Thoughts...

Since GG and I are trying to save to build our dream home, I have been looking at areas in our budget to cut costs. Because we have 4 boys, it isn't always easy. They are always needing something like clothes or money for some kind of activity at school. Don't get me wrong; I really don't mind that my children love school activities even if it does cost more than I want to spend sometimes. It's also safe to say that they will always need clothes. They grow like weeds and rarely will fit in something a few months later.

One area that I have been trying to cut down on is our grocery bill. I cook from scratch almost every night. GG and I occasionally eat at a local place once a month or so. I keep a meal planner two weeks at a time to alleviate costs. I know that you are supposed to buy what you need for each day that you currently don't have with the money that you set aside for groceries. I tend to do it differently.

For example, this week's meal plan started out with Monday's menu being Ground Meat and Shells. I always buy ground meat when it is on sale. I never pay over $3/lb. Last week, a grocery store near GG's work office was selling ground meat for under this price, so I told him to get a couple of packs of it. Truthfully, I probably do meal planning by what our local stores have for their meat prices. For example, a local grocery store has chicken leg quarters at $0.49/lb this week, which is pretty darn cheap when you consider how much it is at full price. i will get a couple of 10 lbs bags, separate them into zipper closed bags, and freeze them. Then when I meal plan again, I can put into place this in it.2 bags of chicken will probably feed us 4 or 5 times depending upon the size of the leg quarters.

GG always brings leftovers to his workplace. It tides him over until he gets home. It also saves money. I usually only cook enough to feed us the night and leave him with enough left overs. He works out in the sun and heat. It can get pretty stifling here in Southern Louisiana. I try to experiment with food as well. Last week, I made a Chicken, Broccoli, Carrots, and Pasta meal that my kids loved. They don't usually like carrots that are cooked, but, in this, it was simply amazing. I will try to post a link to the recipe in a later post.

BTW, the best thing that I have found to keep using the items in our freezers and pantry is to make a list of everything you have in them. That way, you know exactly what you have and can scratch off each item as you use them. This has been a really great idea for us. There were food items I didn't know we had until we did inventory. This has been a useful tool in our grocery budget. Knowing what we have and what we are almost out of, makes it easier than trying to decide at the store if you have any more of something. Then once you get home, you realize you already have the item you bought but were out of another item similar to that item and have to run back to the store to pick that one item.

Now, I don't know about you, but the idea of getting into my vehicle after just spending most of my time going up and down grocery aisles is not a pleasant thing. The issue that I have is that I will be paying twice as much because gas prices are really up there and don't look like they are going down anytime soon. That's for another post though. I need to get my booty in gear and head to the post office to drop off a package that needs to be delivered.

Ground Meat and Shells (feeds at least 8)

2 lbs   Ground Meat
1 can  Diced Tomatoes
2 tbsp Taco Seasoning
16 oz bag Medium Shells
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
season to taste
(I usually sprinkle kosher salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, & garlic powder while meat is cooking.)
Shredded Colby Jack cheese (optional)

Fill a medium saucepan 3/4 of the way with water, add a small amount of salt, bring to boil, then add shells, boil for 12 minutes unless you like them a little tough then it's 10 minutes. Drain, once cooked.
While waiting on the water to boil, in a large 11 1/4 fry pan, (I use Magnolite brand) fry down the ground meat. Add seasoning, let brown, stirring occasionally. Once brown, add onions and let fry until they get translucent. Then add dice tomatoes, minced garlic, and taco seasoning. Let simmer for 15 minutes. Combine Shells and Meat together. Turn off heat and let stand 5 minutes.
You can either add cheese to the whole meal or individually. LG is lactose intolerant so he gets his own special veggie cheese to put on top of his.