A big part of my keeping to a budget has been menu planning.  Each week I take a look at what’s in the cupboard and decide what to make for dinner each evening.  Breakfast is every man for himself and lunch is dependent on whether the husband is home or not.  Planning dinners has allowed me to shop sales and make sure the food we buy gets used and not thrown away.  Plus I love to find recipes and then ignore them when I cook, the menu plan gives me a starting point.  So let’s see what’s on for this week…

Saturday – salmon was on the menu but got left in the freezer so we ended up eating out on our way home from the fair

Sunday – pancakes

Monday – I’m looking for a recipe for the salmon filets I didn’t use on Saturday

Tuesday – black beans and rice

Wednesday – pizza

Thursday – baked pasta

Friday – the husband and I are out, Grandma will be running the kitchen

We are using a system that is somewhat based on $80/week for grocery and non-edible and the $50 a week budget.  Each week we calculate how much we spent overall and I announce if we are under or over budget.

eating out – $174.50

grocery – $54.10

grocery non-edible – $6.53

Not pretty, but not as bad as it could have been.  All of this eating out was because of our travels so there’s not much we could change there.  Now we’re home and back to some semblance of a budget.  I hope.

A big part of my keeping to a budget has been menu planning.  Each week I take a look at what’s in the cupboard and decide what to make for dinner each evening.  Breakfast is every man for himself and lunch is dependent on whether the husband is home or not.  Planning dinners has allowed me to shop sales and make sure the food we buy gets used and not thrown away.  Plus I love to find recipes and then ignore them when I cook, the menu plan gives me a starting point.  So let’s see what’s on for this week…

Saturday – clean-out-the-fridge scramble

Sunday – HOHO

No menu plan for the rest as we leave for Portland on Monday.  Gone all week.  Looking forward to a week of no cooking.  Or at least no real cooking, hotel room lunches don’t count.

We are using a system that is somewhat based on $80/week for grocery and non-edible and the $50 a week budget.  Each week we calculate how much we spent overall and I announce if we are under or over budget.

eating out – $125.01

grocery – $117.37

grocery non-edible – $14.57

We had a very active week.  Which equaled a lot of eating out apparently.  So what were all the groceries?  I did not create a shopping list and am paying the price.  Literally.

Eco-me has created some really great packaging for all natural household cleaners.  So all natural in fact you already have them in your house.  And some of you are probably already using them to clean with.  (Oil, vinegar, water and baking soda.)  There’s even a DIY kit so they sell you the great packaging and you provide your own ingredients.  Minus the secret mix of essential oils.  I’m just not sure a mix of tea tree, lavender, lemongrass and rosemary are worth the cost of packaging and shipping the packaging.

If these products help some people kick the toxic habit then I’m all for it.  (Apparently they work really well, but you probably knew that.)  I just hope I can have a brainstorm idea to make money selling people what they already own.

Do you use essential oils in your cleaning?  (I’m collecting recipes so I don’t have to buy the packaging.)

via Design Mom

We bounce from normal to not-normal weeks around here quicker than most people… well, I don’t know quicker than what.  But it’s pretty darn often.  This week we are off to the UP.  (That’s the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for you non-Michiganders.)  That means lots of eating out.  Yay, to a break from cooking.  A much bigger YAY to no dishes. Let’s see what we’ll be eating before we leave…

Monday:  pasta and egg round-up (cook pasta, toss in scrambled eggs and whatever else looks interesting)

Tuesday:  pizza (we’ll miss pizza Wednesday, plus I have dough in the fridge)

Our budget was $80, we spent…

Trader Joe’s – $28.76

Sprouts – $16.71 (used bag credit = $0.05)

Yay, for small budget weeks.  Of course, this goodness is inversely proportionate to how much we will be spending while away.  I am packing as much as I can in snack food for our flight though.  It’s a good thing yogurt raisins are not considered liquid or gel.

Now, excuse me while I go pack 12 suitcases and 4 carry-ons for our 5 day trip.

