Back again. 

Doing a menu plan last week has helped. We still had take away one night, and I did uber eat lunch twice, so the budget spent on food for last week was probably close to the $550 mark, far too much (even for 6 people and 5 pets). 

The pulled pork was a bit hit and spread easily over two meals for the whole family and I had some for lunch on one day also. 

This week I checked the cupboards and actually wrote a list before heading to the shops. I am wanting to really make an effort to improve the food i am eating, eat less crap. So I have planned some things to cook for lunches also, since not many of us are sandwich eaters. 

This weeks menu for dinners - 

• Thai beef salad
• Pulled beef tacos (a recipe my daughter wants to me that she found on tik tok). 
• Chicken kievs and veg
• Chicken curry and rice
• Chicken wraps
• Fish and veg
• Salmon and cauliflower salad (new recipe to try out) 
• turkey burgers or turkey san choy bow - have ingredients for either. 

I have bought additional ingredients to make enough soup (Beef pho and a vegetable soup) to have for lunches also, and also have tuna and salads for lunch too. and if any left over, there will be beef and gravy rolls one day too, will have to wait and see as its a new recipe so not sure how far it will stretch). I'll make additional burger patties too as these are easy go to as I pre cook them and freeze them for reheating. 

Shopping was approx $390. An improvement so far on last week, though I forgot dishwashing tablets so will need to get them and will likely have to top up fruit before the end of the week and maybe a little veg. I also have additional fsh I bought and have sectioned and put in the freezer, so I have can have that when the family has the curry etc. 

 I was searching for a recipe recently and in my searches I came across this old blog of mine. What a trip down memory lane!

I spent a weekend reading through all the posts of my life. There were a few things that stood out. 

•  This blog runs from 2007 to 2012. There was a lot of time of unhappiness in my life during that period, especially 2007-2010, yet this blog is so focussed on my own self care and the things I enjoyed, and was all about me. I love that, sometimes I forget this side as it is easiest to remember the bad things (even though I didn't really document them) 

•  My life has only become busier, and quite different over the years, but this blog has reminded me of many things I truly value, and still do, yet don't follow as much. 

• My life has come full circle, when starting this blog I had young children - those children are now 16,18 and 21. Yet I still have young children, a 20 month old and a 7 yr old and this blog has inspired me to take time to share the things I enjoy with them more. 

So much has changed since I last wrote, but that is not for now. I wanted to resurrect this blog as a form of self care. So here I find myself. 

Menu planning has really gone out the window over the years, and the amount I spend on food each week is way too high, so I want to begin with documenting that, for me. 

Melbourne, presently, is 2 weeks into a 6 week lockdown due to COVID19 (aka coronavirus). This involves rules such as only leaving our house for 4 reasons, and not going any further than 5kms from our home, exercising for no more than one hour daily, and having no more than one person go out to the shops at any one time, amongst other rules. 

So this is a perfect time to menu plan right? Also a perfect time to work on bringing the food budget down. 

I am shopping for 6 of us (myself and kids aged 21, 18, 16, 7 and 20 months) as well as 3 cats (we also have 2 dogs but they belong to the older kids so they purchase their food and pay for any vet needs etc). 

Yesterday I went to the supermarket to purchase some ingredients for dinner. I ended up doing a full shop for one week. $465. Yes you read that right. It is far too much and in reality not even enough to get us through the week so will end up well over the $500 mark. I was attempting to think of things to cook for the week but i certainly was not planned properly, and I cant remember the last time I took a list with me to the shops so I end up purchasing things we already have more than enough of, or that we probably don't really need, any way I digress. Here is this weeks planned menu - 

Pulled pork rolls with coleslaw

Pulled pork tacos

Chicken noodle stir fry. 

Leftover spaghetti bolognaise (from in freezer). Fish and vegetables for me.

Chops (kangaroo for me) and vegetables. 

Chicken katsu curry.

Thai beef salad. 

My biggest downfall since we have been stuck in our homes is UBEREATS, it is seriously a killer on my budget and something I go to far too easily when i can't be bothered. So my goal this week is to not order through uber eats at all. 

