menu plan monday - january 3

It's January, people! Because it was pretty successful last year, that means it's time to Eat from the Pantry again. This is a two-fold money saving experience. First, we can save money by eating items we bought on sale to stock the pantry/freezer before they are no longer desirable to eat (freezer burn, expiration dates, etc). We won't be forced to throw something away in the future because we can't eat it. That is the same as throwing money in the trash! Secondly, it means smaller bills at the grocery store this month. After Christmas, we can use some smaller bills at the grocery store. Can't you? As an added bonus, clearing the pantry by eating it, makes it easier to reorganize or tidy up the pantry if it should need it. And it might ~ there's been a little bit of hasty shoving going on lately.

If we eat from the pantry, we will eventually have to restock it, right? Yes, but this will be done as there are sales, hopefully paired with coupons ~ just as we did this year.  Whether or not we eat from the pantry this month, we would still take advantage of stocking up opportunities. So really this is a clear money saving event.

We will still buy things that we need, of course, especially fresh fruits, vegetables, and milk. And I get to make my own rules for this challenge. My goal is to keep our grocery bill under $400 for the month (we typically spend an average of about $530 a month).

This week we are going back to school from our winter break. After having a crazy sleep schedule and no actual schedule during the day for the last two weeks, I will be t.i.r.e.d. at the end of the day. Getting back on the meal planning wagon will be helpful.

This week we will have:

• beef stir fry
• shredded beef enchiladas (shredded beef left over from the roast we had on Sunday)
• tacos
• mac 'n cheese 'n burger
• swedish meatballs (I tried a new recipe last time from the internet & forgot to print it out. I hope I can find it again because it was soooo good!)
• grilled cheese & soup

What's for dinner at your house this week? See what other people are eating at orgjunkie.com.