Contemplating a food budget revision.
Posted 01-11-2009 at 03:28:34 AM by thriftycj
I've set my monthly food budget at $250. $200 for groceries, and $50 for eating out. Just finished taking inventory of my stockpile, and I need to get to eating!
I have on hand, unopened:
Meats
2.75 # catfish nuggets
3 tubs Farmland shaved ham
4 packages Tyson 100% natural chicken breast
2 cornish game hens
2 # ground turkey
2 smoked sausage links
2 boxes stuffed chicken breasts (1 buffalo, 1 fiesta)
1 turkey breast roast
2 0.5 # bags cubed turkey from thanksgiving
3 pkgs. ground sausage
1 2# pkg. ground beef
1 # tofu (can you freeze that? i did and am now afraid...)
1 small boneless ham
Vegetarian Entree Items
3 pkg. Morningstar Farms crumbles
1 pkg. Morningstar Farms chik strips
1 box Morningstar Farms veggie cakes
1 box Morningstar Farms black bean burgers (plus 3 open boxes misc. veggie burgers)
2 boxes quorn patties
2 Amy's veggie pot pies
Vegetables (steam in bag unless otherwise noted)
4 bags corn
4 bags green beans
1 bag peas
2 bags spinach
6 bags mixed veggies
6 bags broccoli
2 bags Kroger garden blend veggies
1 pkg. sweet potato patties
1 bowl spring blend veggie mix
1 bag sugar snap peas
2 bags edamame
1 bag gingered carrots
Misc.
1 can maxwell house coffee
8 frozen bananas
3 pkg. activia yogurt
2 Pepperidge Farms mozarella garlic bread
1 pkg. Pillsbury whole wheat rolls
1 box kashi waffles
1 bag shredded cheese
Pantry
4 cans cream of mushroom soup
4 cans tomato paste
4 cans misc. soup
5 cans misc. beans
8 cans misc. diced tomatoes (some flavored)
3 cans tomato sauce
15 cans mandarin oranges (15 oz. cans)
4 cans tropical mixed fruit
6 boxes of good cereal I should eat
15 boxes bad cereal I shouldn't eat
4 misc. jams/apple butter (1 very large)
1 big canister brown/wild rice mix (used once)
8 bags pearl rice
1 # couscous
2 Falafel mixes
3 Near East side dishes
4 Refried beans
2 cans enchilada sauce
15 misc. Old El Paso packets
3 tuna pouches
5 boxes whole wheat penne
2 boxes whole wheat spaghetti
40 nutrigrain bars
15 soyjoy bars
25 pure protein bars
50 big 100/protein plus bars (in freezer for over a year, so pitching)
1 chicken parm in a bag frozen meal (okay, not in freezer, now on my plate
)
12 pkg. ramen noodles
1 canister regular cook oatmeal
Basically, I have a lot of food!!! I see some areas I need to stock up on... shredded cheese, instant oatmeal, quick sides (I like the brown rice pouches), But really, I'm starting to think I need to get to work eating down this stockpile a bit. January is a tougher month for me financially... vehicle property tax due at the end of december ($569), and my association dues have to be mailed by end of January ($305). Should I cut the grocery budget back until I get the stockpile eaten down some? The #s may not seem that high, but remember, I'm cooking primarily for me, and occasionally my sister.
Thoughts??
I have on hand, unopened:
Meats
2.75 # catfish nuggets
3 tubs Farmland shaved ham
4 packages Tyson 100% natural chicken breast
2 cornish game hens
2 # ground turkey
2 smoked sausage links
2 boxes stuffed chicken breasts (1 buffalo, 1 fiesta)
1 turkey breast roast
2 0.5 # bags cubed turkey from thanksgiving
3 pkgs. ground sausage
1 2# pkg. ground beef
1 # tofu (can you freeze that? i did and am now afraid...)
1 small boneless ham
Vegetarian Entree Items
3 pkg. Morningstar Farms crumbles
1 pkg. Morningstar Farms chik strips
1 box Morningstar Farms veggie cakes
1 box Morningstar Farms black bean burgers (plus 3 open boxes misc. veggie burgers)
2 boxes quorn patties
2 Amy's veggie pot pies
Vegetables (steam in bag unless otherwise noted)
4 bags corn
4 bags green beans
1 bag peas
2 bags spinach
6 bags mixed veggies
6 bags broccoli
2 bags Kroger garden blend veggies
1 pkg. sweet potato patties
1 bowl spring blend veggie mix
1 bag sugar snap peas
2 bags edamame
1 bag gingered carrots
Misc.
1 can maxwell house coffee
8 frozen bananas
3 pkg. activia yogurt
2 Pepperidge Farms mozarella garlic bread
1 pkg. Pillsbury whole wheat rolls
1 box kashi waffles
1 bag shredded cheese
Pantry
4 cans cream of mushroom soup
4 cans tomato paste
4 cans misc. soup
5 cans misc. beans
8 cans misc. diced tomatoes (some flavored)
3 cans tomato sauce
15 cans mandarin oranges (15 oz. cans)
4 cans tropical mixed fruit
6 boxes of good cereal I should eat
15 boxes bad cereal I shouldn't eat
4 misc. jams/apple butter (1 very large)
1 big canister brown/wild rice mix (used once)
8 bags pearl rice
1 # couscous
2 Falafel mixes
3 Near East side dishes
4 Refried beans
2 cans enchilada sauce
15 misc. Old El Paso packets
3 tuna pouches
5 boxes whole wheat penne
2 boxes whole wheat spaghetti
40 nutrigrain bars
15 soyjoy bars
25 pure protein bars
50 big 100/protein plus bars (in freezer for over a year, so pitching)
1 chicken parm in a bag frozen meal (okay, not in freezer, now on my plate
12 pkg. ramen noodles
1 canister regular cook oatmeal
Basically, I have a lot of food!!! I see some areas I need to stock up on... shredded cheese, instant oatmeal, quick sides (I like the brown rice pouches), But really, I'm starting to think I need to get to work eating down this stockpile a bit. January is a tougher month for me financially... vehicle property tax due at the end of december ($569), and my association dues have to be mailed by end of January ($305). Should I cut the grocery budget back until I get the stockpile eaten down some? The #s may not seem that high, but remember, I'm cooking primarily for me, and occasionally my sister.
Thoughts??
Total Comments 4
Comments
| | You definitely have alot of items on hand that make for some healthy eating. I think you could really cut way, way back. At least for this month. JMO! |
Posted 01-11-2009 at 05:02:26 AM by ELLE-TN |
| | Your stockpile looks really nice. Unless you run across free/really cheap food sales, I would suggest taking the extra $ that you save and put it towards your bills. :) |
Posted 01-11-2009 at 05:27:25 AM by ocean_brez |
| | I would try to just get the free and mega cheap items + fresh fruit/veggies as needed and recover from the high bills you had. Your stockpile is great! |
Posted 01-12-2009 at 01:27:21 AM by mommaof2kiddos |
| | Wow! You have quite the stockpile! And don't worry about freezing the tofu, I never eat mine unless I have frozen it and then thawed it out. Somehow freezing the tofu changes the texture and makes it "meatier." Try it, you may never eat it straight from the container again either |
Posted 01-12-2009 at 02:23:00 AM by mymy33 |
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