February Review
A quick review of February’s meal spending before we begin on March. We budgeted $600 and our actual spending came in at $850.
- Groceries $457.94: $398.36 was spent on our initial shopping trip (see February’s Meal Plan). The remaining $59.58 was for produce, milk and snacks purchased in the 3rd week of the month.
- Dining Out $264.92: We ordered takeout 7 times, grabbed a coffee to-go 2 times and Mr. Doughmaker and I treated ourselves to a frozen yogurt on Valentine’s Day. We got takeout for Valentine’s Day that we shared with our babysitters (Mr. Doughmaker’s mom and sister). That meal alone was $154.92 and well worth the fantastic Greek feast we received.
- Libations $127.14: Adult beverages.
Now let’s jump into March.
The Meals
A quick Google search can lead you to a recipe for any of these meals.
- Bacon Kale Sweet Potato Hash (double recipe)
- Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Spinach Quesadilla
- Slow Cooker Turkey Chili (Low Fodmap)
- One Pot Beef Stroganoff
- Pork Ribs
- Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes (Low Fodmap)
- Salmon
- Tacos
- Homemade Pizza
- Spaghetti
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Haddock
- Shrimp with Glass Noodles
These meals comprise our dinners. We plan to eat each meal twice during the month so we have to buy twice as much ingredients as the recipe calls for. We also added fresh fruits, vegetables, breakfast and lunch items to our list below as well as any miscellaneous household items we needed.
The Grocery List
| Dairy 4 dozen Eggs 1 gal Milk 1/2 gal Almond Milk 12 oz Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese 2 Mozzarella Balls 2 pkg Butter 2 bags Shredded Colby Jack Cheese 2 bags Shredded Mozzarella Cheese 2 cups Plain Yogurt 2 1/2 cups Heavy Cream Lemonade Noosa Yogurts Go-gurts Block Cheddar Cheese | Produce 10 Bananas Grapes Apples Clementines Celery Baby Carrots Strawberries Romaine Lettuce 5 Sweet Potatoes 4 cups Kale 6 Bell Peppers 1 box Spinach Cilantro Green Onions Basil 16 oz White Mushrooms 6 small Tomatoes Small piece Ginger 2 Lemons |
| Dry Goods / Spices Sm. Corn Tortillas Sm. Flour Tortillas BBQ Sauce (for ribs) 2 boxes Corn Bread mix Ground Cloves Chili Powder Turmeric 5 lb bag Bread Flour Mustard Caesar Dressing | Pasta 3 boxes GF Pasta 6 boxes Pasta 6 boxes Mac & Cheese 10 sm cans Tomato Paste 64 oz Beef Broth 2 cans Baked Beans 2 – 14 oz cans Tomato Puree |
| Meat Breakfast Sausage 2 lb Bacon 4 lb Ground Turkey 6 lb Lean Ground Beef 2 slabs Pork Ribs 2 meal-sized Salmon Portions 2 meal-sized Haddock Portions 4 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs | Snacks / Breakfast 2 bags Corn Chips Applesauce 3 boxes Oatmeal Nilla Wafers Pretzels Granola Bars Chocolate Yogurt-covered Raisins |
| Miscellaneous Paper Towels Diapers Toilet Paper Sandwich Bags | Frozen 2 bags Green Beans 2 bags Peas 2 bags Corn 2 bags Broccoli Ice Cream |
| Bread Peanut Butter 16 Burger Buns Lunchables |
Bottom Line
Mr. Doughmaker did the shopping at 3 stores for the month spending a total of $377.02.
If you’re curious here are those stores and how much was spent at each:
- Aldi $179.34– This is always the first stop for shopping as the prices are less than the large grocery stores
- Giant $127.27
- Target $70.41
New to the Blog?
If you’re new to The Doughmakers, check out our posts here and here for more on why we prioritize meal planning and how it kicked off our budgeting success.
