Striped Delight

I made this dessert up for the Relief Society Christmas Party that Susie planned. I put the crushed candy cane on it before I put it in the refrigerator. The condensation that occurs when a wrapped dessert is in the fridge with candy cane on top is not a good mix. It was fine for the dinner but it got really gooey the next day. So when I made it for Christmas, I left the candy cane in a dish for those who wanted it and they could spoon it on their own dessert square. I quite enjoyed mine without the peppermint flavor the second time I made it.

Striped Delight
C. Smart

35 OREO chocolate sandwich cookies, finely crushed (about 3 cups)
6 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA cream cheese, softened
1/4 C. sugar
2 Tbsp. cold milk
1 tub (12 oz.) COOL WHIP whipped topping, thawed, divided
3-1/4 Cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O chocolate Flavor instant pudding & pie filling

Mix crushed cookes and butter in medium bowl. Press firmly onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Refrigerate 10 min. Beat cream cheese, sugar and 2 Tbsp. milk in medium bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Gently stir in 1-1/4 Cups of the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Pour 3-1/4 cups milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whish 2 min. or until well blended. Pour over cream cheese layer. Let stand 5 min. or until thickened. Drop remaining whipped topping by spoonfuls over pudding layer; spread to evenly cover pudding. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Cut into 24 squares. Sore leftover dessert in refrigerator. Crush 2-3 candy canes to serve on top.

Sweet Salad Dressing

This recipe came from the hubs. He had to halve it so that it didn't make a quart at a time. I've been making salad with chopped romaine, sweet candies pecans, sliced scallions and feta crumbles and putting this on top and it's so good. Would be good with blue cheese crumbles instead of feta. I've been told that this tastes just like the Brianna's brand red wine vinegar salad dressing but it is much more cost effective. The hubs bought a gallon of the the red wine vinegar at a restaurant warehouse store, most probably Smart & Final. He probably spent less on the gallong of vinegar than one bottle of Brianna's would be. So try it, it's really good.

Sweet Salad Dressing

1 1/2 C. sugar
1 C. red wine vinegar
1 C. vegetable oil
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder or to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Other herbs if desired or use 1/2 tsp. of garlic herb seasoning and omit garlic powder, salt and pepper and herbs.

Put sugar and vinegar in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until the sugar is dissolved. Add the rest of the ingredients and shake them together until emulsified. If it's cold from the fridge it stays mixed together longer.

Christmas

Susie gave me the link to a blog and I just checked it out. http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/ This woman sounds perfect. I have to admit that I may have growled when I read about her perfect Christmas. We decorated our tree on the 23rd. We got it on the 12th. It was the Monday night it poured rain and it took a few days for it to dry out. I never got the little village out. I wrapped presents, mostly stuffing things into bags at 11p.m. on Christmas Eve. I lost the Gift Cards for our gifts and found them Christmas day while cleaning out my purse and waiting for Matt to call. I snagged the very last bag of hash browns for cheesy potatoes at Bashas on Friday evening for our Christmas dinner. There was a terrible juice mishap that soggied up some of our appetizers before Christmas dinner. I forgot to chill the "Princess" water until Christmas morning (our daughter only drinks bottled water, so therefore, we now call it "Princess" water). Our Christmas was not as well executed as yourhomebasedmom's, but it was great none the less. We got to talk to our son in Honduras for 70 glorious minutes. Here is how it worked. He called after what seemed like an eternity after the planned noon phone call. It was maybe closer to 1p.m. They had gone to lunch and walked the 15 minute walk home. He said that he could talk for five minutes and then he would have to hang up and call again. He could talk for five more minutes and then would have to hang up and then he could talk for an hour. An hour and ten minutes has never gone by so fast for me before. He sounds great and seems happy. He is outside San Pedro Sula in a town called Jerusalen. By Planeta, which is by LaLima. La Lima is the only one of those other than San Pedro Sula that I can find on a map. He has a companion from Costa Rica now who is 28 yrs. old (big age span....a 19 yr. old greenie and a 28 yr. old with one month left) and whose total English consists of "What's up dude?" Then Matt gave us his 19 yr. old cook's name and my daughter is now friends with her on Facebook. Still unbelievable to me the connections that Facebook can render. We will only be able to communicate with her using Google translate. So my none bean loving son in the U.S. loves beans in Honduras. He loves Baleadas, which are like a taco on a flour tortilla, with scrambled eggs and beans and a crema or soft cheese or sour cream like thing on it. He told me that name but I have forgotten it. I will have to google lest I guess and say something embarrassing. We also learned that he ate two pounds of M&M's that I sent him in about two hours. The celebration for Christmas in their town or in Honduras was on the 24th. He said that the 25th was like an ordinary day. On the 24th there were fireworks and tamales fed to them at every appointment that they went to. We had a great visit with him and the blessings of his serving a mission are apparent every day.

So this season I have discovered some amazing new recipes which I will share with you tomorrow and I plan on checking the new grocery ads tomorrow and hope to make a budget menu out of them. Hope that you all had a Merry Christmas.

Another candy coupon

go to http://http://www.coupons.com/ to get a $1.50 off of one Mars candy bag. I was only able to print off one. Use it with the store coupon at Walgreen's and get 1 bag for .49.

Menu with what's on sale for the week of Oct. 26-Nov.1

Okay, so I've crunched and crunched these numbers to get to where I'm at. I can't for the life of me figure out why it's so high this week because there aren't any eggs and there are no frills. I think it's the few prepared items....they really drive the budget up, so replace as you will. And I didn't have a sale price on milk so it's probably twice the price of what you can find it for. I had intended also on using the moonlight madness at Fry's prices but didn't get this done in time to do that. Frankly I am getting a little frustrated by all of the sales within an ad week, how can one keep it all straight. One sale is on 3-9p.m. on Thurs. Another has items that you can get at that sale price only on Fri.-Mon. Another store offers sale items on for one day on occasion and other sale within a sale prices offer a special price only if a purchase of $25 or more is met. Other sales within the sales, buy 10 items or 8 items of certain items to be able to get the sale price. One slip in counting and it's all confusion and chaos with those deals at checkout with the cashier going through my 3 foot long register tape scrutinizing every purchase and counting repeatedly and I'm paying for my groceries and then walking back in the store to get 8 more things to add up to my 10 b/c I didn't count right and the cashier talks me into getting 8 more things that I don't need to get the sale price. I sometimes don't make out ahead on some of those buy 8 or buy 10 deals. Like my friend Mindy from http://50dollarstockpile.blogspot.com/ says, you have to howl at the moon walking backwards....or something to that effect, to get the sale price. It's actually kind of funny the things these grocers have us doing. Okay, not so funny.

Having vented, some things good this week but not on the grocery list are Saltines at Fry's for 10/$10, Bar S bacon, $1.97 (but only Fri. thru Mon., grrrrr.), and boneless pork loin for $1.97 lb., all at Fry's. And Sprouts has pineapple for .97 each.

$76.85

Breakfast
1-Oatmeal, raspberries
2-Oatmeal, orange juice
3-Oatmeal, orange juice
4-Oatmeal, bananas
5-Oatmeal, orange juice
6-Oatmeal, orange juice
7-Oatmeal

Lunch
1-Lunchmeat sandwich, apple
2-PB&J sandwich, orange
3-Lunchmeat sandwich, apple
4-PB&J sandwich, orange
5-Lunchmeat sandwich, apple
6-Hot dog
7-Pizza

Dinner
1-Pizza, salad
2-Fish tacos
3-Macaroni & Cheese, steamed broccoli, garlic knots
4-Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup
5-Chunky soup over mashed potatoes, salad
6-Spaghetti with sauce, Texas toast and sauteed zucchini
7-chicken, frozen veg. of choice, baked potato

Grocery List:
Bashas'
Sanderson Farms chicken breasts or 1/4's, .97 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.91
Fisher boy seafood, $1.99 with coupon from back of single ad
New York Texas Toast or Garlic Knots, 2/$3, with coupon, buy 2
Mission tortilla, 2/$3, buy 1
Buy 10
1-Food Club cheese, $1.29
2-Food Club cheese, $1.29
3-Red Baron Pizza, $2.49
4-Red Baron Pizza, $2.49
5-Red Baron Pizza, $2.49
6-Red Baron Pizza, $2.49
7-Shamrock Farms sour cream, .99
8-Campbell's Chunky soup, $1.29
9-Campbell's Chunky soup, $1.29
10-Wishbone dressing
$27.00

Fry's
Raspberries, 10/$10, buy 1
Barilla Pasta, 10/$10, buy 1
Hunt's sauce or Kroger Value sauce, $1
Bananas, .57 lb, buy 3 lbs.
Apples, .99 lb., buy 4 lbs. at $3.96
Milk, $3.49 gal., buy 2 at $6.98
KV orange juice, $1.32, buy 2, frozen
KV hot dogs, .99
KV buns, .99
Potatoes, 5#, $2.89
KV mac & chees, .42, buy 2
KV frozen vegs., $1
KV bread, .99, buy 4 at $3.96
KV Peanut butter, $1.99
KV turkey or ham lunchmeat, $3.49
Campbell's tomato soup, $1, buy 2
$39.83

Sprouts
Oranges, .77 lb, buy 4 lbs. at $3.08
Broccoli, .77 lb. buy 2 lbs.
Italian squash, .77 lb.
Romaine, .97
Oats, .69 lb., buy 6 lbs., probably need less
tomatoes, .97 lb, buy 3 lbs.
$13.41

Items not on list:
jelly
condiments for hot dogs
spices/herbs
eggs
flour
sugar
oil
leavenings
mayo
salsa

Halloween candy coo

I know that I spelled coo wrong. I scored a great deal on Hershey's snack size bars today at Walgreen's. Use Walgreen's store coupon and the Hershey's bags are $1.99. Go to http://hip2save.com/2011/10/hot-11-hersheys-snack-size-candy-bags-coupon-only-0-99-at-walgreens.html and you can print off TWO coupons for a dollar off of Hershey's candy. Use that at Walgreen's with the other coupon and you can get a bag of snack sized Hersheys for .99. So go stock up for Halloween or parties or Trunk or Treat gatherings this weekend. I didn't have any problems with them taking my printed coupons and I know my friend didn't have any problems either. The site allows you to print off two coupons. I'm repeating myself. Thanks to Emily M. for that deal of deals via her mother.

Also I wanted to mention that Mindy has started doing "The $50 Stockpile" blog again. Very informative and always entertaining. Her blog is a cross between SisterSavings and an Irma Bombeck column. Check it out at http://50dollarstockpile.blogspot.com/

So I unintentionally have not blogged for awhile. I goofed on the last post I did and posted it to the YW's cooking blog in our ward. OOPS, and I don't know how I did it. Embarrassing. I've also been writing more detailed letters to my son, who is finally in Honduras, arriving on Sept. 19. He is doing well, adapting to eating Baleadas and Tajatas (egg and bean tacos and fried bananas). Poor baby has a someone who cooks and does his laundry for him. I'm sure that's as deluxe as it gets, though. He can now speak Spanish but can't understand anyone there because of the rapidity and a pronounced slur in their speech. LOL. It will come with time there and he knows that. So far he's having a great mission experience.

Well, the good news is that I have a menu worked up with the sales for this week, the bad news is that I haven't figured the figures yet, but I will tomorrow and post it as soon as I can.

Menu with what's on sale for the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 5

If you wanted to have fish tacos instead of leftovers one night, buy the Gorton's Fish for $4.99 and some McCormick's taco seasoning to spice up some sour cream for fish tacos. Food Club ice cream also at Bashas' for $2.50. I like to stockpile the pork loins when they get to $1.88 lb. I slice them up and they make the best chops that way. I like to cook pork roasts also. In fact a great pork roast just screams "fall" to me.

In Bashas' ad it says that they are making all coupons valued under $1 to $1.00 this week. Not sure when that offer expires. There are some Planters Peanut butter coupons from one of the weeks of coupons from the newpaper and it makes the Peanut butter .99.
Check www.pinchingyourpennies.com for other great deals and coupon match ups this week.

