plan for the week?

Menu Plan Monday 7/27

If you want to save money on groceries, meal planning is key. Every weekend I plan out my meals for the next week. When I have my menu planned for the week, I save money and I save time. I share it with you, to give you ideas of how we eat on a limited budget. Hopefully, this inspires you to plan your own menu for the week.

This is going to be a tough week. I went back to work today and hubby is home with the kids. That means that he will be doing the cooking. So, I am 100% sure that the meal plan will not be strictly adhered too. I can dream though, can't I? Here is my meal plan for this week:

• Monday
  
  • Breakfast - pancakes (leftover from dinner Saturday), fruit
    
  • Lunch - canned pasta, fruit
    
  • Dinner - panninis, green beans and pudding
    
    
• Tuesday
  
  • Breakfast - cereal / oatmeal, fruit
    
  • Lunch - peanut butter and jelly on homemade bread, fruit
    
  • Dinner - we are going to my mom's as soon as I get out of work, so we will either eat with her or go out to eat down where she lives
    
    
• Wednesday
  
  • Breakfast - strawnana muffins (made a few days ago and froze), fruit
    
  • Lunch - grilled cheese, fruit
    
  • Dinner - ham steak, veggie, maybe a potato or pasta salad?
    
    
• Thursday
  
  • Breakfast -cinnamon toast on homemade bread, fruit
    
  • Lunch - dinner leftovers, fruit
    
  • Dinner - cheeseburgers on grill, corn on cob, maybe a side?
    
    
• Friday
  
  • Breakfast - cereal / oatmeal, fruit
    
  • Lunch - canned pasta, fruit
    
  • Dinner - homemade sloppy joes, tater tots, pudding or jello
    
    
• Saturday
  
  • Breakfast - fake quiches, fruit
    
  • Lunch - peanut butter and jelly on homemade bread, fruit
    
  • Dinner - leftovers
    
    
• Sunday
  
  • Breakfast - homemade waffles, eggs and toast
    
  • Lunch - grilled cheese, fruit
    
  • Dinner - tuna casserole with peas (I will make a double batch and freeze one), fruit dessert
    

Menu Plan Monday 7/20

If you want to save money on groceries, meal planning is key. Every weekend I plan out my meals for the next week. When I have my menu planned for the week, I save money and I save time. I share it with you, to give you ideas of how we eat on a limited budget. Hopefully, this inspires you to plan your own menu for the week.

Here is my meal plan for this week:

• Monday
  
  • Breakfast - oatmeal / cereal, fruit
    
  • Lunch - grilled cheese and soup, fruit
    
  • Dinner - Italian chili, corn bread muffins and bananas
    
    
• Tuesday
  
  • Breakfast - strawnana bread, fruit
    
  • Lunch - ham or turkey sandwiches, fruit
    
  • Dinner - tuna patties, vegetable, pudding
    
    
• Wednesday
  
  • Breakfast - pancakes and eggs
    
  • Lunch - peanut butter and jelly on homemade bread, fruit
    
  • Dinner - leftovers, veggie, fruit
    
    
• Thursday
  
  • Breakfast - eggs and toast
    
  • Lunch - homemade pizza rolls, fruit
    
  • Dinner - chicken and veggies over brown rice, jello with fruit
    
    
• Friday
  
  • Breakfast - oatmeal or cereal, fruit
    
  • Lunch - canned spaghetti, slice of homemade bread, fruit
    
  • Dinner - homemade pizza with sausage, peppers, onions, and pepperoni; fresh and local grown green beans, dessert to be determined
    
    
• Saturday
  
  • Breakfast - cinnamon toast made on homemade bread, fruit
    
  • Lunch - peanut butter and jelly on homemade bread, fruit
    
  • Dinner -leftovers, veggie, pudding
    
    
• Sunday
  
  • Brunch - homemade waffles, eggs, toast, fruit
    
  • Dinner - ham steak, veggie, baked potatoes, dessert
    

Menu Plan Monday 7/13

If you want to save money on groceries, meal planning is key. Every weekend I plan out my meals for the next week. When I have my menu planned for the week, I save money and I save time. I share it with you, to give you ideas of how we eat on a limited budget. Hopefully, this inspires you to plan your own menu for the week.

