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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

How To Feed A Family Of Five On Seventy Bucks

First: Rebel and refuse to go to the commissary on Mother's Day.

Second: Use all the eggs, cheese, peppers, and onions to make breakfast burritos, and give them to your people three minutes before you walk out the door to small group Monday night.

Hope that whomever brought snacks to small group was divinely inspired to bring much, many, mucho snacks.

Third: Make the Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos that you didn't make last week.  Watch the children turn their noses up at grilled fish, avocado spread, and Southwest Slaw.  Force-feed them one taco each (plus seconds for the most skeptical) before letting them fill themselves on tortilla chips and salsa.

Fourth: Break down on Wednesday and head to the commissary, with $72 and a challenge.  Buy:

  • The ingredients for Judie's Lasagne (this is the week I reveal her recipe!)
  • Three Red Baron pizzas (with coupons) and one box of Pepperidge Farms Texas Toast (to go with the head of Romaine sitting at home in the crisper).
  • A big arse package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, with which to make:
    • Ree's salad, also not made last week, additional ingredients also in crisper.
    • More chicken pesto pasta, which was a huge hit last week.
  • Baked beans to go with the bbq chicken and asparagus the WH will grill tonight (also not cooked last week).
  • No, I have no idea what we actually ate last week.  Don't even ask.
  • Almond milk, bananas, and a pineapple for morning smoothies.
  • Shredded cheese and refried beans and tortillas for after-school snacks.
  • Eggs, because you can only borrow so many from the neighbors.
  • Bread, because someone is about to grow and is taking two sandwiches each day in his lunch.
  • Q-tips, because, seriously.  I can't live without q-tips, and some people around here single-handedly produce more earwax than all the ears in China.
  • One Sweet and Salty Peanut Balance bar, because I thought I was going to drop dead while shopping.
Grand total: $72.52
Not breaking the budget: Priceless

4 comments:

  1. If this were a movie and not a blog post I would start the slow clap here! I'm so impressed! You've inspired me to go to the commissary tonight, because I too resisted going on Mother's Day and haven't been able to (read: haven't forced myself to) go shopping. I better make a list!

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  2. You're brave to go with cash! I'm going to have to try this too.

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  3. I am going to make a much longer comment on this later after I total what I spent on groceries last week. I will give you a blow by blow that will blow you away. I should blog on how to feed a family of celiacs for less than 1K a week.

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  4. Chrissy--Good luck! I want a full report.

    Tam--I dare you. Actually, it was much easier than I thought it would be..

    Kristi--no doubt you could teach me a thing or two. Do you want to do a week's menu for me? Is that even possible? How about I come to your house for a week so you can feed me (teach me) there???

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