What we are doing this week

 

 Hey there, hope everything is going well!

 I have to admit, I am running out of new ways to try to save money, so I am changing some of my habits. One is that I am stopping in to our local IGA and Save A Lot store a couple of mornings a week. They are literally across the street from each other so its easy to do. I have found some non advertised sales, like 50 cent boxes of stuffing and grabbing marked down meat to take home and put in the freezer. Some times I find a bunch, sometimes I find none.  Then I look at what meat I turned up with and how it could work with whatever we already have or bring home from the thrift store and then make a menu plan. It doesn't really work to do a Monday through Sunday plan anymore, it's more like a Thursday to Wednesday because of my trip into town on Tuesday and sweep through the grocery store. Then I make a plan for what I've gathered up and shop for it during my trip into town on Thursday. If i find any marked down meat on Thursday, I put it in the freezer to save for the next round of meals.It doesn't fit neatly, but it does allow me to take advantage of mark downs when I can get them. Would it be more helpful to put our meals into the old format?

  I will say volunteering at the thrift shop helps, well some weeks more than others, but any help is good. This week I didn't bring home much. More zucchini and lettuce, baked beans and canned corn and a bag of rice. 

Breakfasts have alternated between toast and eggs and oatmeal. 

For lunches, the kids have alternated pb&j sandwiches and bean and cheese quesadillas accompanied by crackers and carrots and celery. 

For dinners, we have used the zucchini in Spaghetti with  Simple Spaghetti Sauce and salad again, no one complained. We also used some of the lettuce on Black bean burgers. I used the rice in Cheesy Pinto Beans (using a potato masher instead of blender), rice, Mexican Street Corn Salad using parmesan cheese as a substitute since my local doesn't carry cotija cheese. 

For the rest of the week we plan to have Roasted Chicken Legs,  Broccoli Cheddar Rice casserole,  Creamy Skillet Noodles with Peas and a pizza night at the kids' grandad's house.