Budgeting on weeks that you have extra things going on is hard. This week I have a 1 year old birthday party – here at the house – so I have EXTRA shopping this week for snack-y items that I need for the party. However, I still stayed under a $250 budget (about $100 or so is the budget I try to keep for weekly meals) for the party AND our weekly buy. And I was successful for this! And remember I am a Mom of an infant, so that includes formula, we had to buy deodorant and shampoo this week – There were extras that added into that total.
Tip: Stick to your LIST!!- create a list for the store and stick to it! This is important to stay on track with your budget. You can even go ahead and pre-shop with the walmart app or Shipt (target (this will not help with your budget) or kroger), you can add all your items to your cart and even if you don’t want to buy online, you will get a great idea of your grand total. This way you are not surprised and you can adjust your list.
Here is my meal plan for this week:
-Grilled chicken with 2 sides (veggie and rice)
-Chicken Caesar pasta salad
-Leftover Lasagna (from the freezer or last week)
-Salmon with 2 sides (veggie and starch)
-Chicken Pasta – made up on the fly from items I have left from shopping or in the pantry
-Breakfast for dinner (eggs in a hole or pancakes – something from the pantry I have on hand)
-White Turkey Chili (sooo good – I will be highlighting this recipe, maybe the recipe of the week next week!) with Corn Bread
-Leftover night (pick an item leftover and everyone fends for themselves)
When I shopped, I made sure to use recipes and nights that will share items – this is key in sticking to a budget.
Examples of Shareable items:
*Chicken – you can make pasta, grilled chicken, soup (tortilla soup recipe will be a highlight in future weeks)- you can buy chicken in bulk and have 3-5 nights of meat ready (throw some in the freezer for a rainy day).
*Ground meats – Turkey or beef, typically you can buy in bulk and it’s cheaper, buy ahead on a week where you have a flux of money and separate and shove in the freezer
*Veggies – you can buy Zucchini/Squash or broccoli- pick items you can use for a side on a dish – you can add it into a pasta – you can make zucchini patties (so yummy) – you can multi purpose the veggies into different items for the week.
Plan ahead – if you know you are going to host a party and you are going to serve chips or waters, buy ahead a little each week leading up to the party week for the items you can keep in the pantry so that you don’t have to buy ALL the party items in 1 week! This is NOT what I did but a great tip for those that are living on a super tight budget.
Keep Certain Items on hand – I always keep Eggs, Chicken and beef stock (I use the Better than bouillon in a tub so I can make my own stocks), pancake mix, pasta noodles, mac and cheese (because come on, who doesn’t love a night of mac and cheese), bread
Shopping list for the weekly budget:
-Chicken
-Salmon
-Ground Turkey
-Lettuce
-Zucchini (buy enough for 2 nights)
-Broccoli
-Eggs (if i was out)
-Pasta (1 box)
-Rice (if not in the pantry)
-Parm Cheese
-Deodorant
-Shampoo
-Formula
The list seems low, but if you try to keep your pantry stocked and buy a little every week to keep ahead, you will be better off. And to let you in on a secret… There are some weeks I can go totally without shopping, living off the freezer or pantry. This is important as someone that works for themselves and if I don’t work I don’t get paid (same with the hubby). Keep up with the pantry stock and you will be able to do this too!
Steph's Lifestyle 