Tentative Menu

I've been going over what I have "left" in my pantry and refrigerator and it's scary how much I take my food storage for granted! So today I've come up with a worst-case scenario menu. This is if nothing goes on sale-  There's going to be a few things that will be key to my success... One: I'm going to have to pre-make some of my meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner. Two: I'm going to have to shop the sales. Sometimes I may have to make my own sales! (Price matching at Wal-Mart for the win! Who has time to go to 6 different stores after "work" anyway?) Three: I'm going to have to get creative. My girls are not super excited about giving up Goldfish... I'll have to think of some snacky alternatives for everybody. And lastly.. If I don’t find some awesome deals then I’ll have to make my own tortillas, noodles, bread and who knows what else!


So here's the rundown... I've figured out how much it will cost me to make each one of these recipes and calculated what additional ingredients I will have to buy that I don't already have.. (Which is a LOT..) This month I'm going to have to do something I almost never do... eat canned vegetables. They are one of the few things my sister has stocked up on and I will have to use that money to buy some more staples this month. Well… at least I’ll pretend to eat them.. sorry sis, but I may sneak a few greens from the garden- I know you don't have one, but that’s no reason for all of us to suffer!

Breakfast : Cereal & milk (10 days), Pancakes (8 days), Granola (2 days), Crepes with fruit (2 days), Egg Burritos (3 mornings), Eggs & toast (5 days)

Lunch: Sub Sandwiches (25 days), Various Sandwiches (12 days), Macaroni & Cheese-home made of course! (5 days), Cottage cheese & fruit (5 days), Leftovers.. Yum.. (8 days)

Yes, I know, it adds up to more than 30 lunches… remember hubby won’t be eating at home with us so he gets a sandwich in his lunch box.

Dinner: We don’t like to have the same meal over & over again but most of these we will have twice.. Some only once. And pizza probably every week. Mmmmm! Also 2 Sundays this month we’ll be eating dinner at the In-laws.

Chicken & Stuffing Casserole (x2), Lasagna(x2), Chicken Pot Pie(1), Chicken Enchiladas(x2), Tacos(x2), Spaghetti(x2), Chicken Noodle Soup(x2), Chili(1), Stuffed Potatoes(1), Sunday Roast & Potatoes(1), Pastafazool(1), Ravioli(1), Shepherd’s Pie(1), Chicken Parmesan(x2), Various Foil Dinners(x3), Stroganoff(2), Pizza(x4)

In addition to what’s in yesterday’s picture, this is what I’m starting with:

2 Totinos Pizzas
½ tub vanilla ice cream
4 lbs lean hamburger
2 lbs chicken breast (uncooked)
½ dozen eggs
1 gallon of milk
1 gallon of juice
2 lb butter
1 lb Crisco
Mustard
Ketchup
Steak Sauce
Barbecue Sauce
Horseradish
1 pound cheddar cheese
1 pound mozzarella cheese
½ pound Pepper Jack cheese
2 jars peanut butter
3 jars jam
5 lb potatoes
5 lb Carrots
2 bell peppers
2-3 cups chopped peppers (frozen)
1 lb cooked chicken (frozen)

Miscellaneous frozen leftovers..
Split Pea Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
1 serving stir-fry
3 quarts leftover gravy
4lb flour
3lb sugar
3lb brown sugar
8lb rice
Vanilla
Also an assortment of seasonings

This week’s ads are nothing exciting so I won’t be buying a month’s worth of food all at once. I’ll save some money for later when hopefully we have better sales. This week I’ll probably price match these items at Wal-Mart:
from Fresh Market: WF Mandarin Oranges (10.5oz) 3/$1 -> 12, WF Beans (14.5oz) $.49/can -> 6-8 cans, Canned Tomatoes $.49 -> 6-8 cans, Eggs $.99/dozen -> 4 dozen, green onions 3/$1 -> 3, Bell Peppers $.59/ea. -> 2, WF Spaghetti Sauce (26 oz) $.98 ->5 cans(only if tomato sauce is more than $.25/can), WF Sweet Relish (10 oz) $.99-> 1, lettuce $.89 -> 1, tomatoes on the vine $.98/lb -> 2 lb, Bar S Smoked Sausage (3lb) $2.98

From Smith’s: Cross Rib Roast $1.99/lb -> 15 lb, Mt. Dairy milk 3gallons/$5 -> 6, Potatoes 10lb / $.88 -> 20lb, Kroger Cheese (2lb block or shredded) $4.99/ea. (I will check Costco price first- last time I was there cheese was cheaper than this.) -> 15 lbs various
This is my Costco list:

50 lb Bread flour, 1 bucket (40lb) wheat, honey, Cheese (If cheaper than $2.50/lb), Fruit, Tortilla Chips, dry milk, Oats, Syrup

I may make changes as Friday comes along, but this is a good starting point... we'll see how it goes!