$79.14

Breakfast
1-Cold cereal, milk, orange juice
2-French toast
3-Cold cereal, milk, apple juice
4-Oatmeal, strawberries
5-Cold cereal, milk, apple juice
6-Oatmeal
7-Oatmeal

Lunch
1-Tuna sandwich, plums
2-PB&J sandwich, orange
3-Tuna sandwich, apple, carrots/celery sticks
4-PB&J sandwich, orange
5-Pasta Salad, apple, carrots/celery sticks (pasta, olives, leftover chicken, onion)
6-Pizza, pudding cup
7-Hog dog, grapes

Dinner
1-Chicken Sour cream enchiladas, green salad, Spanish Rice (see recipe under chicken)
2-Pork chops, mashed potatoes, frozen veg. of choice (cut pork loin into two pieces, cut one into chops, the other into strips or cubes for sweet and sour pork)
3-Spaghetti, sauce, salad, garlic bread or plain french bread
4-Grilled Sirloin steak, cut into slices, baked potato, frozen veg. of choice
5-Mac & cheese, frozen veg. of choice
6-Sweet and sour pork loin over rice (see recipe under chicken for sweet and sour chicken)
7-Leftovers

Albertson's
Red grapes, .77 lb., buy 2 lbs.
French bread, .99, buy 2
Red Baron Pizza, $2.99
Kraft mac & cheese, 2/$1, buy 2
Handi snacks, 2/$1, buy 1
Albertson's frozen vegs., 10/$10, buy 3
$10.51

Bashas'
Bashas' milk, .88 per half gallon, limit 4, buy 4 at $3.52
Strawberries, .98
Boneless beef top Sirloin, $2.97 lb, buy 2 lbs. at $5.94
Food Club Pasta, $1, buy 2, one for spaghetti and one for pasta salad
S&W tomatoes, $1, buy 1
Early Californiz Olives, 2/$3, buy 1
$16.63


Fry's
Tomatoes, .88 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Chicken of the Sea tuna, .69, buy 2
Plums, .88 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Navel oranges, .88 lb., buy 4 lbs.
Boneless half Pork loin, $1.88 lb, buy 4 lbs.
Kroger sour cream, 4/$5, buy 1
Foster Farms chicken, .98 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.94
Kroger bag cereal, $3.39
Kroger Value bread, .99, buy 4 loaves at $3.96
Kroger orange juice, $1.32
Kroger Value hot dogs, .99
Kroger Value hot dog buns, .99
Flour tortillas, $2.49
carrots, 1 lb., .69
Kroger Rice, $1.46
Potatoes, 5 lbs., $2.89
Eggs, $1.99
Kroger Value Apple juice, $1.67
Fry's cream of chicken soup, $1.29
Kroger Value Spaghetti sauce, .99
Kroger Value cheese, $1.49
$46.99

Sprouts
Onions, .49 lb.
Cucumbers, .49
Radishes, .49
celery, .88
romaine, .88
Oats, .89, buy 2 lbs.
$5.01

Items not on grocery list:
Jelly
butter
Mayo
herbs and spices
syrup or powdered sugar for the french toast
salad dressing
ketchup
soy sauce
sugar
vinegar

Menu with what's on sale for the week of Sept. 21-Sept. 27

Some good buys this week. If I were going to stockpile chickens this week, I would go to Bashas' several times and buy the Sanderson Farms Whole chicken fryers at .67 lb. There is a limit of 2 per visit. Also on Fri., Sat. and Sun., the Bashas' sandwich bread is .99 loaf. Red Baron pizza for $2.88 per pizza. Nothing beats a Red Baron Pizza on a Sunday night or when you don't know what else to do for dinner.

If you want to add apple juice for some mornings, Albertson's apple juice or apple cider for $1.48 at Albertson's. I wouldn't stockpile now, it will probably go much cheaper closer to Halloween.

You could keep the budget in the 70's if you omit the thick cut bacon from Bashas'.

$82.46

Breakfast
1-Breakfast taco, orange juice (flour tortilla, eggs and some bacon crumbles)
2-Cold cereal, milk, orange juice
3-Cold cereal, milk, orange juice
4-Oatmeal, orange juice
5-Cold cereal, milk
6-Oatmeal, orange juice
7-French toast

Lunch
1-Tuna sandwich, grapes
2-PB&J sandwich, orange
3-Tuna sandwich, apple, carrot sticks
4-Cottage cheese, cantaloupe chunks
5-Ham sandwich, apple
6-Pizza, soda, cantaloupe chunks
7-Lunchmeat sandwich, grapes, carrot sticks

Dinner
1-French bread pizza, green salad, deviled eggs
2-Ham fried rice, egg rolls (use some ham lunchmeat)
3-Potatoes and sausage skillet, steamed carrots
4-Roasted chicken, green beans, green salad
5-Hot dog, buns, potato salad
6-Soup, garlic cheese toast
7-Favorite chicken rice (chicken risotto), broccoli, french bread. See recipes under chicken

Groceries
Albertson's:
Cantaloupe, .88
Hunt's pasta sauce, .88
Hillshire Farm smoked sausage, $3.98
Mission Flour tortillas, 2/$3, buy 1
French bread, .98, buy 2
Carrots, 2 lb. bag, .88
Red new potatoes, .88 lb., buy 3 lbs.
$12.72

Bashas':
Bashas' eggs, Fri., Sat. & Sun. only, .88, limit 2, buy 2
Bashas' sandwich bread, .99, limit 3, buy 3
Whole chicken, .67 lb., limit 2, buy 4 lbs.
green grapes, .88 lbs., limit 5 lbs., buy 3 lbs.
Gala apples, .88 lbs, limit 5 lbs., buy 3 lbs.
Red Baron Pizza, $2.88
Tai Pei egg rolls, $4.99
Bashas' cottage cheese, $2.39
Progresso soup, $1, buy 3
Starkist tuna, .69, buy 2
Thick slice bacon from the meat counter, $3.49 lb.
$30.63

Fry's:
Kroger cheese, $2.99
Green onions, 2/$1, buy 1 at .50
Radishes, 2/$1, buy 1 at .50
cucumbers, .59
mushrooms, 2/$3, buy 1 at $1.50
Bar S Franks, 10/$10
Kroger Value buns, .99
Kroger Value Peanut butter, $1.99
Fry's chicken broth, .99, buy 2
Kroger rice, $1.79
Kroger Orange juice, $1.32, buy 2 at $2.64
Kroger bag cereal, $3.39
Big K soda, .69
Kroger Value Ham lunchmeat, $3.97
Milk, I've allowed for $2.50, buy 2 gallons at $5.00
$29.52

Sprouts:
Roma tomatoes, .88 lb.
Bell Peppers, 3/$1, buy 1 at .33
Iceberg lettuce, .88
Green beans, .88 lb.
Broccoli, .88 lb.
oranges, .99 lb., buy 4 lbs. at $3.96
Oats, .89 lb., buy 2 lbs.
$9.59

Items not on grocery list:
Mayonnaise
butter or margerine
oil
flour
sugar
spices and herbs
jelly
condiments for hot dogs

Menu with what on sale for the week of Sept. 14-Sept. 20

In some ways the ads are a little lackluster again this week but in another way there are some good deals to be gotten this week. If you sit down with the 3 major store ads, Albertson's, Bashas' and Fry's, you can come up with a plan to stockpile what is good this week to use in future weeks. I may go to Albertson's and/or Bashas' and buy 10 lbs. of ground chuck for $20 to fry up and freeze in meal portions for spaghetti sauce and taco meat. I may buy some raspberries to make some berry pancake syrup out of. Fry's had canned fruit for a good price but it was on a buy 10 deal, so you'd have to buy other stuff on the deal to make ten, or buy ten fruit cans. Mayonnaise was also a pretty good buy for Kraft at Fry's on the buy ten deal.

$77.18

Breakfast
1-Egg biscuit, orange juice
2-Cold cereal, milk, orange juice
3-Cold cereal, milk, banana slices, orange juice
4-Cold cereal, milk, orange juice
5-Cold cereal, milk, raspberries, orange juice
6-Egg Biscuits, peaches
7-Orange rolls

Lunch
1-Ham sandwich, strawberries
2-PB&J sandwich, apple
3-Ham sandwich, orange
4-PB&J sandwich, apple
5-Ham sandwich, banana
6-Pasta salad, orange
7-Soup with croutons, any leftovers

Dinner
1-Spaghetti, salad, garlic toasted french bread
2-Tacos, Spanish rice
3-Tuna melt on french bread, applesauce
4-Chicken Caesar salad, make croutons from leftover french bread or garlic toast
5-Hamburger Helper, frozen veg. of choice
6-Chicken enchiladas, frozen veg. of choice
7-Cheese and bacon omelett, frozen veg. of choice

Snacks/dessert:
Popcorn
Tortilla chips
mini muffins made out of cake mix ( mini cupcakes without frosting)

Groceries:
Albertson's
Strawberries, .99
Albertson's milk, $1.57, buy 2 at $3.14
Albertson's eggs, .99, buy 2 at $1.98
French bread, .99, buy 2
Albertson's salad dressing, $1
Mott's applesauce, $1
Mi Ranchito tortilla chips, $1
Jolly Time microwave popcorn, $1
La Victoria Enchilada sauce, $1
Boneless skinless chicken, $1.77 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $5.31
Buy 8 deal
1-Hamburger Helper, .99
2-Betty Crocker cake mix, .99
3-Pillsbury Grands! .99
4-Pillsbury Grands!.99
5-Pillsbury Orange rolls, $1.49
6-Green Giant steamers, .99
7-Old El Paso taco shells, .99
8-Old El Paso Spanish rice mix, .99
$16.82

Bashas'
Ground chuck, $1.99 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $5.97
Bananas, .39 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $1.17
Hormel bacon, $2.99
Barilla Pasta, 10/$10, buy 1 for the spaghetti dinner
Hunt's Pasta sauce, 10/$10, buy 1
Suddenly Salad, 10/$10, buy 1
Flav R Pac vegs., 5/$5, buy 2
Campbell's soup, 10/$10, buy 2
American Chef turkey or ham lunchmeat, 2/$5, buy 1 at $2.50
$19.63

Fry's
Driscoll raspberries, .97
Kroger Value bread, .99, buy 4 at $3.96
Kroger bag cereal, $3.39
Kroger Value orange juice, $1.32, buy 2 at $2.64
Tuna, I've allowed for .79, buy 2
Kroger Value cheese, $1.49, buy 3
Mission soft taco sized tortillas, 2/$3, buy 1 at $1.50 (these are for the enchiladas)
Kroger Value Peanut butter, $1.99
$20.50

Sprouts
Oranges, .88 lb., buy 4 lbs. at $3.52 (you need 8 oranges)
Gala apples, .88 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.64 (you need 8 apples)
Red or green bell peppers, 3/$1, buy 1 at .33
Roma tomatoes, .88 lb.
White Peaches, .88 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $1.76
Romaine, .99, buy 2
$10.23

Items not on grocery list:
jelly
mayonnaise
herbs and spices
frosting if you wish for the mini cupcakes. Or put some peanut butter on them
butter
Parmesan for the caesar salad
condiments

Menu with what's on sale for the week of Sept. 7-Sept. 13

Produce prices are pretty good this week, but still nothing really jumped out at me this week. If I were going to stockpile $50 worth of items this week, I don't know what it would be. Maybe 10 lbs. of oats at Sprouts for .69/lb. Maybe some Campbell's soups, although I think that they may go for sale cheaper as we go deeper into fall. You could buy the Raspberries at Albertson's for .99 and make some freezer jam if you wanted to. We love our Raspberry freezer jam over here. There is a limit of buying four containers at once. If you wanted to buy some Bar S franks and freeze them, that might be a good move and I might consider buying extras of apples and oranges to have in the fruit bin for next week.

