My first attempt

Week 1 is off to a great start. I spent a few hours this morning taking stock of my pantry and freezers. Noting the foods that are staples for each family member. Then I put a menu together. Here are this weeks meals:
chicken and dressing (courtesy of Lugene)
chicken tacos with rice
fish, corn on the cob, and cornbread
french dip sanwiches with homemade fries

I gathered up my lists and headed out. Ed was super dad and watched the boys today. This allowed me to carefully deliberate on each item, write down their cost, and keep a running total so I wouldn't over reach my budget.

I also noted some items that we would need in the next few weeks and their cost at each store so I could find the best deal. I wonder how much money I've been throwing away by just shopping in one place and not thinking twice about it. For example, we go through 1 package of bacon a week. Normally 3.78(note this is even the off brand) at walmart. Today I grabbed the 3 pack at Sams. This totalled 8.52. This will last 3 weeks. So this week I only spent 2.84. That is a .94 savings a week nthat totals up to 48.88 a year. Oh my heavens!

Here is a breakdown of my receipts. At first glNce it seems I have failed the mission. But, I also shopped for a craft project (3.94), Ed's coffee club (42.99), and household goods (24.66). I'm also going to subtract the cost of items bought in bulk that will be used for later meals (5.08). With that being said...
Walmart-36.29
Sams-86.61
Savealot-4.06
total=126.96
minus other-77.27
grand total====49.69!!!!

I MADE IT!!!!

Now on to the cooking and cleaning part of my day 