Weekend Meal Plan Complete!

These last couple weeks I have done a horrible job getting meals planned and groceries bought. Today I had to bite the bullet and make a plan for the weekend and go grocery shopping. Since a budget has been set for the most part and savings are a priority this trip took place at Aldi. The prices don't include things that I already had in the pantry.

Tonight is one of our favorites!

This is 20-Minute Sriracha Shrimp Ramen. This stuff is great and can be found over on the blog Baker by Nature. The total price of this meal is around $10 and could have been less if I hadn't been low on soy sauce.

Saturday is another pasta day. Honestly I have never been a really big pasta eater but since getting pregnant I want it all the time!

I am in love with all the different one pot pasta options. I haven't tried this one yet but this is Easy One Pot Pasta Puttanesca and it can be found at the blog Creative Juice. I got everything to make this one for $11. 

Finally on Sunday since we are finally supposed to start feeling the autumn weather I wanted to do another soup.

Now I haven't tried this one either but I'm a sucker for a crock pot meal on a Sunday. This one can be found at Carlsbad Cravings and is a Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Soup. This soup was a little more expensive to shop for since it contains beef and came in at $14. 

While at the store I also picked up some snacks for the game tomorrow that cost about $7. There were also a few staples that we needed and they had pumpkins. We had to have a pumpkin! Over all the total for the weekend with tax came up to $54.60. Not bad for three dinners (which hopefully will provide some leftovers) and food for hosting the game.

The Crack Down

Well we are back from vacation so what now? It's time to crack down.

Spending got a little out of control over the last few months. There was a lot of eating out. Between school and training for the marathon cooking at home was just not always possible...and honestly eating out was a little bit of a treat for all the running we were doing.

Now that we are back from vacation, school is over, and the marathon is run it's time to budget up!

Today I did our grocery shopping at Aldi as an attempt to get the grocery budget under control. Let's see how I did.

Snacks:
Trail Mix                                      4.99
Trail Mix                                      1.99
Veggie Chips                                2.79
Hummus                                       1.99

Produce:
Mandarins                                     3.89
Sweet Potatoes                              2.39
Avocados                                      1.96
Baby Spinach                                2.49
Blackberries                                  1.59
Blueberries                                    1.49
Raspberries                                   2.19
Mushrooms                                   3.18
Mini Sweet Peppers                      2.39
Cilantro                                         0.44
Green Onions                                0.69
Fresh Asparagus                           1.79


Protein:
Raw Shrimp                                  10.98
Boneless Thighs                            6.49

Dairy:
Fresh Mozzarella                           2.49
Plain Yogurt                                  3.89
Greek Yogurt                                3.00

Other:
Organic Granola                            3.49
Passion Fruit Granola                    2.49
Italian Bread                                  1.69

With tax it came to a total of around $79 dollars with tax. I don't think that is too bad. I will be keeping an eye on grocery spending the next couple of weeks to see if I can get it down even more.

CSA Day!

Yesterday was CSA day! We got a lot of good stuff and the basil tomatoes and potatoes made a great dinner last night along side some grilled chicken. Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do with a whole lot of purslane. From the looks of the internet it will be going on salads and sandwiches? I will be making some zucchini boats with all of those strange looking zucchinis. And the peppers look salsa ready! 

Around the House

I'm really feeling the blues right now. Around the house and in my spinning. I love this yarn by the way and can't wait to get it washed and set. Then all I have to do is figure out what I want to make! That's always the hardest part.

Plus check out this cute little bird container. I found it at hobby lobby and added the nest from a seller on etsy.

I finally have a plan!

A plan that I like that is. A plan that keeps all the different parts of my life organized. A plan that looks aesthetically pleasing (which is of utmost importance to me)!

I love Etsy! Just get on there and search for printable planners. There are so many good designs. I am always amazed by the talent and the time that people have put into their designs. The planning pages that I found that work for me best are these by LittleDropDesigns.

Obviously they come in this awesome color pallet but I chose to save on ink and print mine on the laser printer. My love of colored pens adds the color and awesomeness to my own calendar. The reason I love this design so much is that I can break my life down into categories and then prioritize what I want to get done in each area for the day. It's a huge plus that I can plan my whole week on...well two pages, but I can see the whole week at one time. I can see areas where I am overwhelming myself and areas where I am slacking off and could put in more effort. I prioritized my life areas from top (most important) to bottom (least important). Although all areas are important or else they wouldn't even be on the list we all know as mothers that some parts of our lives come before others. I've been using this for a few weeks now and I have to say it's really made a difference.