Tweaking my shopping plan

I have talked about my 2 week shopping plan on here, and how it's been helping me with planning dinner.

I have found a down side to it, and am doing to try tweaking a bit for a while.

No matter what, we still go to the store once a week. Somethings just need to be purchased weekly, like the bananas my boy goes through like water!, and milk, etc.

Here's my "new" plan, we'll see if it works.

At the beginning of the month, I will do a "Stock Shop" of sorts. I'll by the pantry & freezer things that we will need for the month.

Things like:

whole Wheat Flour ~ homemade bread
sugar
peanut butter & jelly
coffee
granola bars
toiletries
vinegar
baking soda
whole chickens
ground beef
chicken breasts & tenders
dog food

These are the things I know I will be using throughout the month, regardless of what other stuff I plan. (i know there's more, but I just don't feel like getting my list at the moment.)

I am still planning my meals in two week plans, and will buy my first round of meal items at the beginning of the month. Then weekly, I just get what we absolutely need. No more, "hey we're out of TP!!" haha

I'm hoping that this works for us, I really want to make grocery shopping and planning something I can do with little thought. Knowing that we will be adding another baby to the mix, I want to fine tune as much as possible.

I am going to be completely reorganizing the kitchen & pantry to hold more stuff. We have a tiny kitchen & my pantry is a hall closet, so this will take some work. But, I am determined to make it work!! This is the home God gave me, and he gave me a clear mind to think it all through.

Home Management

Yeah, I know.... I'm posting alot today.

One of the things that I have been focusing on lately is my home management. I've decided that I need to run my home much more like a business. A fun business, mind you... I get to have my kid with me, my dogs, I can take lunch whenever I want & don't have to answer calls if I don't want to. =) Oh, and I can stay in my pjs if I choose.

Back on track...

I've been doing a grocery budget and meal plans for a while now. Some weeks are better than others. Now that I am back from my little trip to California, I'm re-dedicating myself to this task. Mike & I were talking about the next adoption and money. (fun stuff) We are committing to stop eating out, not that we do much but every little bit helps.

Here's my two week plan... it took me about an hour to put together.

Monday
Breakfast ~ Oatmeal
Lunch ~ Grilled Cheese / PB& J
Dinner ~ Cheeseburger Pie

Tuesday
Breakfast ~ Cheerios
Lunch ~ Turkey Sandwiches / PB& J
Dinner ~ Sloppy Joe Casserole

Wednesday
Breakfast ~ Oatmeal
Lunch ~ Grilled Cheese / PB& J
Dinner ~ Chicken & Rice

Thursday
Breakfast ~ Pancakes
Lunch ~ grilled cheese / PB& J
Dinner ~ Cook down whole chicken

Friday
Breakfast ~ Oatmeal
Lunch ~ turkey sandwich / PB& J
Dinner ~ chicken pot pie

Saturday
Breakfast ~ Waffles with sausage & fruit
Lunch ~ / PB& J
Dinner ~ chicken pot pie

Sunday
Breakfast ~
Lunch ~ Sandwiches
Dinner ~ Leftovers

Monday
Breakfast ~ Oatmeal
Lunch ~ Grilled Cheese / PB& J
Dinner ~ Maple Dijon Chicken

Tuesday
Breakfast ~ Smoothies
Lunch ~ Turkey Sandwiches / PB& J
Dinner ~ Maple Dijon Chicken

Wednesday
Breakfast ~ Oatmeal
Lunch ~ Grilled Cheese / PB& J
Dinner ~ Spaghetti with meatballs & garlic bread

Thursday
Breakfast ~ Pancakes
Lunch ~ grilled cheese / PB& J
Dinner ~ Spaghetti with meatballs & garlic bread

Friday
Breakfast ~ Oatmeal
Lunch ~ turkey sandwich / PB& J
Dinner ~ Red Potatoes & Sausage

Saturday
Breakfast ~ Waffles with sausage & fruit
Lunch ~ / PB& J
Dinner ~ Red Potatoes & Sausage

Sunday
Breakfast ~ Cereal
Lunch ~
Dinner ~ Chicken & Rice

If all goes well & we stay on track, I should only spend $150 for two weeks worth of food. That includes toiletries, snacks, milk, diapers and wipes. And yes, I do alot of leftover meals. We love most meals the second day around. It's so much easier to simply double a meal and do two nights worth of cooking at once. Even though I show these meals back to back, I often spread them out. Glass containers with lids are great for freezing a meal for a few nights.