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Big Family Grocery Spending for July 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for July 2024 post!

Big Family Grocery Spending for July 2024

Who we’re feeding right now:

  • 6 adults
  • 6 kids
  • 1 toddler who has difficulty eating/chewing/swallowing but is making progress!
  • Frequent guests, almost daily

Here’s the breakdown of where we shopped and how much money we spent on food during the month of July:

1. Walmart

We go through fresh produce soooo quickly that I feel like I run to the store for it every few days. It’s a good problem to have, and I feel like it’s the best use of our grocery money. :) On July 3, I ran in to Walmart to get fresh greens and frozen fruit for smoothies, strawberries, corn on the cob, Caesar salad kits, and watermelon for the 4th, bananas for snacks, shredded lettuce for chicken sandwiches, and frozen hashbrowns for casseroles. I happened upon coconut water that was highly discounted so grabbed a bunch for Eva. And my favorite find of the day: I found a beef roast marked down from $18.73 to just $7.87!

A few months back, Matt had done some work for someone and didn’t intend to charge them. They gave him a Walmart gift card as a thank you so I used it for this day’s shopping. :)

Total out of pocket at Walmart: $0 thanks to the gift card

2. Sam’s

Exactly five days later every bit of that fresh produce was gone. We headed to Sam’s to restock plus to get many basics that we find are best to buy in bulk.

We filled the cart with a box of bacon (yes, we had run out!), milk, sliced cheese, smoked sausage, chicken thighs, sour cream, heavy whipping cream, peaches, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, bananas, watermelon, grapes x2, ketchup, applesauce, blackberries, cherries, strawberries, butter, frozen fruit, yogurt, peanut butter, slim jims, barbecue sauce, pickles, and shredded cheese.

Total for groceries at Sam’s: $319.02

3. Walmart

On July 11 I went back to Walmart for…guess what? More fruits and veggies. Plus I got several easy-to-pack foods for picnics and found boneless chicken thighs marked down to just $2.71/pound! Some of these items were covered by our girls’ WIC benefits.

Total at Walmart out of pocket: $76.54

4. Aldi

July 18 our family headed to Aldi with the goal to restock our supply of Fruit/Veggie Pouches for BabyBoy#11 Auggie. I also planned to pick up their Organic Pasta Sauce that we like plus any fruit/veggie/meat sales I happened upon.

I was happy to find these great deals:

  • Strawberries $1.49/pound
  • Grass-Fed Burger Patties $3.99/pound
  • 24 Sliced Cheese packs on clearance for $3.22

We also picked up pork loin, a big watermelon, bananas, 2 Caesar salad kits, canned fruit/fruit cups in 100% juice, 1 pound of organic spring mix, 6 pounds of raw sugar, 3 bags of frozen French fries, blackberries, 3 pounds of mandarins, 2 pounds of baby carrots, sliced salami, 2 pounds of turkey lunch meat, and 4 pounds of ground sausage.

Total for food at Aldi: $137.02

5. Amazon 

Mid-month, I got some good deals on groceries at Amazon: Pizza Crust (just over $1.00 per crust!), Freeze Dried Apples, Annie’s Mac and Cheese (less than $1.00/box!), GoGo Squeeze Applesauce, and GoGo Squeeze Yogurt.

Amazon Food Total: $67.29

6. Costco

We were out of some of our Costco favorites so we headed there July 22 and got sliced turkey and ham, shredded mozzarella, avocado mash, eggs, cream, bananas, milk, chicken thighs, chicken legs, frozen pizza, chicken nuggets, sparkling water, and a few paper products/diapers.

Total for food at Costco $316.53

7. Walmart

That same evening, I ran into Walmart to pick up the last of our WIC items for the kids and found several packages of boneless chicken marked down!

Total out of pocket at Walmart: $44.15

8. Miscellaneous Grocery Runs Not Pictured

Throughout the month, from time to time when Elias is out and about he asks if I need anything. He picks up milk or whatever we need.

Miscellaneous grocery total: $52.20

9. California Food

The last part of the month, I was blessed with a free trip to California with Kelsey to visit my sisters-in-law. We had fun resting and eating out, which looked like this:

 

 

Total eating out: $138.60

9. McDonald’s

While I was in California, Matt treated the kids to a meal from McDonald’s. They were so excited about this!

