50 Dollars a Week Grocery Challenge

Meals yesterday totaled 6.99.  I have a list for people to write down requests, so whenever I find I have a little money leftover, I add the next request in order.  That is why I get close to the 7 dollars some days.  We had so much leftover food yesterday, that we didn't even eat everything that was planned on the menu.  I just put it on a separate shelf that everyone can eat off of freely since the cost has already been accounted for.  Accounting for the cost of everything is very tedious, but it should get better as I make the same things again and don't have to figure out all the ingredients the next time.  We had free cornflakes for breakfast today.  I also got  2 free packages of bagel bites and some free soup at the store today, as well as some free spaghetti sauce, pasta, mac. & cheese, and eggs.  Using coupons and shopping carefully really makes a difference when you are trying to stay on a strict budget.  I am also grateful for the garden produce we have from last year to provide more variety.  I think the menu would be very boring if you bought everything at full price while trying to spend 7 dollars a day.  It takes a little more time to shop sales and use coupons, but I think the benefit is definitely worth the time.  Finding a store with regular markdowns is also very helpful.  We have enjoyed getting the Dole salad kits on sale for 50 cents.  Normally the store sells them for $4.00 which is too much to spend if you are trying to spend 7 dollars a day.  Today we had cereal, eggs, and grapefruit for breakfast.  We had leftover soup for lunch and for dinner we are having tacos.  I don't know if we will continue this after a month, but it is getting easier each day so far.