Here is my meal plan for this week:

• Monday
  
  • Breakfast -cinnamon toast on homemade bread with apple slices
    
  • Lunch - ham and cheese sandwiches on h.m. bread with a banana
    
  • Dinner - Breakfast foods - pancakes and eggs
    
    
• Tuesday
  
  • Breakfast - leftovers pancakes
    
  • Lunch - peanut butter and jelly, fruit
    
  • Dinner - Chicken and Biscuits, jello with fruit in it
    
    
• Wednesday
  
  • Breakfast - eggs and toast, yogurt
    
  • Lunch - canned pasta, fruit
    
  • Dinner - Chicken and tomato panninis, veggie, pudding
    
    
• Thursday
  
  • Breakfast - oatmeal or cereal
    
  • Lunch - homemade hot pockets, fruit
    
  • Dinner - leftover night, fruit, veggie
    
    
• Friday
  
  • Breakfast - cinnamon toast, blueberries
    
  • Lunch - grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit
    
  • Dinner - homemade pizza, fruit dessert
    
    
• Saturday
  
  • Breakfast - homemade blueberry waffles, yogurt
    
  • Lunch - canned pasta, fruit
    
  • Dinner - Biscuit Topped Tomato and Beef Bake, veggie, pudding
    
    
• Sunday
  
  • Breakfast - eggs and toast
    
  • Lunch - peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, banana
    
  • Dinner -leftover night, veggie
    

I thought I would also share with you what my stockpile looks like, so you know where I am starting from. The only picture missing is the one of my large freezer which has a lot veggies (probably 50 bags or more) plus homemade and store-bought bread, flour, and more.

New Meal Planning Site

Vocal Point sent me some information on a new site that helps you meal plan, DinnerTool.com. I thought this was going to be one of those sites where you have to pay to use the tools, but to my surprise, it wasn't. Tools likes recipe search lets you enter ingredients and search for recipes that are budget-friendly. The Meal Planning tool lets you select the recipes and move them into the weekly calendar. The Shopping List tool gives you a list of ingredients you will need for your entire meal plan. Instant Coupons is another tool that seems really great - all you have to do is look for the links within the recipes and click on them. The only thing I would like to be able to do is add my own recipe (although this may be on there somewhere and I'm just not seeing it yet).

After you visit and look around the site, go to vocalpoint.com/dinnertool, fill in some information about yourself and answer a couple questions and you will be entered to win their weekly drawing of a $400 grocery gift card. There will be 10 winners drawn at random, so you have a decent chance of winning this one.

I am going to explore the site a little more and start using it for my meal planning. This would definitely make it easier to get this chore done each week.

Lack of meal planning this week

As you may have noticed, I didn't post my meal plan this week. It just seemed like I every time I had a few moments to work on it, something would come up. Well, let me tell you, it has really messed me up. It took me so long tonight to figure out what to make for diner! Now some people would be tempted to order take out or go out to eat on a night like this, but that is not even a little feasible with our budget right now. So, I was going to make spaghetti with homemade bread (I made this the other night) and a green beans, but hubby didn't want that. So, we ended up having frozen fish sticks, curly fries and carrots and peas. It wasn't the healthiest meal, but it was filling, cheap and not as bad for us as eating out. Lesson learned! I will be doing a meal plan for the next few days and will make it my number one priority to plan next week's meals over the weekend.

Speaking of the bread I made, it turned out great. It was a little difficult to cut into nice thinner slices, but found when I put it in the freezer for a while it made it a lot easier. I have a few slices left of one loaf, and another full loaf in the freezer. I am going to do up more bread tomorrow to put in the freezer. My goal is to be a few days ahead in bread production in order to keep us from eating the store bought bread. The recipe makes 3 loaves of sandwich bread and if you would like to make it, you can find the recipe here.

