2012 Grocery Budget and Daily Menu: By the week!
Why? Because:
- I have just retired and have time to be more responsible with the grocery budget (no excuses);
- I am realizing that it is very hard for me to cook seasonally and I need a process to understand the barriers and work through this problem (I like to be more creative in the kitchen that practical and need to do both); and
- It is challenging for me to use the preserves I have put away this fall in a timely fashion (and some, at all!).
How? I will:
- record what we eat or what I serve at meals every day,
- estimate the cost daily as close as possible (staring January 1, and not before)
- write a brief weekly reflection, specifically: successes, failures, struggles, and barriers keeping in mind what my goal is.
My Goal: To use:
- all of the meat (1/2 cow, 1/2 pig, 30 chickens) and
- all of the fruit (bags and bags of frozen Evan’s Cherries, Saskatoon berries, raspberries, red currants, high bush cranberries, chokecherries, black currants and other berries), and
- all of the preserves (jars and jars and jars)
- without wasting any food
by the end of October, 2012. I am not giving myself a budget. I will record what I spend and what I waste. As, well, I will record the cost of the entire meal when I make it. If I freeze extra portions, the cost will already have been calculated, or, if we eat leftovers, the cost would have already been calculated the first time the meal is made and served, so will appear to be a “free meal” (but is not); I will record extra portions frozen or refrigerated.
| Meals | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Breakfast | Palliser Hotel in Calgary: 1 espresso, 1 cappuccino and 2 orange juice (25 dollars) | coffee | coffee | coffee | coffee | coffee | coffee
Homemade granola, yogurt, buttermilk biscuits, homemade jams (12.00) Orange Juice etc for |
| Lunch | Tim Horton’s on the way home: 2 Chili (11.50) | Leftover Wifesaver (Vanja)
Leftover Ratatouille Soup (Valerie) |
Leftover Goulash (Vanja) supper from last night
Yogurt Cheese Balls and Crackers (Valerie) |
BBQ Chicken(Vanja) Homemade Salsa (2.00) and Oven Dried Pita Chips (Valerie) |
Leftover Pork Schnietzel in Puffed Pastry with onions, carrots and red peppers, side salad (Vanja)
Homemade Chicken Soup (Valerie) |
eggs (1.50)and homemade bacon(1.00) with toast (Vanja) | none |
| Supper | At Mom’s | Goulash (Nature’s Green Acres Pork: $12), Mashed Potatoes $2 and Coleslaw $1 | BBQ Nature’s Green Acres Chicken (17.00), Roasted Potatoes in Foil with Bacon, Cheese and Onion, ColeslawHomemade Chicken Soup w/ back, neck etc. |
Homemade Chicken Soup, Nature’s Green Acres Pork Schnietzel (8.00) in Puffed Pastry(4.00) with onions, carrots and red peppers, side salad (Vanja) Homemade Chicken Soup (Valerie) |
Homemade Sausage (8.00) and Winter Salad | Tidbits from Allan Suddaby’s 12 Course Dinner cooked here | Italian Sandwiches with Deli Meats and Cheese (10.00) |
| Snacks | homemade nuts and bolts | homemade nuts and bolts | Christmas Cookies from mom (three big ones!) | ||||
| COST | 35.50 | 15.00 | 20.00 | 15.00 | 8.00 | 3.00 | 24.00 |
| Waste | 0 | 0 | 0 | cleaned the fridge and through out a lot but didn’t write it down @20.00 | |||
| Leftover Meals | 2 (one frozen) | ||||||
| Groceries Purchased | $61.74 Italian Centre |
| TOTAL WEEKLY COST
$120.50 Not including beverages and non-edible grocery items
WASTE: @20.00 |
SUnday – roasted red peppers
Monday – Homemade Turkey TV dinner aand 4 egg omlette
