Summer break is here! We’ve got all sorts of adventures planned, you can check out some of our adventures here.

This week’s post is a little different. In addition to the usual info and links, I wanted to address something that’s been very in our faces a lot lately: inflation and the struggle to purchase enough groceries on a budget.  In the city I live in there are two large major chain grocery stores: Vons, and Food 4 Less. There’s also a Grocery Outlet, Sprouts, and a target which has some food but honestly, I probably couldn’t shop there for everything (their produce selection leaves a lot to be desired),

Because of this, I have to shop at more than one store to get everything on our list and stay within our budget.

Saturday I went to Vons, because I had a $10/$10 coupon that was expiring soon. And I will always take $10 in free groceries. I decided to spend it on produce because we’re not getting our CSA box right now. I figured $10 probably wouldn’t go too far, so I checked all of my apps to see if there were any deals or sales or cashback on products. There were a couple deals within the Vons App (free bell pepper, salad kit personalized price) that I took advantage of. 

So here is what I got: 

• 2 lb box of Strawberries 
• 4 Bananas 
• 1 lemon
• 1 large bag Kale Salad 
• Eclipse Dairy Free dessert

I had a coupon from social nature for Eclipse dairy-free dessert, and there was an Ibotta offer as well. So, not only was it free, but I got $3.50 back

Overall, this trip to the grocery store cost me $.89 after the Ibotta rebate, $10/$10 coupon, and coupons/deals in the app. 

I am trying to be more cost-conscious when it comes to going to the grocery store. And if you know me in real life or follow me for any amount of time you know that I’m already pretty frugal. We will be primarily eating out of the pantry/freezer this week, I have a few dream dinners left that we will be making for this week, and I will also be taking advantage of the few cupboard meals that we keep on hand. I made chicken soup in the crockpot over the weekend, and that will be good for at least two or three meals for the whole family- probably lunches.

No CSA boxes until the weather cools down and I can be home when the boxes are delivered. With the heat and the lack of shade on my patio, if we aren’t home when it’s delivered, some of the more delicate foods can spoil.

We’ve been trying a lot of new foods lately, thanks to the really great freebies from Social Nature lately too. It’s fun to try new foods.

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids. They are also into fruit and bagels for breakfast. Lately, the big kid has been digging protein shakes in the morning. This is his favorite kind. 

Lunch: I have a plastic tote in the cupboard full of self-serve snacks. I buy treats and snacks in bulk and fill up snack-sized zip-top bags. This is really helpful for the summer when for some reason, kids are starving all the time. The kids get free lunch at summer school too!

Dinner: We finished our last Dream Dinner last week! I’ll be ordering more next month once the new menu comes out. I’m trying to get us to eat together as a family more often and get the kids into eating more fruits and veg, so you’ll notice that our meals are pretty simple this week.

• Monday: Nuggets, fruit, cheese & crackers

• Tuesday: Buffalo Chicken quesadillas, veggies, fruit, chips

• Wednesday: Chicken Corn Chowder, Sourdough bread and butter

• Thursday: Peach Bourbon Chicken, Green Beans, Noodles or Rice

• Friday: Takeout night!
• Saturday:  Leftovers
• Sunday:   Salsa Chicken, Rice, Beans, Salad