Menu Plan Monday 6/29

If you want to save money on groceries, meal planning is key. Every weekend I plan out my meals for the next week. When I have my menu planned for the week, I save money and I save time. I share it with you, to give you ideas of how we eat on a limited budget. Hopefully, this inspires you to plan your own menu for the week.

Here is my meal plan for this week:

• Monday - strawberry pancakes, eggs
  
• Tuesday - chicken and biscuits
  
• Wednesday - leftovers
  
• Thursday - homemade sloppy joes, veggie
  
• Friday - spaghetti with homemade bread, green beans
  
• Saturday - leftovers
  
• Sunday - cookout: hamburgers, hot dogs, corn on cob
  

Menu Plan Monday 6/22

If you want to save money on groceries, meal planning is key. Every weekend I plan out my meals for the next week. When I have my menu planned for the week, I save money and I save time. I share it with you, to give you ideas of how we eat on a limited budget. Hopefully, this inspires you to plan your own menu for the week.

Here is my meal plan for this week:

• Monday - homemade mac n cheese with broccoli and chicken
  
• Tuesday - leftovers
  
• Wednesday -tacos with mexican rice
  
• Thursday - stew
  
• Friday - leftovers
  
• Saturday - homemade sloppy joes, veggies
  
• Sunday - leftovers or breakfast for dinner
  

Menu Plan Monday 6/15

If you want to save money on groceries, meal planning is key. Every weekend I plan out my meals for the next week. When I have my menu planned for the week, I save money and I save time. I share it with you, to give you ideas of how we eat on a limited budget. Hopefully, this inspires you to plan your own menu for the week.

Here is my meal plan for this week:

• Monday - leftover pork chops, veggie, side of pasta
  
• Tuesday - lasagna and green beans
  
• Wednesday -chicken and biscuits
  
• Thursday - leftovers
  
• Friday - homemade pizza, salad
  
• Saturday - panninis, vegetable
  
• Sunday - chili and cornbread
  

Menu Plan Monday 6/8

If you want to save money on groceries, meal planning is key. Every weekend I plan out my meals for the next week. When I have my menu planned for the week, I save money and I save time. I share it with you, to give you ideas of how we eat on a limited budget. Hopefully, this inspires you to plan your own menu for the week.

Here is my meal plan for this week:

• Monday - Chicken Divan
  
• Tuesday - Meatball Subs and veggie
  
• Wednesday - leftovers
  
• Thursday -tuna patties and veggie
  
• Friday - homemade sloppy joes, green beans
  
• Saturday - leftovers
  
• Sunday - homemade mac n cheese with chicken and broccoli
  

What's for dinner in your house this week?

Meal Planning Saves Money

Would you like a way to save money easily, with or without using coupons? Well, meal planning is it. Planning your meals can not only save you time during the week, but also save you money. It also helps keep you from walking into the kitchen and searching for half an hour trying to figure out what are going to make for your family.

Menu planning does not have to be an elaborate thing. It doesn't have to be complicated or look fancy. You can use a blank calendar that you buy from the store, or that you print off the Internet or Microsoft Word. You could also use a spreadsheet and just list the days in a single column. Or, you could also just use a scrap piece of paper (to save on paper).

I usually just list mine on a piece of paper or in a spreadsheet. It is easier to do it in a spreadsheet because you can move things and delete things easily. It really is about your preferences though.

After you decide what kind of format you would like to use for your meal planning, you need to check your schedule for that week. Is there something going on a certain day. Is there a picnic or other event where you will be eating? You won't want to schedule a meal for that day then. Is there a day where your kid has a game at 6 pm? If so, you will want to plan on making something easy and quick.

You will also want to check your cupboards and freezer and see if there are meals that you already have most ingredients for. You can also meal plan around the weekly sales at your local grocery store. All you need to do now is fill in which meals you would like to make each night. Just remember, you can always change meals around if you'd like.

