Working on April’s Menu & Grocery List

I have really been slacking when it comes to our menu planning and by looking over our food budget today, I can tell our expenses have gone back up. I think the last time I really sat down and wrote up a menu/grocery list was before my surgery. Ever since then we have just gone on several little trips to the store, grabbing items for just one or two meals at a time. This, I have noticed, is really terrible and is one way we tend to spend more money. When we just run in for ingredients for one or two meals we end up spending more than when we shop for two weeks at a time. I’m guessing it’s because we don’t make a list therefore we grab items we already have, we grab items that just catch our eyes as we shop and of course we grab lots of extras. It’s definitely time I get back on track with our food budget!

I started out small, making a menu that would cover us for two weeks at a time… payday to payday. I always try to include a couple of meals that will make leftovers either for a second dinner or for hubby’s lunch. I also include lunch items and of course Abby’s cereal. My best was covering three weeks at once, that was a great month! Just one really big shopping trip for the entire month, a second smaller one to cover that last week and a huge drop in our food budget. My goal is to get back to that!

One of the biggest problems is that we have gotten so bored with the meals we always seem to have on the menu. It seems like we always have the same stuff over and over and over… and I know it’s partly my fault due to my lack of cooking skills and also because I try to keep hubby from having to cook during the week. Just another area to work on; learn new recipes! Thank goodness for Pinterest! I’ve been spending a few nights this week just checking out all the awesome boards I follow to find new inspiration for dinner.

I know I’ll include a few favorites this time:

• Creamy Italian Chicken
• Roast
• Potato Soup & Salad
• Chicken & Rice