McDonald’s total: $41.61

Total food spending for July: $1,190

NOTE: Without a gift card and WIC, our total would have been closer to $1, 490. :)

Running totals for 2024:

January: $1,178
February: $849
March: $1,356
April: $1148
May: 1091
June: $1,121
July: $1,190

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Big Family Food and Fun: July 21-27, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: July 21-27, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: July 21-27, 2024

Our week started off with a huge wonderful bang! (And wait until you see how the week ended!)

We’d been blessed to help organize a Heartlands Church ministry in which we’d be putting together 75 lunches to deliver to people in our neighborhood on Monday in connection with Atlas. Many families had signed up to help provide the food for this project and on Sunday we invited anyone who was interested to come eat lunch at our house after church then help us put the lunches together.

You guys!! People got so on board with this that FORTY-ONE people were at our house for lunch on Sunday. It was the most amazing thing to see so many say “yes!” to working together to help provide meals for our community!

How did I feed that many? I used my Grandma’s method of “adding more water to the soup.” As in – I made Pulled Pork and just made lots of side dishes to stretch the meal. It was easy, inexpensive, and everyone got full.

Saturday night I put this 6-pound pork butt into a crock pot with barbecue sauce to slow cook all night. Note that I’d gotten this marked down 1/2 price at Aldi so this huge chunk of meat cost only $5.77. What an amazing way to feed a big crowd!

We praise God that He gave us such a large and functional house to be able to easily host so many, so easily. We gathered in the living room, dining room, and kitchen to eat. Kids spilled out into the yard. Babies were passed around so all the grown ups could eat. It was all a picture of God’s beauty.

The lunch buffet was Pulled Pork, Baked Potatoes, Rice, Green Beans, Baked Beans, Rolls, Pickles, Watermelon, and Strawberries.

I had made several batched of Homemade Ice Cream which was a huge hit and so much fun to offer our guests. We gave them the choice of flavors: Peach, Oreo, Butterfinger, or Vanilla. And I’d tried out a dairy free version with coconut milk that turned out pretty good too!

After everyone was fed, we cleared away the lunch mess and set up stations to start putting together 75 sack lunches to give out the next day. We made sandwiches on our kitchen island.

Our dining room table was filled with lunch sacks for people to put in an apple or clementine, a bag of chips, and a treat. In our entry way, we set up a table where people were cutting carrots and cucumbers and bagging them.

With this many people working together, all the food was prepped very quickly. We put all the sandwiches and veggies into our two extra fridges and left the sacks on the table to be completed the next day before serving time.

After our friends left, we warmed up some leftovers to snack on for dinner.

Then I made some hoagie sandwiches to take with us on a walk. The kids had been asking to go to their school playground for an outing so that’s what we did Sunday night.

On the way, we stopped by and knocked on the door of one of Brayden’s friends to see if he could join us. They were so happy to see each other!

The kids played on the playground then we had our sandwiches before heading back to get ready for bed.

Monday morning I scrambled 15 eggs for our breakfast and made several sheets of bacon to eat and to have on hand for sandwiches.

We had a SUPER EARLY Spaghetti lunch so that we could make it to Atlas to had out sack lunches by 11:45.

We got the sandwiches and veggies from the fridge and loaded them into sacks, then piled kids and food into the van to head to Atlas.

Several people from Heartlands church and Atlas were there to give out lunches. Some stayed at Atlas House to give to people as they walked by. Two groups loaded lunches in wagons to walk around the neighborhood and give out sacks.

Brayden and Kiya headed out with a group while the five littlest stayed with Matt and me in our group.

It was wonderful to watch our littles handing out water bottles and sack lunches.

All said and done, there were only ten sacks left after our efforts to get them all handed out. Atlas held on to those to give to anyone who stopped by.

Right after we finished this, it was time to get the little girls to Ms. Kathi’s. So we dropped everyone else at home then I took the girls to have their afternoon fun while I went and had some fun of my own:

There are no words to describe how much I love being a Lolli.

Back at home, I made a simple early dinner of Pancakes with Sausage and Applesauce.

Anna had fallen asleep on the floor so BabyBoy#11 helped wake her up for dinner. :)

Then we loaded everyone up to stock up on food and diapers at Costco.