After filling in the week's worth (or you can plan for more than a week if you would like), make a list of ingredients you will have to buy to make those meals for the week. When you go to the store, just buy the stuff on the list. You will save a lot of money doing it this way. If you stock up on things for your stockpile when you get great deals, and then plan your menu around your stockpile, you could possibly have very little to buy each week for your meals.

As I make the meals each night I cross them off my list, that way I know I made the meal and the ingredients are not available anymore. What I also did to help myself menu plan, was to do a list of all the meals I make on a regular basis. I posted it on the inside of my cupboard and use it for meal planning and for when I have not had time to meal plan. These are the meals that I always keep ingredients in my stockpile for.

I hope this helps you plan your meals and saves you lots of money. Let me know if you already meal plan or if you are going to start. How do you plan your meals?

Words of the Week Wednesday

Every Wednesday I write about 1-3 sites I have found recently that I think you will like to go visit. Today's sites are:

1. Stouffer's is having a contest on their site. Usually I don't post contests, but I really think that it's a very interesting contest. In order to get an entry into the contest each week, you have to post a goal of how many times you want to eat at home with your family. Then at the end of the week you fill in how many times you ate at home, and that enters you in the contest each week. I think it is a wonderful that they are promoting eating at home with your family. Not only does it promote family and together time, it also saves you money. You can check out the contest at Take the Challenge -Let's Fix Dinner.
2. Have you ever made homemade bread? It is so yummy. But many homemade breads are not good as sandwich bread. Ever try putting peanut butter and jelly on regular homemade bread? Doesn't work very well. I found a delicious recipe for homemade sandwich bread. A fellow member at Frugal Village posted it on there and it is so awesome! You can find the recipe on the White Sandwich Bread thread. While you're there, browse around the rest of Frugal Village. It is a wonderful place where people share their frugal tips with each other.
   
3. Erin from $5 Dinner.com was recently featured on Raychel Ray. You can see the show segment here. Erin's blog centers around how she feeds her family for $5 per meal. She uses the stores' weekly ads and coupons to plan her meals for the week. She not only provides recipes, but also pictures of the meals when she makes them. She also just got a contract to write a cookbook! Congrats Erin!

If you have any blogs or sites (anything dealing with frugality, money or coupons), please leave it in my comments and I will look it over for possible inclusion in the next Words of the Week Wednesday.

The Advantages of Meal Planning

Do you know what you're making for dinner everyday or are you constantly asking "What's for dinner?" If it is the latter, then maybe you should try meal planning. Planning your meals will help your day go smoother and it will save you money at the grocery store.

You can plan either weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. It depends on when you do your shopping and what you prefer. We usually shop either every week or every other week, so I plan for 2 weeks or even for the whole month.

In preparing to do your plan for the first time, you may want to come up with a list of the meals that you make quite a bit. These are your tried and true recipes. You can always add to your list as you try new recipes and find that you like them. I have a list of about 30 different meals and I challenge myself to try one new recipe a week. If it's a good recipe, I add it to my main recipe binder and add the meal to my list.

Step 2 to meal planning is the actual planning what meals you want when. You will need to take into account any days you have planned to eat out or when you might eat at someone else's house. Also I usually include an occasional leftover day, especially after a larger meal like chili. I usually just plan dinners, but if you cook breakfast and lunch, you may also want to plan them.

After you get your meals planned, check out your pantry and freezer and list what you will need to buy at the store. What I also do is take out the recipes I will need, put them in the order I will be making them and put them back in the front of the binder.

For the design of your plan, there are many things you can do. You can just list the day and then the meal(s), either on paper or typing them up. What I like to do is go into Word and use one of their calendar templates and add in the meals. Then I usually put my plan on the refrigerator so even the kids can see it and know what we will be having for dinner.

I challenge you, if you don't already to plan your meals. And let me know how it works out for you.

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