Remember how I said the other day I was really going to try to pare down our spending this month in order to pay off those doctor bills so I can quit my job? Well, I sat down, made an inventory of the pantry/fridge/freezer and did a whole month of menu planning with what I’ve got on hand. I will still have to go to the farmer’s market to supplement our veggies, but I would do that anyway. Here’s a breakdown of what’s going on the menu.
6: Slow cooker buffalo chicken
7: broccoli cheese casserole
8: pulled pork
9: stuffed cabbage w/pulled pork
10 curried shrimp bisque
11 pork neckbones in the crockpot, roasted cauliflower
12 crockpot bacon & cheese chicken
13 fried eggs, swiss chard gratin
14 crockpot chicken adobo w/cabbage on the bottom
15 beef stew
16 cabbage patch stew
17 roasted hen
18 chicken salad w/celery
19 meatloaf
20 pecan crusted pork tenderloins
21 stuffed bellpeppers
22 pulled pork
23 fried chicken thighs & legs
24 chicken/sausage gumbo (in freezer)
25 chili/cumin pork tenderloins
26 spaghetti
27 shredded chicken tacos
28 chili
29 salmon patties
30 & 31??? I’ll figure that out, since these two days will be on Feb. grocery budget
I need to buy celery, deli ham, parmesan cheese, heavy cream, sliced cheese, cumin, spaghetti sauce, stewed tomatoes, and eggs (if my local source doesn’t come through). I do have to buy milk every week… but that’s it. Everything else I had in the cupboards! I’m pretty pumped about how much I should be able to set aside towards the bills. Please wish me luck as I’d love to quit working soon. Having Tuesday off was the worst possible thing for me as I saw how much I can get done when I don’t have to go to work! I seriously do NOT know how working moms do it!
Of course, now my freezer will be empty and this always makes me nervous! I may take 1/2 of what I save and use that to re-stock the freezer. We’ll have to see how much I’m able to put aside.