Okay, I know it’s Tuesday.  But I like order and systems.  Chaos makes my head hurt.  It makes my eyes go all twitchy.  Menus go up on Mondays.  I’m sure it must still be Monday somewhere.  Even if that’s only in my head.  Bear with me while I get through this.  I’m sure things will be back to normal next week.  (yeah, you can stop laughing now.)  Let’s see what we’re eating…

Monday:  stir fry

Tuesday:  chicken parmesan sandwiches (actually monterey jack, but who’s checking?), mashed cauliflower

Wednesday:  pepperoni pizza

Thursday:  something from the pantry, sauteed carrots  (some days are just harder than others)

Friday:  london broil, green beans (didn’t get to this last week either)

Saturday:  beef stroganoff

Sunday:  french toast

Our budget was $80, we spent…

Vons – $25.81 (savings = $25.69)

Target – $3.60 (savings = $2.49)

Trader Joe’s – $11.49

Sprouts – $30.33 (savings = $0.05)

Cost Plus – $9.46

Smart & Final – $21.03

Okay, so I actually thought we were on budget, then I realized I was missing a receipt.  At $101.72 I should feel pretty good about the 27% savings of $28.23 but it really just shows that we aren’t really taking this budget thing to heart.  Too many “want” items that put us over the edge.  More fruit than was really needed (is there really such a thing?), canned soda and bottled specialty root beer, English Heinz beans… all makes for a delightful fridge but not exactly being our most frugal.

On the topic of eating well.  I was introduced to Cari, Adam and Emily this week.  I encourage you to make an introduction.  They all seem to be lovely people with some interesting things to say about food.  And how much to spend for it.  I feel a true kinship with Cari because she is trying to feed her family well without sacrificing things like organic vegetables, eggs and dairy.  She is also making the bread her family eats and grows many of her own vegetables.  I know, I don’t actually do the growing thing, but I still relate to her thinking.  And I would at least consider trying it if we didn’t live in a small apartment on the second floor with a balcony that works really well for storage but not potted plants.  I don’t anticipate I would be successful but I would consider trying.  That’s something right?

I’m also considering a hiatus from my $80/week grocery budget to try $50/week food challenge.  Now that’s $50 per week per adult (plus an additional $25 dollars/week for Toddler L).  Sounds like a lot huh?  But considering we buy organic eggs and dairy and produce when we can, it goes fast.  Also, that $50/week is for all food.  So that’s groceries, restaurants, snacks when out and about, the whole enchilada.  Sounds a bit tougher now, huh?  Not that we eat out that much, definitely less than once a week, but a single meal out can be half that budget.  I am thinking we’ll be rolling over our savings for the times we do go out to make up the difference.  So really, the budget could be considered $200/month/adult (unless it’s those weird months that have an extra week and then it throws everything off, like pregnancy, which is considered 9 months but it’s 40 weeks so really wouldn’t you say that’s 10 months because most people consider one month to be 4 weeks).  Conscious stream writing is really just one long run-on sentence isn’t it?!  At least when it’s my conscious stream.

For a while now (certainly since seeing Food, Inc.), I’ve been re-evaluating what our family eats.  We are really cutting back on meat so that we can stay within a budget but still be good stewards to our health and environment.  We are going to try only buying organic meat, which means not buying it very often.  I would also like to buy mostly local produce from the farmers market instead of the grocery store specials.  It may not be organic but at least it’s helping our community and not being transported from other continents, countries or states.  We have made huge strides in eliminating the processed food we eat but I’d like to keep working on that.  The husband loves him some granola bars, I’m going to try making those and see if they will meet his satisfaction.  Also, I’m a real 1970′s kid in that I love mac n’ cheese from a box (the one with the cheese sauce mind you, not the powdered crap).  I am going to try to kick that habit and bring in the homemade.  We all have to make sacrifices.

Which would you choose, $80/week for all grocery including paper goods and toiletry or $50/week/adult for everything you put in your mouth?

I thought we would be into the fresh food by now but we’re still waiting to spend a couple days in the maternity ward so limited produce in the fridge.  Let’s see what we’ll be eating…

Monday:  salad (1 head of lettuce to use up)

Tuesday:  burgers & beans (need to make buns)

Wednesday:  pizza (toppings TBD)

Thursday:  bratwurst (will attempt hot dog style buns with the Tuesday baking)

Friday:  stir fry

Saturday:  tuna casserole

Sunday:  buttermilk pancakes

Mix-ins, toppings and sides are really loose around here.  What needs to be used, when do we get to the store and what fits within the timing of making dinner.

My brother was visiting and (I hope) enjoyed the fruits of my menu planning.  He was surprised and impressed (I think) that we are having weekly home-made pizza.  I love doing it because I know the husband loves having it.  I’m still searching for the perfect crust but it’s a fun (and tasty) search.

