Breakfast: Typical Oatmeal, $1.17
Lunch: Quinoa pilaf (Saute a few carrots, celery stalks, and shallots, add quinoa and vegetable broth and simmer 20-30 minutes). If one uses store bought vegetable broth (because a certain daughter threw out the water from the last vegetables I steamed), the cost of lunch for 7 of us who were home today, with a couple flax muffins on the side: $6.00
Dinner: Vegetable soup and homemade bread. I can make two good-sized loaves of freshly ground wheat bread for $2.00. The soup is a couple cans of beans, a box of pasta, a can of tomatoes, and random assorted vegetables. A pot is about $6.00, give or take what veggies I throw in.
Today's total: $15.17
This is a brave (and I understand necessary) experiment. I have racked my brain about other ways to save; I know you are very VERY busy but do you coupon? Not in the crazy extreme way, but I am saving $400/month with little effort. And you have a lot of hands you can employ to help. We buy little processed so I didn't think the big savings were possible but I have been amazed. It takes several hours a week but I am very inefficient. I'm sure you'd be much more efficient than I.
ReplyDeleteI want to say you so inspire me. You inspire me to be more of my best self. Thank you.
Thank you, Dreena, and no, I don't usually coupon, as I never find anything in the paper that I would normally buy, anyway. I do use those coupons that the grocery spits out at check out, as they seem to be correspondent with what I bought, and usable for the next trip. But not often.
ReplyDeleteWow - this has been so helpful to read. Thank you = you have really inspired me to try to find ways to cut our grocery budget even more! what do you do with picky eaters? I have 4 good eaters and 2 that "hate" 2/3 of everything I make. :(
ReplyDeleteI can commiserate on the no homemade veggie broth: last night, after making mushroom soup, I decided to try making veggie broth. I've done it before with turkey and beef, so I threw all of the peelings and odds and ends from the onions, celery and carrots needed for the soup into the pot, covered it with water and let it go. It was looking great...then I fell asleep after dinner. I awoke to find no water and all of the veggie detritus almost burned to the bottom of the pot. I'm lucky I didn't burn my house down. But I was looking to freeze the broth for Lenten usage. Next time!
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