Money Monday - Groceries For The Week (March 2nd-8th)

I'm starting to notice a trend. Every Monday, I post SEVERAL blogs. Pretty much every other day of the week I post ONE blog. I'm beginning to wonder if it would have been more profitable for me to have a blog solely devoted to "Money Mondays". But I will trek on with my journey to provide with "your daily dose" of various things....at least for now.

Many of you have asked me how we manage to survive on our $200/month grocery and toiletry budget, so I thought I would show you what I bought for the week.

Now, I have to add a disclaimer: There are MANY people who have a similar or even lower grocery budget than we do and they eat very healthy foods. We do not tend to be so health-conscious in our food choices. So if you're reading this and thinking "Oh, sure - you can get that kind of food on your budget, but what about what I eat?", rest assured that you can eat healthy foods for the same amount of money. You just have to be a bit more creative.

This week I shopped at Aldi and Kroger. Here is what I got:

Aldi $36

Kroger $12

This is not a normal week in our home. My husband has training in the evening this week so I am having to send him lunch and dinner. (Typically, I send him breakfast and lunch). So I do not plan on doing many "normal" meals since he will not be home to eat with the family. However, with this food, I could do 5-7 normal meals.

This week, Daniel is taking to work:

Monday - Yogurt, Chicken Sandwich on Panera Bread (FREE, courtesy of our church's connection with Panera), Homemade Cookies, Pot Pie

Tuesday - Yogurt, Salad, Tuna Salad Sandwich on Panera Bread, "From-A-Box" Cheesecake ($1.29 at Aldi, portioned by yours truly into 8 indivudual servings = 16 cents each)

Wednesday - Yogurt, Pot Pie, Salad, Pretzel Sticks, Cheesecake

Thursday - Yogurt, Baked Chicken Sandwich, Salad, Peanuts

Friday - Yogurt, Pot Pie, Salad (no dinner on Friday)

The kids are eating:

Monday - Breakfast: Pop Tarts, Peanuts Lunch: Hot Dogs, Carrot/Celery Sticks (cut into kid-sized sticks by me), Pretzel Sticks

Tuesday - Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ Yogurt Lunch: Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Blueberries, Cheese Cubes (again....cut by me)

Wednesday - Breakfast: Cold Cereal, Raisens Lunch: Ravioli

Thursday - Breakfast: Toast, Eggs, Pineapple Chunks Lunch: Fish Sticks, Green Beans

Friday - Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ Applesauce and Raisens Lunch: Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Blueberries, Green Beans

I will eat leftovers for lunch or make myself a chicken sandwich and have some fruit. I haven't decided on dinner yet, but we have all the ingredients for the following options:

Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce, Chili, Hamburgers, Pancakes, Waffles (yes, we eat breakfast for dinner), Meatloaf, Chicken and Rice Bake, Fried Rice

So there you have it. $48 covers our family for (more than) one week!

I am starting a new poll (on the left of the screen). Tell me how much you spend per month on groceries for your family! Also, feel free to leave a comment here telling how many people are in your family.