It Pays to Plan
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Posted under: blessings, Blogroll, Grocery Challenge, recipes, saving money, Spain
A penny saved is a penny earned.
Planning meals is one of the most effective ways I can cut waste and Read more »
5 ways I SAVE on my grocery bill
6 Comments Posted under: Blogroll, Canning/Preserving, Gardening, saving money
Some of you who read this blog know that I occasionally go on these, 10euro a week grocery challenges. Now, keep in mind that there are some months when I need to stock up and spend my full grocery allowance per month which is $400 USD a month or at today’s exchange rate in Europe 307€. I have often been asked the question, “how can you eat so well on so little money each week?” Read more »
Why I Plan My Menus:
2 Comments Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge, recipes, saving money
A menu plan saves money. Reducing trips to the supermarket, a menu plan reduces impulse spending. Using leftovers efficiently cuts food waste and ‘working in’ an ingredient that I already have helps me use what’s in the pantry or garden.
A menu plan saves time. No frantic searches of what to prepare… I know exactly what meals I’m fixing at all times. This frees me up to do other things.
A menu plan improves nutrition. John and I basically eat little or no junk food. We eat real homemade meals and we always have homemade bread on hand. I buy only fruit and vegetables on sale. When traveling, I also pack lunches to save on money. Almost anything I make will be tastier & more nutritious than buying on the road.
*I like to plan my menus by the week and I also plan for leftovers. I try to include at least one menu for guests too.
20 EUROS for 20 days-Part 1
Here we go again! You probably wonder why I challenge myself this way. Good question!
In order to attain my goals in other areas, I have to work with the resources that I have. This time, my goal is to save most of my December grocery money until Dec.18th when our kids, Anita and Neil and grandchildren, Elijah and Ana come to see us. Jerusha will fly in on Dec. 21st. It’s a blessing to have our family with us during the holy-days, so I want all my resources saved for that!
Here are some facts:
My grocery allowance for each month is $400 USD. Now, here is where it can get dodgy; I have to convert that into Euros. Each month the exchange rate is different and I’m happy to say that even though it is not yet (did you hear the hope?) at parity, it’s improving. We’ll exchange at 1.26 this month which means I’ll have 317,46€ for my grocery money for the month of December. To put things in perspective, that same $400 USD over the summer was worth 243,90 €, so I’m feeling very pleased to get 317,46€!
I’ll budget 20€ of those Euros for the next 20 days leaving 297,46€ to spend when the family comes. In our house, we just can’t have it all. We save in one area in order to have enough in other budget areas. It’s a reflection of our priorities.
Now, to clarify… we are NOT going to eat on 20€! I am planning on using that 20€ where needed to complete what I already have. If you scroll down a bit on the blog, you’ll see that I have found some good deals on chicken, turkey, garbanzo bean flour, canned tomatoes as well as all the fruits I have canned. In other words, I’m going to try to have 20 days without spending! This is not a sacrifice for me, rather an adjustment to accomplish the greater goal of more treats for my family.
So NOW I begin… I have separated 1- 20€ bill for spending!
Here’s my plan for the 1st 10 days- PART 1:
November 28th (today)- Cream of Green soup (left over broccoli from yesterday, cabbage, spinach, onions & leeks), leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, sliced tomatoes & pumpkin pie
November 29th- Cream of tomato soup (last week I bought a big bag of tomatoes for only .99 per kilo), pan fried German sausages, mashed potato patties, carrots
November 30th- Navy Bean soup, fried chicken, french fries, sliced tomatoes
December 1st- leftover cream of tomato soup, macaroni & cheese with ham, salad
December 2nd- Cream of broccoli soup, fried potatoes & onions with leftover German sausage & eggs & toast
December 3rd- leftover turkey soup, meatloaf, **baked potatoes, broccoli
December 4th-potato & corn chowder, turkey tacos, re-fried beans, salad
December 5th- navy bean soup, *meatloaf sandwiches, sliced tomatoes
December 6th-Split pea & ham soup, turkey rice casserole, salad
December 7th-Turkey soup and *toasted ham and cheese sandwiches after church
* on homemade bread
** I bought a 50 lb sack of potatoes on sale in early November
Breakfasts:
- oatmeal
- grits & eggs
- pancakes
- muffins
Suppers:
- Leftovers
- soups
- sandwiches
- spanish tortilla
- salad
Our little 6lb. turkey ready to go in the oven (it fit into my 8×8 pan!), & 6 jars of cinnamon spice apples which I served instead of the cranberries sauce. People here just don’t know what cranberries are and use the word “arandano” which is a blueberry. I bought the apples on sale for .99 akilo last week. It’s a good thing I did because this week, they are 1,79€ a kilo. All was very yummy, but it would have tasted better with kids and “grands” sitting around the table!
4th Week of my Grocery Challenge
As you have read, I have been asking the Lord for wisdom and provision as I challenge myself to stay within the 10 € limit for groceries and toiletries each week. So I can testify to His goodness. I’m listing the tangible blessings He sent our way last week.
- 11 lbs of cherries we picked from a neighbors tree
- 2 lemons from the lemon tree in the village
- sprouting seeds (like alfalfa sprouts) from my friend Dana
- packages of Splenda, from one of our daughters
These may seem like small things, but I believe with all my heart that I don’t even have breath, let alone anything else, except by my Fathers hand. So I’m sharing this to His glory.
OK… It’s Thursday and I have done the marketing for the week. On Tuesday, we had an unexpected guest for a meal, so I had to run to the market, and spent 5.50… my balance was 3.16€ so I went into “debt” for 2.34€.
Today I started with a total of: 7.66€ to spend:
Here is what I bought:
1.29- pre-made bread mix
.95¢- coffee
2.04- beverages
.45¢-1 kilo baking flour
.35¢-Q-tips
1.05- 1 dozen eggs
.39¢- kilo (2.2 lbs) of carrots
.40¢-2 green peppers
1.19- 6 tomatoes
————-
8.11€- total
…which puts me .45¢ in the red for next week. Next week, my 5th week, I will have 9.55€ to spend.
*I was so thrilled with the .39¢ spent on a kilo of carrots. I went to the market to see what was on special. 1 kilo of carrots gives me lots of possibles for the upcoming week! Believe it or not, this is fun for me!
*Living in Spain brings different “entertaining” expectations and we have to keep beverages on hand for proper hospitality.
My Menus This Week:
Thursday June 19-Split Pea w/ ham Soup, leftovers, Salad
Friday June 20- Cream of Broccoli & Cheese soup, Chili and Navajo Fry Bread
Saturday June 21-Chinese hot noodle soup , Lentil Walnut Burgers on buns w/ veggies (spouts that Dana sent!)
Sunday June 22- Cream of Broccoli Soup, Fried Eggs and Fried Polenta, sliced tomatoes
Monday June 23- Cream of Carrot soup, Pork Picatta, Scalloped potatoes, sliced tomatoes, Cherry Pie (guest in the house)
Tuesday June 24- Navy Bean Soup, Turkey Casserole, Brussel Sprouts
Wednesday June 25- Cream of Green Soup (daughter, Anita’s recipe) Turkey Fried Rice, Won Tons
In addition, I will bake bread, cookies and Fruit and Nut Baked Oatmeal (it’s so good! I will post the recipe soon on this site)
I would love to hear your comments (please leave those) and also about how you are making ends meet in these interesting times.
Having fun with this,
Bobbie
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