Step 2...

I cleaned out the freezer, there was a lot of stuff in there just taking up space. I am much happier with how it looks now. Instead of digging around and being irritated at what's in there I can actually find stuff, and there is plenty of space for the frozen meals. I froze some fresh berries that are in season and on sale, so when the fall comes we'll have some that we can use. Smoothies seem to be Maia's new favorite thing. She is using the Magic Bullet almost all by herself. We used the Yoplait smoothie mixes from the freezer section, but they were just "fun." I think from now on I will freeze some of my own yogurt cubes and use the fresh fruit we already have frozen.

I have rearranged the pantry, but it still needs work. The pantry will just be the way it is for a while. Nothing that impacts "my plan." I will tackle that once I get throught he freezer meals.

On to STEP 2 - I have gone to the grocery store and bought my supplies for dinner and some lunches to take me through to Monday night. I doubled the spaghetti and the chili. So when I cook that on Sunday and Monday, I can just freeze the leftovers.

Here is my weekly plan...

Thurs. - We were supposed to have Bratwurst with potatoes tonight, but Danny decided he needed to run some errands and we went out to eat afterwards. I just put the Brats in the freezer so I can pull them out next week or the week after.

Fri- MIL's birthday - We are headed out to eat again, so I didn't buy anything for Friday night.

Saturday - Lunch - Pepperoni Rolls with a side of Fresh Pineapple
Dinner - Tacos - Hard and Soft with tomatoes and lettuce, and refried beans

Sunday - Lunch - Sandwiches and Fruit
Dinner - Spaghetti with Garlic Bread (Doubled for #1 freezer meal post-preg)

Monday - Lunch - Cheeseburgers
Dinner - Chili with Cornbread (Doubled for #2 freezer meal post-preg)

While shopping for groceries I bought 6 freezer containers that will go from the freezer to the oven, and are disposable, but can be reused if they hold up. Gladware - 3-pk for $6. I probably could have got a better buy at Wal-mart, and not Homeland, but I was using coupons, and Homeland still doubles. Yay!! I didn't want to have to run to another store just for a small savings. Overall I spent $139, but that included lots of fruit for snacks, plus cereal, milk, bread, and the $12 for the freezer containers. It was higher than what I normally spend for less than a week of groceries, but I am pretty sure I overbought on hamburger, so it will all work out in the end. When I buy ground beef I buy the biggest pack at the best price, and freeze in smaller portions. Since I was doing hamburgers, chili (doubled) and spaghetti (double) I bought two big packs. In hindsight, I have enough for a lot more than that.

I am a bit bored with my meal plan for this upcoming long weekend, but I will post some pictures and recipes when I make them. I feel pretty good about the start I have towards the freezer meals for when the baby comes. I also have my meal plan for next week all laid out and ready to shop for. I will hunt a few coupons, get them printed, and I will be ready to roll. Blogging about my plans makes it easier not to fail at it.

Thanks for reading my blog...let me know if you have any suggestions :) I plan to get better at "saving money" with eating at home. We got really lazy for a while and were eating out a lot. We decided at dinner tonight that we are going to do our best to put more money in savings and spend less money on frivolous things. I realize the irony in having this discussion at dinner, but you have to start somewhere. I am terrible at thinking for the future...but I can do it. At least I am going to do my best. I am very much a "live in the moment" kind of a girl. Danny is the exact opposite. Which is good because if both of us were "live in the moment" we would have a bunch of bills and things we don't need. We are a good balance for each other. I let him "cut loose" and enjoy fun just for the fun of it, and he brings me back to reality so we don't go overboard.

Who uses coupons? What's your best way to save money using them? This is fairly new to me, and I want to get better at it. Let me know your tricks...