Meal plans

I have succeeded on four weeks, ( started right after Christmas for a trial run ) no spend januarynat 25.00 a week,   In fact, I am a dollar or so under.   Now, I did set aside a few dollars for stick items that were too kiwma oricemnit to restock because we were almost out and some food that we bought for charity,    Also, I am on a mission to learn recioesnfor bread that are easy and cheap.  

On to meal plans.

1. Chicken enchiladas, rice, beans
2. Pizza 
3. Potato soup, cheezy buns 
4. Meatball subs , veggie sticks 
5. Creamy pork hunters sauce over noodles , fresh green beans 
6. Salmon patties, fries, salad 
7.  Breakfast 4 dinner 

Proteins : 

Chicken breast - 1.79 

Pepperoni (1/2 package .25) some cooked sausage , cheese total 1.25 

Cheese ( .25) 

Meatballs in freezer ( 2.00) 

Cubes Pork from pork loin ( 1.20) 

Salmon canned ( 2.50) 

Eggs, .20, bacon 1.50

Total 10.49

To contrast, a steak in the mark down section  of Fred Meyers is 9.90 .   

This is  eating processed  meat twice in the same week, not something we do on a regular basis.  There are weeks where I don't schedule any at all.   

Protein is the largest food budget.    Finding protein less than two dollars a pound is the key.  It's doable, it just takes bulk, rotation buying.    A month to six week rotation coincides with sale prices and gives you the luxury of eating well for less.   It's cheaper, it's more efficient, and it keeps some protein in  the house at all times.    

Our list of meats are : 

1. 7 percent fat hamburger , usually 3.00 a pound,  if I find a steak irmother mean beef for less, we grind our own,   Make meatballs, hamburger crumbles, taco meat, maybe a meat loaf.  De- fat after you have cooked crumbles or taco meat. Portion control packages for the freezer.   Grouping small packages in a gallon bag makes storage more  efficient.  
2. Sausage.   Cheapest most of the time at around 8.00 for three pounds  at Costco.   Lately there have been coupons and sales on Jimmy Dean.   Fry and de-fat and portion control.   
3. Boneless , skinkess, chicken breast.   Our prices are about 1.79 for chicken from Idaho that has been frozen , or fresh from Washington is 2.28 a pound fir split breast,   Cut off and cook the rib sections for stock  and gleam the chicken pieces, and bag the breast individually , then in a gallon  bag.   
4. Pork loin .  The last I got was 1.49 at  Costco wholesale.  My target price is 1.69.   Cut the irregular ends off and make Pork cubes.   But some of the middle section into pork chops, and leave yourself 2 Pork roasts with the remaining meat.   Bag and freeze.   Pork roastmcan b e several meals.   
5. Dry beans.   Buy the largest quanity you can use before they go bad.   As of this posting, Winco had a bulk bag for the cheapest for pinto beans.   1.5 pounds are a dollar at the tree.   Refried beans in the pressure cooker are no fat and cheap.    
6. Cheese.   My target price is two dollars a pound.   You can come close to that at Costco.  I got two dollars a pound at Safeways,   Watch small packages.   Cheese can be as much as six dollars  a pound. Buying a block of cheese to be cheaper is not true.  A pound is 16 ounces, no matter what shape it's in.   We went to the factory.   They make cheese on large blocks. It is cut with wires a lot of 2 pound bricks at a time.   What is left is put in what looks like a bus boy tray and sent to be grated.   Many times, grated cheese is cheaper than solid.  We use more grated,cheese than we do block cheese.   Some people say grated cheese makes a better toasts cheese sandwich.   
7. Rice.   Bulk rice at sams club or Costco.   I store it on glass jars I saved from pickles years ago. You can still find them at garage sales and antique malls.  Winco has large buckets with lids.   You can also find them at small town bakeries sometimes.   

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