It is September and with that means back to a routine and a schedule. I really want to be more organized, intentional and mindful of what we are having and spending on food this school year,  so I have set a budget of what I would like to spend weekly. You see friends, what I found was we were consistently stopping by the grocery store this summer and while it may have only been $20 here and $30 there, all those little dollars add up. Those daily trips to the grocery store was not only hard on our bank account, it was also hard on my waist line. Those little trips for one thing often lead to “Oh that ice cream is on sale, I’ll get that” or ” Oh chips, 2 for $5 that is a great deal, let’s stock up”. It was insane! Then not to mention the amount of food we were wasting was embarrassing. Friends, I am ashamed of what we were throwing out.

This is why I have made it a priority to be mindful of what we are eating and how often we are going to the grocery store. One thing I believe that will really help my family is to meal plan and be aware of what we already have in our pantry. I have created a list of a few ideas that can help you in achieving and sticking to a weekly grocery budget.

• Meal Plan. This may seem like a hard thing to do but really it will do you wonders for your pocket book if you decide what to eat during the week before you go shopping. This way you will know what food you already have and what you will need to buy and not have to make those unnecessary trips to the grocery store mid week!
• Don’t be fancy. I found that I wanted to make these gourmet meals throughout the week that my kids wouldn’t eat and then I would have to go and make another meal anyways. Stick to things that the kids will eat and are healthy at the same time. If you are making food that everyone will enjoy then this will also reduce the amount that you may end up throwing out.
• Eat before you shop. Friends, this is a tip that I highly suggest you do. I am sure you have all heard of it too, because you will buy the unnecessary junk food if you are hungry when you go shopping.
• Plan meals with your Slow Cooker. This my friend will be your new best friend. If you work outside the home, like I do, having to prepare meals when you get home is exhausting. Being able to walk through the door and already have dinner ready will a life saver, so when you are meal planning, make sure to include a few days of slow cooker meals.
• Shop Sales/Use coupons.
• Be realistic. Set a budget that you know will work for you and your family. This will depend on a lot of various factors. $150 per week seems to work for our family.

Monday: Oven Roasted Chicken sandwiches on Ciabatta bread with veggies on the side

Tuesday: (Family Favorite) Tacos with a side salad

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Chili

Thursday: Left Over Chili over nachos

Friday: Pesto Pasta

Saturday/Sunday: We leave these days for left overs 🙂

I hope you find this post helpful and if you have any tips to share or family favorite recipes, I would love to hear them. Please leave a comment down below, I love hearing from you.