$78.96

Breakfast
1-Cold cereal, milk, cantaloupe chunks, orange juice
2-Oatmeal, OJ
3-Cold cereal, milk, bananas, OJ
4-French toast, OJ You may want to use the leftover stale french bread
5-Oatmeal
6-Cold cereal, milk
7-Oatmeal

Lunch
1-PB&J sandwich, apple
2-Turkey sandwich, orange
3-PB&J sandwich, cantaloupe chunks
4-Turkey sandwich, apple
5-Turkey sandwich, orange
6-Campbell's soup, grapes, crackers
7-Campbell's soup, peach, crackers

Dinner
1-Potato soup, french bread, cheese for topping
2-Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, broccoli, carrot sticks and pepper strips with Ranch dressing for dipping
3-Chicken nuggets, baked potato, frozen veg. of choice. You may need to buy another loaf of bread for the bread crumbs for the nuggets if you don't have any or use the leftover french bread and pulse in your food processor or blender
4-Spaghetti, salad, french bread
5-Hot dog, frozen vegetable of choice
6-Chicken stir fry using zucchini, broccoli, onions, pepper strips, mushrooms, chicken.
7-Tuna noodle casserole, frozen vegetable of choice. For the casserole, pasta, tuna, cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup

Dessert:
Raspberry Peach Crisp, recipe on my recipe list under desserts

Groceries
Albertson's:
Raspberries, .99 ea
Albertson's gallon milk, $1.57, buy 3 at $4.71
Campbell's soups, $1, buy 4 at $4
Iceberg, .69
French bread, .99, buy 2 at $1.98
Albertson's peanut butter, $1.77
Bar S franks, 10/$10, buy 1
$15.14

Bashas':
Grapes, .88 lb., buy one
Gala apples, .88 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.64
Boneless skinless chicken $1.77 lb., buy 3 At $5.31
Chicken of the Sea Tuna, .69,
Food Club snack crackers, 2/$3, buy one at $1.50
$11.02

Fry's:
Oranges, .88 lb., buy 4 lbs. at $3.52
Broccoli, .88 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $1.76
Cantaloupe, .77
KV orange juice, $1.32, buy 2 at $2.64
Bar S Bacon, $2.99
Bananas, .57 lb., buy 2 at $1.14
KV bread, .99, buy 4 at $3.96
Eggs, $1.99
KV Turkey, $3.49
Kroger bag cereal, $3.39
Potatoes, 5# bag, $2.89
Onions, .78 lb., buy 1 lbs. worth, probably 2 onions
Vegetable or chicken broth (for the potato soup), .99 Fry's brand, buy 2 at $1.98
KV frozen vegs., buy 3 at 10/$10, so $3
KV cheese, $1.49
Barilla pasta, $1.38
Fry's spaghetti, .99
Fry's cream of mushroom soup, $1.29
carrots, .69
KV margerine, .67
KV spaghetti sauce, .99
KV hot dog buns, .99
$43.28

Sprouts:
Peaches, .67 lb., buy 4 lbs. at $2.68
Roma tomatoes, .67 lb., buy 3 lbs at $2.01
White mushroom, .88
zucchini, .88 lb.
Oats, .69 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.07
Bell peppers, 3/$1
$9.52

Items not on grocery list:
jelly
flour
sugar
brown sugar
syrup
bread crumbs if you don't want to make your own
hot dog condiments
Mayonnaise
garlic
ginger
soy sauce or teriyaki or hoisin, whatever you like in your stir fry

Week #3-Feeding your family of five on $75.84

Almost $10 over week #1 and #2 but you can cut out the bag cereal and milk and add more oats or you can add Ramen noodles at 5/$1 instead of a couple of PB&J lunches which would omit one peanut butter jar at $1.99. You can also mix and match with the other weeks to get something you like and that fits into your weekly food budget.

$75.84

Breakfast
1-Cold cereal, milk, orange juice
2-Oatmeal
3-Cold cereal, milk, orange juice
4-Oatmeal
5-Cold cereal, milk, orange juice
6-Oatmeal, orange juice
7-Cold cereal, milk

Lunch
1-PB&J sandwich, carrots/celery sticks
2-PB&J sandwich, orange sections
3-PB&J sandwich, apple wedges
4-PB&J sandwich, celery sticks
5-PB&J sandwich, orange sections
6-PB&J sandwich, apple wedges
7-PB&J sandwich

Dinner
1-Homemade Pizza Total=$4.49
Ingredients: Flour, yeast, water, salt and oil for the dough. Use a bread dough recipe for crust. Spaghetti sauce and cheese to top. I've allowed for two packages of mozzarella.

2-Chicken and homemade Rice A Roni, vegetable of choice Total=$4.75
Ingredients: Cooked chicken, orzo or spaghetti bits, rice, chicken broth, some onion and garlic if desired. I couldn't find the recipe that I was looking for on this one so I think that we can work it out on our own. Cook the chicken and pull the meat off of the bone, some for this meal and the rest for the Cobb Salad meal. Take a small amount of the orzo or the spaghetti bits (like maybe 1/4 C. or less) and sautee in a little veg oil in a pot until a golden or light brown. The browner it gets, the more flavor it will have but don't burn it. Add the rice and onion. Add enough chicken stock to whatever ratio of rice you add. Maybe you'll need a tad more for the pasta, I'm not sure. So if you have 2 C. of rice, add 4 C. of chicken broth, with maybe a tad water, bring to a boil and cover and simmer for 20 minutes until rice and orzo are done. Be sure to check and add more water if needed. Add the chicken at the end.

3-Ham hock and lentils, french bread Total=$4.97
Ingredients: Ham hock. They come in a package of 3 in my Fry's store. I think you'll only need one, so freeze the rest and then next time you make this you will not have this added expense. Lentils, onion, chopped celery, some chopped carrots, water. Recipe on my recipe list under pork and/or crockpot.

4-Cheese crisps Total=$5.47
Ingredients: Cheese, burrito sized flour tortillas

5-Rice stuffed Bell Peppers, canned vegetable of choice Total=$4.00
Ingredients: Rice, onion, garlic if desired, tomato sauce, 3 bell peppers cut in half vertically.

6-Cobb Salad Total=$5.41
Ingredients: Romaine, 2-3 chopped hard boiled eggs, grated cheddar cheese, bottled dressing of choice, cooked chicken (use half in salad, the other half in the chicken rice).

7-Egg/cheese tacos Total=$5.97
Ingredients: Burrito sized flour tortillas, scrambled eggs, shredded cheddar.

Grocery List (Based on Kroger (Fry's) prices)
Bread
French bread, $1.29
Kroger Value bread, .99/loaf, buy 4 at $3.96
$5.25

Frozen
Kroger Orange juice, $1.32, buy 2 at $2.64
$2.64

Bulk
Oats, .89 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $1.78 (Sprouts price)
$1.78

Dry-Packaged
Kroger bag cereal, $3.39
Kroger Flour, $2.04
Yeast, I've allowed for $1.99, you'll have some leftover
Kroger Rice, $1.46
Barilla Orzo, $1.29
Kroger Lentils, $1.59
$11.76

Canned-bottled
Kroger Value spaghetti sauce, .99
Fry's vegetables, .50, buy 2 at $1.00
Fry's chicken broth, .99, buy 2
Kroger Value tomato sauce, .34, buy 2 at .68
Kroger dressing, $1.49
Kroger Value Peanut butter, $1.99, buy 3 at $5.97
Kroger Value grape jelly, $1.67
$13.78

Dairy
Eggs, $1.99 (you can usually find them on sale during the week for less)
Milk, $3.49 (same with milk, there will be a sale somewhere to bring your food costs down)
$8.97

Wall Deli
Kroger Value shredded Mozzarella cheese, $1.49, buy 2 at $2.98
Kroger Value shredded cheddar cheese, $1.49, buy 4 at $5.96
$8.94

International/Hispanic
Fry's burrito sized flour tortilla, $2.49, buy 2 at $4.58
$4.58

Meat
Ham hock, $3.49 for 3
Chicken, based on a sale price of .69 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.07
$5.56

Produce
Onions, .78 lb., buy 2 at aprox. .78 lb.
Carrots, 1 lb., .69
Celery $1.18
Green peppers, 2/$1, buy 3 at $1.50 (based on sale price)
Garlic, .59
Romaine, .99
Apples, $1.49 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $2.98
Oranges, $1.29 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $3.87
$12.58

Items not on grocery list
butter
oil
Those two items should carry over from week $1

Menu with what's on sale for the week of Aug. 31-Sept. 6

Not really the stock pile week that I had hoped for with a week preceding a 3 day weekend. However, there are a few things on my list that I could put stars by to stockpile.

At Fry's, Dreyer's ice cream for $2.88, Oreos for $2.50, Hunt's ketchup for $1.25, Kraft Mayo for $3.69.

At Bashas', Bashas' brand drinking water for $1.88, Gatorade for .67, Campbell's Pork and Beans, 3/$1, Bar S meat franks, .99, La Victoria enchilada sauce or salsa, 2/$4. The price for the water is only good until Monday.

At Albertson's, green grapes, .69. Some people like to get them at cheap prices and freeze them. You have to eat them frozen though, so that plan only works if you like them frozen.

$66.42

Breakfast
1-Cold cereal, milk, OJ
2-Oatmeal, OJ
3-Cold cereal, milk
4-Oatmeal, OJ
5-Cold cereal, milk, OJ
6-Oatmeal
7-Cold cereal, milk

Lunch
1-PB&J sandwich, grapes, carrots
2-Turkey sandwich, cantaloupe chunks, celery
3-Pasta Salad
4-PB&J sandwich, crackers
5-Turkey Sandwich, orange
6-Ramen noodles, carrots, celery
7-Ramen, grapes, leftovers

Dinner
1-Hot dogs, Chips, Pork and Beans, Pepsi
2-Pasta salad. Scallions, tomatoes, turkey cubes, a few steamed gr. beans, a few vegs from the frozen vegs pkg., pasta in ranch or italian dressing
3-Chicken, corn on the cob, watermelon
4-Chicken enchiladas, salad
5-Mac & Cheese, steamed broccoli
6-Italian sausage, onions and peppers, steamed green beans
7-Spaghetti Alfredo, frozen vegs.

Dessert:
Ice cream

Groceries:
Albertson's
Green grapes, .69 lb., buy 2 lbs.
$1.38

Bashas'
Corn, 7 for .98, this price is only good until Monday.
Head lettuce, .49
Split chicken breats/leg 1/4's, .97 lb., buy 4 lbs. at $3.88
Cantaloupe, .75
Mission tortillas, 2/$3, buy 1
La Victoria enchilada sauce, 2/$4, buy 1
Campbell's Pork and Beans, 3/$1, buy 2 at .66
Bar S meat franks, .99
$11.25

Fry's
Wheat Thins, $1.88
Kroger ice cream, $1.97 (or you can buy Blue Bunny ice cream at Bashas' with coupon for $1.88, $10 min. purchase and coupon)
Kroger salad dressing, $1.39
Ragu Pasta sauce, $1.58
American Beauty Pasta, 10/$10, buy 2, one for Spaghetti Alfredo and one for Pasta Salad
Kroger chips, 5/$5, buy 1
Pepsi, .86
Kroger froz. vegs., 10/$10
Oranges, $1.29 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Broccoli crown, 10/$10, buy 1 lb.
Kroger Value mac & cheese, .42, buy 2
Johnsonville Italian sausage, $3.99
Kroger Value Peanut butter, I've allowed for $1.99
Eggs, I've allowed for $1.99
Milk, I've allowed for $2.50, buy 2
Ramen noodles, I've allowed for 5/$1, buy 5
Kroger bag cereal, $3.39, buy 1
Kroger Value cheese, $1.49
Kroger Value orange juice, $1.32, buy 2
Kroger Value turkey lunchmeat, $3.49
Kroger Value bread, .99, buy 4 at $3.96

Sprouts
Whole watermelon, $1.49
Red or green bell peppers, 3/$1, buy 1 at .33
Green onions, .49
tomatoes, .88 lb., buy 1 lb.
Onions, .49 lb., buy 1 at aprox. .25
Baby carrots, .88
celery, .88
Green beans, .88 lb.
Oats, .89 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.67
$8.75

Items not on grocery list:
butter
oil
sugar
flour
condiments for hot dog dinner
spices and herbs
jelly
ketchup
brown sugar if you decide to make the Pork and Beans into baked beans

Labor Day Party Menu

Labor Day BBQ Menu
Feed aproximately 12-16
$17.32

Hot dogs
Buns
carrots/celery with ranch dip
Chips and dip
watermelon wedges
Baked Beans
Brownies
Pepsi or Pepsi products

Sprouts
watermelon, $1.49
Baby carrots, .88
Celery, .88
$3.25

Fry's
Kroger Ranch dressing, $1.39
Kroger chips, 5/$5, buy 1
Kroger dip, $1.50
Kroger Valu buns, .99, buy 2
Pepsi, .86, buy 2
$7.56

Bashas'
Campbell's Pork and Beans, 3/$1, buy 6
Bar S meat franks, .99, buy 2
Betty Crocker brownie mix, 4/$5, buy 2
$6.48

Only items not on grocery list are condiments for the hot dogs and ketchup and brown sugar to make baked beans.

