Family of four on under $200/month?

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ZombieSlayer
ZombieSlayer Posts: 369 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Yar! Shop your favorite store's ads, throw in some Ibotta rebates, Checkout 51 rebates, and Coupons.com coupons. Plan meals around that.

Our meal plan, this week?

Monday - Leftovers Casserole (leftover black bean taco filling, leftover tomato sauce, and leftover chicken tossed over pasta and baked with cheese)

Tuesday - Chicken & Sweet Pepper Beans (Costco canned chicken, sauteed with mini-bell peppers, garlic, spinach, and pink beans with lime & yogurt sauce)

Wednesday - Chicken & Refried Beans Enchiladas (got a free can of enchilada sauce via our Safeway app and Fajita sized tortillas for a final cost of $0.50 per package with club deal plus coupons. Sweet!)

Thursday - Chicken Thighs & Beans with Tzatziki dressing (and use up leftover tortillas, if any)

Friday - Use up all the leftover Veggies w/some kind of beans Casserole

Lots of chickens and beans, using spices and produce for variety.

Replies

  • OhCora
    OhCora Posts: 72 Member
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    So that's 5 meals. you would need 35 in a week. x 4.2 = a month
    yummy ideas tho.
  • ZombieSlayer
    ZombieSlayer Posts: 369 Member
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    True, but dinner is generally the sticking point for a lot of people. And our total grocery bill; including breakfast, lunch, and snacks is under $200 a month. 5 dinners this week actually total less than $20 cost.

    Lunch is often leftover dinner... or Planned Overs.
  • OhCora
    OhCora Posts: 72 Member
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    pretty thrifty. feeding my family of 5 (3 teens) even growing my veggies costs at least $600 a month. I use checkout 51, but most of their sales are not items I use. mostly prepackaged stuff, I also price match, and...what are leftovers?? :-P
  • weather_nerd
    weather_nerd Posts: 93
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    Having beans every day (twice a day considering lunch and dinner) would probably give me enough gas to power the city.
  • ZombieSlayer
    ZombieSlayer Posts: 369 Member
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    what are leftovers?? :-P

    Hee!

    That's why we call them Planned Overs. We've figured out how much we eat and make sure the meal prepared is big enough that some will be left over:smile: .
  • ZombieSlayer
    ZombieSlayer Posts: 369 Member
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    Having beans every day (twice a day considering lunch and dinner) would probably give me enough gas to power the city.

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • srmchan
    srmchan Posts: 206 Member
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    True, but dinner is generally the sticking point for a lot of people. And our total grocery bill; including breakfast, lunch, and snacks is under $200 a month. 5 dinners this week actually total less than $20 cost.

    Good gravy... I've got a lot of room for improvement in the area of planning & budgeting. My grocery bill for a family of four is in excess of $1,000 per month. That includes 2 teenage boys. I buy a lot of fresh veggies (organic when the price is not 2x of the non-organic), fresh meat and practically nothing packaged. I also like to cook.

    Here's my meal plan for the week to give an idea. My breakfasts and lunches (salad or leftovers) are all pretty much the same; only dinner is changed up night to night.

    Sat
    - garlic lemon chicken breasts pan seared
    - broccoli steamed

    Sun
    (concert)

    Mon
    - ribeye steaks grilled
    - prosciutto wrapped grilled asparagus
    - burgundy mushroom sauce

    Tue
    - salmon sous vide
    - broccoli
    - squash

    Wed
    - flat iron sous vide/pan seared
    - bruschetta
    - sautéed spinach

    Thu
    - spatchcock herbed chicken applewood smoked
    - Provençal summer vegetable gratin

    Fri
    - tri-tip sirloin grilled
    - guacamole

    Sam
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
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    Having beans every day (twice a day considering lunch and dinner) would probably give me enough gas to power the city.

    Not to mention I'd just *kitten* it all out.
  • weightliftingdiva
    weightliftingdiva Posts: 522 Member
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    True, but dinner is generally the sticking point for a lot of people. And our total grocery bill; including breakfast, lunch, and snacks is under $200 a month. 5 dinners this week actually total less than $20 cost.

    Good gravy... I've got a lot of room for improvement in the area of planning & budgeting. My grocery bill for a family of four is in excess of $1,000 per month. That includes 2 teenage boys. I buy a lot of fresh veggies (organic when the price is not 2x of the non-organic), fresh meat and practically nothing packaged. I also like to cook.

    Here's my meal plan for the week to give an idea. My breakfasts and lunches (salad or leftovers) are all pretty much the same; only dinner is changed up night to night.

    Sat
    - garlic lemon chicken breasts pan seared
    - broccoli steamed

    Sun
    (concert)

    Mon
    - ribeye steaks grilled
    - prosciutto wrapped grilled asparagus
    - burgundy mushroom sauce

    Tue
    - salmon sous vide
    - broccoli
    - squash

    Wed
    - flat iron sous vide/pan seared
    - bruschetta
    - sautéed spinach

    Thu
    - spatchcock herbed chicken applewood smoked
    - Provençal summer vegetable gratin

    Fri
    - tri-tip sirloin grilled
    - guacamole

    Sam

    As a budgeted college student this made me drool. Ribeye....
  • srmchan
    srmchan Posts: 206 Member
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    As a budgeted college student this made me drool. Ribeye....

    I remember those days well. I had lots of grilled ham & cheese sandwiches and spaghetti when I was in college. I earned $2 something per hour helping students in the computer lab - so the only time I had steak was when a family member visited and took me out to eat.

    If you happen to be in the Raleigh-Durham area, my family and I would be happy to make an extra ribeye steak for you one weekend. I roast mine after indirect heat with hickory smoke to medium-rare, then I sear it over a very hot fire. It's divine when topped with burgundy mushrooms!

    Sam
  • weightliftingdiva
    weightliftingdiva Posts: 522 Member
    Options

    As a budgeted college student this made me drool. Ribeye....

    I remember those days well. I had lots of grilled ham & cheese sandwiches and spaghetti when I was in college. I earned $2 something per hour helping students in the computer lab - so the only time I had steak was when a family member visited and took me out to eat.

    If you happen to be in the Raleigh-Durham area, my family and I would be happy to make an extra ribeye steak for you one weekend. I roast mine after indirect heat with hickory smoke to medium-rare, then I sear it over a very hot fire. It's divine when topped with burgundy mushrooms!

    Sam

    That sounds AMAZING. Unfortunately after a summer in Austin I will be heading back to the Northeast to finish school. But maybe one day I will pass through there!

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