It’s dawned on me that the way I’ve been planning the menus — by choosing whatever sounds good as I’m making the plan — might be costing us extra money. So this week I tried to buy the groceries first and then make the plan. I felt a little off-kilter, careening through the store with a list that said “protein, protein,” but you know? I think it did save some money.
(And I wasn’t physically careening. Although I did almost knock over a tomato soup display last week.)
So here’s what my coupons, a few sales and I came up with for this week:
Tacos
I thawed a bag of black beans last week and have yet to use them, so this will be primarily black bean tacos with just a hint of ground beef.
Hot & Sour Pork
I had a coupon for a pork tenderloin. So it’ll become this and …
Sweet & Sour Pork
this.
Breakfast for Dinner
This is what happens when I get home and discover that I didn’t plan quite as many proteins as I’d intended.
Grilled flank steak
Rockford believes the warm weather is going to hold out. As a testament to his faith, we’re going to try to do our first grilled meal of the year this week.
We do something a little in between. I look at the sale paper and then make menus around what’s on sale and what’s on hand. It does save money and it helps me know what to freeze for later in the week and what to keep out for the next few days. We’ve been doing it for quite some time and it works great. Good luck with your new system!
I plan meals by perusing the ads online and then picking out whatever is on sale.
that’s the way to do it! I buy the protein when it’s on sale – then make my meals around what I can unthaw from the deep freeze!
.-= designHer Momma´s last blog ..It’s Snowing! Hurry up – Get your Milk, Bread and Eggs ready! =-.
For the first time, I went out and bought the meats first, whatever was on sale, then came home and made the menus from that, instead of making the menus first then buying what I needed. I spent $50 LESS than normal! AND got 12 days worth instead of 7! Between you and Peaches, I’ll have them paying *me* to get groceries, soon!