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January 16, 2017 · Leave a Comment

December 2016 Meal Plan

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Meal Planning

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This is the first time I’m posting my meal plans after we’ve gone through the month.  I decided to start doing this because I do create our meal plan at the beginning of the month, but I will improvise as the month goes on.  It all depends on what we have on hand, what we’ve recently eaten, and honestly, what everyone feels in the mood for.  There have been some nights this month, where a quick batch of chicken noodle soup has really hit the spot, and it wasn’t on the menu plan.  It has felt weird, but it’s given me more accountability on what we really eat throughout the month.

december 2016 meal plan

Since I started planning meals once a month, I’ve saved a lot of time and money each month!  If you’d like to start making your own meal plans, you can follow these 5 easy steps I take to create our monthly meal plans.

Now before we get to what we ate throughout the month, here’s what I take into consideration when I plan our meals.

We’re a family of 5.  Hubs and I eat smaller adult portions, Bookworm {11} usually eats a slightly smaller portion than Hubs and I.  Then there’s Monkey {7} and Lady Bug {4}.  When you combine their portions, it’s about a portion size for Hubs or I.

I try plan from what I have on hand in the freezer or pantry first, but I don’t specifically do stockpile shopping.  After I check our pantry & freezer, I buy items that we need for the week and combine with coupons when possible.

I plan out dinner only.  Unless it’s noted, sides consist of a fruit or veggie, possibly a grain, and is based on what I have in my fridge and pantry.

We have one big meal each week.  If I make a roast, we’ll use it for our big weekend meal, and then use the leftovers as ingredients for the week’s remaining meals.  If there’s extras leftover, we’ll stick them in a labelled ziploc bag in the freezer to use at a later date.  I try to plan one meal of leftovers throughout the week, sometimes more.  It helps us clean out what’s in the fridge so we have less food going to waste.

Breakfasts are usually oatmeal, cereal, toast and peanut butter with fruit, cottage cheese and a fruit, or yogurt with granola.   It may seem limited and boring, but keeping breakfast choices simple makes it much easier on our hectic morning routine since Hubs is out the door at 6:30 and the boys are on the bus at 6:50.

Lunches are packed each day for Hubs and the boys, while Lady Bug and I eat at home.  Lunches are either sandwiches, salads, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, or leftovers as the main course.  It’s served with a fruit/veg, yogurt or cheese, a drink and a “treat” {gummies, chips, etc}.  Snacks, such as crackers and Nilla cookies, are also divided out at home and sent in to school in snack containers.

During the summer and fall, I freeze and can what I am able to grow and get cheap from local you-pick farms and farmer’s markets.  It enables me to keep what we eat fresh and local, but also limit our preservative and additive intake.

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Cheddar Corn Chowder
Leftover Turkey & Noodles
Leftover Cheddar Corn Chowder
Dinner Out – With Hubs’ family
Tacos
Ham, Gnocchi & Peas
Cheddar Broccoli Soup
Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Green Beans
Pizza
Dinner Out – Company Christmas Party
French Toast & Eggs {Denver ommlettes for adults, scrambled for kids}
Unstuffed Pepper Skillet
Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup
Slow Cooker Chicken & Rice
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Nachos
Ate Out – Olive Garden with my sisters after graduation
Roast Chicken, Sweet Potatoes & Oranges
Chicken Noodle Soup {with leftover roast chicken}
Holiday Meatballs, Green Beans & leftover Sweet Potatoes
Leftover Chicken Noodle Soup – Kids are leftover Holiday Meatballs
Snacks – Bolonga, Cheese & Crackers
Pizza
Ham dinner with my family
Christmas Dinner at in-laws
Ham & Potato Chowder {with leftover ham}
Dinner Date with Hubs – Texas Roadhouse {used gift card}
Nachos
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Ham, Potato & Green Bean Soup {with leftover ham}
Dinner at in-laws

Overall, I think we did really well on our spending for the month.  We had quite a few office parties, family get-togethers, and school holiday concerts come up throughout December, and it didn’t stress our meal plan budget too much.  The total we spent was $571.45, which made it under the $600 I really like to keep it under each month.

