Weekly Meal Plan #1

So I'm sorry to say my starting week will not be the most helpful.  I honestly debated on waiting until next week, but then I figured I could use a trial run to figure out how I want to do it anyway.

Why is this week bad you ask? Well because we'll be camping this weekend (short menu for the week) AND although I will post the sales list for the week I did not actually do any shopping this week and instead based my meal plan on things I had in my cupboard that I needed to get rid of before we go camping.  Sorry!

I guess it’s as good a time as any to mention that it is ALWAYS good to stock up on items that have a long shelf life and go on sale for great prices like last week at Ralphs jars of Ragu and BBQ sauce were only $1! Hint: this is why my menu looks like it does now.  Sorry again.  But here is a mini menu and kind of what you can expect for weeks to come.

You may also note that lunch is not included.  That’s because I don’t plan lunch since I’m at work Justin does it.  You will also not see items on the shopping list for lunch since that is typically handled by Justin.

Important Note: This plan is based on a budget of $200 for 2 weeks worth of food.  $150 is for dinner and breakfast with $50 being set aside for lunch items (not included here). 

SALE INFORMATION

	Ralphs	Stater Bros
Chicken Breast	$1.97
Peaches	$0.99
Tomatoes	$0.99
Avocados	$0.50
Pasta	$0.50
Bread/Buns	$1.00
Ground Beef		$2.49
London Broil		$2.99
Chicken (bone)		$0.99
BBQ Sauce		$1.50
Grapes		$0.89
Nectarines		$0.99

MEAL PLAN

	Breakfast	Dinner
Monday	Cereal Fruit	Pulled BBQ Chicken 2 lbs Chicken 1 Bottle BBQ Sauce 3 Ears of Corn Bread
Tuesday	6 Packs Oatmeal Fruit	Chicken Parmesan 6 Chicken Patties 1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce ½ lb Mozzarella Salad
Wednesday	3 slices of bread 3 Eggs 3 Slices of Cheese	Tri Tip 3 lbs Tri Tip 1 box potatoes
Thursday	6 Packs Oatmeal Fruit	Spinach Ravioli ½ bag spinach ravioli Salad
Friday	6 Eggs 3 Yogurt	CAMPING
Saturday	CAMPING	CAMPING
Sunday	CAMPING	CAMPING

SHOPPING LIST

Sorry none this week – these were all items I had.  I will also put the total amount I plan on spending here when I do actually have a shopping list.

A New Start

There was something about Taylor starting school that felt like a fresh start for the whole family.  Maybe it’s just me, but when something major happens with the family it feels like a chance to “start over” – a family version of a new year’s resolution I think.

Maybe it is just me, but at least it gets me refocused.

I started a couple of weeks ago to get back in the groove, but what inspired my renewal of focus was the fact Taylor was starting school.  More so then that was the fact that she was starting which means our everyday life is about to start costing more money with packed lunches and the extra gas to pick her up every day.  Whatever the reason, I have refocused on the food consumption in our home.

I’ve started making weekly meal plans.  Something my mom always did growing up in a way and although it looked like a nice idea, I really didn’t see the point.

But it works.  If you’re reading this mom take this as my acknowledgement that you have a brilliant idea.  I’m sure my mom wasn’t the first to think of it, but she was the first to show it to me so I give her full credit.

Why am I telling you this?  Because I like to share my tidbits of money saving ideas, and I do think this helps.

Here’s my process…

1. The new grocery ad comes out/starts on Wednesday every week.  I look it over for Ralphs, Stater Bros, and Food For Less since those are what usually have the best deals and are near enough to my path from work to home where I complete the shopping.

