Have you had a chance to make your own price list? You're welcome to copy mine, but it isn't completely up to date. It still gives you a good idea of food prices, though, so it's a good place to start. So now that you've got a price list on hand, what to do with it? Of course it will help you in your monthly shopping, but it is also a great help for when you are planning your menu! I went through all of my family's favorite recipes and figured out how much each one cost. This helped me to plan a menu within our means.
Meal Prices 010001
Notice the red, blue and green? My target grocery amount is $250 so the most I figured each dinner should cost would be around $7 keeping in mind I still have to provide breakfasts and lunches. So my color code is as follows $5 or less = green; $5-6 = blue; and anything above $6 = red. There are some exceptions.. some meals are priced below $5 and I colored them blue because the recipe usually doesn't make enough for a leftover lunch the next day. Also there are some pricier meals, like my chili, that I colored blue instead of red because it makes enough for TWO meals. Also, depending on the season prices may change per recipe. Stir-fry, for example, would actually be very cheap for me to cook right now because of all the vegetables I have growing in my garden.
The more you plan on spending on your groceries, the less you have to worry about planning. But if you are seriously trying to find ways to stretch your dollars the extra effort is worth it. Sure it's a lot of effort up front, but if you just keep working at it, soon it will be a breeze!
P.S. Several of these recipes are already on my blog, but if you'd like any others on this list, just send me an email at mikeandsheryl@q.com
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