After Costco we ran to Walmart where I ran in, leaving the kids in the van with Matt and a snack. I found water bottles on clearance for a $1 and lots of marked down chicken!

Tuesday morning we had a very easy breakfast – Yogurt with Granola.

I took BabyBoy#11 to Occupational Therapy to work on his eating abilities. For lunch we made four boxes of Mac and Cheese, sprinkled in frozen peas to cool off our bowls, and added in some chopped ham.

We put the baby down for his nap while the other six and I headed outside to play while Matt got on the roof to do some repair work.

Then Brayden, Kiya, Keith, and I went to hand out food at our weekly Food Distribution. There was a bigger-than-normal crowd that day who got served.

Elias was serving out at church camp all week (along with Malachi and Malorie) so Matt was home on his own with the four littlest. I had made a bowl of Bean and Cheese Salsa Dip for an easy dinner so we pulled that out to eat with Chips, Carrots/Cucumbers, and Watermelon.

We played outside the rest of the evening. I can’t say this very often, but the night was wonderful and calm. Very rarely do all the kids play together peacefully as their trauma often creates struggles even during playtime. But this night, they did. The older kids were happily engaged in a game of make-believe. The younger ones rode bikes and took turns up and down the slide. Matt and I were so thankful for this gift of a peaceful evening.

Just before bedtime, Anna, who was pretending to be a mommy, brought out fruit cups, offering, “Does anyone need a snack before bed?” It was the sweetest.

Wednesday morning I baked a double batch of Bran Muffins and made Strawberry Parfaits for breakfast. As you can see, I also blended up the smoothie Matt and I drink every day.

I caught Acacia in the play room cooking food for everyone also. She called out, “It’s ready!!” as she finished making toast in her skillet. :)

We decided to have a morning at the zoo, so I packed a Salad for a Picnic plus I baked some Chicken Strips to eat with it so that we could have Chicken Caesar Salad.

When we arrived, our first stop was to say hello to the giraffes.

Then we played in the water for a long time until everyone was hungry.

We hurried everyone over to a picnic table so we could feed everyone lunch before hunger meltdowns started. Our Chicken Caesar Salad was a huge hit with everyone. We had the salad with fruit cups, cheese sticks, and a treat I’d snuck into the bag in case I needed salad-eating motivation. No motivation was needed, but they still enjoyed their treat.

Our last stop that day was the Butterfly Pavilion where everyone caught at least one butterfly. Brayden was the king that day with butterflies just begging to be caught by him. One even landed on his back.

I loved that a butterfly landed on Matt and everyone gathered around him in excitement!

For dinner that night, I made five cans worth of Tuna Salad for sandwiches. We put spinach on our sandwiches and that was pretty much our meal.

The kids had been wearing their swimming suits all day since the zoo, which had ultimately been a strategy for getting out the door for the Splash Park on time that night.

This was our third Wednesday for Popsicles in the Park with our church family. So much fun.

That afternoon, I had made a pan of Peanut Butter Honey Rice Krispie Treats for the kids to eat on the way home before bed. As we got everyone buckled in, I handed out bars and water.

I gave Keith a haircut on Thursday morning. Then we decided to turn on the water to wash off the excess hair and to cool all the kids off.

We ate leftovers for lunch then Tortelloni with sauce, cucumbers, and spinach for dinner.

I found this photo of Malachi, Malorie, and Elias all together at Nebraska Youth Camp on their Facebook page. SO MUCH FUN. I love that they have all been there serving together.

Friday morning Kelsey, Little Sweetheart, and I headed out on a plane for California to visit family. Justus and Kelsey had free flight points and they wanted to take me on a trip so that I had a chance to get some much needed rest. It was hard for me to feel like I could leave all the kids behind with Matt. But Justus moved in to help and Elias and Malorie planned to get back Saturday. So off we went!

Family time started out in the Fresno airport with Matt’s dad, Jim, meeting us.

We headed to Matt’s sister, Lori’s. Then to visit his mom, Joyce, and her husband Bill. What a gift all of this was!

The rest of the evening I mostly did this out by Lori’s pool:

Our sister-in-law, Kari, arrived after dinner! The goal for all of us was/is to spend time catching up and resting. We’ve been taking walks, swimming, and sitting with our feet up. Friday, I even took a nap.