But what I was getting at was that it has really helped me to have a couple of “tradition” days like Wednesday and Sunday (pizza and breakfast), so I can concentrate on only 5 other meals.  I’m still not that imaginative with my menus, I’m taking it slow.  Actually, I think I was more imaginative in the beginning of this process.  As I’ve spent the last 4 weeks expecting a baby any day (as if I have any say in the matter) I’ve lost some of my momentum for thinking up tasty meals.  I’m so lucky to have a husband who will eat just about anything.  And say it’s wonderful.

Our budget was $80, we spent…

Sprouts Farmers Market – $42.66 (no savings   I forgot my bags, so no credits there)

Trader Joe’s – $12.84

Vons – $17.54 (savings = $11.77)

Ralphs – $5.99 (savings = $0.90)

Costco – $35.73 (applesauce, butter, beer)

CVS – $11.90 (savings = $11.76)

A grand total of $126.88.  Definitely over our budget but what you can’t see is the 3 month supply of applesauce and husband’s body soap, 3 month supply of beer and probably month long supply of butter depending on how much baking I do.  So, considering Costco and CVS were bulk buys and not a weekly expense I’m okay with where we are at.  Except for the issue of forgetting my bags at Sprouts.  It’s a pretty rare problem ever since I opened up about it, but it definitely annoys me when it happens.

My mother-in-law has been visiting on the heels of my brother.  (Both in hopes of helping with Toddler L during our days away, as if that has worked out for us – NOT.)  When she was last in town I had a batch of Artisan Bread in the fridge and made some for dinner.  Even with my beginner challenges it was such a success she has made it twice in the month since.  I am thrilled to have introduced this great bread basic to a woman who is known for real baking on a regular basis and making bread whenever she has the whim.  MIL  says this is so easy she’s a true convert (at least for the great bread-with-meal loaves).  If you haven’t checked out the book or the website/blog and tried it yourself you’re really missing out.

Don’t worry I say that as a slow convert myself.  But really, yuuuummmmmmmmmmmm.

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?

Restaurant.com

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.

Let’s see what we’ll be eating this week…

Monday:  eggs in spicy tomato sauce

Tuesday:  pesto pasta with shrimp

Wednesday:  pizza

Thursday:  chicken strips, carrots

Friday:  spaghetti

Saturday:  pulled pork sandwiches

Sunday:  wholewheat pancakes (finally got in the whole wheat buttermilk pancakes last week – yummmm!)

This week’s menu is a lot of pantry items and I’m not planning a lot of fresh fruit and veg.  That’s intentional, I’m not punishing my family.  It’s that we don’t know from one day to the next if we will be at home the next week or so.  I need foods that can keep if they don’t get made.  No nice summer salads this week.  Oh well, at least the weekly pizza is going well.

Our budget was $80, we spent…

Sprouts Farmers Market – $29.63 (savings = $0.10)

Costco – $49.64

Trader Joe’s – $5.50

Vons – $1.17 (savings = $2.80)

Walgreens – $1.16 (savings = $5.60)

A grand total of $87.10.  Not bad considering most of what we bought were bulk items that will last from a few weeks to many months.  Stocking up really can save big bucks when done right.  Thanks to all the coupon experts out there that have made it so easy for me to save money.

It still surprises me how much I enjoy being in the kitchen.  Sometimes.  When it works, it really works.  I have gotten so used to cooking now that it’s not a stretch for me to make from scratch something I don’t have in the cupboard.

Father’s Day dinner was steak, shrimp and a side of pasta.  No veg but the husband was thrilled – all his favorites on one plate.  To top it off I decided to have some ice cream with his wonderful oatmeal chocolate chip cookies crumbled on top.  (Don’t worry, someday I promise to post that recipe so you can all judge for yourself.)

Somehow that didn’t seem like enough though.  I needed chocolate syrup.  I didn’t have any chocolate syrup, haven’t bought it in forever.  No worries, I’ll make some.

What?  Make some?  Make something that can be purchased in a bottle for convenience?

Why that’s just crazy talk.

Yup.  I’m crazy.  Cuckoo.  There I was, in the kitchen after dinner making chocolate syrup.

It took about 5 minutes.  And then we had sundaes.  And they were really good.  You can do it too.  Go ahead, try it.  Chocolate syrup in the fridge whenever you want it?  Life is good.

Here’s the recipe from Cooking Cache.

1 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold water
1 tablespoon vanilla

Combine all of the ingredients, except the vanilla, in a medium saucepan. Mix well.  Cook over medium heat until boiling.  Continue cooking until thick.  Once cool, add vanilla.

(according to Cooking Chache – Cost Analysis: (30 ounces) Store bought: $1.89 Homemade: 90¢)

The real challenge is in waiting until the chocolate is cool to add the vanilla.  I couldn’t.  I needed to eat it right away.  And it was good.  I know I said that already.  But I’m still surprised by the little things in life.

