I did it!

Well, I did it!  I set a small(ish) goal to get caught up with one of the things that seemed to be causing frustration/stress in my daily life and I accomplished it.  Meal planning, had become non-existent as of late, and it was causing me undue stress, and hitting the budget hard (because when there is nothing planned on the menu, fast food, take out, and restaurants become an all too easy solution.

So, I made my list, matched the coupons, then made my meal plan.  Double checked my current stock of ingredients to those meals, and headed out.  I live within a stones throw of nearly everything (one of my favorite things about the location of my home), so I went to three stores, bought 83 items, spent $196.02, used nearly $30 in coupons, and got EVERYthing caught up for my house, menu, toiletries, OTC meds/vitamins, and some supplies from the list of my youngest’s classroom needs.  It took me less than 1 hour of shopping, and I am SO glad this was the one thing I focused on first to get myself back on track.

I detest thinking through a dinner plan, then starting to make it, and find out that I am missing one item (don’t you?)!  But this way, I am fully stocked for 14 dinners, and will not have to think about wheather I am missing anything.  When I am behind, eating and feeding my family becomes a chore rather than quality family time…so this is a great step!

I am starting to think of some other “I’ve been meaning to” items, but for now, I am going to make chicken bake pork chops (a recipe from my Grandma) for my family.