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A Plentiful Life

Money Saving Tips

Meal Planning – Can It Save Money

November 9, 2015

Meal Planning

 

I usually like to make a loose plan for the week, it helps me to be organized and to also not waste food.  There’s nothing I hate more than buying food for the week and having to throw half of it out because it goes unused.  Lately I have been buying food each day, that way I am only buying what I need and there is less waste.

I am going to post my meal plan and will follow-up next week with the final costs.  I am aiming for $20 per day for 2 people, fingers crossed I can meet my goal!  I have an overall budget for the month and usually stick to it but I wanted to see if I made a weekly plan that I could really see the savings.  On average I try to spend $400 per month for 2 people on food.  Obviously some months are over due to needing oils or baking items or refilling the spice cupboard.

SUNDAY: Prep Day

Bake Muffins (12 total 25 cents each)

Make Power Cookies (20 total approx 40 cents each)

Already we have some healthy snacks at a fraction of the cost.

MONDAY:

Breakfast – Smoothie (Banana/Avocado/Bee Pollen/Flax/Water)

Lunch – Power Cookie and Yogurt (me) and Leftover Quinoa/Arugula/Nut Salad (Mark)

Dinner – Mushroom/Goat Cheese/Arugula Tacos

TUESDAY:

Breakfast – Juice (Apple/Carrot/Ginger) and Smoothie (Banana/Peanut Butter/Cocoa)

Lunch – Muffin and Apple (me) and Salad made with leftover taco ingredients (Mark)

Dinner – Power Bowl (Cabbage/Sweet Potatoes/Kale/Brown Rice/Chickpeas/Avocado)

WEDNESDAY:

Breakfast – Juice (Beet/Apple/Celery) and Breakfast Sandwich (Egg/Cheese)

Lunch – Power Bowl leftovers

Dinner – Homemade Black Bean Burger and Fries

THURSDAY:

Breakfast – Power Cookie and Smoothie (Fruit/Bee Pollen/Flax/Water)

Lunch – Black Bean Salad with leftover dinner ingredients with Homemade Lime Dressing

Dinner – Vietnamese Spring Rolls

FRIDAY:

Breakfast – Muffin and Yogurt

Lunch – Vietnamese Salad – Made with leftovers from the rolls

Dinner – Falafel with Roasted Vegetables and Homemade Humus

SATURDAY:

Breakfast – Waffles (reheat from frozen)

Lunch – Charcuterie Plate (Using leftover humus, vegetables and whatever else is in the fridge)

Dinner – Ramen Bowl (Vegetables and Homemade Stock – add protein and fixings)

SUNDAY:

Breakfast – Power Bowl (Quinoa/Mixed Greens/Roasted Nuts/Avocado/Poached Eggs with Lemon Dressing)

Lunch – Falafel Wrap with leftover ingredients

Dinner – Pizza (this is a use whatever is in the fridge pizza)

budget Food Healthy Eating Meal Planning money saving Organization Planning Week Ahead

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Comments

  1. barb says

    November 9, 2015 at 3:39 pm

    Looks good Tijana! Would like your black bean burger recipe and falafel and spring roll recipe!

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Tijana Popovc

A frugalista who hunts for great deals, try's her best to budget and navigates life as honestly as she can. I love thrift shopping, do it yourself projects, exploring the trails by our house, all the flowers, and spending time with the love of my life Mark.
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03.10.18 5 Years. 1. Our wedding dance. A random 03.10.18

5 Years.

1. Our wedding dance. A random, simple picture I saw on my computer. I feel like it could be a regular Tuesday night in the kitchen with Mark saying something funny and me laughing. Add in two toddlers, probably screaming for a group cuddle, just out of frame.

2. Second Date, 9 years ago.

3. DIY photobooth photos. I love these photos. We look at them every year. I always roll my eyes where I can see the night takes a turn and the backdrop is halfway ripped down, but it cost $40, sooooo...worth it. 

4. Evie, Poppy, and Mama. The photobooth was supposed to be an early surprise for our anniversary as the 5th year is wood. It's an old-school wooden photobooth that happens to be set up in North Van right now, but Mark got really sick. Instead, we did a girl date, had croissants, bubbly water, photobooth photos, and a craft session. 
 
