Wednesday 10 July 2019

Our Low Budget Menu Plan

Due to a recent cleaning job loss I've taken to writing out super budget friendly menu plans to help keep our grocery costs low.  We are currently living off our stockpile and only spending $100 a month to feed the three of us plus our cat.

We have reasonable amounts of meat in our freezer,  bought at the best possible price and portioned out carefully.  We are not big meat eaters but we do eat meat 5 or 6 nights a week even if it's just soup with little bits of chicken in it.  We DO NOT eat leftover meat in sandwiches the next day or eat dinner leftovers for lunch either.  It's much dearer than an egg on toast,  soup or a crumpet / muffin.

Here is the menu plan we just finished using -

Wed 26th June - Roast lamb in gravy ( already cooked and in freezer ) with roast veg and steamed veg

Thurs 27th June - Chunky chicken and veg soup ( stock with chicken bits from the freezer )

Fri 28th June -   We used some money from our treat fund to eat out before going to the movies ( voucher )

Sat 29th June - Chunky chicken and veg soup with crusty bread

Sun 30th June -  Homemade hamburgers with seasoned wedges.  We didn't have lettuce on hand so we went without.  The wedges were homemade and seasoned with salt,  garlic and rosemary

Mon 1st July -  Silverside ( already cooked and in freezer ) with roast veg and steamed veg

Tues 2nd July -  Lasagne with steamed veg

Wed 3rd July -  Sausages,  mash and steamed veg

Thurs 4th July -   Jessica cooked a gnocchi and chicken dish

Fri 5th July - Lamb chops,  mash and steamed veg

Sat 6th July - Chicken skewers ( on clearance ) with cucumber,  garlic bread and tomato.  We were going out to a party so didn't want to eat too much

Sun 7th July -  Eggs,  bacon,  spinach and mushrooms on toast.


NOTES -

*  The lasagne cost $1.30 per serve.  I used tomatoes from our garden that were cooked and frozen last season..  I get 12 serves from the lasagne and always fill up the plate with veggies.  The leftover portions are frozen for future meals.

*  Roast lamb,  beef and silverside is portioned out to 2 slices each for Jessica and myself and 3 or 4 slices for Darren.

*  1 lamb chop per person and they were bought on clearance for $7.99 kg.  They are put on the menu plan about once a month due to their dearer price.

*  Sausages are portioned to 1 1/2  each for Jessica and I and 3 for Darren.  Sometimes I jazz them up with 1/2 a tin of tomatoes seasoned with Italian herbs.

*  Homemade hamburger patties are 80 grams each.  If tomatoes are too dear I don't buy them to go in the roll.  Tomato sauce is used instead.   We usually include cheese,  cucumber and  lettuce in the roll and Darren sometimes fries an egg to put in his.




Here is June / July's grocery shop.  Milk,  fruit and veg were bought as needed each week.  We were gifted with lemons and mandarins. Because vegetables are so dear,  I've been buying carrots,  cauliflower, frozen beans and corn.

11 comments:

  1. That's a fantastic menu plan Wendy, with lots of variety and vegetables. We have simple lunches like you do too. Hope things are improving for you and I love your posts. Very inspiring. I sent a reply off to your last post and it hasn't come up.heres hoping this one finds you.
    Have you ever posted your lasagne recipe? I'd love a simple one to try.
    Thankyou for your great site, it's the highlight of my week. Lorraine xx

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lorraine. I didn't see your last comment I'm sorry. I have been getting truckloads of spam.

      The lasagne recipe is at the top of the blog in the recipe section under main meals.

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  2. I’ve been using my stockpile for the last 3 months and finally had the ability to really fill it back up this past week. Now I’m good to go for a while again. One thing I’ve been making to stretch things is lentil taco filling. I’ve been very surprised at how much people around here like it even though it’s vegetarian.

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  3. Your menu sounds delicious. Not sure if you're a curry fan, but I find that curry can be a great way to stretch meat into many meals.

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    Replies
    1. We do eat a few curries. You are right, the meat does stretch further in curries or slow cooker meals.

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  4. Thanks for posting this, Wendy. I like to see what types of meals others who stick to a budget are making for their families. I made a lasagne today too; I used leftover bolognese sauce and added chopped spinach from the garden so there was enough to put in between the pasta sheets. Most of it is now in the freezer. Meg:)

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  5. I like to make corn beef patties. I cook carrots and cabbage in with the meat and extra mashed potatoes. Dice some corn beef very small, add with diced well drained cabbage and carrot. Mix into the mash. Cool in fridge then roll in breadcrumbs and fry. Serve with sweet chile sauce and salad.

    When i cook rice i like to make a large batch and make sweet and sour chicken using a bottled sauce i buy on special at $!.69 one chicken breast and extra steamed vegies to make the dish go further served with rice. Then i make fried rice usual toppings and i add a slice of diced chinese roast pork which you can buy at Woolworths deli. Then curried sausages with plenty of sliced carrots makes it a bit sweeter, onion and a few peas added in late. dice the sausages to help them go further. Then i make a rice pudding and freeze in portion serves. My mums ninety has no teeth so we tend to eat softer meals. Hope everyone is surviving this cold weather Leanne...

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  6. Hi Wendy, Sounds like you have a great food plan happening. I am interested to know if you use cash or if you have a few different bank accounts. This year ive been withdrawing $300 per month to use on groceries and paying with the cash. Not sure if it is working though as sometimes if i duck into the store to grab some things i forget the cash and end up using my card. How do you manage all your bills/ food accounts?
    Have a lovely weekend. Samm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I use cash for groceries, presents, haircuts and a few other things.

      Delete
  7. Hi my mum lived in Scotland and as we did not live in the country she needed a cleaner when she got older we could not find one. Have you tried advertising your cleaning service at senior clubs also on church notice boards.

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  8. With the hamburgers I always have to have beetroot on mine.

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