ADOBO LIFE

HOW TO SAVE MONEY: MENU PLANNING (July 26 - Aug 1)

I slept at 2 am and woke up at 7am? What's wrong with me - -I need to sleep!

I am so lazy and decided not to bake some breakfast goodies this morning  - -so off to Walmart we go (stopping to see if mail arrived yesterday - where's my mail?), fully prepared for a huge grocery expense ahead of us as I am purchasing in bulk for cleaning/laundry/paper products. 

Containing grocery expense to a minimum is really hard nowadays. To ensure that I maintain my $200/week budget, I follow my self proclaimed rules:

• Purchase store brand if at all possible
• Clip coupons (today I only save $6)
• Buy in bulk
• Look out for seasonal/clearance items 

What helped us in effectively managing our budget is we have allocated one store credit card for all our groceries and kept  credit card limit at a low level. This system is efficient as we are forced to plan our trips OR  pay cash if we need to go to the nearby deli /neighborhood store. The downside,  I can't keep up with my other web coupon friends when they say - -go to CVS / Rite Aid on money making deals as I have to stick to one store or I use cash from my play money pool.

Keeping a grocery list (Download GROCERY LIST by adobolife) and menu planning (Download WEEKLY MEAL TRACKER by adobolife) may help you minimize expenses. If you haven't  developed the skill of menu planning, this is the best time to do so. If you will review some meals I cooked in the past, it may appear extravagant for a regular dinner - -but honestly - -it's not. I just learned to plan in advance -- and it worked to my advantage.

I prefer home cooked meals and  we do save a lot of money by "eating in" (even on lunches to work). Here's my menu for the week. Check out BUDGET MEALS on recipes- - My tried and tested $10 (even less) meal

HOW TO SAVE MONEY:MENU PLANNING (July 5-11)

As always, I woke up at 6:30 on a Sunday! C'mon, this is the only time I can relax and not rush for  a conference call. Anyway, might as well surprise my family with a good brunch and give them a break from cereal and pop tarts.  Waffles, French vanilla cupcake, english muffin, toast, eggs and fruit.

...and while the coffee is brewing...I might as well plan my weekly menu!

This tools are available for free:

• Simply click FINANCE TRACKER FORMS and download the weekly planner and other forms
• For menu, click  BUDGET MEALS: My tried and tested $10 (even less) meal

Also, to learn how other busy moms plan their meals, check out my new hang out place - - ORGJUNKIE.COM or CLICK HERE where you can view  weekly menu from other interesting moms

HOW TO SAVE MONEY: MENU PLANNING (June 21-27)

Blazing hot in TN!

Planning a meal is a challenge this week as my family tends to skip meals on a hot summer  evening and will  opt for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich instead.

Looking at weather.com, it's going to be a long hot week so I am keeping it simple with the basic meals they all enjoy


 

Here's a sample of my weekly menu plan.

This tools are available for free:

• Simply click FINANCE TRACKER FORMS and download the weekly planner and other forms
• For menu, click  BUDGET MEALS: My tried and tested $10 (even less) meal

Also, to learn how other busy moms plan their meals, check out my new hang out place - - ORGJUNKIE.COM or CLICK HERE where you can view  weekly menu from other interesting moms

 

HOW TO SAVE MONEY: MENU PLANNING (June 15-21)

Weekly meal planning this summer is a challenge for me.

a. Girls are refusing to eat anything but cereal/oatmeal and lots of fruits
b. Summer in TN started to hit us (90 degrees today wow). This simply means that I can't bake as often as I could
c. I expect our grocery budget to increase (active teens)
d. How to save money so I can reduce (or at least maintain) my weekly grocery budget  of $200 per week  (despite including the cost of our yummy brown bag lunches)

Here's a sample of my weekly menu plan.

This tools are available for free:

• Simply click FINANCE TRACKER FORMS and download the weekly planner and other forms
• For menu, click  BUDGET MEALS: My tried and tested $10 (even less) meal

Also, to learn how other busy moms plan their meals, check out my new hang out place - - ORGJUNKIE.COM or HERE where you can share your weekly menu plan every Monday