I'm posting this early because I'm signing off social media for a bit. Life with two 3 year olds is full and takes a lot of energy. Marks business is thriving, and I need to be able to support in any way I can. Plus, if I have an extra 10 minutes, I probably should be doing some self care, not scrolling on my phone. 

✌️
Have you ever been shopping at your local Salvatio Have you ever been shopping at your local Salvation Army thrift store and looked up? There is so much to discover in the aisles above the racks. Everything you need for a fun and connected long weekend with the family. 

Games, puzzles, colouring, and more! I was excited to find a floor puzzle and a few games for our younger kids. All 3 games and the puzzle only cost $12! A great investment and definitely something that will get good use in our house for many years. 

Any plans for the long weekend? Going out of town or staying home, I would definitely suggest a quick stop at your local Salvation Army thrift store to discover all of the wonderful items to keep your family entertained all weekend long.

#aplentifullifethrifted #thriftstorefinds #thrifted #salvationarmythriftstore #thriftedgames #thriftedpuzzles #thriftkids #thriftkiddies
Last one, I swear! 🤭 Swipe to see the inside o Last one, I swear! 🤭

Swipe to see the inside of the rainbow cupcakes. Honestly, so easy, and they look great! Next time, I might reverse it and make rainbow icing and plain cupcakes, a bigger wow factor. BUT three year olds LOVE sprinkles, so this worked.

🌈✨️🧁
THREE! 🦄 🎉 🌈 I had a lot of fun with thi THREE! 🦄 🎉 🌈

I had a lot of fun with this one! Do you think I accomplished this on a budget? You bet I did! The only thing about being on a budget is that it can be a bit more labour intensive. 

I used cookie cutters again, which makes for easy prep. I cut out all of the sandwich pieces in advance and froze the rice krispies oncee they were made. The rainbow cupcakes I baked in advance and froze, so it was easy to take them out and ice the day of the party.

As for the decor, from the dollar store: 3 bags of balloons, 10 streamer rolls, and 2 unicorn felt banners. Plus leftover string, tape and a Happy Birthday kit, which included the foil balloons and rainbow balloons. Total: $32.50

Now that might not be the cheapest decor but when balloon garlands sell for hundreds of dollars, I think that's a pretty good budget
Yup, I'm that mom. 🫣😂 My kids will be embar Yup, I'm that mom. 🫣😂

My kids will be embarrassed by my enthusiasm one day, but until then, I'm bringing it full force. A few friends sent me photos, and I looked like this in most of them.
TWO! I thought we'd have a big party to FINALLY ce TWO! I thought we'd have a big party to FINALLY celebrate our girls last year but then another lockdown. We had a few family members, and it was nice, but I still went all out! 

Super affordable decor: cookie cutters, $1.99 plants, and butterflies (I think this was a set of 50 for not that much). I also bought secondhand butterfly wings for the kids to wear. 

The cookie cutter adds a level of fun to the food and a bit of themed decor to the table. Butterflies were easy to add throughout our house. Plants ended up outside on our front stoop afterward. 

PS I won the balloon garland! That would be a big party splurge.
The kids have taken over the bath! I wanted to fin The kids have taken over the bath! I wanted to find a nice storage solution for my bath essentials that didn't take up a lot of room. To find what I needed, I headed to the kitchen section of my local Salvation Army thrift store. You might not think the kitchen area is where you'd find bath supplies, but I was looking for something different.

I was so happy to find this heavy cheese plate with dome. It would keep all my bath supplies safe from small children. Then I fell in love with this terracotta pot for my Epsom salts, along with a porcelain spoon, simple candle, and small glass vessel for the matches.

The matches I found at the dollar store, they were long bbq matches, so I cut them to size and taped the striker onto the bottom. I love how it turned out, and I was able to use this secondhand glass jar in a new way!

Don't worry, the kids' toys are still there, I thrifted a small little basket to keep everything contained and in ONE corner.

#aplentifullifethrifted #thriftstorefinds #thrifted #thriftedbath #relaxingbath #momtime #selfcare #budgethome #affordabledecor
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