2. I make a list/table of what sale prices are at each store to make sure I get the best from the 3 stores. It may look like this (but much longer for me usually)

Item	Ralphs	Staters	Food 4 Less
Corn	$0.33	$0.20	$0.25
Chicken	$1.49	$1.99
Peaches	$0.99	$0.99

3. Based on the sale items I then plan my week’s meals.  Based on the above sales one day may look like this (I like to list out ingredients and name the meal if necessary)

	Monday
Breakfast	~Peaches ~Oatmeal
Dinner	BBQ Chicken 2 lbs Chicken 1 Jar BBQ Sauce 3 Ears ofCorn

4. I then make shopping lists for each store that has the cheapest price for the item I need for the meal with the prices which may look like this:

Ralphs		Staters
2 lbs chicken	$3	3 ears of corn	$1
1 lb peaches	$1

5. I figure out how much the total cost will be and subtract that from the weeks food budget.  Whatever we have left I use to purchase “staples” that are on sale.  Like extra chicken, spaghetti sauce, hot dogs, etc.  This way I have some stuff on standby in my cupboards for weeks where there aren’t good sales or want to save money so we can eat out one night.

I complete this process in about 30 minutes during my lunch break and since the shopping is done on my way home from work it isn’t inconvenient to stop at 1 store on Friday (when I get paid and usually make the shopping list) and another store on Monday.  That way all the shopping is done by Monday night when the weekly meal plan starts.

It’s saved us some money so far and I also know my family is getting a balanced home made meal every night which is important even though I had gotten lazy over this last year and failed at this in many ways.

Now if you read the blog where I was posting $5 dinner ideas for a family 5 you would know we were previously spending $300/month on groceries which we had to bump up with Taylor going to school now and trying to get better food (for health reasons that have come up) so we are now up to $400/month which includes 3 meals a day for 5 people which is about $0.95 per meal per person (knowing breakfast and lunch are usually cheaper then that and dinner is the most expensive)

If you’d be interested in what we’re doing put a comment here.  If enough people are interested I will begin posting again on our low budget meal blog exactly where we’re shopping and what were buying to help anyone else interested.  If not I will probably just delete that blog and keep my money saving tips to myself.

Room 23

Like a good mom (and the fact our passes finally work again after being blocked for nearly 2 months) we took the kids to Disneyland the night before Taylor started.  We cut our night short of course to get home at a decent hour since Taylor needed to be up early to start her day. 

The morning of started with breakfast of Taylor’s choice (oatmeal…if you know Taylor you know she could live off of this food alone).  We also had several fun conversations like this one:

::Taylor inspects her folder and pulls out her ruler::

Taylor: Mom what is the ruler for?

Jordan: It’s to measure your friends

OR

Jordan: Mommy can I go to school with Taylor too?

Me: No you have to be 5 years old like Taylor
Jordan: You can put lots of socks on my feet and I can stand on my tip toes so I can be big enough

(Jordan is ¼ inch to short to go on Disney rides so we put on 3 pairs of big socks to give her the boost)

Me: No you have to 5 years old, not just tall

There were a few things said that morning that I knew I would “remember” for the blog…but I forgot them ::sigh::

Jordan seemed to have a tougher time letting Taylor go to school then any one (Taylor included) and asked several times if she could go with her and then proceeded to ask several times while she was gone if it was time to pick her up.

We went as a family to drop her off mostly to learn where to drop her off and pick her up since it’s a job Justin and I will be sharing.  Taylor began whining after a few minutes say “I want to go” when I told her she would have fun here she said “No, I mean I just want to go to class” – I assumed she meant she wanted to go home, but I guess she just wanted to get going.

We picked her up (which was a nightmare) about 3.5 hours later – WHY would you start school on a minimum day? I’m sure there are good reasons, but for us it was just annoying.

Taylor learned “yellow” in Spanish and admitted to me that she didn’t understand her teacher at all (see this blog for details on how her classroom program since its not ‘normal’), but she seemed to have a pretty good day overall.

