Groceries, Part III

Happy Sunday!

That means tomorrow it's Monday. Time to pack school lunches...time to make dinner...time to hopefully pack a lunch for me and the hubs.

In between birthday parties and soccer games and just hanging out with friends and enjoying our weekend...is there anything you can do that isn't a three hour meal prep for the week...

Here are my meal prep suggestions that help save you money and maximize your time....sorry if you're vegan or have specific dietary needs probably won't apply.

1) Hard boil a dozen eggs in the morning.  Takes about twelve minutes.  Place in bowl in fridge. Assuming your children don't ask for six "Eggs without the ball" you have a guaranteed high protein snack or salad or well...lots o'stuff...all week.

2) If you have a fridge at work - Pack up cold cuts, sliced cheese, some hearty fruit - like apples or oranges - some baby carrots and ranch dressing - to take with you to and leave in the fridge at work. This way you don't have to pack something every day.  You can also bring hard boiled eggs, but you also probably want to keep your job. And those eggs be a stinkin!

3) Defrost protein sources - place frozen chicken or fish in the fridge so it will defrost by the following day.

4) Set a menu for the week.  My mom (an amazing woman, may she rest in peace BH) taught me a long time ago to plan the same menu every week.

For example...totally making this up...but...

Monday -- Chicken with rice
Tuesday -- Pasta with salad
Wednesday -- Meatballs with pasta or rice leftover from previous nights
Thursday -- Oven roasted fish and potatoes
Friday -- Leftovers or grilled cheese

--you get the idea - fill in your favorite 16 minute meals or 30 minute meals - or you could plan the same few restaurants every day of the week..

The point is - you do the same thing every week.

Pick stuff your kids like too and try to make one meal for everyone.  I know it's boring. I know you'll get sick of it...but...you know exactly what you need every week - your grocery list never changes - and your kids will end up eating better because they are able to predict what will happen. Not to mention...both husband and wife know what to make when someone gets home earlier...so it makes it easier for the family to eat dinner on time.

You take the stress out of the what to eat...and you end up saving money, spending more time with family, and just happier.

When my mom shared this tip with me...it changed my life.  So I'm sharing it with you now.

Hope it helps.

Xo,
Penny

Aldi vs. Schnucks - some data

Aldi's vs. Schnucks 

My husband and I work full-time. We have two kids and a very busy life. And expenses. Our goal is to find easy ways to save money every month - without feeling like we have a whole new penny pinching job!

I have forever been trying to save money on our grocery bill.  Sometimes our food be can be about $1,000 per month! I have tried couponing (worked for about a month...then I gave up). I have tried shopping at Costco/Sam's. I have even tried only going to the grocery store once a week.  But honestly, with two children in the house I often ended up making quick runs to the market and spending $20-$30 for one thing! Ha!

Today, I finally decided to try something new.  Friends and Facebookers have forever been talking about Aldi's.  Tonight, I decided to try it to see if it really is worth all the hype.  

I bought most of my groceries at Aldi's and then went to Schnuks to write down the price of the closest product on my receipt. Line item by line item. LOL it took some time.

I saved about $30.  I didn't have to clip any coupons.

Here are my actual groceries! And the price today at Schnucks for the same products. 

I can totally shop at Aldi's and make a dent in my grocery budget but not waste a ton of time. 

I am so excited to share this with you!!  Just remember to bring a quarter for the grocery cart and bags to bag your groceries. :) 

Item	Aldi's	Schnucks	Difference
yellow tomato	$1.49	$4.00	$2.51
Asparagus Fresh	$1.79	$4.00	$2.21
grape tomatoes	$1.89	$4.00	$2.11
organic ff milk	$2.95	$5.00	$2.05
bluberries	$0.99	$3.00	$2.01
chocolate milk	$1.29	$3.19	$1.90
Baby carrot	$1.19	$3.00	$1.81
cheese stick	$2.69	$4.49	$1.80
tropical juice	$1.29	$3.00	$1.71
strawberries	$1.29	$3.00	$1.71
string cheese	$2.79	$4.49	$1.70
Bananas	$0.96	$2.19	$1.23
Blackberries	$1.79	$3.00	$1.21
Red onion 2 lbs	$1.79	$3.00	$1.21
Moo tube (gogurt	$1.79	$3.00	$1.21
yellow onion	$1.79	$3.00	$1.21
Mayo light	$1.89	$3.00	$1.11
Orange Juice	$1.99	$3.00	$1.01
pure olive oil	$3.19	$4.00	$0.81
mini sweet peppers	$2.79	$3.00	$0.21
pringles	$1.45	$1.50	$0.05
Gold potato	$3.50	$3.50	$0.00
rainier cherrier	$4.00	$4.00	$0.00
peas	$1.00	$1.00	$0.00
sqaush	$1.69	$1.40	($0.29)
Flavored kernels	$1.99	$1.59	($0.40)
Total	$51.26	$81.35	$30.09