I’ll share more next week, but for now, I’m super, super thankful for all the dear ones holding down the fort at home so that I can find refreshment and rest!

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Big Family Grocery Spending for June 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for June 2024!

With the kids home all day for summer break, running and playing hard, I feel like all they want to do is eat. We’re going through lots of fresh fruit and popcorn between meals. :)

Here’s what our total food costs looked like for June…

Big Family Grocery Spending for June 2024

1. Walmart

On June 5 we picked up some of the kids’ WIC items. While there, we stocked up on our favorite Walmart brand ice cream (Breyer’s knock-off) so we could enjoy fun treats at home during the upcoming weeks.

Total at Walmart: $24.27 (worth of ice cream, ha!)

2. Costco

Also on June 5 we went into Costco to take advantage of a diaper sale. I had a list of other items we needed, plus I searched aisles for sales on items we always use. That day I picked up two kinds of apples, pears, blueberries, raspberries, baby carrots, mandarin orange cups, applesauce pouches, ketchup, ranch, pickles, frozen green beans, pistachios, coconut rolls, sliced Havarti cheese, crackers, butter, whipping cream, half and half, coffee creamer, cream cheese, and shredded parmesan cheese.

Total for food at Costco: $227.44

3. Aldsco

Eh?? Well, Justus and Kelsey were out shopping one day and I asked them to grab us a watermelon and grapes from Costco for our Sunday lunch. They went to Aldi too and kept texting me about great produce prices there. So they grabbed cantaloupe, mushrooms, blackberries, and blueberries for us too. Great prices on fresh food for our summer meals!

Total for fruits and veggies from Aldi and Costco: $27

4. Ivanna Cone

We surprised the kids with a Trolley Ride downtown to get ice cream – a very rare treat! We told Elias and Malorie to pick whatever they wanted. For all the littles, Matt, and me – we bought a quart then divvied it up to share. This saved money and made feeding the kids much easier. (One scoop was $4+ but the quart was only $11 – so nine of us ate from that for just $1.22 each.)

Total for Ice Cream with Tip: $22

5. Sam’s

Mid-June I went to Sam’s to stock up on fresh fruit and veggies. I picked up some meat markdowns for Father’s Day, pasta sauce, hotdogs, yogurt, heavy whipping cream, avocado cups, oatmeal, cocoa powder, and water bottles.

Total for food at Sam’s: $287.59

6. Walmart

Right after Sam’s, I ran next door into Walmart for Caesar Salad (2 family-sized bags), Eggs (5 dozen), Milk (4 gallons), and Hashbrown Patties (x2). Tip: I’ve found that milk is cheaper at Walmart and Aldi compared to Sam’s and Costco. 5-dozen packs of eggs are the same price and I was out of space on my Sam’s cart that day!

Total for food at Walmart: $42.35

7. Walmart WIC

June 17, I went to Walmart and got the little girls’ WIC benefit items. They get fruits and veggies, yogurt, cheese, eggs, cereal, beans, pasta, and juice – around $190 worth of groceries. A great help to us!

8. Aldi

June 20, I went to Aldi to stock up on Fruit-Veggie Pouches that BabyBoy#11 can eat well. Grass Fed Beef was on sale for $3.99/pound, limit 4, so I grabbed those. I also picked up some Chicken Tenders and Ice Cream Sandwiches for Josie’s birthday plus Chips, Watermelon, Zucchini, Crackers, and lots of Canned Fruit/Fruit Cups in 100% juice.

Total at $124.86

9. Hy-vee

Someone blessed us with a gift card to Hy-Vee, a store I don’t normally frequent because its prices are higher. But it sure was nice to enjoy the gift card, grabbing food to meet regular needs of our household plus a few treat items for an upcoming road trip.

Total after $100 gift card: $12.12

10. Costco

The last week of June, we loaded all the kids and headed to Costco for a few Fourth of July food items plus some fun food to enjoy on a road trip. Chips were on sale, which we enjoyed on the trip plus we’ll have for upcoming picnics and summer gatherings. Our favorite Peanut Butter Chocolate Granola was available so we got it (four bags, thank you very much) while we could. I picked up Chicken Legs, Apples, Mandarin Orange Cups, Yogurt, Havarti Cheese, