My Meal Plan Experiment: Part One

After reading for months about how everyone in the blog-universe does a menu plan, I thought I'd do an experiment.

During the month of April, I tracked every penny we spent at the grocery store. I divided it into categories, and really figured out where we spent our money. However, during that month, I didn't let that affect how I spent our money. I bought as usual, which involved stocking up on staples and spontaneously buying things for meals. I do coupons, but there were a few times during April that I didn't have them with me.

During April, this is what I spent on food for only two people. Not good. Note that we eat out about once a week - that wasn't taken into account.

Total: $300.12
Staples: $217.38 / Extras: $82.74

The second half of the experiment begins today! I will plan out our meals every Sunday night, and on Mondays, I'll shop for only what is needed. Hopefully, this will be cheaper and reduce waste. I'll let you know at the end of May how much money was spent, and how it compares. To be fair, I'm not letting this experiment affect what I buy - for example, if we want steak, we'll have steak...

Menu Plan for Week of April 30:
Monday:
breakfast - leftover quiche and canned pears
lunch - sandwiches
dinner - corned beef, potatoes, veggies

Tuesday:
breakfast - banana pancakes and bacon
lunch - sandwiches
dinner - taco salad

Wednesday:
breakfast - "salsa eggs"
lunch - sandwiches
dinner - roast beef, asparagus, roasted potatoes

Thursday:
breakfast - oatmeal
lunch - leftover roast beef
dinner - homemade pizza or calzones

Friday:
breakfast - poached eggs on toast
lunch - leftover pizza
dinner - fried rice, egg rolls

Saturday:
breakfast - pina colada pancakes and fried eggs
lunch - with my parents
dinner - with my parents

Sunday:
breakfast - quiche lorraine
lunch - grilled brats, corn, pasta salad
dinner - cheese & crackers, fruit, popcorn