Menu Monday- Freezer Cooking Round 2

And couponing round 1.

So, in recap, the freezer cooking worked SWELL!  So I thought I'd give it a go again, only this time for 3 weeks (to close out the month).

So, step 1- I decided to try couponing as well.

It was a miserable failure.  For various reasons-
#1- I don't have newspapers.  Only the circulars they deliver every now and then.
#2- I dropped a few of my coupons in store... Oops.
#3- My printer decided to turn satanic and spew out 200 pages of coupons, wasing tons of ink and paper.  Along with time and dignity... How does that look when I tell husband I'm trying to save money?  Oh and the coupons... They were repeats.  A lot of them.
#4- I gotta learn my grocery stores.

Step 2- buy groceries.  MISERABLE FAILURE

I went to 4 stores.  FOUR.  That is like... way too many, people.  I first went to Aldi.  I've heard raves.  I was disappointed.  I think it might just be my aldi, though, so I'll probably research and try again.  They barely had anything.  I spent $14.  I then went to Meijer.  Again, raves on prices.  And cheap chicken.  I was actually able to buy most of the items I needed.  And in truth, I think I saved money merely because of Meijer.  But either I don't know the store well (I don't) or they just suck sometimes because they didn't have some certain items I needed.  Like egg whites.  Or Bob Evans Mac N Cheese.  And Green Peppers (who sells produce without green peppers?  Maybe I missed them somewhere).  So the remaining 2 stores (walmart and kroger) were my solution to the missing items.

It was a frustrating day, but I will improve.  And if I had more than 3 coupons I probably would have saved more.  In the end I was still over budget, but by way less than normal.

So step 3- Prepare.  I passed this with flying colors.

I made a list of all the food that needed to be made.  I marked off items that had to be made fresh the day of.  I then made 4 lists of what needed to be done- prep work, cooking (stove top), baking (oven), and assembly.  In each one I numbered them in a reasonable order.  Then, I took my 4 lists, and combined them into 1 big list in a numbered order.  I tried to guestimate how much time each would take and lay out a plan that wouldn't overwhelm me at some points but leave me waiting on a timer at others.

Step 4- execute.  And execute I did.  It was smooth, easy, and QUICK!  3 hours for 3 weeks (not counting thanksgiving!).

Menu:
Monday- Maple Glazed Chicken with rice, carrots, and green beans
Tuesday- Spaghetti with rolls, corn, and peas
Wednesday- Leftover spaghetti
Thursday- Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, and Green beans with a mushroom gravy
Friday- Leftover pork chops
Saturday breakfast- Cinnamon Rolls, Eggs, Fruit smoothies
Saturday- Leftover pork chops (we love this meal.  It's our fave).
Sunday breakfast- Biscuits, eggs, sausage (or bacon)
Sunday dinner- Pot Roast, Potatoes, Carrots

AND I'm linking up here.  Sorry this post is so long!