Lentils

Lentils
Got this from some food site, now don't remember which one

1 meaty ham bone or use salt pork
6 C. water
1 1/2 C. lentils
2 C. sliced carrots
1 C. chopped celery
1 C. chopped onion
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 bay leaf

Prepare lentils per package instructions and put all ingredients into the crockpot. I think that I would do low 6-8 hrs. or hight aprox. 4 hours.

Week #2 Menu-Feeding your family of five on $66.78

Breakfast
1-Cold Cereal, milk and orange juice
2-Oatmeal
3-Cold Cereal, milk and orange juice
4-Oatmeal
5-Cold Cereal, milk and orange juice
6-Oatmeal
7-Cold Cereal, milk

Lunch
1-PB&J sandwich, carrots
2-PB&J sandwich, orange sections
3-PB&J sandwich, apple wedges
4-PB&J sandwich, carrot sticks
5-PB&J sandwich, orange sections
6-PB&J sandwich, apple wedges
7-PB&J sandwich

Dinner
1-Vegetarian chili Total=$3.49
Ingredients: 1/2 pack dry pinto beans, soaked and cooked. 1 can of tomatoes, 2 cans of tomato sauce, onions, 1 pack chili seasoning mix
2-Pasta Salad Total=$2.62
Ingredients: 1 pack of pasta cooked and drained, diced tomato, sliced scallion, lemon juice and some oil for the dressing
3-Spaghetti and green salad Total=$4.96
Ingredients: 1 pack of spaghetti, 1 can of sauce, lettuce, tomato, scallion, dressing
4-Hamburgers Total=$4.97
Ingredients: 2 lbs. of hamburger, 1 pack of buns
5-Bean Burritos Total=$3.04
Ingredients: Pinto beans soaked and cooked, flour tortillas. Make the pintos into refried beans.
6-Meatloaf, baked potato/butter, vegetable Total=$7.47
Ingredients: 2 lbs. hamburger, egg, onion, a couple of pieces of the heels (bread) soaked in milk, salt and pepper, seasoning as you like, potatos, frozen veg of choice
7-Meat gravy over mashed potatoes, Total=$4.77
Ingredients: Hamburger, at least 1 lb. crumbled and cooked, add 1 can cream of mushroom soup with some water, heat. 1/2 bag of potatoes, cooked, mashed, milk added and seasoned.

Groceries
Produce
tomatoes, .99 lb., buy 1 lb.
scallions, .59 bunch
lemon, .50, buy one
Romaine, .99, buy 2
Potatoes, 5 lb., $2.89, buy 1
onion, .78 lb., buy one at .39
carrots, .69
apples, $1.49 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $2.98
oranges, $1.29 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $3.87
$13.98

Meat
Hamburger, $1.99 lb. for 5 lbs. or more
$9.95

Dairy
Eggs, $1.99
milk, $3.49 gal, buy 2
$8.97

Bread
Kroger Value Hamburger buns, .99
Kroger Value bread, .99, buy 4 loaves at $3.96
$4.95

Frozen
Kroger frozen vegs., 10/$10, buy 1 at $1
KV orange juice, $1.32, buy 2 at $2.64
$3.64

Canned/bottled
Kroger Value tomatoes, .69
Kroger Value tomato sauce, .34, buy 2
KV spaghetti sauce, .99
Kroger salad dressing, $1.49
Kroger cream of mushroom soup, $1.29
$5.14

Package/dry
Kroger pinto beans, $1.49
Kroger chili seasoning, .99
Barilla Pasta, $1.38
KV Spaghetti, .99
Kroger bag cereal, $3.39
KV peanut butter, $1.99, buy 3
KV grape jelly, $1.67
$15.88

International
Fry's burrito size flour tortillas, $2.49
$2.49

Bulk
Oats, .89, buy 2 lbs., based on "sprouts" price
$1.78

Items not on list
Hot dog condiments
Margerine
Mayonnaise
oil
butter
should carry over from last week

Menu with what's on sale for the week of Aug. 25-Aug. 31

So last week before I started working up the eating cheap menus, I went to Fry's and did a walk thru, pricing items that I hadn't priced before or those that I hadn't priced in awhile and prices have gone up a little. This week's menu is going to reflect that. The good news is that while expanding my knowledge of prices and using the generic store brands that the weekly budget menus can go down even more. This week there are some good produce prices and combine that with some good generic store brands and you can do quite well this week. As far as the $50 stockpile targets this week, I'm not sure. I kept meaning to price out the BOGOF roasts at Bashas but never did. If those work out to be below $2/lb., then I would buy a couple to get four total. I would then cut one or two into stew meat and freeze everything into family meal portions.

$69.52

Breakfast
1-cold cereal, milk, Sunny D juice
2-French toast
3-Cold cereal, milk, Sunny D
4-Cold cereal, milk, Sunny D
5-Cinnamon toast
6-Cold cereal, milk, apple juice
7-Cold cereal, milk, apple juice

Lunch
1-Tuna sandwich, orange, Cheez-its crackers
2-PB&J sandwich, orange, carrots
3-Tuna sandwich, Plum
4-PB&J sandwich, peach, carrots
5-PB&J sandwich, orange, Cheez-its crackers
6-Chicken noodle soup, Cheez-its crackers
7-Spaghettios

Dinner
1-Pizza, Green salad with strawberries and sweet vinaigrette
2-Grilled cheese sandwich, tomato soup
3-Pancakes
4-Hot dog, pepper strips/cucumber spears, potato salad
5-Mac & cheese, frozen veg of choice, sweet corn on the cob, french bread
6-Chicken, broccoli and brown rice
7-Cobb salad with leftover chicken and hard cooked eggs, garlic toast.

Desserts
brownies


Groceries
Albertson's:
Campbells chicken noodle or tomato soup, 2/$1 with coupon, buy 4
boneless skinless chicken breast, $1.67 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $5.01
Sweet corn, 6/$1, buy 6
Albertson's apple juice, $1.49 with coupon
Albertson's large eggs, .88, buy 2
French bread, .99, buy 2
$13.24

Bashas'
Valu Pancake mix, $1.67

Fry's
Fry's milk, .88 for 1/2 gal., buy 4 at $3.52
Bumble bee tuna, .69, buy 2
cucumbers, 3/$1, buy 3
mini carrots, 10/$10
Kroger Value hot dogs, .99 or buy the Bar S at Albertson's for $1
KV buns, .99
KV bread, .99, buy 4 at $3.96
Kroger bag cereal, $3.39
KV frozen vegetables, 10/$10, buy 1
KV mac & cheese, .42, buy 2
Potatoes, 5 lb. bag, $2.98
Mayonnaise, I've allowed for $2.99
Scallions, .59

Buy 10 deal
1-Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, $2.49
2-Betty Crocker brownie mix, .99
3-Red Baron Pizza, $2.99
4-Red Baron Pizza, $2.99
5-Cheez-its, $2.26
6-Sunny D, .99
7-Sunny D, .99
8-spaghettios, .49
9-spaghettios, .49
10-Kroger singles cheese, $1.49
$42.79

Sprouts
Strawberries, .97
Bell Peppers, 3/$1, buy 3
White peaches, .77 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Plums, .77 lb, buy 3 lbs.
Oranges, 2 lbs/$1, buy 6 lbs. at $3
Romaine, .77, buy 2
Broccoli, .77 lb.
Brown Rice, .69 lb, buy 1 lb.
$11.82

Items not on grocery list
Jelly
butter
spices and herbs
syrup
hot dog condiments

Week #1 Menu-Feeding your family of five on $66.97

Something a little different than what I normally do. And I am still planning on doing an Arizona ad post this week, but this is something that I hope anyone in the U.S. can use. I got my prices from my nearby Fry's store, which is a Kroger store, so that may help some people. I had originally wanted to do this for $40 for the week but I don't think it's do-able anymore unless you are fine with eating beans for every dinner meal. I plan on doing a week #2 and week #3 so that someone could mix and match if they'd like to. Week #1 has some items in it that you won't need to buy every week, like Mayonnaise and veg. oil. Somtimes the items listed go on sale for half the price of what I have down, it's up to you to keep your eyes open for the best possible price for an item and if you do find it, it could drop the total of the week down quite a bit. I put milk prices down at full price but most weeks you can find milk somewhere for at least a dollar a gallon cheaper than what I have listed. So you absolutely can do better each than the total that I have listed if you are "on top of it" just a little. Meat prices are the only sale prices that I have down. Everything else is what Fry's (Kroger) had at regular price on mostly the Kroger "Value" brand. Hot dog condiments were not added into the grocery list.


For week #1 of the "Eating Cheap" Menu

Breakfast
1-Oatmeal
2-Cold cereal, milk and orange juice
3-Oatmeal, orange juice
4-Cold cereal, milk and orange juice
5-Oatmeal
6-Cold cereal, milk and orange juice
7-Oatmeal, orange juice
Total=$14.79
If you want to make this less, omit the cold cereal and milk and add more oats to the list. Your total would then be $3.56

Lunch
1-PB&J sandwich, carrots/celery sticks
2-Ham sandwich, orange sections
3-PB&J sandwich, apple wedges
4-Ham sandwich, celery sticks
Save some ham lunchmeat for the Fried Ham Rice dinner
5-PB&J sandwich, orange sections
6-PB&J sandwich, celery sticks
7-PB&J sandwich, apple wedges
Total=#20.64

Dinner
1-Hot dog Total=$1.98
Ingredients: 1 pkg. of Kroger "Value" brand hot dogs and 1 pkg. of KV hot dog buns
2-Mac&Cheese and frozen veg. Total=$1.84
Ingredients: 2 pkgs. of KV mac & cheese mix and 1 pkg. of KV frozen vegs.
3-French bread pizza Total=$3.77
Ingredients: 1 loaf of french bread split in half on the horizontal. KV spag. sauce and KV mozzarella cheese. If you like a lot of cheese, you may want to buy another mozzarella pkg. at $1.49 added to your total.
4-Chicken, rice and broccoli Total=$3.76
Ingredients: One aprox. 3 lb. chicken on sale for .69 lb. ($2.07). Use a third to a half of the bag of rice depending on how much you need and 1 lb. of fresh broccoli. Cook chicken and add other ingredients for a casserole or eat separately. Add a can of cream of chicken soup at an added cost of $1.29 for Kroger brand cream of chicken if you want to. Keep some cooked chicken out for the Chicken Caesar Salad dinner.
5-Ham Fried Rice Total=$2.98
Ingredients: Use aprox. 3 C. of rice as needed for your family. Cook, then cool. Use sliced scallions, some chopped ham lunchmeat and a couple of scrambled eggs. Season with garlic powder and soy sauce. Add some frozen peas or whatever other veg. you'd rather.
6-Chicken Caesar Salad Total=$2.48
Use a head of romaine and leftover chicken from the Chicken, rice and broccoli dinner. Toss with Caesar salad dressing. Or use Ranch dressing if you don't care for Caesar. Use the heels of the sandwich bread if you want to make croutons for the Caesar salad. Cube them up, add some veg. oil, salt and pepper and bake at 350 for about ten minutes or to desired toastiness.
7-Cheese Omelett and muffins Total=$4.07
Ingredients: 8-10 eggs to make omeletts and a pkg. of cheddar cheese. The muffin pkg. makes 5 muffins. If you want more than that, buy another muffin mix at .59.
Total=$20.88

