The game
July 29th, 2008
I get an odd sense of satisfaction and pleasure from planning our dinner menus and grocery shopping. It’s like a game - what are things we can eat this week that will cost the least amount of money and be more than rice and beans?
My August goal is $200. This sounds like such a small amount, but I looked at our receipts for July and we spent around $240, not including the 4th. And this includes buying some crap we don’t really need to spend so much on, like $5.50 on a pizza when we have the ingredients to make pizza at home. Or the $7 bags of coffee we buy. At least the coffee keeps us away from buying it for $4 a pop (or drinking the swill at work), but it still seems like so much for something.
So anyway. My plan for August is to post our menus, grocery receipts, and out of pocket (OOP) cost. The costs will only be determined by what we had to buy this month, so if I end up making a meal with pantry stuff, the cost will be zero. Woohoo!
Got any cheap but yummy meal ideas? I’d love to hear them!
3 Comments Add your own
1. Brandie | July 29th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
We have lentil soup on a regular basis - lentils, carrots, and celery are cheap; beer and broth are the two most expensive items in the recipe. They add flavor, but the recipe is just as good without them.
Lentil soup:
*2 cups of lentils
*32 oz chicken or vegetable broth (water works just fine, too - add more or less, depending on how liquidy you like your soup)
*2 cups celery, chopped
*2 cups carrots, chopped
*1 bottle beer (optional)
*2 bay leaves
*salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
*Parmesan cheese
Put lentils, beer, and broth or water into a pot and bring to a boil. (The beer stops the lentils from turning an icky grey color.) Boil for 15 minutes or so.
Add celery, carrots, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese; freeze what you don’t eat and heat it for another meal, or take it to work for lunch!
2. Meg | July 29th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Funny! We have lentil soup a lot
Our recipe has a few different ingredients though. So tasty and cheap!
3. Brandie | July 29th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
It is - and it’s versatile - you can add in just about anything!
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