Week 1 Grocery list (single person – the first week is boring and difficult, but not impossible)
dried beans/lentils from the Bulk Barn – 100gr for $0.19 – 1/2 lb costs $0.48
Roasting chicken (sale – $0.99 per lb) – 3lb chicken for $2.97
Ground beef, on sale $1.47 per lb – 2lb $2.94
Pasta, spaghetti – on sale or store brand 900gr – $0.67
1 loaf whole wheat bread, $1.17
5kg unbleached flour – $2.99
1lb cooking margarine – $0.77
1lb shortening (store brand) – $1.97
1 kg jar peanut butter, Kraft (sale, but store brand is the same price) – $2.97
Powdered milk, from Bulk Barn, $0.25 per 100gr – $0.50
1kg package Quaker Oatmeal (on sale) – $1.00
1 bottle store brand maple syrup – $1.99
Fresh Apples, from the market, about 1/2 bushel (10lbs) seconds – $3.00
Squash, from the market – $1.00 (large Burgess buttercup)
1 good sized sprig mixed herbs, from the market – $0.25
10lbs onions, grocery store (sale) – $1.99
10lbs carrots, grocery store (sale) – $1.99
Celery, from wilted veggies bin – $0.49
Potatoes, 7lb bag – $2.00
1 bulb garlic, bulk bin – $0.50
1 kg package frozen mixed veggies (store brand) – $1.97
Eggs, kid down the road, 1 doz – $1.50
Milk – 2litres 2% milk – $2
100 tea bags, store brand – $2.00
Total cost: $39.09 (Canadian Dollars)
A Sample Menu:
Monday
Breakfast – Toast with butter, an apple, egg fried in cooking margarine, tea (save the tea bag)
Breakfast – Toast with butter, an apple, egg fried in cooking margarine, tea (save the tea bag)
Lunch – Peanut Butter sandwich, carrot sticks, apple, small glass of milk, tea
Supper – roasted chicken on garlic (1/2 bulb), roasted carrots, celery (1 of each), mashed potatoes (make extra), half of squash roasted with margarine and salt, gravy made with a flour/margarine roux and seasoned with salt and pepper
Tuesday
Breakfast- French toast – 1 egg and reconstituted powdered milk (you can't taste the difference – 1Tbsp), syrup, tea
Lunch – Chicken sandwich, margarine on bread, seasoned with salt and pepper, apple, carrot sticks, tea
Supper – Chicken noodle soup (using chicken carcass and half of leftover gravy), broken up spaghetti, some herbs (stock can be done in the crockpot and simmer all day)
Wednesday
Breakfast – Oatmeal with apples, maple syrup to sweeten, tea
Lunch – carrot sticks, leftover soup, tea
Supper – Shepherd's Pie, 1/2lb ground beef, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 cup frozen veggies, leftover mashed potatoes, gravy made from drippings in beef pan plus flour, water, salt and pepper
Dessert – Apple Crisp – Oatmeal, Apples, Sugar packages/syrup, salt, flour
Thursday
B – Apple Crisp
L – Chicken sandwich
S – leftover Shepherd's Pie
Friday
B – Oatmeal with apples, or an egg, toast, apple
L – leftover Shepherd's Pie or Peanut Butter sandwich, carrot sticks, apple, any leftover apple crisp
S – Chicken Pot pie – using leftover broth and veggies from chicken soup, any leftover chicken meat, any veggies in fridge or adding carrot and/or celery, thickened with beurre manie (cold margarine and flour paste)
Saturday
B – french toast (made with egg with reconstituted powdered milk), syrup
L – leftovers (clean out the fridge), tea or milk, or peanut butter sandwich
S – Simple meat pie – ground beef (1/2 lb), onions, celery, potato, pie crust – shortening, flour, salt, water; run to bulk barn to get a pinch of ground cloves or allspice to season it ($0.10 worth), some of the herbs
Dessert – Apple Squares (apples, flour, bit of oatmeal, syrup or sugar to sweeten)
Sunday
B – Eggs using up the herbs, toast, fried apples sweetened with syrup
L – leftover meat pie or peanut butter sandwich
S – if you can't mooch supper off of someone, then leftovers again or creamed beef on toast, using 1/4lb ground beef, flour, margarine, salt pepper, milk, some herbs, toasted bread, frozen veggies on side