Health Food Store
2.21 lbs Zucchini/Squash @ $0.79/lb – $1.75
0.80 lbs Green Beans @ $1.29/lb – $1.03
Total: $2.78
Aldi2 pkg Red Grapes – $1.78 each (I was SO excited about this price! This is the cheapest grapes have been in our area for a long time!)
1 can Black Beans – $0.59
1 lb Butter – $2.40
1 Pineapple – $1.29
1 pkg Flour Tortillas – $1.19
4 Plums – $0.29 each
1 Cucumber – $0.59
1 box Saltine Crackers – $0.89
Total: $11.67
Dillons1 gallon Milk – $2.99
1 pkg Kroger Cheese – $2
1 pkg Yogurt – Marked down to $0.99
2 Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade/Orange Juice – $1 each, used 2 $0.50/1 coupon from the 6/15 RedPlum insert – $0.50 each after coupons
1 dozen Eggs – $1.50
1 bag Tyson Frozen Chicken Breasts – $6.99
1 Bear Naked Energy Bar – $1, used Free e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon
1.44 lbs Broccoli @ $1.59/lb – $2.29
Total: $17.76
Total for all grocery items: $32.21
Menu Plan for this Week
Breakfasts
Cereal, Homemade Granola, Eggs, Toast, Smoothies (with frozen fruit from the freezer)
Lunches
Macaroni & Cheese, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Fruit/Veggies/Crackers, Cheese Quesadillas, Leftovers
Dinners
Chicken & Rice Casserole, Steamed Broccoli
French Toast, Scrambled Eggs, Fruit
Black Bean & Cheese Quesadillas, Veggies (from freezer)
Italian Chicken, Freezer Biscuits, Steamed Broccoli, Baked Potatoes
Stirfry (using squash, zucchini, green beans and chicken), Sliced Apples (from last week’s shopping)
Dinner with family
Deer Roast, Freezer Biscuits, Peaches (from canning I did in the fall)
Jennifer Hoffman says
What do you do for snacks?? Thanks for sharing!
Brandy @ The Prudent Homemaker says
Gretchen,
Can you garden where you are at? I don’t know if you are renting or if you own your home. Even if you are renting, you could grow bush varieties of squash in a pot, and pole beans in a pot on a teepee trellis.
This week I have pole beans (like green beans, but they are actually red and as long as my arm), plums, and grapes ripe in the garden, and I have some zucchini, cucumbers, and peaches that are almost ripe.
When the grocery ads came this week, I noticed the lowest in-season prices for grapes and peaches (both .99 a pound here) and I found myself rather grateful that those are two things I no longer need to buy, since they grow in our garden. It takes about 3 years for both to produce well, but what a difference they make in the long run!
stacey says
Question: why don’t you buy your milk from Aldi? Is it really cheaper at the normal grocery store?
Julie says
What kind of system do you use for coupons (paper) ? Just wondering….always looking for suggestions !
Janell says
I couldn’t find the energy bar:(
Becky says
Thanks for sharing 🙂
katie says
My kids would eat all of those grapes beans and eggs in one day plus half the wraps the broccoli and the whole bag of chicken for dinner. We go through 3 gallons of milk a week. Any ideas about buying and cooking in bulk?
Jessica says
I hear you! I don’t even drink dairy milk but between my DH, 7yo, 4yo and 18mo, we go through 6 to 7 gallons in a week.
Brandy @ The Prudent Homemaker says
Yep! If we each eat 2 eggs for breakfast, that’s 18 eggs 🙂
We will also eat that many grapes with lunch.
Can you plant grape vines? It takes 3 years to get grapes, but they can get really long and give you a lot of grapes. We do best with Thompson’s seedless; the birds don’t like those as much as the red seedless.
Looking at the produce in these pictures made me smile. We harvested pole beans and grapes this week in much larger quantities, which were perfect for our large family. I’m grateful to be able to have more produce because of a garden.
Zucchini doesn’t grow as well here (it’s super hot and the plants don’t flower much; they will in October, though) but most places, zucchini grows really well and produces all summer long. Burpee sells a bush variety that you can grow in a pot; local places that carry seeds, such as Target and local nurseries usually have this seed from Burpee. So, this is another expense you could cut down on. A packet of seeds is about the same cost as Gretchen spent this week on that zucchini, so you would get your money’s worth very quickly, plus a whole lot more.
katie says
This looks good. My family is too big to eat such small portions anymore. I can stretch food by using beans baking my own bread and shopping sales. I need to shop at costco weekly. I routinely serve 8 and there are 3 snacks a day. My boys are atheletes so they eat 2 dinners one pre practice one post. With everyone home this summer I am cooking more to keep costs low.
Jen says
I was also excited about the price of grapes at Aldi’s. I did a little dance!