Budget Breakdown

I am a mom of five, with a budget of $150.00 a week for  groceries.  This blog is for my grocery bill savings from coupons, my monthly family menu, and my recipes. I like food that is easy to fix, requiring only a few ingredients. After reading a book on health by Dr. Asa Andrews, I am trying to make food choices that are healthy, inexpensive, organic as often as possible, and low in processed food. The only way I can accomplish this, and stay within my budget, is with forethought. These recipes are tasty (most importantly), lower in sugar than we are used to, free of artificial sweeteners, full of natural fruits and veggies, high in calcium, and includes many whole grains. However, we do not like whole wheat pasta, and we also usually stay away from fish and pork, so this menu is stylized to my family's tastes. I buy natural foods as often as possible, and make good use of local farmers' markets!
Sunday - BBQ Day
Monday - Meal and Side Salad
Tuesday through Thursday - Various Meals
Friday - No Meal Planned*
Saturday - Large Salad Only
CLICK HERE to see A LIST OF RECIPES
  • *No meal is planned for one day a week to allow for holidays, eating out, leftovers, etc.
  • We shop on Saturday, so that evening we have a large dinner-sized salad full of veggies, and often fruits. The left over salad fixings are used for a side salad on Monday.
  • Some family members do a 24 hour fast (except for fruit juice and water) from late Friday evening, until Saturday's dinner, as recommended in Dr. Asa Andrew's book.
Dinners (5) (10.00-15.00 avg) $65.00 per week
Breakfast (yogurt and fiber cereals) $17.00 per week
Lunch (PB&J sandwiches/soups) $17.00 per week
Snacks (2 servings raw veggies and 2 servings raw fruits/nuts each) $10.00 per week
Dessert (once a week) $5.00 per week
Drinks (purified water, milk, and juice) $16.00 per week
Saturday Night Mega Salad, pantry staples, $20.00 per week
Grocery Store List
I keep these items stocked, using coupons when possible (not estimated in individual recipe expenses):
tea bags
coffee
sugar
flour
breadcrumbs
eggs
vinegar
oil (cooking and salad)
mayonnaise
ketchup
salsa
A.1
mustard
butter
milk
half and half
herbs and spices
Breakfast:
2-3 boxes of high fiber, low sugar cereal
14 cups of yogurt
Lunch:
3-4 loaves good whole grain bread
peanut butter
natural jams and jellies
soup once a week with whole grain crackers
(often there are leftovers from dinner as well)
Snacks: (pick one a week, buy in bulk, and split into 14 servings)
veggies - carrots, celery or cukes, etc.
fruits - bananas, apples, oranges, pears, raisins or nuts, etc.
Desserts: (1x)
My favorite dessert recipes
Drinks:
purified water
3 gallons of milk
apple juice
(plus sun tea)
Saturday Night Mega Salad:
Varies week to week from these ingredients, use what is fresh at the local Farmers' Market
two heads of lettuce (buy another one for Monday's side salad)
fresh tomatoes
cucumbers
cubed turkey/shredded chicken/hard-boiled eggs/cheese (pick one protein)
red onions
matchstick carrots
thawed frozen peas, cold
raw cauliflower or broccoli florets
walnuts or sunflower seeds
raisins or halved grapes
blueberries, raspberries or cherries
homemade dressing (2/3 vinegar to 1/3 oil, herbs and spices)
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