Oh hi, I’m that blogger almost always posts her meal plans on Monday but then dropped off the planet when she started writing a book. Yep, that’s me. So this is the final week of phase one. Unless I get hit by a truck tomorrow (um God can we avoid that one because that would stink for all sorts of reasons), the manuscript in its rough form will be turned over to the publisher for the “next step.” We have still be eating at home, in case you’ve wondered. I even had a slight nervous breakdown on Friday which caused me to re-organize all of my coupons (hey some people eat or drink under stress, I coupon) and save $47 at Meijer the next day stocking up for the next couple of weeks. I got a really good deal on applesauce (as you will see below). In my absolute insanity I have also spoke every week this month (sometimes twice), kept up all of my other writing gigs, and balanced a healthy social calendar, too. Lest you think me superwoman know that I also cried when someone hit a dog in my driveway, got dropped from a major magazine article that was supposed to be out in March (waaah waaaaaah), failed in a commitment not to eat dessert until Thanksgiving (it was good while it lasted), exercised very little, and cursed at my own stupidity for taking on writing 7 chapters in the space of three weeks. Somedays I feel like a rock star. Others, I struggling to keep my head above the water. I know it will all be worth it in the end (or that’s what I keep repeating to myself). Anywho, this afternoon I’m officially posting the meal plan for all the world to see. It’s not an invitation to dinner but it is a peek behind my crazy to see where the rubber meets the road in this whole frugality thing.
If I don’t have a plan, I know I’ll fail when it comes to best using our resources, money, and time without a meal plan. I don’t always follow our meal plan to a T but there’s a relief in knowing that we have all of the items to make meals all week long that we need. That way, we use the groceries we have and stay out of the drive thru (obviously saving money!). Regular meal planning was one of the many keys to us paying off $127K in 4 years. Simply paying attention made huge waves in our finances. Did you catch my segment on WTHR a couple of weeks ago? It focused on tips & tricks for meal planning. Check those out for some of my best tips!
Don’t forget I have a newly designed Meal Planner to help you in your meal planning and grocery list endeavors. And you can always find it (along with other great resources) on the FREE Printables Tab on Queen of Free.
Without further ado, here’s what’s for dinner on the Royal Table this week:
Monday:
Baked Potato Bar
Cheese, Bacon, Fresh Cooked Broccolini
Apple Sauce
Tuesday:
BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos
Guacamole
Black Beans
Apple Sauce
Wednesday:
Bacon & Eggs Brunch (Everyone is home during the day)
Dinner:
Cheese Pizza
Salad
Apple Sauce
Thursday:
Turkey Day! Gobble Gobble.
2 Dinners with Family 🙂
Friday:
Leftovers for Lunch (hopefully!)
Dinner:
Chili
Fresh Cut Veggies
Tortilla Chips
Saturday:
Leftovers for lunch
Dinner:
Chinese “Take-In” (So I rarely buy this stuff but Egg Rolls & Crab Rangoons from the box, people. Living Large over here.)
Chicken Strips for the Princesses
Fresh Cut Veggies
Applesauce (SURPRISE!)
Sunday:
Leftovers for lunch
Dinner:
Tortellini with Meat Sauce
Salad
Fresh Garlic Bread
Planning meals was definitely one of the biggest keys for success in our paying off over $127K in debt. Often I swap days or side items to make our menu plan work but the main purpose is to make sure I have everything on hand I need for meals throughout the entire week. The less you go to the store, the more money you save!
What are you having on your Royal Table this week?
Gain inspiration to pay off debt! Check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
