Groceries for two for two weeks

It's no secret that groceries can be a big expense.. Whether you have a small or large family. It's also something that you can only cut back on so much.. You gotta eat to keep going!

However; you can switch brands, use coupons, ad match or use portion control in your favor. 

I do a little of each! But most importantly I ALWAYS have a battle plan. This helps more than anything. It's easy to walk out of the store with more than you really need. 

Make a list and stick to it! More than that, make a list, correlate it with a meal plan for that week to make sure you haven't missed anything (because runs to the store to pick up "one thing" never really happen)

Dylan has been the sole bread-winner for almost a month now and gets paid bi-weekly which means I have to plan ahead to make sure all our expenses are taken care of in a timely manner. Groceries are no exception.

Today, for the first time I made a two-week shopping trip. When it was all said and done I left the store with 10 lunches/dinners, snack foods, paper goods and breakfasts

Ignore my awful handwriting and scribbles. The point of this picture is to show my battle plan.. The list. This is the secret to the success. 

I know when I go into the store how much I've allowed to each item based off the brands I usually buy, I know what I need and where I'm going. Distraction is your enemy in a supermarket.. The "NEW" signs and "limited time offer" can easily become a stumbling block. 

Anywho!

From this list I got 10 meals. Let me show you how. 

Meals 1&2 

country fried steak. I buy a bag that contains 4 5 oz patties. We each get one and a half per meal. I serve it with the instant potatoes, corn and gravy

Meal 3

I used 4 of the chicken tenderloins (of the 8 found in a 1.25lb package) with the cream of chicken and crescent rolls to make a casserole which I serve with green beans

Meal 4

I used 2 chicken tenderloins and made my own chicken strips to serve with Mac and cheese

Meal 5&6

From one pound of ground beef I can make 4 hamburger patties which is two meals for us, 1 each. I seve them on a roll with potato wedges

Meal 7

With the shell noodles, bacon bits and Alfredo sauce I make a simple pasta dish

Meal 8

I always keep mayo and other condiments at home so to make a tuna salad sandwich all I had to buy was tuna! Once again, this is served with potato wedges

Meal 9

Grilled chicken and orzo (had some orzo at home from last week) or you could use the left-over shell noodles and Alfredo 

Meal 10

Mac and cheese with bacon bits

The cereal makes a quick breakfast, I almost always have eggs and bread so it's no big deal to make a French toast bake. 

The cake mix and icing was for our gender reveal this weekend in case you're trying to find how I used that..

Brands:

Paper towels- price first

Toilet paper- angel soft

Great value- cream of chicken, potato wedges, green beans and corn, gravy, cereal, Alfredo, shell noodles, crescent rolls and bacon bitsv

Tuna- star list (2 for around $1.00)

Hawaiian rolls (I buy the small package with 4 since we are only two people in case you were wondering how it was only $1.00)