Our Frugal Journey

Our pantry and freezer are still well-stocked but I’m beginning to see a few empty spots as we eat our way through our stockpile while staying out of the grocery store during February, our second annual Month of No Spending.

So far, I really haven’t noticed much difference in my cooking or meal planning, other than the panic I felt when my daughter started pouring herself 16-ounce glasses of milk. Needless to say, we had a little lesson in serving size and the difference between 8 ounces and 16 ounces. Ah, the joys of raising children in our ”super-sized” world.

I’ve got just one $20 gift card from Super Target at my disposal to buy milk and produce for the month so stay tuned to see some creative frugality!

This week, I’m planning to get in and out of my Target with a few bananas and some salad fixings.  Thankfully, we still have plenty of apples and oranges left from my last shopping trip in January!

Monday:  Baked ziti, rolls, and salad. Actually, this will be baked spaghetti because that’s the only type of pasta I have in the pantry other than a half box of elbows. While I’m at it, I’ll make a double batch  for a quickie meal later in the month.

Tuesday:  Scrambled eggs and bacon, our breakfast-for-dinner selection for the week. We’ve got plenty of eggs on hand so this will be a good opportunity to use some of these up.

Wednesday:  Southwest roll-ups, applesauce and a veggie side. This has become one of our family favorites since I discovered it on moneysavingmom.com last year. It’s a delicious mixture of chicken, salsa, refried beans and corn wrapped in a tortilla. I’ll make a double batch and freeze the rest for a meal later in the month.

Thursday:  Grilled cheese and tomato soup. Sweet Caroline has a basketball game so we’ll be eating on the run.

Friday:  The DH and I will be headed to Chick-fil-A for our usual dinner out. I’m so thankful for the stash of free coupons I have and the $10 gift card my son gave me for Christmas.

Saturday:  Turkey, mashed potatoes, veggies and applesauce. I’ll be cooking up a big turkey breast I’ve had in the freezer for awhile. We’ll use the leftovers for at least two other meals so it’s perfect timing for the No-Spend Challenge!

Sunday:  Turkey corn soup and home-baked bread. I’ll use half the turkey leftovers to make this soup in the crock pot, tossing the turkey into some canned broth from the pantry, along with a can of corn, a carrot and some minced onion. The kitchen should smell delish by the time we get home from church when all I’ll need to do is add some egg noodles and let it simmer for 10 minutes. We’ll have this for lunch, then celebrate Valentine’s Day at dinnertime. But more on that later.

What’s on your menu this week? If you’re struggling for ideas, head on over to I’m an Organizing Junkie where Laura has written a great post about her struggle with menu planning while having her house on the market! Great inspiration.