Did I save money at the grocery store? Yup! I absolutely did. It was almost $100 under what I normally spend. Obviously, this is a fabulous outcome. I bought mostly produce in the most whole form, and I did the prep work myself (e.g., like peeling and cutting carrots, rather than buying pre-cut). I bought only a small amount of meat and then other necessary staples.
Another great thing to mention was that I ended up buying more than I needed. So, it could have been even more savings. That extra food is not going to waste, however. I over-estimated how much raw produce was needed. Some of it is going to last into this week. The stuff that I could steam, I steamed today, and we will have cooked veggies ready to go for this week (e.g., green beans and cauliflower).
Instead of buying lunch items or frozen lunch entrees, I ate small portions of leftovers at lunch. Because I focused on buying things that could keep me feeling full (e.g., beans, whole grains, foods full of fiber and protein), I was able to say satisfied while eating healthy and cheap.
Some of the meals I made were:
Eggplant, potato, and tomato gratin
Italian stew
Creamy chicken and vegetables
Pot roast and vegetables
So, I would say it was a success. I am definitely feeling like this is not a typical funny and self-deprecating post for me.
So to make ya’ll feel better, I’ll let you know that on Friday night, I got quite drunk with friends and smoked cigarettes. On Saturday night, I enjoyed some gooey-yummy Chicago style pizza. And, now I am quite sick. Cold, cough, and sore ears. (I was already coming down with something, but the hard living really kicked it into gear, I’m sure.)
For dinner tonight, you bet I’ll be making an easy and quick frozen, packaged dinner that I can just throw on the stove.
There is balance in the universe. You just cannot be perfect all the time. Peace out.
24 comments:
I think a little healthy is better than no healthy, lol. I like cooking from scratch, but at times a quick fix is nice, and no one's healthy when partying. Hope you get to feeling better soon.
sounds like you had the same kind of friday night i had! but i didn't get any cigarettes cuz all my friends are reformed smokers & by the time we needed some, we were all too tipsy to go get them.
kudos on the healthy & cheap bit!
I miss hard living... sometimes. I guess having kids is sort of like hard living without any of the fun.
Hard living, hard living....sounds familar, oh wait having teens I have blocked it all out.
Love the photo! I've been trying to cook from scratch more, too, and rely less on frozen, prepared entrees. (But Hubby just left to go get us Italian sandwiches from Amato's, the place I reviewed today on my blog!) I did roast a chicken at noon time, and we'll have chicken salad sandwiches and either chicken soup or a chicken casserole this week.
Word...
I like to think of myself of moderate in most things...except in the bedroom, oh wait, maybe not...
Keep up the good work...
great job keeping your goal. I agree that we can't be perfect it would cause to many problems.
I need a hard living night. ;) I love how you ended the post with "peace out" - I say this all the time to friends & family and they always make fun of me!
I do not make this kind of effort to shop smart, though I'm a huge fan of choosing meals that provide leftovers for me for lunches.
Congrats on the week's success! Hope you feel better soon.
Oh my gosh! This picture is SO much fun! I LOVE it : ) I like that you reminded us we all need balance. Balance is good!
That photo is hilarious!!! Thanks for the timely reminder re. balance...it seems maintaining balance is a constant challenge when you're a mum!
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Leftovers are always a good way to save money on food.
Glad you balanced this post out. I was worried for a minute.
To be honest, a lot of time we are living on leftovers. I admit, I'm not really good in the kitchen and don't like cooking that much but I'd like us to eat healthy. So I always cook in bulk and keep it in the fridge or freeze it.
Thank you for the Friday night confession - it did make me feel much better :)
The eggplant, potato, and tomato gratin sounds yummy.
Wow, almost $100 under? That's awesome!
Some days those easy prepackaged things are just what you need, in addition to a beer or a glass of wine!
God you are funny! Mom
Your meals sound awesome! The eggplant grating sounds good. I've never cooked with eggplant before.
Mmm....
I love pot roast. I make mine in a crock pot and it's delicious.
I hope your savings continue on and inspire me on my grocery shopping tonight. I really need to work on saving money at the store and only buy what I really need! What did you do differently?
YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!
I love all of your posts. And the Al Bundy Kitty! Too Funny! I do lots of leftovers and find something make something. I live in a house with 6 other people, so you can imagine THAT grocery bill! Keep up the good work. It's all about moderation, right? Stopping by from SITS.
Wow. That's impressive. My grocery bill is going up, not down, because I am working more and just not organized enough to cook in advance. But soon it'll be warm enough to grill more which means lots of grilled chicken and veggies. YUM.
Now I am off to Target to buy packaged foods.
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