Groceries
Based on Kroger prices

Produce
Broccoli, .96 lb., buy 1 lb.
Scallions, .59
Romaine, .99, buy one
Carrots, .69 for 1 lb. bag
Apples, $1.49 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $2.98
Oranges, $1.29 lb. buy 3 lbs. at $3.87
$10.08

Meat
Chicken, 3 lbs. at .69 lb., total $2.07
$2.07

Dairy
Eggs, $1.99
Milk, $3.49 gallon, buy 2
Kroger Value margerine, .67
$9.64

Wall Deli
Kroger Value Franks, .99
Kroger Value shredded cheddar, $1.49
Kroger Value shredded mozzarella, $1.49
Kroger Value ham lunchmeat, 16 slice, $3.49

Frozen
Kroger Value frozen vegetables, 10/$10, buy one peas and buy another your choice, buy 2 total
Kroger Value orange juice frozen concentrate, $1.32, buy 2 at $2.65

Canned/Bottled
Kroger Value spaghetti sauce, .99
Kroger cream of chicken soup, optional, $1.29
Kroger Caesar dressing, $1.49
Kroger Value peanut butter, $1.99, buy 2 at $3.98
Mayonnaise, $2.99
Kroger Veg. oil, $2.79
KV grape jelly, $1.67
$15.20

Dry/packaged
Kroger Value Mac & Cheese, .42, buy 2 at .84
Kroger Value long grain rice, 2 lbs., $1.46
Kroger Bag Cereal, $3.39 (28 servings)
Kroger Value muffin mix, .59 (5 servings)
$6.28

International
Soy sauce, I've allowed for $2.50
Tampico powdered garlic, .88 the kind in the bag in the Hispanic section
$3.38

Bulk
Oats, .89 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $1.78 (26 servings), based on "Sprouts" bulk price

Bread
Kroger Value hot dog buns, .99
French Bread, $1.29
Kroger Value Bread, .99, buy 4 loaves (will give you 72 slices, not counting the heels, use the heels for croutons for the Caesar Salad) (each loaf has 18 slices, you will need 70 slices if you make 5 sandwiches for 7 days)
$6.24
total $66.97

How to feed a family of five on $300/month

In answer to a comment that I received, I decided to address the question, "How can I feed my family of five on $300/month? While it may be difficult, I don't think that this would be impossible. And I would welcome any and all comments of things that have worked or not worked for you in trying to feed your family on a limited food budget per month.

1-Shop the sales and use coupons. Shopping the adds is easy enough, for meats and produce I only buy what is on the first page (meat) and the last page (fruits/vegs) for that week. Using coupons can save you a ton of money. When my children were little I would spend $200/week, yes, you read that right, per week at the grocery store b/c I had no idea how much could be saved shopping ads only and using coupons. When I started using coupons I immediately started saving $300/month on groceries. I joined a coupon subscription service in Phoenix area called "couponsense". The idea is to buy multiple Sunday papers which have the coupon booklets in them each week and then to match up the ad with the coupon to get rock bottom prices on items and only buy those items when you have a coupon and a sale price. I no longer do couponsense but not b/c I don't like it. I still think it's wonderful. There is a free website that I like called, http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/ Optimum savings by using coupons depends on your area and the couponing policies of the stores that you shop. Arizona stores mostly double coupon values so it's a great place to coupon. If you can't afford to buy multiple Sunday papers, ask your friends for the coupons that they don't use. There are also various online printable coupons that you can get. I have a teacher friend that would get the 4th grades Sunday newspaper each Monday after they had done their current events. Ask around, sometimes nursing homes or hotels get newspapers, so ask if you can have the coupons out of them afterwards.

2-Cut out prepared and packaged foods. Buy beans, potatoes or potato flakes, rice, macaroni, flour and oats in bulk. Preparing simple foods will save you lots of money and when you learn how to do it won't necessarily take more time. Beans and lentils do great in the crockpot. I've also heard that oatmeal does great in the crockpot or I use the microwave for a single serving of oats. If you want to bake your own bread, there are recipes that are time efficient. Lentils are satisfying and fill the belly and are cheap. There is a website called Hillbilly Housewife. I haven't looked on it in awhile, it's on my favorites. She says that you can feed your family on $40/week. They eat more beans in a week than I can though. Eggs used to be a cheap staple for the week, but you can still usually find them on sale at one store in the area for under $1 each week.

3-Plant a garden if you can. or even one item you use a lot of like Basil, zucchini or tomatoes or lettuce, plant them in a tub.

4-Practice the $50 Stockpile. My friend Mindy had a blog a couple of years ago called the $50 Stockpile. The premise was that you only had to spend $50 per week on groceries. You would stockpile what was on sale for that week and then once your pantry and freezer were full, then you used what you had on hand, buying only $50 of produce or meat each week. I wish she still did it b/c her ideas were fabulous. But anyone can do it. For instance when tuna is on sale for .50/can and if your family likes tuna, then you would buy 10 cans of tuna for $5. Let's say this same week that hamburger is on sale for a family pack that is aprox. $10 and has 5-6 lbs. in it. You'll take it home and package it up into 4 or 5 meal portions and freeze or cook and freeze. Or instead of hamburger you will buy 15 lbs. worth of whole chickens b/c they are .69/lb. Cook them up and shred the meat or freeze them raw. So far we've spent $15. Let's say that canned vegs are on sale for .50/can or canned beans are the same price. Buy $5 worth of those. Now we've spent $20. If pasta is on sale buy $10 worth of that. And if pasta sauce is on sale or tomatoes, buy $10 worth of that. maybe spend the last $10 on oats or pancake mix if those are on sale. The next week do the same thing with different items and before long you will have built up your pantry and will not have to spend any more than $50/week on groceries.

5-Plan 3 or more vegetarian night meals per week. Cutting out the meat really cuts the price of your weekly food budget.

6-Shop seasonally. I only buy mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard(with a coupon is dirt cheap) during a week preceding a big BBQ weekend when sale prices for those items and coupons are their best. I try to buy all of the flour, powdered sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, chocolate chips and cocoa that I need for the whole year during November and December. I buy salsa the week of Cinco de Mayo when it is super cheap, I buy canned chili and hot dogs the week of Super bowl weekend. I buy expensive cuts of meat only the week of Valentines day and Christmas when they are half the price of what they normally run. I buy peanut butter when school starts b/c it's super cheap then.

7-Join a produce or food co-op in your area. Lots of people swear by this. However, it only works if your family will eat most anything b/c you get what they decide to give you each week. I never thought this would work that well for us, but for some people it works out great. It's like $15 for a big basket of fruits/veggies. Google food co-ops in your area.

8-Portion control. I've fed two hungry teens, I know how hard this can be. But there has to be boundaries if there is a limit on the food budget. I fried up two lbs. of bacon one night thinking that after our BLT's that I could wrap up the remaining bacon to use for breakfast the next day. It was all eaten and I only got 2 or 3 pieces of it. I also know it's hard when you are expected to bring snacks to sports teams, provide goodies that have to be store bought for school parties. Lots of snack items have corresponding coupons and go on sale often. My son was embarrassed at the thought one year when I threatened to send in obviously Christmas wrapped candy in for the classroom Valentine's Party. I had gotten the bags of chocolate candy for something insane like .15 per bag the day after Christmas with some killer coupons.

9-Use your freezer. Even if all you have is the one connected to your fridge, maximize your stockpiling power by using your freezer wisely. I was watching an antiques show the other day where they showed a fridge from the 30's or 40's that only had a freezer big enough to hold 2 ice trays. Growing up we had an old "extra" fridge that was like that that we put sodas and extra eggs or butter in.

10-Get to know your ads each week and what prices are in your area for items you normally buy. Make your own "never pay more than" list on items you buy regularly. My rule of thumb here for myself is that I usually do not pay more than $2/lb. for hamburger. Most of the time the sale price now is $1.88/lb. here, sometimes it will go down to $1.67/lb. Mostly I do not pay more than $2/lb. for any meats unless we are splurging for the ocassional steak. Boneless skinless chicken breasts usually run $1.67/lb. on sale here. Whole chickens are .69/lb. on sale. For fruits and vegs., the fresh ones, I don't like to pay more than $1 per lb. Less, of course is better. Right now is a great time to stock up on some vegs that you can freeze. Onions and peppers are on sale for cheap right now so if you like them frozen (I don't care for their texture all that much after freezing) to use in cooking, get a bunch, chop them up and freeze them in portions you can manage for dinner.

Please, share your ideas on living through a recession!

Menu with what's on sale for the week of Aug. 3-Aug. 9

So I added everything up and came up with a good number first try. I'm sure while writing it on here that it will change a few times, it usually does.

For some reason I can't respond to comments this week, go figure. So here's a shout out to Helen in Mesa, hope you and family are well.

A few things that didn't make it into the final cut but are great deals this week that you may want to consider.

From Fry's, Kroger Deluxe Ice Cream at 2/$5, Farmer John breakfast sausage, 4/$5, Hamburger, Tuna, or Chicken Helper for .97. You may want to switch out the Baked Potato or Chili night for Hamburger Helper instead. Or how would it be to put a Stroganoff Hamburger helper on the baked potato? Might be good. Might be too weird. You decide.

Bashas' has canned Food Club fruit for 10/$10. Also at Bashas', Jose Ole taquitos for $3.99. Great for lunch or quick dinner. Marachan Yakisoba for .69. These are microwable dry meals that you add water to. My kids love these and they would make a great lunch to take to the office. Some people think they're gross, but the picky kid of mine liked them. At .69 you wouldn't be out much to try one, then you could go back and pick up more if you liked them. There are also usually corresponding coupons to these that make them cheap, cheap, cheap. So check your file of Sunday coupons if you save them.

Great deals at Albertson's on Pillsbury cake mixes and Ocean Spray Cranberry juice. They are both on the buy 8 deal. If you can afford to stock up on cake mixes, providing you use them, it will really be to your advantage. I plan on buying 8 or 16 cake mixes to store for the year. We make b-day cakes, cobbler, cupcakes, microwave single serve do it yourself warm delight fudge cakes and you can make cookies and homemade oreos (the cakesters kind) out of cake mixes so 16 is not too many for us to have on hand. Although with the eating machine gone, cake consumption will go down, I'm sure. Ocean Spray is almost always $2.99 or more. So at $1.49 it is half price. Generic doesn't usually go that cheap. I will buy 8 or more of those also if they let me. Here we go.

$80.05

Breakfast
1-Pancakes, syrup, Cranberry juice
2-Cold cereal, milk, Cranberry juice
3-Eggs, toast
4-Cold cereal, milk, juice
5-Cold cereal, milk
6-Cinnamon toast, juice
7-Pancakes, syrup,

Lunch
1-Ramen noodles, carrots
2-PB&J sandwich, grapes, Kool Aid
3-Lunch meat sandwich, banana, Wheat thins, Kool Aid
4-PB&J sandwich, orange, Wheat thins,
5-Lunch meat sandwich, kiwi slices, carrots
6-PB&J sandwich, wheat thins, cantaloupe chunks
7-Velveeta mac & cheese dinner

Dinner
1-Baked chicken, frozen veg., green salad
2-Meat loaf, mashed potatoes/butter, corn niblets or corn on the cob
3-Vegetable lasagna, green salad. Use sauteed mushrooms, leftover corn if any, leftover vegs from dinner #1 if any, some sauteed onion and red pepper. Use Ragu Alfredo sauce, lasagna noodles and cheese.
4-Ramen noodles
5-Chicken Enchiladas or Chicken Enchilada casserole, frozen vegetable. Make a sauce by using a can of cream of chicken soup, some sour cream, some green enchilada sauce and a little milk to thin it out. Can use a little sauteed onion. If you don't want to use cream of chicken soup, make a roux and a white sauce using milk or chicken broth to make the sauce, then add the sour cream and enchilada sauce to it when cooled.
6-Chili. Garlic toast if there is enough bread. I have not put down for a chili seasoning packet on the grocery list. So either season yourself or buy one.
7-Baked Potato. Top with leftover chili if there is any leftover. Also serve leftover casserole or lasagna if there is any left.