Menu planning and organising

I am late posting the menu plan but it is done, I have a 4 week one on our new organiser board in the kitchen.

This week form memory (cause I am too lazy to get up right now) is

- Lentil shepherds pie
- chicken salad
- Fried rice and stir fry
- osso bucco and mash
- pasta (unsure if chicken and veg sauce or justa tomato and veg sauce)
- steak/rissoles and veg
- roast (whatever meat is on special when I go to the butchers mid week)

We've been tracking all spending in our tracking journal. The other half has been doing it diligently also which is good as he tends to be the one who spends more than rest of us. I think this will bring good change.

I was rereading over at lightenings blog about how she tracks and how she tracks backwards from what she has budgeted. This is what we are going to change to doing, going to draw up a new book.

I also did up charts for household choores/every day things needing doing and popped one on the new organiser board. There are alist of about 25-30 things needing doing every week, a lot needing done every day. Some days I feel I carry an unfair weight of the household duties and kids so this will hopefully inspire the others in the house to help. Its only been 2 days but everyone is enjoying adding their intials after they've completed a 'chore'

Its very late and I am constantly complaining that I am tired. Bed for me.

Budgeting

This weeks overdue task was to redo the budget. Re evaluate where we are at and address where we need to make changes.

Relationship wise we've been taking steps to see what and if change can work and if we can work together. Time will tell.

Back to the budget, it was daunting to write everything out, we included goals and ideals also. Now we have a plan. the next step is document all spending over the next few weeks/months and then reassess and see how accurate the budget is. Then we'll continue to reassess until all debt is removed (its not tooo daunting yet thank goodness)

So I will be browssing blogs for ideas and tips on saving money.

Menu Plan Monday

Well I've gotten back into reading others blogs along with trying to make the effort to update mine.
Over at Lightening Jodie is blogging her menu planning and her shoping budget betwen now and the end of the year. I too wish to do this but will work on that for Wednesdays as thats pay day here. But will plan for Mondays.

At present we are having our fruit and vegies delivered by Aussie Farmers Direct once a week and its a mixed box that we have no choice in, we also get all our bread and milk delivered by them and orange juice and cheese. Below will be this wednesdays delivery (I can download and see online so can plan which is good)




The above doesnt quite cover all that we use so I have to top up especially fruit.
What we have left over at the moment that needs using too.
Washed potatoes, a whole pumpkin, small piece brocolli, 2 leb cucumbers, 1 bag salad mix, 2 bunches bok choy, half cauliflour, 1 zuchini, 1 green capsicum, half a red and ahalf a yellow capsicum.
Meat already in freezer - 3 porterhouse steaks (small), 3 chicken breasts (reminder must get deep freezer repaired this week as under warranty!)
Eggs in abundance from chooks.

So with the above in mind my menu plan for this week will be:
- Chicken fillets and vegetables (tonight)
- pumpkin soup (will be had for lunches)
- Lentil shepherds pie (to use up lots of the vegies)
- minestrone/vegie soup (again to make good use of last weeks excess vegies)
- chicken curry (Joeys japanese one that will use the cabbage up)
- lentil/chick pea curry.
- Pasta with either bolognaise or meatballs.
- fried rice and honey soy wings.
- quiche (lunches)
- home made rissoles or sausages/vegies
- Thai beef salad (lunches)

(I'll keep the eggplant til next Monday to use in a recipe then of tandoori lamb casserole)

What I need to buy:

mince meat (kangaroo)
chicken wings (2 kilos)


More fruit - 3-4 kgs apples and 1-2 kgs banaanas.
Mushrooms
spinach leaves
tomatoes

additional
breakfast cereal
ham for lunches
rice crackers
tins tuna
baked beans
toilet paper
hot chocolate
lime juice cordial
tzatziki dip
ham
rice
tamari

Gosh that makes shopping look affordable, will be curious to see if it really works! I plan to budget $200 a week on food as we spend over that now! The aussie direct order is $76 each week so that leaves me $124 to get everything else.
I work from home and hubby is home in the midday hours so its good to plan 3 or more cooked lunches a week if possible. This accounts for the kids lunches also.