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makingcentsmatter

makingcentsmatter
Only you can determine what your financial goals a Only you can determine what your financial goals are. If that means you're adding money to your savings account, or contributing to your retirement, while you are paying off debt, then so be it!⁠
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Do what looks right for you and your personal finances.⁠
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The trick to meal planning is to make it predictab The trick to meal planning is to make it predictable. But predictable doesn't mean the same thing week to week. You could have a chicken meal, a soup meal, a pasta meal, a leftovers meal, a family favorite meal, and so on.⁠
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We always try to go with themed days, but some weeks are so hectic the theme is literally "fast". Thankfully that hasn't been the case lately.⁠
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I can only hear about my extended warranty I never I can only hear about my extended warranty I never purchased so many times. 😣⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #budgets #monthlyincome #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #savingmoney #payingoffdebt #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #monthlyincome #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom
March Debt Paid numbers are in!⁠ .⁠ House: $51 March Debt Paid numbers are in!⁠
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House: $511.13⁠
Citi: $0 – this has a residual $3 in interest charges since payoff, due in April⁠
D NelNet: $100⁠
K NelNet: $100⁠
K Chase: $600⁠
Explorer: $336.27⁠
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Total Paid in 2021: $8,258.84⁠
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Extra Payment: There isn’t one this month since we were $25 away from zeroing out the budget for our February 15th monthly paycheck. That $25, and monies left from our January 15th paycheck, covered our OOP costs for Hubs’ filling. We also have some savings goals coming up that need to be met, making our debt payments a little lower for the time begin.⁠
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My kids run off with my charger, plug it into one outlet 5 feet from where they found it like that particular outlet is the only one in this house, and then proceed to fight over who can charge their device first at night.⁠
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Then they get grumpy when it's their turn and it's not the proper input cable. #itwasmychargerfirst #dontlikeitgofindyourown⁠
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A needs his wisdom teeth taken out. I've talked a A needs his wisdom teeth taken out. I've talked a bit in our February Budget Check-In about how much of this I think we'll owe, and you can check that out on my YouTube channel if you're interested, but I wanted to say here...⁠
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To the mother with little kids struggling to get your finances in order, it will get better. I wish I could have heard those words years ago.⁠
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Nearly 10 years ago we were facing a $1,400 out-of-pocket portion for A's Phase 1 orthodontic work (I looked it up after I uploaded the video... we had a $1,400 portion).⁠
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It was a lot of money for us at the time. Our kids were 6, 2, and 3 months old. I don't think we even had $500 in savings, and I just left a part-time teaching job because it wasn't paying the part-time daycare bill, so paying our portion in full was just a dream I didn't think was achievable.⁠
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I was even stressing about the monthly $100 payments. We were so strapped. It was our breaking moment to start cutting costs and budgeting more effectively. We've learned a lot in that time period.⁠
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What we've learned is that it does no good to stress about it all the time. Life happens. All you can do is try to plan ahead, and if it's something that's unplanned, readjust. It won't always be easy, especially at first, but it will be worth it.⁠
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Nearly 10 years later, we are still paying off our debts. Student loans suck. But I see this bill as a reminder of how far we have come. Seeing a bill like this doesn't stress me out like it used to, and I know we can easily create a plan that can get it done and out of the way.⁠
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Will it delay our debt-free date more? Yes. But it's not worth stressing over. Life happens, readjust, and continue on down the path. It's called a journey for a reason.⁠
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It's almost payday! Here's how our variable budget It's almost payday! Here's how our variable budgeting categories are working out for the pay month.⁠
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Food is looking good this far into our paycheck, probably because miscellaneous - which includes eating out - took a hit with unexpected purchases. Pet is low for this time of the month, and Household is spot on.⁠
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Fuel looks like it'll be lower than last month (yay for weeks of snow days & delayed school starts), and Therapy had one more appointment than initially planned.⁠
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Garden, Dental, Medical & Propane are not included in these estimates so far because those expenses are coming from sinking funds. Once we're done with the month and review the budget, I'll move over the total amount spent from those sinking funds.⁠
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How's your paycheck budget coming along?⁠
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#realbudget #monthlyincome #monthlybudget #budget #budgetupdate #budgeting #savingmoney #variablecategories #savingmoney #savings #debtfreecommunity #debtfreejourney #cash #financialgoals #personalfinancetips #personalfinance #frugalliving #frugalblogger #budgetblogger #makingcentsmatter
Automating your finances makes saving money and bu Automating your finances makes saving money and budgeting more convenient, and therefore easier on you. Out of sight, out of mind, right?⁠
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What's one thing you can automate this week to make your finances easier?⁠
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Me? I'm going to set up our sinking fund transfers to automate every payday (the 15th of every month). Our bank set up a feature on their app where we can schedule savings transfers now, and I'm going to take advantage of it!⁠
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#personalfinance #personalfinancetips #budgeting #budgettips #personalfinancemadeeasy #savingmoney #savings #sinkingfunds #cash #frugalblogger #frugalmom #frugalliving #debtfreejourney #debtfreecommunity #debtfreeprogess #financialfreedom #makingcentsmatter
Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone a smidgen overboard this month!⁠
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I foresee a goal for March's paycheck to at out less than twice. That's where this category went awry. $99.16 of it went to eating out. 😑 Some of it was avoidable, but not all of it. Having to drive to multiple appointments in one day during snow squalls and rearranging our whole day was one of those unavoidable instances.⁠
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Tracking our expenses - much like a budget review - is vital to sticking to your budget!⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #debt #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #budgetcategories #monthlyincome #savingmoney #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom #expensetracking #budgetfail
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