Now. Onto How We Do It. Conspicuous title, isn't it.... A couple weeks ago on twitter I caught the tail end of a conversation between Sharon from A Prairie Sunrise , Amy of The Needled Fig, Rachel of Sweetteamom Designs, and Julie whose store is currently on vacation but can be found here. This conversation was all about grocery shopping and how often each of us does this monstrous task. I said twice a month, Sharon said monthly, Amy was SHOCKED (she said multiple times a week), Julie was also taken back (she goes every few days) and Rachel - well, honestly, Im not sure what she said because I literally put my two cents in at the very end.
I try very hard to sit down with my recipe box and a list of what is already in the freezer and start planning dinners for the next 14-21 days. Let me be completely honest - this is NOT an easy task. AND I don't always hold to it. Being pregnant and trying to do this has been the worst. When something doesn't sound good, instant gag reflex. Planning this way used to be a good habit, it has now become a necessity. If you hadn't heard, I live in California, and am paid by a state funded agency. It is INCREDIBLY expensive to live here and pay cuts have been dished out across the board - HOWEVER I am still VERY grateful to have a job - there are many who don't have that essential piece of the puzzle.
So. Today is Sunday (yesterday...). I am now planning for the next 10 days or so, knowing that payday is Friday, I am also looking at the grocery store ads to find out where the best deals are. For example, last week at Safeway they have meat specials on 'buy one get one free' making each package roughly 1/2 off - we tend to look for packages that are priced as equally as we can to try to get the best deal. In the freezer right now I know I have a roast, 4 tri tips (these will be saved for when we are having company), 4 packages of ground beef, a few packages of pork chops, four packages of chicken breast, multiple packages of smoked sausage (hit an AWESOME sale).
From the things already listed we will have shepherds pie one night, sausage and peppers over rice (I buy rice in the large bag and store it in the garage in a cool place double wrapped), Santa Fe Crock Pot Chicken from Skinny Taste (SERIOUSLY! Check out this site - WAY budget friendly recipes that taste good!), maybe some corn chowder from Rachel of p.s. i quilt (seriously this girl has some awesome recipes), as well as a few others I haven't decided on yet. Hubs is requesting 'enchilada pie' - I have the recipe written down, but cant remember where I found it online, so if you are interested let me know and I will type it into a post.
The big deal right now is that I am having to figure out all three meals instead of two as I am home on maternity leave and hubs is only in class two mornings a week. Usually we pack lunches, but eating them at home makes them much more of a production. I usually look at our local Grocery Outlet for sourdough bread - good for breakfasts of french toast (Adrianne's favorite), regular toast, grilled cheese, etc and they are FREEZABLE. So, paying $1.50 a loaf and having the ability to freeze it, makes buying a few loaves at a time worth it because I know it wont go bad.
Alright. Enough Rambling. This week when I get serious about REALLY planning and budgeting I will fill you in more on How We Do It - maybe I can get my friend Melissa to write a post for us about how SHE does it. The woman is UHHH-MAZ-ING!!!
xoxo
Jacqueline
PS. On the Corn Chowder - if it is only two or three of you, cut the recipe in half. It makes a TON and is wayyyy yummo, but I cant eat all the leftovers alone!!
