Welcome to 2021! We hope your holiday was happy and healthy.
If you’ve been following our blog, you already know how much we prioritize meal planning. (more on how and why here and here) Food expenses were the first budget line we attacked when we started budgeting 10 years ago. The impact of meal planning is so significant in our budget, that we decided to start sharing our monthly meal plans with our readers.
We want readers to see three things:
- We eat more than rice and beans,
- How much we actually spend on our monthly meals for a family of 5, and
- Our actual monthly meal plan that you can use for yourself.
The Meals
A quick Google search can lead you to a recipe for any of these meals.
- One Pan Beef and Cheese Macaroni (Gluten-free)
- Homemade Pizza
- Roasted Chicken, Corn and Potatoes
- Salmon with Rice
- Spaghetti
- Lemon Butter Chicken with Pasta (Gluten-free)
- Fajitas
- Homemade Mac and Cheese
- Frittatas
- Blueberry Pancakes and Bacon
- Balsamic Chicken with Spaghetti
- Tacos
- Copycat Panda Express Panda Express Orange Chicken with Rice (Low Fodmap)
- Fish and Chips (Low Fodmap)
- Teriyaki Chicken Casserole (Low Fodmap)
- Chicken Parmesan
These meals comprise our dinners. We plan to eat each meal twice during the month so we have to buy twice as much ingredients as the recipe calls for. We also added fresh fruits, vegetables, breakfast and lunch items to our list below as well as any miscellaneous household items we needed.
The Grocery List
| Meat 3lb Ground Beef 5 Chicken Breasts 2lb Haddock or Cod 4lb Stew Meat 2 Roaster Chickens 2 – 1lb Salmon Filets 2 Flank Steaks 1lb Bacon Pepperoni 1/2lb Deli Turkey 1/2lb Deli Ham 1/2lb Deli Cheese | Produce 2 salad bags 1 Romaine Head Garlic Clove Blossom 5 Red Bell Peppers 16 Carrots 1 Bag Baby Carrots Celery 2 Shallots 4 Lemons Oranges Bananas Blueberries Apples 2lb Red Potatoes Parsley 2 Zucchinis Plum Tomatoes 1 bag Spinach |
| Dry Goods / Spices 1 bag Gluten-free Flour 1 bag Powdered Sugar 1 bag White Sugar 1 bag Light Brown Sugar 10lb Flour 10lb Bread Flour Bay Leaves Nutmeg Cream of Tartar Mustard Spicy Mustard Balsamic Vinegar | Pasta Large bag Jasmine Rice 2 lb Spaghetti 84 oz Crushed/Diced tomatoes 4 cans Tomato Paste 2 boxes Pasta (any variety) 4 boxes Gluten-free Pasta |
| Bread Corn Tortillas Flour Tortillas 1 can Panko Bread Crumbs Bagels | Snacks / Breakfast 2 boxes Nilla Wafers 2 bags Pretzels 6 boxes Nutrigrain Bars 2 bags Chips 10 boxes Oatmeal 2 boxes Cereal 2 boxes Toaster Pastries 1 can Club Soda |
| Dairy 8 cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese 3lbs Butter Parmesan block String Cheese 4 dozen Eggs 5 Mozzarella Balls Almond Milk 16oz Cream Cheese | Frozen 2 bags Broccoli 1 bag French Fries Ice Cream |
| Miscellaneous Aluminum Foil Cling Wrap Dishwasher Detergent Paper Plates Toiletries Double-sided Tape |
Bottom Line
Mr. Doughmaker did our grocery shopping trip this month and spent a total of $370.32. He shopped at Aldi first to get any items he could, then Giant for the rest of the food items and finally Target for non-food items.
Happy New Year and Happy Budgeting!
