Lessons Learned

Amy: When I first started this project I did it because I didn't like how the other meal plan was so repetitive.  I didn't think, and still don't think that just because you might be on a tight food budget that you have to eat the same thing every day.  I figured I could make up a meal plan that was similar in price, but not so repetitive.  With a few basic skills and some planning anyone can eat healthy on a budget...if you want to. So, here are a few things I learned about the meal plan I concocted :)
1.  It was VERY labor intensive.  This is usually ok for me because I enjoy cooking, but for some people who have busier evenings than I do, it would have been very difficult.
2. Because of number one I would say a person needs to have some basic cooking skills to be successful eating healthy on a budget.  Processed and convenience foods are easy, but they are full of fat and sodium and other things we can't pronounce.  Not to mention they are very expensive.  Take one of my cooking classes :), watch a few episodes of food network or ask a friend to teach you a few basic cooking skills if you are not comfortable in the kitchen. 
3.  Don't be afraid of canned and frozen fruits and vegetables.  They are very nutritious and often cost much less than their fresh versions.  I ended up using more of these to save money.  I bought a lot less fresh produce than I was used to.
4.  Use store brands whenever you can.  Most store brand products are made from the same ingredients at the same manufacturing plants as brand name products.  You just pay more for the fancy label...and I don't think most of you probably eat the fancy label...so....why pay more for it?  This was a hard one for my family.  If I made or fed them something with the store brand label, they ate it and liked it.  If, however, they saw the store brand label, they immediately thought they weren't going to like it. I agree there are some products that taste different, but for the most part, store brand products are great and much cheaper!
5.  Be organized and flexible.  I know you might not think those two things go together, but they do when it comes to grocery shopping.  This was a real eye opener for me.  Before this project I would just go to the store and go through every isle and just pick up what I thought we would eat or like, I had not real plan and that made me purchase a lot more food than I really needed.  So here are a few tips: A) Make a list, either on paper or in your head, of what you have as far as food items to work with for the week.  B) Look at the sale flyer for the store(s) you shop at and try to plan your big menu items around that.  It will save you from wasting food that you already have and will keep the stress down when you are at the store trying to figure out what the heck you are going to buy. C) Be willing to change a menu item if something looks good or maybe doesn't look so good at the grocery store.  Or, if something is on sale that wasn't in the flyer that you think you could use, add it to your list.  
So overall, eating healthy on a budget is not necessarily easy, but it is possible.  Making a few small adjustments that suit the needs of you and your family can save you a lot at the grocery store and keep you well nourished and healthy for a fun and active life!!

Jo-Ellen: 

• I learned you CAN eat healthy on a budget.
• I know I will use some of the recipes in the future (lentil soup and vegetable lasagna). 
• I didn't care for the repetitive nature of the meal plan. There are a variety of healthy, affordable foods and there are so many ways to prepare them that you never need tire of them. 
• What I missed the most during the month were salads and sandwiches. An egg and swiss cheese sandwich on whole wheat toast is my go-to meal. If I don't have a salad with it, I often cut up fruit or veggies for some added "crunch". 
• If you watch the sales and purchase a little extra when an item you like is on sale, you can stock a pantry with some extras of your favorites and still stay on your budget.
• You have to own the basics in cookware and have minimal knowledge of cooking and following a recipe to do the 30 days of $200.

Lastly, thanks to all of you that read the blog, posted comments and gave your opinions; as well as those I asked to try my recipes and provide feedback. It made it all worth it!

Week Four The Finish!

Amy:  At the end of week four, I have an extra $35.03 in my food budget.  After four weeks I was pleasantly surprised that I could feed three of us healthy meals for a month on $526 or less.  

B: Ploys/Pancakes L: BLT’s, pretzels, mandarin oranges D: Pot roast, potatoes, peas, cran sauce, stuffing or roll

B: scrambled eggs, hashbrowns L: Tuna sandwiches on ww bread, pretzels, cucumbers with ranch D: beef fajitas

B: French toast L: taco salads D: Beef stew, homemade biscuits

B: Breakfast sandwich, banana L: beef stew, biscuit 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: BBQ chicken drumsticks/wings, rice carrots

B: Dropped eggs on toast, banana L:Chicken sandwiches, carrots, pretzels Dinner:  Homemade pizza

B: eggs, turkey bacon, English muffin, banana/pineapple L: Cobb salads, garlic bread D: Chicken quesadillas, rice

 
This week I used the pot roast I made Sunday afternoon to make beef fajitas the next night.  I also made beef stew, which is a family favorite.  I only use half of the seasoning packet to save on the sodium content of the stew.  I also use only one pound of stew meat and extra vegetables keep the fat content in check.

One change I made, and I do this occasionally, is instead of a meat sauce for the spaghetti on Wednesday, we just did marinara sauce.  I like to do vegetarian meals sometimes to save on the food budget and we also had a lot of red meat this week so I didn't want to overdo it. 

We will be talking more later about "lessons learned" but I did want to say that this experience has made me realize that we can spend a lot less than we usually do on food.  I used to budget a lot more than $526 every month for food, and now I think we can stick to that amount.


Jo-Ellen: Whew! I made it. It's exactly how I feel. This last week has been the hardest for me to follow and not because of the recipes but because I am bored eating the same few recipes over and over. I ate vegetable lasagna on Tuesday for lunch - for the 13th time within a month. I loved it the first week and really liked it the second, but this last week when I had to take out the frozen square of lasagna for my lunch....I was counting down the days.
The turkey bolognese was another tasty recipe that was easy to make. 

With the last of my funds I bought ground turkey, boneless skinless chicken breast for the garlic chicken recipe, fresh basil, and a couple of other items not included in the recipe; including eggs, bananas, a cucumber, leaf lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese, a lemon and sundried tomato wraps.  I spent $25.44 for a total of $198.12. I am left with $1.88 and this is my last day. I have had breakfast and my lunch and dinner are already prepared.
Yes, you can eat three, healthy meals on $6.66 a day. Watch for the last blog titled "Lessons Learned" from 30 days on $200.