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.