Holy Cow I Spent WHAT???!!!

After saving our reciepts for the month of March, I tallied up what we spent in various areas. The one area that ARRESTED my attention was...FOOD. We spent a WHOPPING $610.41 IN ONE MONTH!!! To be more accurate, that included eating out, soda, and miscellaneous baby items such as diapers and wipes. (No, we do not use cloth diapers. Been there done that, with Mr.Dramatic and Mr. Independent, really glad we can afford disposables! Plus, now that we have to pay for water, not so economic to use cloth.)

Anyway, after resuscitating myself after my coronary, I decided that we need to do a lot better in this area. We could be saving $100 a month if we drop it down to $500 for food. $100 a month for a year is $1200 ...all from being more frugal with what we eat!

Now, the challenge will be for me mainly. As I am the one who prepares the majority of the meals here in the FITPH household. Frugal meals that still taste good and ones that the children will eat. This could be difficult as Mr.Dramatic is just about the pickiest eater alive. Mr. Querido blames me because I am a very particular eater. I know what I like and what I do not like. I am trying to be less picky. I am trying to be adventurous. But by nature I am NOT a risk taker. What is so risky about food? Taste and texture. I don't like onions in my food because they crunch. Do potato chips bother me? No. Cooked onions are even worse, slimy like a slug. I chop up onions so they are so small no one but Mr.Dramatic would be able to detect them. Either that, or I leave them in big circles so that I can pick them out...LOL! I am not a vegetable lover either. Though I have branched out this year and tried asparagus (liked it) and artichokes (liked them). But I need to get past the A's of veggies. I am diligently trying to incorporate more greens into our diet because A) they are good for our health and B) they are definitely cheaper than meat!

This weekend I realized that I had an overabundance of potoates (I kept buying them because I didn't remember we already had two other bags at home.) I decided to make a vegetable stew. Here is what I used:

5 Medium red potatoes (don't forget to chop out the eyes, but leave the rest of the skins intact)
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
A little bit of onion
Canned diced tomatoes
Clove of garlic, chopped
A cup of barley
Black pepper
Chicken broth
Lemon pepper seasoning
Cilantro
Salt
Basil
Thyme

Put it all in a pot. Season to taste and let it boil until all vegetables are tender. Serve hot with rolls.

I, the avowed veggie hater, LOVED it! It was hearty, healthy and filling. And it was colorful and inviting. Not to mention--CHEAP. I still need to figure out how much per serving it cost, but definitely less than if I had added chicken or beef. Also, as a side note, I usually do not do "throw it in a pot" stews very well. Usually, they turn out mediocre. I am so hoping that I can recreate this recipe with the same results.

OK, so all this to say that my goal for April is to spend no more than $500 for groceries (including diapers and toiletries) and also to include a lot more vegetable based meals into our menu.

Wish me luck!