Menu Plan Monday

We are back! After a bit of a blog break, we are now trying to post (much) more often here at the blog! Today we are starting off with a post that has to do with a strategy we have found helps us save a ton of money on our grocery bill each week. We used to decide what we were having for dinner each night that afternoon - causing multiple trips to the grocery store each week, and a lot of wasted groceries each week. When we tried planning out a weeks worth of meals at a time, we found that we did much better with our diets:) and our budget!

So here's this week's menu -

Breakfasts: (nothing formal - we grab what we feel like, and Connor eats whatever Grandma offers to cook him!)
Eggo Waffles
Cereal
Blueberry Muffins
Fruit
Cereal Bars

Dinners:
Monday: Grilled Turkey Keilbasa, Grilled Potato Wedges, Green Beans
Tuesday: (Golf Night) Sub Sandwiches from Wegmans
Wednesday: Chicken Fajitas w/ Rice and Salad
Thursday: Lunar Pizza(Family Recipe for Italian Calzones)
Friday: Barbequed Chicken, Macaroni Salad and Baked Beans
Saturday: To be decided

A few notes:
- I don't ever plan dinner for Saturdays, we sometimes go out, eat with family or friends, or else we throw something on the grill - easy. Plus, sometimes we have something pop up unexpectedly, so we have to change dinner plans. If that happens, we have that meal on Saturday.
-Lunch - I don't plan lunches because I know Brian takes leftovers from the previous night's dinner. I don't eat leftovers, so I keep a supply of yogurt, cheese, fruit, crackers, and the like in the fridge for my lunches. Connor and Grandma eat lunch at home - whatever Gram makes that day - PB and J, mini pizzas, homemade "lunchables", etc.
-Leftovers - Brian takes leftovers for lunch the next day. We don't ever eat leftovers for dinner. I don't like leftovers, and I have found its easier for me to make four/five servings of dinner - and send the extra serving with Brian for lunch, than it is for me to deal with leftovers in my fridge. We are really good with portion sizes and have learned over time how much food feeds our family for a meal - another budget helper.

Freebie Fun....

So, I should probably tell you all that I am a Coupon Clipping Freak....I love the forums at Hot Coupon World and A Full Cup. I scour my feed reader for new deals constantly and I can spend hours in Target, Rite Aid, CVS and Walmart with my coupons, searching for hidden deals! I love getting free trials and coupons in the mail - ever since I was a little girl I would RUN to the mailbox to look for mail - and now I am getting great stuff - samples, coupons, full size products and more, all for free! I thought this would be a great place to share some of my favorite deals and freebies with you - there are plenty of GREAT coupon and deal blogs out there, and I am not going to list everything that is available, but I did want to share some of the highlights of each day with you.

Brian is really great at finding these deals and freebies too, and we generally receive two or three products or coupons each day along with a great variety of magazines - we get Family Fun, Woman's Day, Weight Watchers, Golf Digest, Bass Master, Shape, Glamour, Taste of Home - a TON of magazines, all for free because of the deals we see online. In addition to the major coupon savings we receive, its such a great way for us to try out new products. Keep checking back for my favorite deals of the day!