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?

Menu Plan Monday 6/1

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 - baked chicken, veggie
  
• Tuesday - meatball subs, veggie
  
• Wednesday - leftovers
  
• Thursday - chicken stuffing and veggie bake
  
• Friday - frozen pizza and salad
  
• Saturday - son's birthday party - we are having hot dogs, hamburgers, and salads.
  
• Sunday - leftovers
  

What a great site for all us frugalistas!!!

One of the Yahoo groups that I belong to, but I seldom take an active role, had this link last week. http://tastyplanner.com/ I checked it out and it is really awesome! I think it could really help all of us plan our meals and shop better.

Sign up is free, of course. I wouldn't be singing its praises otherwise. lol. You can find recipes that other users have added and even add your own recipes. I really like the meal planner. It is as simple as dragging and dropping the recipe into the day's column. The ingredients you will need to make your menu for the week, will automatically be added to the grocery list. You can then print out your list or access it using an iPhone (Being a frugalista, I, of course, do not have one of these, but a girl can dream can't she?)

So, if you are not meal planning yet or are doing it on paper, check this site out. I think you will find it very interesting. Let me know what you think of it.