Time to Problem Solve

Let me follow up to my previous post... it's time to problem solve. To sit down and look at the (rough) numbers and figure out where to cut, what to cut, and how to cut. This should be fun. There are several areas in our budget that are what we call "nonnegotiables": things like the mortgage, light bill, water, insurance, ect. Things we can't change right now even if we wanted to. But one of the areas we can change is our FOOD!

I actually like to cook and so sometimes I get excited over making a particular meal and will spend extra money to get stuff to make something that I didn't plan on cooking. This has gets to stop. From now on I GET to become an expert at meal planning.

In the past I attempted to meal plan to help loose weight, now I get to meal plan to save money! So feel free to join in, give me recipes, advice, tips, whatever! I am open for suggestions. Here is my week 1 of meal planning  this week will be using up a lot of the food I have in the freezer and veggies from my dad's garden (keep in mind E doesn't eat much table food so he also will have to have baby food):

Breakfast:
cereal
 smoothies
 yogurt with fresh fruit
eggs and toast

Lunch:
PB & honey sandwich with fruit and carrot sticks
leftovers
salad with turkey breast

Dinners:
 Teryaki Chicken and Fried Rice
My cousin Jill's Breakfast Pie (I'll post the recipe- you will probably LOVE it) with a green salad
Meatloaf with mashed potatoes (from my dad's garden) and brussel sprouts
Family dinner for July 4th
Mini Meatball Sandwich with oven fries (with the same potatoes)

Snacks:
*These are mainly for E*
peanut butter crackers
Nutrigrain (or the off brand) bars
cheese
fruit

I will keep you posted on how this goes! HERE'S TO PROBLEM SOLVING!

Also besides making some cuts in the budget I am going to really be utilizing my Mary Kay business to provide for my family. So if you are interested in hosting a party (or want to refer me to someone who may be) please let me know. I have some awesome hostess rewards! :)