What I’m doing with $200 from Aldi and $80 from a Supermarket.
I’ve gotten frustrated with meal planning in the face of constant price increases, so when I had a free Friday evening, I went to the store, and bought ALL THE FOOD. Then I made a meal plan from what’s on table.
The list below is how I’m making multiple meals from common ingredients, listed in order of perishability/timing.
– Ground meat and chicken, tex Mexican stuff: Taco salads. Tacos. Freezer enchilada with homemade sauce.
– Steak: Steak dinner. Stroganoff with the leftovers.
– Pork roast: Pork and roasted veggies. Pork stir fry. Shredded pork sandwiches in home made buns.
– Chicken thighs: Baked chicken & butternut squash. Chicken & stuffing crockpot one dish meal. Chicken soup from bones & leftovers.
– Random stuff: Spinach casserole for this week, one in the freezer (spinach, cheese, eggs, cottage cheese).
Chili in 2 or 3 weeks, using mostly canned goods.
Veggies in salads & lentil soup this week, remainder chopped and frozen for future soup, casseroles. Tilapia filets for quick healthy weeknight options with whatever frozen veggies and rice.
Spaghetti, lasagna, homemade sauce.
Baguettes are frozen for use with soups.
– Breakfasts: Overnight oats weekdays. Egg and veggie scrambles weekends.
– Baking goods: The butter and Crisco are mostly for baking. I don’t love Crisco, but it has its place in cookies and I donate a lot of cookies during the holidays.
– Using up leftovers: I save chicken skin in the freezer and will render it once I have enough. Soup with whatever veggies and meat we don’t eat, and homemade bone broth.
– Spices: I spent about $50 here because I was really low, and cooking at home is better with Spices. Bay Leaves, Chili Powder, Cumin, Dill, Lemon Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Garlic, Coriander, etc.
– Crap ton of Aldi Crystal Lite knockoff: Processed crap, but cheaper than soda and a nice change. It was $1.65 last year, and $2.29 Friday, so I bought all they had.
– 6 pounds of cheddar: It was $2.78/pound and is normally $3.98. I bought all they had and froze it. Won’t be great sliced, but will cook fine.
I have about 4 full weeks of food planned and semi-prepped. Then about 3 with some meals slotted into the plan and the non-perishables stocked.
This year, we have spent about $400/month on food for two.
Curious to see if bulk buying and planning will cut that cost further, or if we’ll get bored and end up buying different things.
My husband got a deer too, so that should be red meat for a year, at about $3/lb after processing cost.
by nostalgicvintage