Menu planning and sticking to a food budget is not for the faint of heart. You may recall that last week I mentioned that we’d be closely monitoring our food budget for the month of November; for our family of three, we’ll be following the USDAs Food Plan guide’s moderate spending plan and have $166.10 to spend on food per week (or $719.30 per month).
To many of you, that may sound extreme. For me, it feels that way. More than $700 a month on groceries. WOW. But there are certain items that I won’t skim on. I’m loyal to certain brands and prefer organic produce and dairy. Keep in mind, if your budget allows only for a small portion to be spent on organic – always choose organic dairy and become familiar with the dirty dozen {always choose organic: celery, peaches, strawberries,apples, domestic blueberries, nectarines, sweet bell peppers, leafy greens (spinach, kale and collard greens), cherries, potatoes, imported grapes, and lettuce} and the clean fifteen {these are okay to purchase conventionally grown: onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapples, mango, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi fruit, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potatoes, and sweet onions}.
So far this week, I’ve spent $121.37. I say “so far” because I know that I’ll be making another trip to the store. Add that to last week’s total and we’re at $286.45…eleven days into the month. I don’t know if that is good, bad, or on target! That leaves us with $432.84, with 19 days remaining in November. I’ve noticed that we are more conscious of waste – yay! We’re making smaller portions, and eating leftovers {if there are any}. Thumbs up for us!
Here’s what we’re eating this week:
Monday – Florentine Pasta Bake {it didn’t thaw in time to eat it yesterday} with Caesar Salad and bread.
Tuesday – Turkey Reuben sandwiches with sweet potato fries.
Wednesday – Chicken Sausage and Bell Pepper Subs.
Thursday – Jamaican Chicken Wings with sweet potato fries.
Friday – Homemade pizza
Saturday – Chicken Enchilada Bake. {I hate the word casserole, it reminds me of canned soup, lots of sodium, and soggy veggies! I call all of my casseroles, “bakes”. Sounds nicer! I’m going make two of these and freeze one.}
Sunday – Turkey Chili with corn bread.
With the rising cost of food, do you find yourself paying closer attention to your food budget? How much does your family spend per month?
If you’re new to menu planning, check out my easy menu planning tips!
I’m totally with you regarding organics. I have no problem spending extra for them because I don’t want the ‘extra stuff’ in our food.
And since we don’t eat out, except a few times a year, we still don’t spend a lot of money. around $400 a month
How many are in your family Rona?
Emily! I googled low cost family meal plan and found you! so i’ve downloaded that pdf and i’m going to figure out how much a family of 6 should be spending. It’s pretty difficult finding organic in our neighborhood. when i still worked in the city i would shop at whole foods and bring stuff home on the train. I don’t have that luxury anymore. which makes me think I should look into fresh direct. See? you’ve got the gears turning. 😀 thanks so much. Your menu looks wonderful. will you be sharing recipes too? the Chicken Enchilada Bake sounds great.
WOW! I’m so happy to hear that you found me via search, Vanita! Yippie!
Good luck to you as you focus on your family’s food budget. It can be tough, but the more you do it the easier it will become. We’re just 12 days into this, and I already feel that we’re being more conscious of food/money/waste. I’m looking forward to seeing what the entire month will bring!
Have a great day!
Sounds like you are doing pretty good budget-wise so far. Your Chicken Enchilada Bake sounds yummy – do you have a recipe to share?!
Thanks, Meg! We’re trying to stick with it. It is tough when you’re paying attention, I feel like everything is so pricey these days! I don’t have a recipe YET…but I’m working on one in my head. If it turns out tasty, I’ll share it next week.