Can I just say that I’m amazed at how well eating for only $30 a week is going? Granted, we started out with a freezer full of dinners, but seriously, I’ve been buying tons of produce and other essentials and we’re still under budget. While we were at Aldi, I just kept putting stuff in our cart that wasn’t on the list but looked good, or was on sale, and I was still under what I budgeted. I don’t understand the math of it all, but somehow it worked. Let’s see what I got for $30 this week!
Some of you already know, but for those that don’t, we’re budgeting $30 a week for a short period of time until John finds a job. We have dinners in the freezer so it’s not technically eating for $30 a week YET, but when it gets to that point, this will look a lot different. I just wanted to clear that up!
Sam’s Club
Chocolate chips: $7.98
String cheese: $8.48
Total: FREE, thanks to a gift card from Swagbucks!
Big Lots
4 bags Riceland brown rice: $1.12 each. They were originally $1.40 (Still great price!) but Big Lots was having a sale, 20% off your entire purchase. We use rice every week, so we’re good for awhile!
Total: $4.48
Kroger
8 cans Red Gold diced tomatoes: $.49 each, part of Buy 10 Save $5.00 deal
- Used 2 $.80/4 Kroger digital coupons
- Final Cost: $.29 each
2 bottles Sweet Baby Ray’s: $.99 each, part of Buy 10 Save $5.00 deal
Total: $5.30. I didn’t need any of this, but I used diced tomatoes a lot and knew I’d use them, and $.29 is a killer price!
Aldi
Sausage roll: $1.99
2 packages strawberries: $1.69 each
Vanilla extract: $2.49
2 bags baby carrots: $.49 each
Baby shampoo: $.99. I’d been paying 6-8 dollars for Aveeno, seriously. Gonna give this brand a try!
Baking powder: $.99
Dijon mustard: $.99
Zucchini: $1.29
Hummus: $1.99
Salad mix: $.99
Bananas: $1.17
Butter: $2.99
Eggs: $1.09
Applesauce: $1.89
Gum: $1.49
Milk: $1.69
Total: $26.47
Weekly Total: $36.44
Menu
Lunch is always leftovers. Items marked with an asterisk (*) were purchased in previous weeks.
Side items: Roasted potatoes*, mashed potatoes*, roasted baby carrots, zucchini, salad, strawberries
Dinner
Pasta bake*
Quesadillas with cheese and refried beans*
Chicken sausage hot dogs* (Making own buns)
Pancakes
Salsa chicken*
BBQ Meatballs*
Breakfast
Scrambled eggs
Breakfast burritos*
Allison’s Breakfast and Lunch
Breakfast: Oatmeal* with peanut butter*, strawberries
Lunch: Cheese quesadilla, banana
What’s on your menu this week? Share with us in the comments!
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heather johnson
Monday 11th of April 2016
It's not really $30 for your whole week though - there are a lot of items in your menu that you didn't purchase - really MOST of the items. The concept is quite misleading. Good for you for scoring deals but you aren't eating on $30 for the whole week.
Jaime
Monday 11th of April 2016
You're right, this is a temporary situation because my husband is currently unemployed. =) Thankfully, we had a freezer and pantry full of food! I'm hoping we can eat for $60 a week again very soon and my shopping posts will be more accurate. In my future weekly posts, I'll be sure to add a note at the top that explains this. Thank you for making me think of this!
Stephanie
Monday 11th of April 2016
So I went to the grocery yesterday with all our meals planned out and between Aldi and Kroger, spend just $73 for 10 days. While I know it's not your $30 -- which BLOWS ME AWAY -- I'm pumped to get it to $73. My goal is to stick to $65-75 a week and so far this month, I'm doing really well.
Jaime
Monday 11th of April 2016
$73 for 10 days is really good! It's so do-able and you're doing awesome!!