September 23, 2010

Good Eats Thursday

It's the end of the month here at the Chambers' house, which means it's time to get creative with meals!  I budget all of our spending from the first of the month and, using the envelope system, pull out all the cash we need to make end meet.  Most of the time, I actually come out with a bit of a surplus, which allows me to stockpile if I come across a good sale, but this month, I'm just barely making it.

Now, before you start sending me cash in the mail (although, please feel free to do so (kidding, kidding)), know that we are not really scrounging around for cash.  I just like to stick to my budget and not dip into our surplus unless it's a stockpile situation. This month things didn't go particularly according to plan, so I only have $10 left in my grocery envelope to make it to the end of the month.  Think I can do it?  You'd be surprised!

I went through my pantry, freezer and fridge and took everything that I had into account.  I actually had what I needed for every dinner meal until month's end!  Score for having a stocked (and organized) food storage system!  I will need to run to the store for some fresh fruit and veggies, but other than that we're set until Oct.1.  I think we'll just make it...here's the plan:

Fri, 24:  We're having friends over, so I'll be making Thai Chicken and rice
Sat, 25:  Hamburgers on the patio
Sun, 26: Spaghetti Carbonara
Mon, 27: Breakfast for dinner
Tues, 28: Neighbor dinner - no cooking!
Wed, 29: Leftover night
Thurs, 30: Mini meatloafs and mashed potatoes

It's not exciting, but it works!  What do you cook when you need to use up your pantry staples?

2 comments:

Anna said...

Our standby meals are usually tacos (hard shell, soft, or salad), some version of pasta + tomatoes, feta, basil/pesto, and the most desperate: 'eggy potatoes.' (My mom used to cook cubed potatoes like hashbrowns with sausage, then pour eggs over the top to make scrambled eggs with sausage and potatoes. I skip the sausage, sometimes add spinach. But with some fruit it's a carb, protein, veggie/fruit complete meal!)

Those Dandy Dillards said...

I have a mini meat loaf stoneware over here that allows you to make 4 minis at once if you'd like to borrow it. It rarely gets used. I love a challenge like this - use creativity to get by on what you already have. Good job Momma!