WWS & WWA | June 20th - June 26th

What We Spend (WWS) and What We Ate (WWA) is a recap of our weekly grocery spending and meals. 

You will noticed that WWS does not always align with WWA. That's because we buy primarily what's on sale, along with some fresh items, and pull the rest from our pantry or freezer stock. These sale items go into the stock rotation. 

Be sure to check out my first Budget Grocery Shopping Fundamentals post to learn more about my approach to meal planning and grocery budgeting!

Blueberry Breakfast Cake that I made for family.

Prep & Plan Recap

This week did not go quite as planned, which is fine, the goal of prepping is to build in a little flexibility!

Some items, such as the Shepard's Pie, was pushed off one more weekend, as Father's Day was to hot to turn the oven on. Instead I picked up fixings for Italian Sandwiches and we had a make your own spread that served eight plus lots of leftovers.

Instead of finishing the weekly prep Monday night (I was to exhausted Sunday to do much), I ended up cooking two casseroles, a blueberry cake, biscuits, and burritos for a family member who lost a spouse unexpectedly. I was able to pull all the ingredients I needed from my freezer and pantry, and only picked up three things to round out the meals (tortillas, eggs, and milk).

I was able to use most of the ingredients in my fridge that needed using-up this week, the only casualty being the small head of broccoli which turned quicker than expected.

I am still working out the best format for accurately reflecting our prep and plan vs. what we spend and what we eat in a week, since it is not a direct correlation, so please bear with me!

First attempt at shallow-fried fries, they came out pretty good!

What We Spent | June 20th - June 26th, 2020

This week we made the last minute decision to switch to Italian Sandwiches for Father's Day since it was mega hot out. Additionally, I made multiple meals for a family member whose spouse had passed. Most of the shopping this week is reflective of those two unexpected events.

Dollar Tree

• 2 packages of 12 Tortilla - $2
• 1 jar Banana Peppers - $1
• 1 dozen Medium Eggs - $1
• 6pk. Philly Swirl Cotton Candy Popsicles- $1
• 14oz. package of Gnocchi - $1
• 2 cans Black Olives - $2
• 12oz. Package Lasagna Noodles - $1
• Loaf of Country Kitchen Bread - $1

Total: $10

Shaw's

• 0.92lbs. Green Beans - $0.82 ($0.87/lb store sale)

Total: 

Market Basket

• Cooked Deli Ham - $12.69 (3.18/lbs)
• Green Bell Peppers - $3.17 ($1.49/lb)
• Red Bell Peppers - $2.83 ($1.49/lb)
• 2 5lbs bags Russet Potatoes - $5
• Bag of Limes - $1.99 (about 15 limes)
• 1 Red Onion - $.78
• 2 Cream Cheese 8oz. Blocks - $2.50
• Fresh Shredded Parm 8oz. - $2.50
• 1 Qt Heavy Cream - $4.69
• Pepperidge Farms Cookies - $2.50
• 3 6-packs Sub Rolls - $5.37
• 2lb. Bag Vadalia Onions - $1.49
• 1 large Yellow Onion - $0.70

Total: $46.21

Gas Station

• 1/2 gallon of Milk - $2.99

Week Total: $60.02

Our grocery budget goal* is $50/week, so we came in well over budget again this week. I had planned for this to be a no-spend week, but plans change!

That puts us at $323.96 for the month of June so far. *This is why our budget is flexible, to take advantage of sales as they come up, and why we aim for an average.

This month we have stocked up heavily on chicken, blueberries, seltzer, and cheeses, as we have hit some great sales and wanted to take advantage of our Sam's membership before it expired.

For eating out we have a separate budget. During the COVID-19 pandemic we have tried to support open restaurants by getting takeout a few times per month.

What We Ate | June 20th - June 26th, 2020

This week was a hectic one! Between working late, some scheduling mix-ups, family matters, and generally being pretty tired, it was a simple week for meals.

Most bloggers choose to focus on only dinners, but I think showing all three meals helps to better show where your WWS goes.

Breakfasts:

Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Burritos for family.

• Granola Bars
• Freezer Breakfast Burritos
• Breakfast Biscuits w/ Peanut Butter
• Cereal
• Strawberry Banana Smoothies

Lunches:

• Last of the Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta
• Last of the Chicken Broccoli Mushroom Alfredo
• Italian Sandwiches (for father's day) & Weekday Lunches
• Roasted Veggies over Rice

Lunch Snacks:

• Grapes
• Cucumber Slices
• Celery
• Baby Carrots
• Yogurt

Dinners:

• "Smash" Burgers & Fries
• Annie's Mac & Cheese and Chicken Nuggets
• Italian Sandwiches
• Grilled Cheese/ Ham & Cheese Sandwiches w/ veg sticks

Snacks: crackers, cheese, popcorn, carrots, cucumber, various sweets

Note, Ben and I often eat different lunches. My "likes" are more limited, so I get to have fun cooking and give Ben a larger variety that I typically wouldn't eat. I am also not much of a breakfast person, so I typically just have a snack and eat lunch a bit earlier.

The concept of WWS & WWA comes from blogger Kristen at The Frugal Girl, and other bloggers who do similar recaps, but I liked Kristen's version the best.

Feel free to share your WWS/ WWA!