Well, for the first time since March we have a whole week with no sports during the dinner hour!  So, I had time to think, plan, remember, and write about it.  And, its not such a repetitive list.

But, first the shopping.

On Tuesday I made a big trip to Stop & Shop – $100.97.  This was partially because we were having seafood twice (with sales & coupons) and partially because I had excellent bonus gas point coupons if I exceeded $100.  Gas points came out to 456!

See the small bag of rice?  It turns out that they no longer carry the larger bag I usually buy.  On Wednesday I had to go to the hardware store one town over.  It is right next to a larger Stop & Shop.  Turns out they still carry the larger bag and it was on sale so I spent $4.99 on rice.

This was birthday week.  On Thursday I stopped into my regular Stop & Shop for cupcakes.  Yes, I could have made a cake.  But, we have those who like vanilla and those who like chocolate.  By the time you make both of those and ice them, its simpler and not that much more expensive to just buy the cupcakes.

To resupply milk (and buy another cake for yet another birthday), I spent $59.79 at Wegman’s on Saturday.  The Cokes are because the twins need clear 2L bottles per their school supply list.

So, lots of small trips.  But, only $173.73 total.

And, check out all the real food!

Monday:
Ground beef with spinach – picadillo con espinacas
Cornbread
Spinach salad (for those less keen on the cooked spinach)

Tuesday:
Cod with swiss chard and potatoes
Leftover homemade bread

Wednesday:
Lobster salad sandwiches
Tater tots
Carrot sticks

Thursday:
Spaghetti & meatballs
Spinach salad

Friday:
Early: Chicken nuggets
Late: Homemade pizza

Saturday:
Pork pan-fried dumplings
Rice
Green beans

Sunday:
Take-out pizza

I was able to keep to limited stops again this week, which contributes to keeping the dollars spent down.

I spent $32.90 at Shaw’s and $149.31 at Wegman’s on Thursday.  Shaw’s is the two bags on the right.  Wegman’s is the rest, though apparently I failed to take a picture of the rest!  There was cereal, granola bars, applesauce, diced pears, orange juice, bananas, and tomatoes among other things.

That meant the total for the week was $182.21.

Soccer and baseball continue to keep our meals simple and quick, as well as increase the number of take-out nights.

Monday:
We had two baseball games and one child at soccer ratings between the hours of 5:30 & 7:30, so take-out pizza was it.

Tuesday:
Early: Hot dogs, applesauce
Late: Leftover take out pizza

Wednesday:
Early: Chicken nuggets, green beans
Late: Tuna noodle casserole

Thursday:
Early: Pancakes
Late: Take-out Chinese

Friday:
Early: Macaroni & cheese, carrot sticks
Late: Homemade pizza

Saturday:
All baseball was rained out so we had a rare dinner together: chili with cornbread.

Sunday:
Spaghetti & meatballs, tossed/spinach salad

It was a VERY light week.  And, yet we’re not eating out either.

On Tuesday, I spent $55.44 at Wegman’s.  Some of this is definitely vacation week supplies.  The ground beef will cover three meals, at some point.  I’m using a pound this week, and then I’ll freeze two two-pound chunks for future use.

On Wednesday, I spent $21.41 at Stop & Shop.  Chicken nuggets were on sale, making them a better deal than BJ’s.  Happily, Stop & Shop has started carrying our preferred pizza dough relatively reliably so I don’t have to make the extra trip to Shaw’s as often.  For better or worse, hot dogs are a staple of baseball/soccer season.

On Friday, I made a very small – $12.67 – visit to Stop & Shop, largely for bottled water which was on sale this week.  We don’t use a ton, but I do need to keep some around during warmer weather.

That brought me to $89.52 for the week!

The split meals are really starting to intrude on our lives.  I’m trying a new strategy this year of cooking some things that don’t have to be eaten right away so some nights we can eat the same thing even if we don’t eat at exactly the same time.  An example this week was the chicken pot pie.  The younger set doesn’t like the crust so I served their’s early without crust.  Meanwhile I put a second pie in the oven to cook the crust and three of us ate that about an hour later.

Monday:
Lemon chicken, wild rice with mushrooms, spinach salad

Tuesday:
Early: Chicken nuggets, brocolli
Late: Homemade pizza

Wednesday:
Pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots

Thursday:
Early: Chicken nuggets, green beans
Late: Stuffed peppers, egg bread

Friday:
Early: Hot dogs, carrot sticks
Late: Homemade pizza

Saturday:
Chicken pot pie, green beans

Sunday:
Tacos, corn

Despite a late week trip to BJ’s, I managed to stay almost on track.  With the low earlier part of the month there should be plenty of cushion to make it up.

On Monday I spent $49.44 at Stop & Shop, mostly for items on sale.  The juice was not on sale, but I used my raincheck from the sale a few weeks ago.

I spent $54.08 at Wegman’s on Wednesday.  This was largely a restocking trip and was intended as the only other stop of the week.  But …

… the bad weather on Sunday cancelled all the baseball.  So in anticipation of that we went back to Wegman’s on Friday for fish tacos ingredients.  I used that trip as an opportunity to grab some items for a few more nice dinners.  Our schedule has us busy at dinner most nights this coming week, but the weather might dictate otherwise.

On Sunday, we spent $158.38 at BJ’s bringing the total for the week to $331.08.

With all the activities come lots of split dinners.

Monday:
Early: Chicken nuggets, grapes
Late: Homemade pizza

Tuesday:
Lasagna, spinach salad

Wednesday:
Early: Macaroni & cheese, brocolli
Late: Welsh rarebit

Thursday:
Early: Hot dogs, applesauce
Late: Tuna noodle casserole

Friday:
Early: Chicken nuggets, carrot sticks
Late: OUT

Saturday:
Early: Pancakes
Late: Homemade pizza

Sunday:
Fish tacos

After a very high week, we’re back to a relatively light spending one.  I’d prefer this level out, but overall monthly spending has been ok.

I spent $63.09 at Stop & Shop on Monday.  This would have been higher, but they were out of juice.  Dole fruit cups were on sale.  I only had a manufacturer’s coupon for two so I was hoping that the register would spit out a coupon for more – which it did!

So, I went back to Stop & Shop on Thursday to catch the end of the sale.  Still no juice, but I got a rain check.  I got three packs of fruit cups this time because that was the number on the second coupon.  I spent $21.18, including the post-Easter sale candy.

Finally, I spent $74.82 at Wegman’s on Friday.  I wanted to make sure we had enough milk to get through the weekend.  I also took the time to grab a few items that I won’t necessarily use right away, but that we usually have on hand and need restocking.

That brought me to $159.19 for the week.

You can see the transition to spring sports (only soccer is really underway right now) in the menu.

Monday:
Early: Chicken nuggets, green beans
Late: Homemade pizza

Tuesday:
Spaghetti & meatballs, spinach salad

Wednesday:
Steak, baked potatoes, Brussels sprouts

Thursday:
Early: Hot dogs, carrot sticks
Late: Chinese take-out

Friday:
Early: Chicken nuggets, broccoli
Late: Homemade pizza

Saturday:
Spaghetti & meatballs, spinach salad

Sunday:
Chili, cornbread