Dessert:
Cake

Groceries:
Albertson's
Buy 8 deal
1-Kelloggs cereal, $1.99
2-Kelloggs cereal, $1.99
3-Velveeta dinner, .99
4-Pillsbury cake mix, .69
5-Pillsbury frosting, .99
6-Planters Peanut butter, .99
7-Ocean Spray Cranberry juice, $1.49
8-Wheat thins, $1.99

Maruchan Ramen, 6/$1, buy 6
Kool Aid, 6/$1, buy 6
Milk, $1.57, buy 2
sweet corn, 6/$1, buy 6
Kiwi, 3/$1, buy 3
Potatoes, 10# bag, $3.79
Shamrock Farms sour cream, $1.79
$24.02

Bashas'
Red grapes, .77 lb, buy 2 lbs. at $1.54
Boneless skinless chicken breasts, $1.67 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $5.01
Ground round, $1.97 lb., buy 4 lbs. at $7.88
Tillamook cheese, $1.77 If you like a lot of cheese on your veg. lasagna and enchilada casserole and/or want cheese on your chili, or your baked potato, you may want to get another package of cheese
Food Club beans, .69, buy 2
Food Club pancake mix, 2/$4, buy 1
S&W tomatoes, 10/$10, buy 2
Old Orchard frozen juice, 2/$3, buy 1
Bananas, .57 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $1.14
Mushrooms, $1.49 ea
cucumbers, .49 ea, buy 2
Food Club lasagna noodles, I've allowed for $1.99
Enchilada sauce, I've allowed for $1.69 Buy the green kind would be a great way to use up your Taco bell little packets of taco sauce if you didn't want to buy enchilada sauce, you could use red if you wanted to.
Cream of Chicken soup, I've allowed for $1.99
$32.36

Fry's
Fry's large eggs, .88 ea
Cantaloupe, .67
Kroger lunchmeat, $3.79
Ragu Pasta sauce, $1.58 ea
Mission tortillas, $2.19
Kroger Value bread, .88, buy 4
Onion, $1 lb.
Red bell peppers, .88 ea
Green Giant Valley steamers, 2/$3
$17.51

Sprouts
Romaine, .88, buy 2
Baby carrots, .88
Roma tomatoes, .88 lb.
Oranges, .88 lb., buy 3 lbs.

Items not on grocery list:
butter
Mayonnaise
flour
sugar
salt and pepper
herbs and spices
chili seasoning packet
Pancake syrup
Jelly or jam

Menu with what's on sale for the week of July 27-Aug. 2

Wow, going to be into August by the end of this sales week. I could have tweaked this week down under $80 but I thought, let's keep the bacon..... and I would have added the Rainier cherries at Bashas' for $2.99/.lb b/c you know how I feel about them. I kept them off to save costs but I totally understand if you switch them for something else on the menu. One thing that I wanted to mention, the buy 4 GM cereals and get 2 gals. of milk freeat Fry's, it's a good deal but you could get four GM cereals at Albertson's for $7.08 and then buy 2 gals. of milk at Bashas' for $3.18 equaling $10.26. So for .26 more than the Fry's deal. If you do the Fry's deal, you could do some cereal, some granola bars. Whatever makes you happy.

$82.19

Breakfast
1-cold cereal, milk, banana
2-Eggs, sausage
3-Cold cereal, milk, blueberries
4-Cold cereal, milk
5-Cold cereal, milk
6-Blueberry pancakes (from scratch, google pancakes)
7-Cold cereal, milk

Lunch
1-Bologna sandwich, carrots
2-PB&J sandwich, orange
3-Bologna sandwich, grapes
4-Pasta salad, peach (add some leftover chicken meat if desired. Use ranch dressing or Italian dressing or use vinegar and oil)
5-cottage cheese, fruit (canned)
6-Hot dog, bun, cantaloupe chunks
7-tuna sandwich, carrots

Dinner
1-Spaghetti, zucchini
2-Hamburger, bun, soda
3-Sweet and Sour chicken thighs, rice (see recipe under chicken for sweet and sour chicken. Use whole pieces instead of boneless chunks)
4-Grilled cheese sandwich
5-Salad, mangos
6-Ground beef and gravy over mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli (for the gravy, you can do one of two methods, make a roux with flour and butter and add a can of beef broth to make a gravy or thin down a can of cream of mushroom soup with water to desired thickness, add some garlic powder and some worchestershire to taste and add to the cooked ground beef. Add some cooked onion if you'd like)
7-BLT's

Groceries:
Albertson's
Sanderson Farms chicken, .88, buy 5 lbs. at $4.40 (freeze eccess for next week or use leftovers for a sandwich night)
Smucker's strawberry jam, $1.49
American Beauty pasta, .77, buy 2 packages, one for spaghetti night, one for pasta salad
Bar S jumbo meat franks, 4/$5
Bar S meat bologna, 4/$5
Dole Pineapple, 4/$5, for use in the sweet and sour if desired
Iceberg, .96
Yellow or white onions, .59 lb., buy one, for use in the sweet and sour if desired
green onions, 2/$1, buy 1
radishes, 2/$1, buy 1
cantaloupe, .69
ground beef, $1.99 lb. with purchase of 5 lbs. or more, $9.95
Ken's salad dressing, .99
*GM cereal, for $1.77 if you don't do the Fry's deal
$27.11

Bashas'
Calif. peaches, .47 lb. buy 5 lbs at $2.35
Barilla pasta, 10/$10, buy 1
Daisy cottage cheese, $1.99
Fiesta soda, .79
Bananas, .57 lb., buy 2 lbs.
green peppers, 2/$1, buy one at .50 for use in the sweet and sour if desired
Rice, I've allowed for $2.00
Eggs, I've allowed for $1.79
Potatoes, I've allowed for $4.00
$18.55

Fry's
green grapes, .88 lb.
Fry's sandwich bread, .88, buy 4 at $3.52
Kroger fruit, .88
Navel oranges, .88 lb. buy 2 lbs.
Bar S bacon, $1.98
Buy 4 GM cereal deal, get 2 gals. free milk, $10.00
Kroger cheese, $1.99
Bumble Bee tuna, .79
Fry's buns, 2/$3, buy one hamburger package and one hot dog package
mini carrots, .88
Kroger Value peanut butter, $1.50
Kroger Pasta sauce, 4/$5, buy 1
$28.43

Sprouts
Blueberries, .77lb., buy 2 lbs.
roma tomatoes, .77 lb., buy 2 lbs.
cucumbers, 2/$1, buy 1
red mangos, 3/$1, buy 3
zucchini, .88 lb., buy 2
broccoli, .88 lb., buy 2
$8.10

Items not on list:
butter
mayonnaise
condiments for hamburgers and the hot dogs
sugar
flour
oil
herbs/spices
leavenings for the pancakes
vinegar
soy sauce
ketchup for the sweet and sour sauce
corn starch to thicken the sweet and sour sauce
Pancake syrup

Menu with what's on sale for the week of July 20-July 26

Got Sonny boy on that plane on Wednesday. Seems quiet without him here. Went over $80 again this week but you could totally get it down under that if you omitted the cherries this week. But I love the cherries this time of year, so I wouldn't if it were me. I bought some tasty Rainier cherries at Fry's yesterday and ate a whole pound by myself. Love those things.

$82.11

Breakfast
1-Cold cereal, milk, Sunny Delite
2-Egg muffin
3-Oatmeal, grapefruit half
4-Cold cereal, milk, Sunny D
5-French toast, bacon
6-Toast, Sunny D
7-Oatmeal

Lunch
1-Bologna sandwich, apple
2-Grilled cheese sandwich, Pringles
3-Tuna sandwich, blueberries/strawberries
4-Bologna sandwich, peach
5-Leftover fried chicken, Pringles, Pudding
6-Tomato or chicken noodle soup, cherries
7-Mac & Cheese

Dinner
1-Pork chops, mango salsa (mangoes, diced, onions, cilantro), canned veg.
2-Seafood salad and crackers, green salad
3-Fried chicken thighs, french fries, canned veg.
4-Taco soup with grated cheese, sour cream and french bread (make the soup vegetarian or have the butcher grind some of the steak into hamburger to cook and add to or add some leftover chicken or pork to it.) Recipe on side under soups.
5-Steak and zucchini teriyaki kabobs, rice. Recipe on side under beef.
6-Pizza
7-Stuffed green bell peppers, jello, canned veg, leftover french bread made into garlic toast. cook rice in the tomatoes/juice with some powdered garlic and onion and add to the half pepper and bake. Could add some grated cheese on top if you still have some.

Grocery list
Albertson's:
Peaches, .68 lb. buy 3 lbs. at $2.04
Albertson's mac&cheese, 2/$1, buy 2
Albertson's gelatin, 2/$1, buy 1
Kraft handi snacks, 2/$1, .50
S&W black beans, 2/$1, buy 1
Albertson' chicken noodle or tomato soup, 2/$1, buy 2
Chicken of the Sea Albacore tuna, 2/$1, buy1
Blue Ribbon long grain rice, 2/$1, buy 1
Albertson's diced tomatoes, 2/$1, buy 3
Kelloggs cereals, 2/$5, buy 1
French bread, .99
cilantro, 3/$1, buy 1 at .33
Albertson canned vegs., 2/$1, buy 4, make one corn for the taco soup
tomato sauce, I've allowed for .50 ea., buy 2 (8 oz. size or one 16 oz. size)
$14.86

Bashas'
California strawberries, .88
Tyson bacon, $2.88
Food Club crackers, 2/$4, buy 1
Bashas' sour cream, $1.39
Cherries, $2.99
Eggs, I've allowed for $1.79
Taco seasoning, I've allowed for $1

Pick 5 for $19.95
1-Seafood salad
2-Colby cheese
3-Sirloin steak
4-Boneless sirloin pork chops
5-chicken thighs
$32.88

Fry's
Fry's milk, $1.57, buy 2 at $3.14
tomatoes on the vine, .88 lb.
Walla walla sweet onions, .88 lb.
Romaine, .88
Kroger canned vegs are the same price if you choose to buy them here instead of Albertsons
Yellow squash or zucchini, $1.28 lb.
Kroger Value bread, .88, buy 4 at $3.52

Buy 10 deal
1-Kraft salad dressing, $1.49
2-Tombstone Pizza, $2.79
3-Kraft mayonnaise, $2.49
4-Sunny Delite, .99
5-Sunny Delite, .99
6-Pringles, .79
7-Pringles, .79
8-Thomas English muffins, $1.99
9-Ore Ida french fries, $2.29
10-Oscar mayer bologna, $2.29
$27.48

Sprouts
Mangos, 3/$1, buy 3
Grapefruit, 3/$1, buy 2 at .66
Cucumbers, 3/$1, buy 1 at .33
Green bell peppers, 3/$1, buy 2 at .66
Blueberries, 2/$3, buy 1
Fuji apples, .97 lb, buy 2 lbs.
Oats, I've allowed for .79 lb., buy 1 lb.
$6.89

Items not on the grocery list:
butter
flour
sugar
oil
herbs/spices
salt/pepper
brown sugar
soy sauce
molasses
garlic

Lemon Pull Aparts

Lemon Pull-Aparts

Rhodes Bread Blog

http://www.rhodesbread.com/blog/blog/lemon-pull-aparts

12 rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold

zest from 2 whole lemons

1/2 C. sugar

1/4 C. butter, melted

Citrus Glaze:

1 C. powdered sugar

1 T. butter, melted

2 T. fresh lemon juice

Mix lemon zest with sugar. Cut rolls in half and place in a 12-inch sprayed deep dish pizza pan or 9x13-inch sprayed baking pan. Drizzle 1/4 C. melted butter over rolls. sprinkle with lemon zest/sugar mixture, reserving 1/2 of mixture to sprinkle on just before baking. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap. Let rise until double in size. Remove wrap. Sprinkle on remaining mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F 20-25 minutes. Remove immediately from pan and place on cooling rack. Combine glaze ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over pull-aparts.

