We are trying to live on a budget. We’ve kind of done this for a while, but not very well. There are different ways for people to try and better their spending habits, and for us, menu planning is a big way to do this. We shop once a week and we make our rounds. We used to go to Sharp Shopper first, then Costco, then Martins, Walmart, then Friendly City. Now we have more of a plan. I try to coupon, but it’s been harder lately, I just feel that the coupons aren’t as useful right now. So, sales papers are my best friends.
One thing I didn’t spend too much time on was meat. We bought it when we needed it and it was a stop along the way. Now, we try and only get meat that is BOGO free or at a big discount. That’s one big secret. The other is getting frozen veggies at the best price you can. Sometimes it’s $1 a bag and sometimes cheaper, but stock up when you can.
Anyway, to the planning… Sean and I have certain days we designate as days we cook dinner. Since he’s not home every night, I can make just a quick something when he’s not here. But I try to make something yummy for the night he gets home. We try to have this wrapped up by Saturday so we have the shopping list finished.
Here’s the menu! Maybe it can spark you to make a menu too!
| Monday | Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup |
| Tuesday | Tacos |
| Wednesday | Shrimp and Bacon on Polenta |
| Thursday | Perogies with veggies |
| Friday | Pot Roast |
| Saturday | Pork Loin |
| Sunday | Beef Stroganoff |
Life's Craziness 
Jess! I love menu planning. I usually peruse the sales page and base my meals around one or two meats, repurposing the same meat in several ways to stretch it through the week. An example of a pork loin week went like this:
Sunday: Roast Pork loin with Roasted Root Vegetables (sweet potato, potato, carrots, onion, garlic, fennel, apples)
Monday: Pork Stir-fry with carrots, chinese broccoli, onions, mushrooms, red peppers, and rice vermicelli noodles
Tuesday: Root Veggie Soup: Just cook the leftover root veggies from sunday with chicken stock, then blend and add a half cup half and half as well as nutmeg, coriander, and ginger, served with grilled cheddar, thin-sliced pork, and apple sandwiches on pumpernickel bread
Wednesday: Thinly sliced Pork and chinese broccoli soup with pork, chinese broccoli, mushroom, garlic, onion, sake, and chicken stock
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Pulled pork barbecue flatbread pizza–whole-wheat flatbread crust and topped with diced tomatoes, onion, red pepper, pulled pork w/Barbecue sauce, mozzarella, etc…
Great way to buy in bulk based on sales and you use up leftovers for lunches, etc. I like to see if I can get through the week on a food budget of $50. I also find that baking my own bread, etc saves a lot of money.
Good luck with menu planning!