The Shopping Trip

Jo-Ellen: Saturday I gave the shopping list, the daily menu, and the recipes for the 30 days on $200 a good look to see what the next month was going to look like in terms of purchasing groceries and preparing meals. I work full time and have activities scheduled for most evenings so I know from experience that I need to schedule the time for meal preparation. 
I decided to purchase my groceries locally for the most part, as I know transportation is  limited for a lot people. The shopping list estimate for the month's menus total about $130, leaving the shopper money for alternative items to meed dietary needs or other necessities. I didn't purchase everything on the list,instead, buying what I needed for the week's menu and sale items. I was unable to purchase a rotisserie chicken but I did find boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale and bought this healthier option for less cost. I spent $66.87. 

I  contacted WAGM about the 30 days on $200 and what Amy and I were planning to do.  You will see the interview on your local news this week!

Amy: My first week of shopping was fun, I was really excited to try out my new menu.  Here is a peek at my week one menu: 

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
B: scrambled eggs, hashbrowns L: Chicken sandwich on ww bread, tomato, cucumbers with ranch, pretzels D: Chicken soup, roll/bread	B: French toast L: Chicken soup, roll/bread D: Chicken quesadillas, peppers/onions, rice	B: Breakfast sandwich, banana L: Egg salad sandwich, canned fruit, pretzels D: Spaghetti with meat sauce, green beans, roll	B: Bagel with LF cream cheese or PB, banana L: Spaghetti with meat sauce, cucumber with ranch D: meatloaf, potatoes, peas	B: Dropped eggs on toast, banana Lunch: chicken soup, roll Dinner:  Homemade pizza	B: eggs, turkey bacon, English muffin, banana/pineapple L: Pizza, carrots/cucumber with ranch D: chop suey, roll, corn

 I already had quite a few items in my pantry which was nice.  Unlike Jo-Ellen, I have more time to fix dinner in the evening when I get home.  My son typically will sit and do his homework and talk to me while I fix dinner, so I don't mind having a meal to fix a few nights a week.  Cooking is also very relaxing for me and I really enjoy it, so it's something that I look forward to at the end of a busy workday.  Don't get me wrong, there are some evenings when the last thing I want to do is cook, but for the most part, it's a welcomed part of our routine.  

I decided to shop at my local Hannaford store and did in fact find it more economical to purchase a lot of store brand items, which you will notice from my receipt. 

 Many foods with a store brand label are actually made and packaged at the same manufacturing plant as other brand named foods, so the products are very good quality but the prices are cheaper :)  So this week I spent a mere $56.09 on our main ingredients for meals.  I'll be honest, I did spend a little extra (about $25) for snack foods for my son's lunches and on beverages (milk, water, etc).  Keeping in mind, this is for a family of three.  I'm excited to get cookin'!!