Three Meat Pasta

Three Meat Pasta
Paula Deen, Food Network

1 lb. angel hair pasta
2 C. cooked chicken, off the bone
2 C. cooked sausage, like Keilbasa, cut 1/2 inch thick into coins
2 C. cooked ham, cubed
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 C. cheddar cheese, shredded
16 oz. cottage cheese
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 C. hot water
1-2C. Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large paot, boil salted water for angel hair pasta. When cooked, drain and set aside. In a large bowl mix together the chicken, sausage, ham, onions, cheddar cheese and cottage cheese. In a separate small pot, dissolve bouiloon cubes with hot water and pour over the meat and pasta. pour mixture into a 9x12x2 inch greased baking dish and top with the parmesan cheese. Bake for 30-35 min. or until the bubbling around the edges.

Menu with what's on sale for the week of July 13-July 19

$79.97

Breakfast
1-Cold cereal, milk, Sunny D punch
2-Cinnamon rolls, juice
3-French toast, peaches
4-Cold cereal, milk, juice
5-Cold cereal, milk, juice
6-Eggs, toast, juice
7-Cold cereal, milk

Lunch
1-Tuna sandwich, carrots, cherries
2-Pizza
3-Meat loaf sandwich, watermelon wedge
4-Pasta salad, strawberries
5-Lunch meat sandwich, watermelon wedge
6-Egg salad sandwich, banana
7-Mac & cheese, peaches

Dinner
1-Chicken Stir fry, Rice A Roni fried rice
2-Meat Loaf, Mac & Cheese, steamed broccoli
3-Bacon, Lettuce and tomato sandwiches
4-Chicken, Rice A Roni, zucchini
5-Hamburgers on buns, potato salad
6-Cobb salad with leftover chicken and leftover bacon crumbles
7-Chicken spaghetti, french bread, salad (use Paula Deen's recipe for 3 meat pasta and just use chicken in it)

Dessert or Breakfast
Lemon Pull Aparts, see http://www.rhodesbread.com/blog/blog/lemon-pull-aparts

Albertson's
Reser's potato salad, .99 lb.
French bread, .99
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, $1.67 lb., buy 4 lbs. at $6.68
Albertson's sour cream, $1
Albertson's pasta, $1
Cinnamon rolls, $1
Malt O Meal cereal, $1, buy 3
Flav R Pac veg stir fry, $1
Old Orchard frozen juice, $1
Albertsons cottage cheese, $1.79
Broccoli, $1 lb.
Zucchini, $1 lb.
$20.45

Bashas'
Ground chuck, $1.89 lb., Fri, Sta and Sun. only, aprox. $8
Calif. yellow peaches, .69 lb, buy 4 lbs. at $2.76
Red or green bell pepper, 3/$1, buy 1
Tomatoes, .77 lb, Fri, Sat. and Sun. only
Bashas' large eggs, .99, limit 2
Food Club cheese, 3/$5, $1.67
Food Club mac & cheese, 2/$1, buy 3
Chicken of the Sea tuna, 2/$1, buy 1
Better Crocker Suddenly Salad, 2/$3, buy 1
Icebery, .99
Bananas, .55 lb., buy 2
Cucmbers, 2/$1, buy 1
Milk, I've allowed for $2.50, buy 2
$26.60

Fry's
NW cherries, $1.29 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Mini carrots, .88
Green onions, 2/$1, buy 1
radishes, 2/$1, buy 1
Romaine, .96 ea
Walla Walla sweet onions, .96 lb.
Mini watermelon, 2/$5
lemons, 3/$1(only buy lemons if you intend on making the Lemon Pull Aparts
Strawberries, $1.98 ea
Bar S bacon or Oscar Mayer turkey bacon, $2.99
Kroger Value bread, .88, buy 4, evaluate if a 5th loaf is needed
Hamburger buns, I've allowed for $1.50

Buy 10 deal
1-Sunny D, .99
2-Rice A Roni, oriental flavor, .56
3-Rice A Roni, oriental flavor, .56
4-Rice A Roni, any flavor, .56
5-Rice A Roni, any flavor, .56
6-Rice A Roni, any flavor, .56
7-Kraft salad dressing, $1.49
8-Tombstone pizza, $2.79
9-Kraft Mayonnaise, $2.49
10-Oscar Mayer lunch meat, $2.49
$16.41

Items not on grocery list:
flour
sugar
yeast
oil
herbs/spices
salt and pepper
butter
condiments for hamburgers
bullion cubes
Parmesan

Menu with what's on sale for the week of July 6-July 12

Another week. And yet again a lot of sales this week, most stores having their own version of the buy 10, or buy 8 themed sales. Made making the budget menu this week a tad tricky but I think that I tweaked it enough that it works. At least I hope that I didn't leave a major ingredient out. You had better check it twice or you just may end up some night making Pasta Primavera without the pasta. HA!

Trying to get "sonny boy" ready for the Missionary Training Center in a week and a half, YIKES, and then Honduras, so I am a bit frazzled. Trying to keep up life as we know it and get in everything I want to do before his two years away and am getting a wee bit anxious. I'll be fine.

I went a little over $80 again this week. You can shave off what you'd like to. Some can't be in keeping with the "8 item deal" or "10 item deal". I did originally have the Albertson's deal and went waaaaaaaayyyyyy over budget, but there are some good items at Albertson's that you may not want to miss out on this week. You could save money by not having tacos and not buying taco shells but having taco salad again this week.

$82.77

I hate it when I keep pushing the shift button waiting for it to "enter" or space down.

Breakfast
1-Cold cereal, milk, apple juice
2-Egg biscuit, chocolate milk
3-Cold cereal, milk, peach
4-Toaster pastries, apple juice
5-Yogurt, banana
6-Cold cereal, milk
7-Egg biscuit, apple juice

Lunch
1-PB&J sandwich, apple, pudding cup
2-Pizz, soda
3-PB&J sandwich, orange
4-PB&J sandwich, pudding cup
5-Cottage cheese and canned fruit, pudding cup
6-Ramen noodles, apple
7-Ramen noodles

Dinner
1-spinach Strawberry Salad with sweet vinaigrette
2-Chicken thighs, scalloped potatoes, steamed broccoli
3-Hamburger skillet, salad
4-Pasta Primavera with mushrooms, asparagus and Alfredo style Ragu sauce. Use leftoever broccoli if there is any. You could even use any leftover spinach if you wanted to make it spinach-y.
5-Crockpot Swiss Steak with rice and salad. Put seasoned browned round steak pieces into the crock with a can of diced tomatoes, some seasonings such as oregano or basil, salt and pepper and garlic. Cook for 2-3 hours on high depending on how hot your crock pot cooks. Mine runs hot and cooks fast
6-Tacos and ranch beans. Salsa and tortilla chips.
7-Hot Pockets

Desserts:
Blue bunny or Polar treats ice cream

Albertson's
Blue Bunny ice cream or Polar Treats, 10/$10, buy 1
Top Ramen noodles, 5/$1
Albertson's diced tomatoes, 5/$3, buy one at .60
Ranch Style beans, .79
Iceberg lettuce, 2/$1
$4.39

Bashas'
Strawberries, .75
Asparagus, $1.97
Yellow onions, .49 lb.
cucumbers, .33 ea
Lawry's seasoning packets, .59, buy one taco seasoning
Bananas, .55 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Eggs, $1.79
Taco shells or tortillas, I've allowed for $3.00
Pasta, I've allowed for $1.00
Boneless round steak, $1.79 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $3.58
Ground chuck, $1.89 lb., aproximately $8

Buy 8 deal
1-food Club apple juice, $1.49
2-Food Club apple juice, $1.49
3-Food Club butter, $2.49
4-Fiesta soda, .49
5-Fiesta soda, .49
6-Food Club canned fruit, .69
7-Food Club Skillet Classics, .89
8-Food Club Potato Classics, .69

1-Food Club pudding cups, .49
2-Food Club pudding cups, .49
3-Food Club pudding cups, .49
4-Food Club Instant rice, $1.49
5-Food Club salad dressing, $1.49
6-Food Club Peanut butter, $1.49
7-Food Club Salsa, $1.19
8-food club toaster pastries, .99
$39.44

Fry's
Yellow peaches, .47 lb., buy 2 lbs. at .94
Kraft or Sargentos cheese, $1.99
Kroeger yogurt, 3/$1, buy 4 at $1.33
Fry's milk, .75, buy 3 at $2.25
Mt. Dairy Chocolate milk, .75, buy 1, limit 4 milks total
Chicken drum or thighs, .88 lb., buy 3 at $2.64
Broccoli, .77 lb.
Oranges, .77 lb, buy 2 at $1.54
tomatoes, .77 lb.
mushrooms, 2/$3, buy 1
Mi Ranchito tortilla chips, .99
Kroger cottage cheese, 2/$4, buy1
Kroger Value bread, .88, buy 3 at $3.52. Evaluate whether or not you'll need a 4th loaf.

Buy 10 deal
1-Totinos pizza, .99
2-Totinos pizza, .99
3-Totinos pizza, .99
4-Pillsbury grands! biscuits, .99
5-Pillsbury grands! biscuits, .99
6-Ragu Alfredo sauce, $1.28
7-Hot Pockets, $1.69
8-Hot Pockets, $1.69
9-General Mills cereal, $2.19
10-General Mills cereal, $2.19
$35.98

Sprouts
Bunch Spinach, .99, buy 2
Fuji apples, .99 lb., buy 2
$3.96

Items not on grocery list:
sour cream
Mayonnaise
flour
sugar
oil
herbs/spices
vinegar

Strawberries Romanov

With Strawberries and sour cream both on sale this week, this would be a good thing to have for a lazy Sunday afternoon snack or for a Fourth of July party. If you've never tried this before, give it a try. My picky kid has loved it since he was little. It is quite simply, whole washed and dried strawberries. Place the sour cream in a bowl and put some brown sugar in another bowl. You take a strawberry, dip in in the sour cream and then in the brown sugar and then eat. Yum!

Menu with what's on sale for the week of June 29-July 5

Lots of bang for your buck this week. And I didn't mean that to be a play on words for Fourth of July weekend. Just a happy coincidence. If I had to tell you only one store to go to this week, I couldn't because both Bashas' and Fry's are offering some killer deals this week. Plums are on sale if you like plums, for 77 lb. at Fry's. Hebrew national beef franks at Fry's for $1.99, Bush's grillin beans for $1.67 at Fry's, Kroger Value sugar for $1.99 if you're planning on baking cookies at Fry's as well. Cool whip topping at Albertson's for .75 and Kraft Mayonnaise for $2.99 at Albertson's and Loin back ribs for buy 1, get 2 free which usually run $5.99 lb. So in terms of "racks", i don't know what all of that means, the ribs are at Albertson's, by the way. If you wanted to do BBQ ribs on the leftover night, you totally could. When I find out how much the 3 packs of ribs will run you, I will let you know. Bashas' bottles of water cases are on sale for $1.99 this week on Fri., Sat., Sun. and Mon. only. If your mornings are rushed and crazy, you might want to make the muffins the night before while making dinner and then put them away so that no one eats them before breakfast. You could do the same for the egg biscuits. Either make the eggs and biscuits and put them away separately to reheat and assemble in the morning or assemble the night before and reheat briefly in the microwave in the morning. Or you could make the biscuits the night before, then make the eggs in the microwave that morning. I put one egg in a microwave safe cereal bowl, then microwave for 30 secs., put in for a tinch longer if needed, then put it on the muffin or biscuit. It comes out like a little omelett if you don't scramble it.

