The experiment

Brandon and I have been spending too much money, so we came up with an experiment to keep food costs down. Here are the results for January. It's not 100% accurate, since receipts don't tell poundage for veggies and such, so I tried to remember how much I bought. We eat oatmeal with raisins every morning, I made home made bread for lunches, so we had a lot of basics at home already. I always make a monthly menu, but this system carries it a step or two farther. Enjoy! I hope this inspires someone! Here goes:

January 2011 Groceries Total cost: < $320.00

Each week on Monday mornings, I pulled 80.00 out of an ATM. The cost for using the machine was $3.00 each time. I pulled cash out four times for a total cost of $12. I intend to use the cash-back strategy for February in order to save even more money. I shopped on Mondays and Friday evening or Saturday each week. I made out a grocery list and wrote down estimated prices on each item, with a total cost estimate for that trip to the store. Here is what I purchased in January. I made sure to buy extra items for food storage e.g. sugar, salt, etc. Food storage and supplies I haven’t used this month are marked with & sign. Many items were used, but not nearly used up. For example I used butter, but I also bought 2lbs for storage. I bought 10 pork chops and still have six in the freezer. Since my system is still pretty crude, it’s hard to indicate such things. I had change left over that went into a coin jar, so I actually spent less than $320.00 Taxable items are marked with *

Amounts shown are as close as possible. The menu I used for January follows.

Acorn squash 5 small

&All purpose flour 30lbs.

*&Aluminum foil 75 ft.

Applesauce 3 x 2lb jars

Au Jus gravy mix 1 pkg.

&Bacon 1lb.

Baked beans 1 largish can

&Baking powder 1 reg.

&Baking soda 1 reg.

Bananas 2 bunch

*&Bar soap 3 bars

Boneless pork chops 10 thin chops

&Boneless skinless chicken breasts 3lb

Broccoli approx. 4lbs

Brown and serve breakfast sausage 20 count

&Brown sugar 2lbs

Butter 4lbs.

Buttermilk 2qts

Canadian bacon 1 small pkg.

Canned green beans 6 cans

&Canola oil 48oz

Celery 1 bunch

Chicken drumsticks approx. 4lbs

*Cough drops 2 x 50count

*Cough syrup 1 bottle

&Cream of chicken soup 4 cans

&Cream of mushroom soup 4 cans

Cucumbers 4

Deli sliced chicken lunchmeat 12oz

Diced ham 1 lb?

*Dish detergent small box $tree

Doughnuts 2 mpl bars (shop w/Brandon)

&Eggs 18cnt large

Evaporated milk 2 – 12oz

*Fabric softener 1 box 40 count

Fettuccine 8oz

Flour tortillas 10 sft taco size

French fried onions small can

Fresh button mushrooms ½ lb?

Frozen beef patties 8 1/3lb

Frozen peas 2lbs

Frozen salmon filet serves 6

Fruit O cereal 1value bag

*&Gallon ziplock bags 50 count

Grape juice 2 x 2qts

Green bell peppers 3

Ground beef aprox.7lbs

Ground pork sausage 1lb

Hamburger buns 8pack

*Head phones 1 set $tree

Heavy whipping cream ½ pint

Hoagie rolls 6count

Honey dew melon 1

Honey ham 4 lb

Hot dog buns 2 x 8count

Hot dogs 4x 8 count

Iodized Salt 1 reg. can

&Ketchup 40oz

*&Kotex maxi pads 24 count

Maruchan noodle cups 12pack

*Men’s speed stick deodorant 1

Milk 8 gallons

Navel oranges 8

Navy beans 16oz

Nestle quik large can

*Night lights 2 @ dollar tree

Non-stick cooking spray 1 small can

&Olive oil 1 pint

Pancake syrup 2 diff. Size bottles

Parmesan cheese 8oz deli fresh

Pepperoni 1 small packg

Pineapple 2 x 20oz cans

Powdered Sugar 5lbs

&Quick oats 1 x 2lb box

Red bell pepper 1 small

Red delicious apples 8?

Rice crispy cereal lg. Value bag

Salad dressing spread 32oz

&Shortening 1 lg. can

Sliced roast beef 7 oz

Sliced American cheese 72 slice

Sweet potatoes 3 small

Taco seasoning 2 packages

Tater tots 1 package

Toilet tissue 12 pack 1000sheet

Tomato paste 1 8oz can

Tomato soup 6 cans

Top round London broil steak <1lb

&Top sirloin approx. 1lb

Turkey stuffing 1box

&White sugar 5lbs

&Whole wheat flour 5lbs

&Yeast 4oz jar

&Ziplock sandwich bags 50count

Zucchini 1

January 2011 dinner menu:

Saturday January 1 – Home made chili, corn bread

Sunday January 2 – Teriyaki chicken, brown rice, broccoli

Monday January 3 – Buttermilk pancakes, sausage, applesauce

Tuesday January 4 – Spanish rice, green beans, fresh wheat rolls

Wednesday January 5 – Home made pizza, jello

Thursday January 6 – Tuna noodle casserole, peas

Friday January 7 – Buttermilk biscuits, sausage gravy, orange slices

Saturday January 8 – Chicken and dumplings, fresh wheat rolls

Sunday January 9 – Grilled cheese, chicken noodle/tomato soup

Monday January 10 – Scalloped potatoes, ham, peas

Tuesday January 11 – Turkey breast, stuffing, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots

Wednesday January 12 – Spaghetti, garlic bread, green salad

Thursday January 13 – Navy bean soup, corn bread

Friday January 14 – Ham fried rice, orange slices

Saturday January 15 – Salmon, brown rice, green salad

Sunday January 16 – Home made macaroni and cheese, broccoli, rolls

Monday January 17 – Potato soup, wheat rolls

Tuesday January 18 – Hot dogs on buns, potato salad, home baked beans

Wednesday January 19 – Breaded pork cutlets (schnitzel) with German noodles(Spatzle)

Thursday January 20 – French dips, au jus, fresh veggies

Friday January 21 – Chicken potpie, steamed broccoli

Saturday January 22 – Dinner out: Old Country buffet

Sunday January 23 – Tacos, applesauce

Monday January 24 – Chicken fettuccine Alfredo, peas

Tuesday January 25 – Sliced ham, green bean casserole, corn bread

Wednesday January 26 – potluck (beef stew)

Thursday January 27 – Cheese burgers, tater tots, jell-O

Friday January 28 – Baked potatoes, broccoli (actually we just had cold cereal)

Saturday January 29 – Beans and franks, corn bread

Sunday January 30 – Beef enchiladas, green salad

Monday January 31 – Pineapple chicken, steamed rice