Random note about what I've been up to - I've been working on making a binder to help with meal planning and such...I've been working on it for over a week here and there.  I'm hoping to finish it by Friday so I can use it as my 52 Weeks of Organizing project.  :)

Anyway - I went to 2 different stores again this week to do my shopping.  Actually, I sent DH to Walmart to buy some meat for the week and I headed to Aldi for the rest of the stuff we needed.  I also had to make a quick stop into Giant Eagle for Diced Green Chilies . . . which Aldi didn't have.  I have to tell you that the difference from Aldi and Giant Eagle is almost intimidating!  I've been shopping at Aldi for most of what we need for the past 3 weeks.  I'll be honest with you - we are saving money.  A lot of money.  There are some things that we have found we don't like from Aldi but DH usually picks those things up with the meat or when he goes on a mid week milk run.  Giant Eagle did have Sunday papers on sale 2 for $1.01 - I got 4!  Lots of great coupons this week!  :)

I did really well with last week's menu and we didn't eat out or order anything all week long!  We even packed our lunches and took them to work - no subs or Wendy's last week!  I feel great about it, too.  You know what else, my kids didn't eat chicken nuggets once last week!  They usually eat them at least twice a week for either lunch or dinner because they are quick and I know they will eat them.  This past week, though, my kids ate what we ate.  The day I made the Black Bean and Sausage Soup my bigger kids mainly ate the salad and garlic bread, but even that is pretty awesome.  My kids had salad for dinner!  :)

I'm hoping to have a more detailed account of how much I'm saving and what I'm learning later this week for you.  I have to share this story with you, though.  When DH brought me his receipt for Walmart, I started breaking it down and discovered that he paid WAY too much for 1/2 of the pork chops he bought!  I told him that we needed 12 boneless pork chops for one of the meals this week.  He bought a package of 8 and a package of 4 to make 12.

When I looked at the receipt I saw that he paid $2.79 per pound for the package of 8 and about $4.40 per pound for the package of 4.  They were different brands . . . but holy cow!  We looked at it together (because I made him double check to make sure I wasn't crazy) and we talked about how it would have been better to just buy 4 extra and freeze them than pay almost double for less.  The cool thing is that he actually got it and started asking me about other kinds of meat and groceries we buy!  It was the first time I've actually been able to talk to him about the things I have been reading about and trying out.  In his defense ~ I'm a real pain in the butt when he goes grocery shopping...or at least I have been in the past.  He almost always forgets something or buys something that isn't exactly what I needed or wanted and it really irks me.  I totally understand why he would have stuck to buying the exact number or pork chops I asked for...but I'm learning to be a little more flexible, I hope.

Okay ~ on to this week's menu!