$76.12

Breakfast
1-Egg/cheese biscuit, Tang
2-Cold cereal, milk, Tang
3-Muffins, Tang
4-Cold cereal, milk, bananas, Tang
5-Egg/cheese biscuit
6-Cold cereal, milk
7-Muffins

Lunch
1-Chef Boy R Dee Ravioli or pasta, orange
2-Bologna sandwich, watermelon wedge
3-Bologna sandwich, strawberries, Country Time Lemonade
4-Chicken sandwich from leftover chicken, watermelon wedge
5-Bologna sandwich, Potato chips, peach
6-Pasta Salad, mango chunks, Country Time Lemonade
7-Hamburgers, buns, Fritos or cheetos, orange

Dinner
1-Hamburgers, buns, Potato chips, dip made from sour cream and garlic salt and a little dehydrated onion or chives if you have it, add a little water if you want it creamier. Or use ranch dressing. Pasta salad, Country Time Lemonade
2-Vegetable Lasagna, made with Ragu Alfredo sauce, boiled lasagna noodles, sauteed mushrooms, steamed broccoli or zucchini, cheese on top.
3-Hot dogs, buns, Pork and Beans or baked beans, Country Time Lemonade
4-BBQ chicken tenders or boneless/skinless breasts, Green salad, corn on the cob, Country Time Lemonade
5-Pizza, jello, soda
6-Taco salad with sour cream and salsa, taco seasoned ground beef and grated cheese
7-Leftovers

Dessert:
Watermelon
Brownies
Ice Cream

Groceries
Albertson's
Jello gelatin, .75
Bologna, 10/$10, buy 2
Albertson's milk, $1.79, buy 2, limit 2 at $3.58
Van Cmps beans, 2/$1, buy 1
$6.33

Bashas':
Ground beef, $1.87 lb., with 5# or more purchase, 5# for $9.35 on Fri., Sat., Sun., and Mon. only
Lay's Potato Chips, $1.77, Fri., Sat., Sun. and Mon. only
Dreyers ice cream, 2/$5, buy 1, Fri., Sat., Sun., and Mon. only
Sweet corn, .19 ea, buy 4 at .76
Whole seedless watermelon, .15 lb., buy 10# at $1.50
Bananas, .47 lb., buy 3 lbs.
Betty Crocker Brownie mix, 2/$3.00, buy 1
Romaine, .99
Eggs, I've allowed for $1.39 a dozen, buy 2 doz.
Food Club Lasagna noodles, $1.99
Bashas' Hot dog buns, 4/$5, buy 1 at $1.25
Bashas' Hamburger buns, 4/$5, buy 2
Bashas' sour cream, $1.88
Food Club salsa, $1.99
$32.17

Fry's
Buy 10 deal
1-Ragu alfredo sauce, $1.28
2-Fritos or Cheetos, $1.69
3-Ceneral Mills cereal, $2.19
4-General Mills cereal, $2.19
5-General Mills cereal, $2.19
6-Pillsbury Grands, .99
7-Pillsbury Grands, .99
8-Betty Crocker brownie mix, $1.69
9-Betty crocker muffin mix, $1.69
10-Betty Crocker muffin mix, $1.69
1-Country Crock margerine, $2.39
2-Kraft BBQ sauce, .69
3-Kool-Aid, Country Time lemonade , .99
4-Tang, .99
5-Chef Boy R dee ravioli, .69
6-Chef Boy R Dee ravioli, .69
7-Oscar Mayer weiners, $1.49
8-Totinos Pizza, .99
9-Totinos Pizza, .99
10-Totinos Pizza, .99

Strawberries, .77
Mangoes, 3/$1, buy 3
Roma tomatoes, .77 lb.
Peaches, .77 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Coke, .89
Kroger salad dressing, .99
Kroger cheese, 2/$3, buy 2
Kroger Value boneless/skinless chicken breasts/tenderloins, $1.67 lb, buy 3 lbs.
Suddenly Salad, 2/$3, buy 2
Cucumbers, 2/$1, buy 1
White mushrooms, 2/$3
navel oranges, 4# bag, 2/$5, buy 1
Bread, .88, buy 3
Broccoli or zucchini for the vegetable lasagna, I've allowed for $2.00 lb, buy 1 lb.
Taco seasoning, I've allowed for .99
$37.62

Items not listed:
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Ketchup
Relish
onions
flour
sugar
oil
herbs and spices
salt and pepper

4th of July BBQ for $30

Or there abouts. Feed 15 people for aproximately $30.

Menu

Hamburgers
Buns
Corn on the cob
Watermelon wedges
Potato Chips
Lemonade
Brownies ala mode
$27.47

Add a strawberry Jello/Whipped cream salad for $3.02
for a total of $30.49

Strawberry Jello/Whipped cream salad
Sliced strawberries (Fry's, .77)
Jello, 6 oz. (Albertson's, .75)
1 1/2 C. hot water
Cool whip, two tubs (Albertson's, .75 ea, $1.50 total)
2 C. vanilla ice cream (Dreyer's ice cream, already have some for brownies ala mode, Basha's, 2/$2.50)

Add hot water to Jello and mix until dissolved. Add 2 C. of vanilla ice cream and stir. Fold in or gently whisk in the Cool Whip after the water has cooled down. Add strawberries, chill for 3-4 hrs. Keep inside or on ice in this heat.

Groceries:
Gr. beef, $1.87 for 5# purchase. $9.35 for 5#. Fri., Sat., Sun., and Mon. only, Bashas'
Hamburger buns, 4/$5, buy 2 at $2.50, Bashas'
Sweet corn, .19 ea, buy 15 for a total of $2.85, Bashas'
Watermelon, .15 lb., buy 10# for a total of $1.50, Bashas'
Lay's potato chips, $1.77, Fri., Sat., Sun., and Mon. only, Bashas'
Country Time Lemonade, $1.50, Bashas'
Betty Crocker brownie mix, $1.50, Bashas'
Dreyers ice cream, 2/$5, buy 2, Bashas'

If you choose to make the Strawberry Jello Salad:
Strawberries, .77, Fry's or .89 at Bashas' Fri., Sat., Sun., or Mon. only if you don't want to make a trip to Fry's just for strawberries, add .12 to your total
Strawberry Jello, .75, Albertson's
Cool Whip, .75, buy 2, Albertson's
Ice cream, use 2 cups out of the ice cream that you got for the brownies ala mode

Items not on the grocery list:
hamburger condiments and lettuce and tomatoes for the hamburgers

What are you planning on for dinner for the Fourth?

Menu with what's on sale for the week of June 22-June 28

Really great prices on some fruits and vegetables this week. I didn't notice any ads for milk except at Albertson's and it wasn't all that great so unless I get out to the store(s) soon and get a price for you, the milk price is just a guesstimate. If you want to add ice cream to the list, Albertson's has Polar Treats Ice Cream or Sherbet for $1.99. Also, if you didn't want to have baked potatoes with leftover taco soup over them one night, add a Kielbasa at Fry's for $3 and have fried potatoes with sausage or Kielbasa chunks or coins. A little bit of onion added to that....mmmmmmm, mmmmm good. I had blueberries on the list originally to have fresh blueberry pancakes but had to cut costs somewhere. I think that Food Club pancake mix might come with a blueberry pancake mix option but if you want the fresh berries, the best price for blueberris this week was at Bashas' for $1.87. If you want to add gelatin to a meal or pudding for a dessert, Albertson's had Jell-O brand for 4/$5 this week. I don't like Tuna casserole but if you do, then this week would be a good week to have it when both pasta and tuna are on sale at Bashas' for .50. Food Club potato chips are also a great price at Bashas' this week at $1.69 but I had to drop them to keep costs down. Bush's Grillin Beans, 3/$5 if you wanted another accompaniament to the Hamburger meal.

$79.66

Breakfast
1-Pancakes
2-Cold cereal/milk, bananas
3-French toast
4-Cold cereal/milk
5-Pancakes, juice
6-Cold cereal/milk, juice
7-Cold cereal/milk

Lunch
1-Tuna sandwich, peach, peanut butter cookies
2-PB&J sandwich, cantaloupe chunks
3-Tuna sandwich, apple
4-Lunchmeat sandwich, orange
5-PB&J sandwich, Plum
6-Tuna sandwich, cucumber slices
7-Macaroni and cheese

Dinner
1-Pizza, salad, soda
2-Baked chicken breast with a slice of ham and some grated cheese broiled on top, leftover salad, mashed potatoes with butter, vegetable
3-Spaghetti and meatballs, vegetable
4-Chicken stir fry with onions, peppers, zucchini and leftover vegetables if desired
5-Taco soup with tortilla chips, sour cream, cheese as toppings. See recipe under soup
6-Hamburgers with buns, sliced tomatoes, condiments, potato salad, cantaloupe chunks
7-Baked potatoes with leftover taco soup over them

Desserts:
Homemade peanut butter cookies
Peach/Raspberry crisp

Groceries:
Albertson's
Albertson's cereal with coup from ad, .99, buy 3 at $2.97
Albertson's peanut butter with coupon from ad, .99, limit two, buy 1
Doritos Tortilla chips, $1.88 each, with coup from ad, limit 2, buy 1
Albertson's Macaroni and Cheese, .39 ea with coup from ad, limit 4, buy 2
Albertson's hamburger buns, .77 ea
Chicken breast, $1.67 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $5.01
Albertson's sour cream, 4/$5
Russet Potatoes, 10# bag, $3.99
$17.64

Bashas'
Ground round, $1.87 lb. in value pack, assuming it's 5 lbs. it will be $9.35
Food Club canned vegetables, 2/$1, buy 3 at $1.50. One needs to be corn for the Taco soup, the other two can be your choice to accompany other meals
Food Club tomatoes, 2/$1, buy 2
Food Club pasta, 2/$1, buy 1
chicken of the Sea tuna, 2/$1, buy 4 cans
Fiesta soda, .69
Food Club Pancake mix, $1.99
Food Club syrup, $1.99
Hunt's pasta sauce, .99
Bush's beans, .69 I like black beans in the Taco soup but it's up to you
Red Baron Pizza, 3/$10, buy 1
Old Orchard frozen concentrate juice, 3/$5, buy 1
Romaine, .97
Bananas, .47 lb, buy 2 lbs. at .94
$27.60

Fry's
Raspberries, .98 ea
Kroger cheese, 2/$3, buy 1
Kroger butter, 2/$5, buy 1
land O'Frost lunch meat, 2/$5, make it ham if you want to top the chicken breast meal with ham and cheese.
Kroger Value Bread, .88, buy 4
Eggs, I've allowed for $1.69, 1 doz
Milk, I've allowed for $2.50, buy 2 at $5
Taco seasoning, I've allowed for .99, buy 1
Tomato sauce, 8 oz. cans, I've allowed for .50 ea, buy 2 at $1
$19.68

Sprouts
Peaches, .49 lb, buy 5 lbs. at $2.45
Roma tomatoes, .49, buy 2 lbs.
Red Bell Peppers, .49 ea
Cucumbers, .49 ea, buy 2
Onions, .49 lb.
Cantaloupe, .77 ea
Celery, .77 ea
Zucchini, .77 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Oranges, .77 lb., buy 2 lbs.
Fuji apples, .99 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $2.97
Plums, .88 lb., buy 2 lbs. at $1.76
$14.74

Items not on list:
Mayonnaise
sugar
brown sugar
flour
oats
spices/dried herbs
salt and pepper
jelly
leavenings, such as baking powder, baking soda, yeast, etc.
condiments for the hamburgers, such as ketchup, mustard, relish
salad dressings
oil or olive oil
vinegar
bread crumbs, make them from the Kroger Value bread
ice cream if you want it over your warm peach raspberry crisp, yum