One last food item and I’m out of here.  Some of you may remember my Life to Leftovers conundrum that Jonathan Bloom of Wasted Food helped me out with.  Or I should say his readers helped, much to our mutual delight.

Now I have a similar challenge for you.  I just put about 2 cups of (unpitted) cherries and a handful of grapes in the freezer as they were probably hours away from being past there delicate prime.  The grapes, I know, can be eaten as a frozen treat but what else can they do?  And how about those cherries?  I don’t make pies and I don’t can (yet).

What’s a girl to do?

Where do these weekends go?  I have such big plans and then before I even know it, it’s Monday morning.  I’m really trying to get some of the great posts I have planned written and up.  At least I think they’ll be great.  I guess you’ll just have to wait and decide for yourself.  I will have Friday’s hint fully realized shortly, after all, it’s obviously a tie to Father’s Day coming up.  (sorry just thought of that one as I was writing and couldn’t delete it!)

Before we get there though, I know you are all dying to know what the menu is for the week.  Let’s see what we’ll be eating…

Monday:  beans and cornbread (in true calimama fashion I don’t follow this recipe exactly but it’s pretty darn close, and easy, and good…)

Tuesday:  tacos

Wednesday:  pizza

Thursday:  WOHO (wife on her own)

Friday:  cheeseburger stuffed potatoes, salad

Saturday:  london broil, veg TBD

Sunday:  buttermilk pancakes (every week the pancakes seem to get bumped, but I’m determined to keep trying)

Once I finally got the whole pizza stone issue resolved I was anxious to test my skills.  The final decision (with me as judge and jury of course), my skills need a great deal of refinement.  But the pizza I made last week was really quite good.  So good in fact, before we even finished eating I had decided to make it a weekly tradition of dough wrangling.  The kneading part was a little bit of a challenge (okay, yes, I might have mentioned to the husband that we weren’t having pizza that night much less any other while I was fighting with it doing it), but once I got things under control it all went quite smoothly.

I’m a huge fan of plain, cheese pizza but this homemade thing has me thinking about toppings I would never try in a restaurant.  Unfortunately, my childhood favorite of ham and pineapple (I don’t know why but this is very popular in Canada) will not be a staple as the husband doesn’t like ham.  Ahh well, I like the pineapple part best anyway.  I can work with that.

What are some of your favorite pizza combos?

Each week I look for ways to stay within our budget.  Sometimes I even consider re-evaluating what that budget is or what it covers.  I think I think too much.  I’m not leaving nearly enough time for day dreaming about living in the French countryside or how I would spend a million dollars.  I mean isn’t that what you do with your mental free time?

I’m going to take another look at this budget issue but for now I’m keeping it as is.  Our budget was $80, we spent…

Sprouts Farmers Market – $29.83 (savings = $0.15)

Ralphs – $34.40 (savings = $41.59…seriously?!)

Trader Joe’s – $19.30 (savings = $4.04)

Bakery Outlet – $9.87 (savings = $4.18)

A grand total of $93.40.  Over budget, but considering I saved over half as much as I spent I feel pretty good about it.  The bakery was for three bags of flour and we got two boxes of English Muffins free.  I can’t believe how much flour I’m going through and the outlet has the best price for times like this when I’m not catching a sale.  And as the husband has an English Muffin pretty much every single day with breakfast the freebies were a major bonus.

With my new flour I did make English Muffin bread which turned out excellently (according to the English Muffin expert), so I hope to be making that more and buying muffins less.

If anyone who actually knew me read this blog they would be convinced aliens had taken over my body.  Cooking, staying home with a kid all day, baking bread?  What happened to the girl with the plan?  The daily double latte?  The high heels and manicures?

Mr. Dylan, you were right.  The times, they are a-changin’.

Posted in Cooking, Menu Planning, Saving Money, Shopping, Simple Living Tagged: Cooking, Menu Planning, pizza, Ralphs, Saving Money, Shopping, Simple Living, Sprouts Farmers Market, Target ]]> http://compactbydesign.com/2009/06/15/monday-menus-and-more-11/feed/ 3 Leigh @ compactbydesign from-the-kitchen1 felix http://compactbydesign.com/2009/06/08/monday-menus-and-more-10/ http://compactbydesign.com/2009/06/08/monday-menus-and-more-10/#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:05:50 +0000 Leigh @ compactbydesign http://compactbydesign.com/?p=757 ]]>

Well, I can’t say anything unexpected happened this past week.  But it was a good week.  I finally got around to making the mobile for the nursery I’ve been thinking about doing for almost two years.  Better late than never.  The husband and Toddler L both seem to really like it and I think it worked out quite well.  In true artist fashion I can’t get overly effusive about my work, it could always be better but it’s good enough to put up in the house.

