Prior to about 10 months ago, I would have been delighted if the ingredients for just one lunch cost just $3, let alone paying $3 for 3 meals and 4 snacks / desserts. What has changed is they way I shop. These days, I:
- Plan shopping trips carefully, watching and waiting for the best deals
- Combine sales, BOGOs, store coupons, manufacturer coupons, competitor coupons, gift card deals, clearance, and any other great savings scenarios t
- Stockpile, stockpile, stockpile in pantry and freezer
- Purchase produce at farmers markets or Aldi's, which saves a whole bunch over Publix and Super Target
Wednesday's Menu
Total $3.00, 1395 Calories
Breakfast Total: $0.33, 365 Calories
- $0.0 - Cup Fiber One cereal @ FREE, 180 cal
- $0.20 - Cup Skim Milk @ $2.98 gallon, 80 cal
- $0.13 - Medium Banana @ $0.39 pound, 105 cal
Lunch Total: $0.26, 250 Calories
- $0.26 Silk Protein & Fruit Smoothie @.50/qt + Banana @ $0.13, 250 cal
- Made with 1 cup of the Silk beverage (Publix) + 1 Banana (Farmer's Market) + ice, blended.
Dinner Total: $1.75, 335 Calories
- $1.25 Barber Chicken Parmesan @ $2.50/2 ct., 250 cal (Publix)
- $0.50 simple salad w/balsamic vinegar @ $3.00/Romaine 3 ct., 35 cal (Publix)
- $0.0 Birdseye steamed broccoli @ FREE , 50 cal (Publix)
Snacks / Desserts Total: $0.58, 410 Calories
- $0.23 Fresh Pear @$1.19/2 pounds (5 pears), 100 cal (Aldi's)
- $0.10 Milkbite Bar @ .50/box of 5, 150 cal (Publix)
- $0.15 - 1 oz. Almonds @ .90/can 6 oz, 160 cal (Walgreen's)
- $0.08 - 4 oz. Fresh Pineapple @ $1.39/very large, 35 cal (Aldi's)
TOTAL $3.00, 1395 Calories
2 comments:
Really enjoyed that breakdown of how much you spent plus the calories. Sometimes I feel like using coupons only gets us junk but being selective and shopping smart can get you healthy choices. Thanks!
Thanks Neely,
When I first started using coupons less than a year ago, I was buying all kinds of packaged, canned, boxed and processed foods that were really great deals. Then I started to be concerned over the nutritional shift to processed foods, which we were not accustomed to.
So now, less than a year later, I try really hard to shop the deals and pick the packaged items that are better than others, i.e. Kashi frozen meals are #1 in my book. I like Amy's a lot too, but they are sooo expensive, even when on sale. I skip all canned goods unless they are made with BPA free can lining, I skip high sodium products and high preservative/chemical content packages and also super high sugar and corn syrup foods like many of the "candy" type of breakfast cereals. Once in a while I'll deviate if a canned item is the only way I can get something I need w/o making from scratch (cranberry jelly comes to mind). I also restrain myself from buying too much produce at Publix and make a point of going to Aldi's or the farmers market at least once a week to load up at a third or less of the price than Publix and Target.
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