Sunday, March 3, 2013

Day One: Big Shopping Trip, Lots of Prepping, and One Tasty Dinner!

So ultimately we have budgeted $450 for groceries. But technically this is for groceries, toiletries and paper products, dog food, and eating out. With our new plan there will be no eating out, so that definitely frees up some cash. Anything left over from our "grocery money" at the end of the month will go straight into our savings account. 

Today started off with very big plans. My goal was to go grocery shopping for the entire month: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. I completely accomplished this task minus a few things that I knew I wasn't going to be able to find at the commissary  and I feel like I did a really good job. Grand total after surcharge (which is basically a tax, but not, since it goes to the MWR): $270.46. Pretty great considering the only thing I have to pick up later is more dog food and some fig jam for one of the meals. Also, even though I did find myself buying some more canned or boxed products than usual, I didn't have any coupons to use. If I did, I'm sure I could have gotten the price down more and I will keep that in mind for next time. 

While I was at the store shopping away, Will and Katie stayed home to play together. Katie says she had to keep her dad company. Turns out, they made mini cakes while I was gone. It was super cute, and I am really glad that they were able to spend that time together. 




Once I got home (and after the two cake chefs brought in all those groceries!) I also prepped all the meals for the month. This means labeling freezer bags, dividing up meat, washing and chopping vegetables, and adding spices and most liquids. I'm not going to lie, this took several hours and much internal whining. But I got it done. This is what the freezer looked like with all but 3 meals in it. I am still working on the cabbage rolls, beer burgers, and fig balsamic chicken. 


We decided to have tacos tonight because they were quick and easy, and honestly they smelled too good while I was making up the meat mixture. I'm including my taco recipe at the end. 



I would say that today was pretty much a success. The food is now made for the entire month, and the kitchen is clean. Now it's time to snuggle with my kiddo for a while and be thankful that I am off work tomorrow so that I can rest!

Stephanie's Taco Meat:
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. cumin
1 packet taco seasoning

Cook ground beef until done. Add bell pepper, onion, and garlic and cook until tender. Add cumin, taco seasoning, and 1 c. water, stir, and let simmer until sauce thickens. 

Serve with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sour cream on hard or soft tacos.

This was plenty enough for the 3 of us to have for dinner tonight plus a taco salad for Will to take for lunch tomorrow. 

Total Cost of Meal: About $4.75  or $1.18 per plate (Dinner for 3 plus Lunch for 1)

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Our Money Makeover

So it's no secret that we will be leaving the Army lifestyle soon. Katie and I will be moving back to North Carolina this summer before school starts back. Will is staying here to finish things up at Fort Hood and then he will follow us up there. Ideally, Katie and I will stay with my parents in Bessemer City while house hunting and saving up money, and then we will purchase before Will gets up here and get our stuff moved in. I am very blessed to work for a company who will be transferring me from the Copperas Cove office to their Charlotte location, and having a job waiting for me in N.C. is a huge weight off my shoulders. Will on the other hand will be going to school full time and will hopefully line up work before he moves.

To help prepare for these major transitions in our life, we have been pouring over Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. We are re-vamping our budget and knocking out debt. One way of saving extra money is to curb our eating out. We really don't go out a ton, but we are definitely guilty of stopping for lunch or picking up some quick snack for lunch at the gas station while we're working hard during the day. To save money, we will now be having breakfast lunch and dinner right here from the house. That goes for all three of us, so even Katie will go back to brown-bagging lunches for school.

Anyone who knows me knows that this took quite a bit of detailed planning on my part. Several friends were interested in seeing the game plan for this, so I am posting it here and will update, hopefully daily, with how the meals were. If we love it, it will stay on for next month's menu; if not, we will replace it.

Breakfast will be the regular staples: Cereal, oatmeal, fruit, and eggs.

Lunch will be either sandwiches or leftovers from dinner.

Dinners are divided into 3 categories: Cook, Crock, and Will.
          "Cook"- Simple meals to be cooked the same day. This is typically for Sunday dinner or my day off                     work.
          "Crock"- Self explanatory, these are crock pot meals, and we live on them.
          "Will"- Will has asked to cook dinner one night each week, so these are his meals. Usually on the grill.

                                                              Four Weeks of Dinners

  • Cook
    • Fish and Chips
    • Chili and Rice, Corn on the Cob
    • Spaghetti with Meatballs
    • Chicken Chili Casserole
    • Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Soup
    • Tacos
    • Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
    • Meatloaf, Scalloped Potatoes, Peas
  • Crock
    • Honey Rosemary Chicken
    • Forgotten Pork chops
    • Coconut Curry Chicken
    • BBQ Chicken and Vegetables
    • Lime Salsa Chicken
    • Orange Chicken
    • Balsamic Fig Chicken
    • Beef Stew
    • Santa Fe Chicken
    • Beer Burgers and Fries
    • Chicken Soup
    • Beef and Broccoli over Rice
    • BBQ Pork Sandwich and Slaw
    • Cabbage Rolls
    • Stew Beef over Mashed Potatoes
    • Apricot Chicken and Noodles
  • Will
    • Pork chops, Green Beans, Mac n Cheese
    • Steak and Potatoes
    • Hamburgers and Fries
    • Grilled Chicken and Corn
So now, with grocery list in hand, it's time to tackle the commissary for Step 2.