I can’t say the same for Sunday’s dinner.  It was supposed to be crock pot brisket from a chuck roast.  I liked the idea of it but unfortunately didn’t quite get the proportions right.   Because I cook smaller quantities as it’s just husband and I, I’m usually adjusting recipe amounts and cooking times.  Unfortunately, leaving the house to go watch the Lakers’ game threw off my cooking time adjustment.  What was supposed to be brisket was headed towards beef jerky.  Not that I don’t like beef jerky, it just wasn’t what I was planning for supper.  Good thing we were having mashed cauliflower with it, that can save just about any meal.  Hopefully this week’s experiments will have better results.

Let’s see what we’ll be eating…

Monday:  chicken strips, chicken rice-a-roni (I know this isn’t even real food but I love it, so about once a year I make it)

Tuesday:  yellow curry

Wednesday:  pizza (not sure if I’ll be going thin crust or deep dish yet)

Thursday:  penne w/ spinach and sausage, artisan bread

Friday:  whole wheat pancakes (didn’t get to these last week)

Saturday:  we’ll be out at an adults-only birthday party (probably my last for a while, so I’ll savor it)

Sunday:  HOHO (husband on his own)

I got a great deal on a used pizza stone on Ebay (you’d be surprised how hard it is to find used stones), so I’m really looking forward to starting a home-made pizza tradition.  And I’m even going to make more bread in the oven.  I’m not sure I won’t use the artisan bread dough or bread machine for the kneading but it will come out of the oven and maybe even be the shape of a loaf pan.

I think that’s my only complaint about the bread machine.  Bread just isn’t a square block that’s 9 inches tall.  Well, mine is.  But it kinda rubs me the wrong way.  The husband already knows I’m keeping my eyes open for another machine with a horizontal pan.  You may have no idea what I’m talking about.  That’s okay.  Sometimes I just talk for the sake of it.

In the continuing ups and downs of our budget, we are under this week.  I’m feeling really good about that but I’m also wondering at what expense am I doing this?  Let me explain.

Our budget was $80, we spent…

Sprouts Farmers Market – $47.42 (savings = $0.15)

Vons – $17.44 (savings = $8.58)

Trader Joe’s – $13.78

A grand total of $78.64.  This week I didn’t buy any meat and I didn’t even buy several things I had coupons for.  Now, they weren’t things we specifically needed this week but they were good deals on things we would use.  If I had purchased them, along with a couple of things I would have liked to buy I would have been over budget.  So I didn’t get the frozen peaches to make smoothies with.  I didn’t get the Nutella that both husband and I love to indulge with occasionally.

How do I get everything we need plus allow a few (not over the top) indulgences and still feel good about the money we’re spending – or not spending?  I have said before, there are a few things I’ve decided are worth the extra money.  Typically that’s buying organic when I can.  We buy only organic milk and eggs.  A gallon of whole milk (for Toddler L), a gallon of 1% milk (for the husband and cooking) and a carton of eggs is $15 of any given week’s budget, if they’re not on sale.  Ouch!  I’d like to buy organic produce more often but it’s just not financially feasible.

How do you justify what you spend versus what you buy?  Or do you not bother and wonder what I’m tying myself up in knots over?

I don’t have an art budget because my projects just don’t happen as frequently as I’d like.  That’s probably a good thing, at least as far as the checkbook goes.  My creative energy can get a little backed up though without an outlet.  I’m sure it helps that I rearrange the furniture every 3 months.  (I blame Toddler L and his ever changing needs, but it’s probably just my needs.)

What I’m trying (slowly) to get at is my need for another project.  A project that requires fabric.  Fabric that I can create and custom print.  I don’t really sew but I’d like to change that too.

I know it’s not entirely Compact to have more fabric made than already exists, but sometimes what can be had at the local thrift store just isn’t going to meet the needs.  When that’s the case, turn to Spoonflower.  Upload your napkin doodles, illustrations or patterns and get your own custom fabric in the mail in a few days.  There’s no minimum order and a price per yard higher than I would typically pay ($18-32), but within reason for a truly special project.

Would you consider having your own custom fabric made or is this just my design voice locking my Compact voice in a dark room and telling it to shut-up?