Yet another week of staple based foods. I’m looking forward to having some more fresh fruit in the house, but until then the un-perishables will have to make do. Let’s see what we’ll be eating…
Monday: pesto pasta with shrimp (didn’t have this last week, can’t even remember why)
Tuesday: pork sirloin chops in tomatoes and capers
Wednesday: pizza
Thursday: chicken in orange sauce
Friday: fried rice
Saturday: a nice big salad (hoping to be on a regular schedule and home to eat produce)
Sunday: crepes (both savory: unknown and sweet: Nutella)
If you haven’t tried Nutella I dare you to. And then tell me it didn’t change your life. I introduced the husband to crepes and Nutella a few years ago. It changed his life. I think it’s part of why he was so happy to honeymoon in Paris. To walk down the street carrying a hot, fresh crepe slathered with the dark, rich, hazelnut goodness that is Nutella…now that is living.
Our budget was $80, we spent…
Sprouts Farmers Market – $43.24 (savings = $0.10)
Trader Joe’s – $22.13
Target – $14.71
Farmer’s Market – $4.50
A grand total of $84.58. It’s either the Nutella or the Farmer’s Market that put us over. Either splurge was totally worth it so I’m not even going to question it.
…
We had a great meal out last week. We will probably have a few more in the upcoming weeks, considering the influx of visitors we have coming and the likelihood that I will not be completely thrilled with cooking every day, what with a toddler running around and (hopefully soon) a newborn draining my last ounces of energy. (Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait. Seriously.)
We do try to limit our eating out to less than once a week though, more like 2-3 times a month. With what looks to be our future dining out adventures how do I take this bump in stride?
I can’t recommend it enough. $25 gift certificates for only $10. A few weeks ago we bought several certificates to some of our local restaurants (they are all independently owned) and have used two with visiting guests. Both experiences were great. No hassle. The staff was always accommodating and never questioned our using the certificates. There are, of course, some restrictions depending on the price of purchase and the establishment but nothing that would make it anything less than a great idea.
And what’s better than a great idea at 80% off? Quite often the site offers their certificates at a discount. As much as 80%. That’s getting $25 worth of food for only $2. All while supporting local establishments. There’s a win-win I’ll put my money on.
Go. Eat. Save.
Update: A reader brought an error to my attention. My math is sleep deprived too. If the gift certificates are offered at 80% off it’s a mere $2 for $25 worth of food. Don’t forget to read the conditions ($35 minimum purchase, Sun-Thurs or such things), but what a steal.
Restaurant.com is offering a current promotion (supposedly ending tonight 6/30/09) for 70% of purchase price plus a $10 gift certificate. Use code RECIPE during checkout. Grab the family or some friends and go support a neighborhood eatery.
3 comments
Comments feed for this article
Monday, June 29, 2009 at 10:06 am
Angela
Thanks for the great restaurant.com tip!
I think I’ve looked there before, but didn’t understand how it works. And I’m always leery of coupons. This time, I typed in our zip code and saw that two of our favorite local restaurants are on it. So we can go out for $20 instead of $50- that’s awesome!
One question- what do you mean by “quite often the site offers a discount of up to 80%, making it $25 for only $5″??
Monday, June 29, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Joyce
Hey, pizza lady, I thought of you while I was in Trader Joe’s and saw their prepared pizza dough. Babysat the grands so daughter could have a “date night” and fixed calzone with the dough. Shrimp at Sprouts ( $4.99) and some leftover spaghetti sauce with a healthy sprinkle of parmesan then folded it over and crimped the edges like an empanada. The girls loved it (fingerfood). Thanks for your inspirations.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 at 3:04 pm
calimama
Angela, obviously you’ve had more sleep than I have! Restaurant.com will have “promotions” when a gift certificate can be purchased for a discounted price. This is all certificates, not restaurant specific. The correct math is that a $25 certificate which normally costs $10 would only cost $2. So it’s really $25 worth of food for $2!
Joyce, I’m glad my food adventures have inspired! I might just have to try some calzones with our Wednesday dough. I especially love a good calzone with lots of cheese and the sauce on the (out)side! Preferably shaped like a football so you get the big ends that are just yummy dough! And keep your eye on that Sprouts shrimp, we got about 2 lbs uncooked, frozen big guys there a few weeks ago and I’m still enjoying pulling them out for dishes, and they were on sale for $2.99 I think!!