$40 for groceries?

Today my frugality skills were put to the test. I only had $40 for groceries. I do have a few things in my pantry/freezer, but I still needed several things. I've been thinking and working on it and this is what I came up with.

In my pantry I had: lots of brown rice, dried white beans, dried split peas, several potatoes and onions, flour, sugar, oats and other stuff. In the fridge and freezer I had some vegetables, a gallon of milk, lots of chicken stock and cooked chicken, some butter and cheese...

So our list of meals is this:

Thursday- breakfast is fried eggs and toast; lunch is homemade chicken noodle soup and crackers; dinner is chicken curry over brown rice and cole slaw. I might do something with some leftover mashed sweet potatoes too.

Friday- baked oatmeal for breakfast with fruit, lunch is tuna fish sandwiches with carrot sticks, dinner is split pea 'stoup' over mashed potatoes, cole slaw, corn bread and brownies/cookies that I will be making.

Saturday- pancakes and sausage (turkey); leftovers for lunch; ground turkey and refried bean burritos with salsa, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, corn chips and maybe spanish rice.

Sunday- oatmeal and raisin bread; out for lunch at my mom's; dinner is either leftovers or breakfast food.

Monday- French toast and fruit; cheesy rice and veggies; minestrone soup with white beans, salad, garlic bread

Tuesday- scrambled eggs and toast; egg salad sandwiches; chili mac and corn

My husband gets paid on Wednesdays, so I'll start over for the next week there. I will still have enough food for Wednesday if for some reason I can't go shopping that day, like yesterday. (baby was sick and it was raining)

My goal was $4o or less and I actually spent $49. I splurged on chocolate chips for cookies and two seasonal votive candles at 33 cents each. I could have gone real cheap and not bought fresh foods, powdered milk instead of fresh or margarine instead of butter, but that's a false savings- save my health or save money? I will be using cloth diapers and making dishwasher detergent for a few days as well, but not big deal. I'm thankful that I have those things to fall back on.

So, since I went slightly over my goal I just got a little less gas, and it evens out :) Gotta stay home now...actually, we've been home the whole week until this morning. It's been raining and cloudy and thank the Lord it's not hot at all- but slightly cool!! Yippee- a break from the oppressive heat!!!!!

For tomorrow's baking day I will make two loaves of whole wheat bread (bread machine), 1 loaf of raisin bread, cookies or brownies, possibly some banana bread. I was going to try a granola recipe where you soak the grains first, but I'm out of honey so it'll have to wait till next week.

Anyways, I am still tired from the cold I had and lack of sleep, but I'm doing ok. I finished ironing on all the quilt pieces and just need to stitch around them. Then time to get the rest of the fabric and batting and put it all together. Next will be sewing for me. I need some clothes bad!

More on that later, the girls are suddenly naked!