Monday Meal Planning (A Day Late)

So I'm already a day late with this post, and the worst part is that this week we meal planned on Sunday and I went grocery shopping that night after hubby and the kids were in bed (the benefits of a grocery store that's open 24/7). Also, this is a weird week, because I will be gone Friday through Tuesday of next week (so next week will be late as well). In the future, I will try and price out everything, but I'm not sure I even have receipts going back that far for some of this stuff.

I was going to do an introductory post all about meal planning, but that may have to wait for week after next, when I can actually sit down and wrap my brain around how I meal plan, including how to shop deals, shop your pantry/freezer/fridge, and so on. I'm also planning a post about a waste log, so stay tuned for that as well.

So without further ado, here is my meal plan for the week and how much I spent on groceries.

Week of April 9:
Monday: Freezer meal (White Chicken Chili, bagged salad kit, baguette)
Tuesday: Fish, brussel sprouts
Wednesday: Leftovers or freezer meal (TBD)
Thursday: Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Pasta (Recipe here)
Friday: Airport food/late dinner
Saturday: Dinner with friends
Sunday: Dinner with friends

Grocery Total for the Week: $17.61 (Savings: $8.56) at Meijer

Actual money spent per meal:
Monday: White Chicken Chili - free from hubby's parents, Bagged Salad Kit - $4.49 from Meijer, Baguette - price unknown from Costco

Tuesday: Fish - free minus fishing license if hubby catches anything, Lemon: $.79 from Meijer, Brussel Sprouts - price unknown from Costco

Wednesday: either pasta and pesto - price unknown from Costco, or frozen leftovers - price unknown from previous meal

Thursday: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts - $9.33 from Meijer for 6 (will freeze 2), Crushed Tomatoes - $2.00 (for 2 cans) from Meijer, Onion - price unknown from Meijer or Costco, Dried Herbs - price unknown, Penne - $1 from Meijer, Shredded Mozzarella Cheese - price unknown from Costco, Parmesan Cheese - price unknown from Costco

Of course, my total grocery bill was not $17.61, it was $56.78, of which $3.65 was for baby food (cereal and bananas), $13.28 was for adult snacks, $17.05 was for lunch items, and $5.19 was for drinks (milk and OJ).