March Review
A quick review of March’s meal spending before we begin on February. We budgeted $600 and our actual spending came in at $719.71.
- Groceries $426.92: $377.02 was spent on our initial shopping trip (see March’s Meal Plan). The remaining $49.90 was for produce, milk and snacks purchased in the 3rd week of the month.
- Dining Out $149.38: We ordered takeout 2 times, grabbed donuts for breakfast 2 times, and took 4 trips for Italian ice and ice cream.
- Libations $143.41: Adult beverages.
Now let’s jump into April.
The Meals
A quick Google search can lead you to a recipe for any of these meals.
- Quiche with Ham, Spinach and Broccoli (using leftover ham from Easter)
- Homemade Pizza
- Pasta with Broccoli Pesto (one of the kids’ favorites)
- Pasta Carbonara (Low Fodmap)
- Mediterranean Rice Salad (Low Fodmap)
- Slow-Cooker Chicken Curry with Homemade Buss Up Shut
- Sweet Potato Chips, Kale and Sunny-side Up Eggs
- Chicken Strawberry Salad with Homemade Dressing
- Ribs with Steak Fries
- Grilled Chicken Legs
- Slow-Cooker Rosemary Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Spaghetti
- Quinoa Crusted Chicken Parmesan
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 1 pint Heavy Cream 8 oz Cream Cheese 8 oz Whipped Cream Cheese 2 cups Shredded Cheddar 2 cups Shredded Mozzarella 2 Mozzarella Balls 3 Parmesan Wedges Juice Whipped Cream | Snacks / Breakfast Oatmeal Pop Tarts Noosa Yogurt Cereal Go-gurts Yogurt Pretzels |
| Dry Goods / Spices 1 canister Raisins Agave 1 cup Almonds 1 cup Potato Starch Italian Seasoning 2 cups Coconut Milk | Pasta 1 lb Casarecce 1 lb Fusilli Brown Rice 8 cups (cooked) Quinoa 8 cans San Marzano Tomatoes 4 cans Chickpeas |
| Meat 1 lb Bacon 14 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts 8 Chicken Legs 2 Racks Ribs 2 lb Ground Turkey 6 lb Bone-in Chicken Thighs | Bread Bagel Flour Tortillas |
| Miscellaneous Loofahs Face Wash | Frozen Ice Cream Frozen Veggies |
| Produce 8 heads Broccoli 2 boxes Spinach 1 bunch Green Onions Lemons Fresh Rosemary 1 bag Big Carrots 1 head Kale Fresh Mint Fresh Parsley Cherry Tomatoes 4 large Sweet Potatoes 8 Bell Peppers 32 oz Spring Mix 32 oz Strawberries Celery Basil 2 lb Potatoes Bananas Apples Grapes |
Bottom Line
Mr. Doughmaker did the shopping at 3 stores for the month spending a total of $321.53.
If you’re curious here are those stores and how much was spent at each:
- Aldi $167.35– This is always the first stop for shopping as the prices are less than the large grocery stores
- Giant $130.21
- Target $23.97
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.
