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So after boldly announcing that we would be increasing the food budget to $175 – $200 I ended up with only $120 to spend this week due to a few unexpected expenses.
In a perfect world life would cooperate with our goals and wishes, but that just isn’t reality, is it?
So I made it work.
I planned a menu that uses only the meat we had in the freezer (see how to prep ground beef for the freezer HERE) and I chose to use cheaper ingredients in our meals like eggs, potatoes and beans. If you’re in a pinch and need some cheap recipes, check out How to Save Money on Groceries — Be a Cheapskate HERE.
Please Note: Only 3 members of our family are eating gluten free so any products marked GF are for only half of the family. To keep costs low for the gluten free items we shop sales, buy GF products from Aldi and order items from Vitacost (click here to grab a FREE $10 credit!).
Weekly Total: $118.35
July Monthly Total: $520.66
$120 Budget Weekly Menu
See what we’re eating this week!
*Items marked with an asterisk were purchased in previous weeks in the $125 Budget and are in the pantry, fridge or freezer. Click colored links to go to recipes!
BREAKFAST
Fried Eggs with Spinach, Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Homemade Freezer Waffles* with DIY Waffle Syrup*
Cereal with Milk x2
Cheese Toast (GF bread), applesauce*
Crustless Quiche, cantaloupe slices
Organic Yogurt with fresh blueberries, toast (GF bread) with peanut butter*
LUNCH
Easy Cheese Quesadillas, cucumber slices
Turkey Sandwich, carrots and ranch dressing* x2
Rice Cakes* with peanut butter* and raisins*
Cheese nachos with avocado slices
Leftovers from dinner
DINNER
Chili Cheese Fries, romaine salad
Taco Bowls (Beantastic Taco Meat, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream and salsa served on corn chips), Tomato Cucumber Salad
Homemade Pizza with 10 Minute Pizza Crust (GF crust for GF people)
Baked Potatoes with bacon (from Zaycon Foods)*, steamed broccoli and cheese, salad
Spicy Black Beans, rice*
Easy Potato Soup, cheese toast triangles (GF bread)
Ham and Swiss Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (GF bread), watermelon
Read what we do about snacks here.
What are you eating this week? Leave a comment or link. 🙂
Please Note: You may not be able to replicate this exact menu for $125 because sales vary by region and you will have different items on hand but you can save money just by using a meal plan. 🙂)
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There is always unexpected things that come up. One of my favorite low cost/flexible meal….beans and rice that can go in burrito wraps, nachos or eat as beans and rice. Fiesta Black Beans and Rice….http://www.moneycrashers.com/easy-rice-beans-recipes/
BTW: I spent $125.00 this week and had to go back and get three items (about $7) to make it through the week. My total for the week…$132.00. To try and stay on budget, were having beans and rice this week too, but we actually enjoy the Fiesta Black Bean dish!
Great job Jane! I’ll have to check out your recipe. 🙂