Money Matters, Update #1

I told you about my strategy to save money in October here. The plan was to spend $40 or less each week on groceries and household necessities. The first week I ended up overspending by $5, but I learned a good lesson. Instead of getting excited about bargains and coupons, I need to make sure that I purchase the key ingredients to my planned meals first. Below are the meals we cooked this week.

{stuffed shells}

{slow cooker boneless ribs with baked sweet potatoes}

{rosemary chicken with orange maple glaze and stuffed acorn squash}

Josh was feeling nostalgic for his bachelor days, so we had shake'n'bake chicken and stove top stuffing.

This week I slightly overspent my budget because I threw a small dinner party for Grandma Kregel's 89th birthday. It was definitely worth the little extra that I spent : ) We had spaghetti, garlic bread, salad, butternut squash soup, cake and ice cream.

Even though I have yet to meet my $40 goal, I have changed the way I approach grocery shopping. I go into the store with a specific list and food does not end up in my cart just because it looks appetizing. This challenge is going to become considerably more difficult once our CSA is finished.