We ended her first day of school with ice cream cones and Disneyland yet again – this time with the Keys’ and left early to be home by 8 for bed.  I was as exhausted as the kids and we were all out in minutes.  And for the record 6 kids with 3 adults (Justin had to leave for church) was crazy! Fun, but oh so very crazy – I assumed more adults would make it easier, but it feels like 6 kids turned into 12 when they all got together…haha.  I blame the heat, hunger, and lack of naps. 

The good news is that Taylor was excited to go back today!  Praise the Lord!

Mommy's Smile

First of all there are things I want to tell you and show you, but there’s drama with my camera.  According to amazon this drama will be resolved by August 27^th – August 30^th when my USB cable arrives.  So until then:

1. Sorry Buck and Jen for not posting the video yet of the kids opening your gift.  It is coming and they were VERY excited.

2. Sorry to you all for not seeing my kids doing their thing on the gymnastic apparatuses (that word would be cooler if it were apparati) and tutu and tap shoes.   It is coming though.

So instead you get to hear about what is happening tomorrow.  TOMORROW! How in the world did this happen?!

I am blessed to have friends in my life that are in a variety of stages of their lives.  Stages we have not yet been in, stages we are in, and stages we have passed.  I got to hold baby Austin on Sunday and remember the bliss it is to have a baby.  Dear Lord we know it’s not easy most of the time, but then you look at your kids running a muck and realize that an infant isn’t that bad.  Easier in some ways then the rambunctious toddlers and preschoolers running around and in other ways more difficult.

On the way to work this morning it actually hit me though.  Nearly 6 years ago I sat holding my first baby.  My Taylor.  Full of fear of what being a parent would look like.  Full of the anxiety of worrying if I could be a good mom.  Full of joy that this little 7 pound 7 ounce little human being was part of me and I got to be there to watch her experience life.

Then I did not know or realize how much she would change my life and not only was I shaping her she was shaping me!

So today I am writing her a letter that I am sharing with you.  That someday I will share with her.

Taylor,

You are mommy’s smile.  You make me laugh every day.  I get to sit and listen to your little mind form complex ideas and start connecting your thoughts to life and reality.  In you I see a joy for life and love.  Your desire to know more and to learn amazes me.  You remember everything (which gets me in trouble sometimes!).

Every night you ask to cuddle with me as I whisper in your ear “will you always cuddle with me, even when you are all grown up” and with a smile on your face you look at me with your beautiful blue eyes and with complete certainty tell me “Yes”.  I know it’s not true, but for now you “know” that it is.

You are overdramatic, over sensitive, super bright, and full of love.  You start Kindergarten tomorrow and I am so proud of you!  You are scared about what will happen, but you are trying to be brave.  Sometimes I wish you were still my baby girl because you are growing so fast! Where did all the time go?

You have taught mommy so much and although I am excited for you to experience your next adventure in life I am also sad.  I’m sad that tonight will be my last night kissing my baby good night.  Tomorrow you will wake up being a “big kid” and although the change will not be obvious overnight the change has still begun.  As you grow bigger and smarter remember this from one of our favorite books to read:

I’ll love you forever

I’ll like you for always

As long as I’m living

My baby you’ll be

I pray for you daily.  I love you unconditionally. I’ll cherish you forever.  Mommy loves you baby!

P.S. This is what happens when Taylor finds my camera:

So Sayith Tay and Jay #34

Tell me a story...

Jordan:  About a little wish that got a princess and a monster knocked her over with a thing.  And she went back to her castle and it changed into a house and then there was dinner in there in her house. Then it was ll gone so she had to get a pot. Then somebody peed in it and a monster comed again.  The End.  The story is gone.

Taylor: Ok. Once upon a time there's a little princess and there was a knight and he was asleep for a little bit longer.  And then the dragon was grouchy and at night he got really scared of the dark and four 7 years he ran away and then he got brave because of the that nighker.  A nighker is a thing that makes you brave.  And the the dragon was dead and the princess was saved and they lived happily ever after.  The End.  And the princess was me.  The End.  And the knight was Harry Potter.  The End.