Our $75, Two Week Menu Plan

A few ladies from the church have started getting together once a week to clip, organize, and trade coupons as well as learn from and encourage each other. I have been clipping coupons for a while and have really learned a lot and also have saved our family A LOT of money. Before I started couponing, we were spending around $100/week on groceries and that was just the two of us!! I now budget $150/month for groceries. It did not happen overnight, but it is possible with practice, patience, planning and time. (Not that I'm saying $150 would work for everybody. It won't! But you can significantly reduce your grocery budget.

As we were discussing our budgets, several people commented that they didn't know how we could eat on that amount each month. My answer is, "We just do." There really is no magic to it. I plan our menu, keep our meals simple using ingredients we have on hand (not things that will only use 1 tsp of and then never use again), shop combining coupons and sales, buy generics when possible, cook from scratch and use natural cleaners.

I am sharing our menu for the next two weeks (starting yesterday) with the costs of each meal calculated as well. Ready?

Sunday
L- pork roast, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, rolls ($5)
D- leftovers, snacks

Monday
L-leftovers
D- Taco Soup, Corn Bread ($3)

Tuesday
L-Sandwiches, chips ($1.25)
D- Mexican Casserole, Tortillas/Chips ($3.75)

Wednesday
L-Hot Pockets ($1.50)
D-Leftovers

Thursday
L-Soup & Sandwich ($1.50)
D-BBQ Beef Shep. Pie ($3.50)

Friday
L- Leftovers
D- Snacks (Sandwiches, fruit, popcorn)

Saturday
L-Pizza ($2)
D- Leftovers/Snacks

Sunday
L-Red Beans and Rice, cornbread ($2.75)
D-Leftovers/Snacks

Monday
L-Hot Pockets ($1.50)
D-Spaghetti, Rolls ($3.75)

Tuesday
L-Leftovers
D-Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Corn on the Cob ($5.25)

Wednesday
L-Macaroni & Cheese, Sandwich ($2)
D- Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese ($2.25)

Thursday
L-Pantry stock
D-Chili w/rice ($2)

Friday
L-out together
D-Pantry stock/Leftovers



Breakfast/Snacks: ($15)
Granola bars
Yogurt
Cookies
Fruit
Pop Tarts
Muffins
Chex mix


Total $56.00
Budget $75.00

Difference ($19.00) used for:
Chicken
Beef
Drinks
Pantry items (flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, oatmeal, onions, coffee, etc)

So, there you have it. Nothing fancy, but the Lord always blesses. =)

AAFES Double Coupon Mondays

I saw a sign at the entrance to the BX a few days ago that said Mondays are now "Double Coupon Mondays" at AAFES. They will double coupons up to $1.00. That makes for some potentially good deals. I'm not sure if this is every facility or not, or how long it will last, but it is definitely worth checking out. I'd be interested to know if anybody else's BX/PX is doing this also.

I love coupons!!!!!

I'm pretty new to using coupons, so you'll have to forgive me for being excited enough about those tiny little slips of paper to actually devoted a whole blog post to them. But, I am! I used to never clip coupons. Ever. Seemed like a waste of time to me. And back then when we were a two income family and had more money that brains, I never cared how much I could be saving if I did use coupons. But now that we are happily a one income family, I love how using coupons stretches our budget even further. And I also love knowing that the money we are saving can be put away into our savings, saved for a vacation, put into an emergency fund, or anything else worthwhile. It makes me sad when I think about how much money I used to spend needlessly because I didn't use them.

You would be amazed at the things that you can get for free or very inexpensively using coupons and a little planning. There are tons of websites out there that basically track coupons and sales for you and tell you exactly how to get the best deals. One of the best sites I have found by far is Money Saving Mom. It has been such a valuable tool as I am learning how to be a better steward of what God has given us.

Tonight my sweet hubby took me out to my favorite restaurant and then to Walgreens because he knew I was feeling kind of yucky and thought getting out of the house would make me feel better. He was right, too. What a guy! I had some coupons for makeup and Walgreens was having a sale, so I ended up getting: a blush, a lipstick, 2 foundations, and 2 pencils for a total of 17 cents. I had to throw the 2 pencils in because I actually had a negative balance after the coupons.

Also in the past few months I have gotten about 5 things of free shampoo, a $12 razor for hubby for about 50 cents, tons of free candy after Christmas, free candles, free jewelry, and tons of other stuff.

I plan on writing more about our budget and financial goals for 2008 very soon. Why? Not because I think all of you are terribly interested. Who knows, maybe you are. Mostly because I'm so happy that we have finally made a plan (a huge step) and are taking huge steps towards making our long-term goals happen.

So, tell me. How many of you out there are coupon clippers? What is the best deal you've ever gotten? If you don't use them, why not? Would you consider using them if you knew they would save you a certain amount each month? Just curious.

Update:
I went back to Walgreens today because I had more coupons and got some more stuff for free using sales and coupons. The picture below is what I have gotten over the past two days. Grand total=-$24, that is I made $24 by buying it. If anyone is interested in exactly how I did this, leave me a comment and I would be glad to share with you.

I also just wanted to quickly mention that I hope no one considers this bragging. I certainly do not mean it that way at all. There is nothing special about me or what I am doing. This is something that anybody can do using a Sunday paper providing you have a store nearby. I am just very excited about learning how to get the things that my family needs for free or cheap and sometimes making money in the process. I know it is certainly a tremendous blessing to our family and I want to share that blessing with anybody who is interested.

Great Deal from Lane Bryant

For all of you who have a Lane Bryant store in your area, you must check out this printable coupon for $15 off any $15 or more purchase. It is for use in stores only and only one coupon per order. So essentially you can get $15 worth of free merchandise. Print one out for every person in your shopping party. I love free!!!! If you think they don't have anything for you, think again. Check out all these great things they have to offer for under $15.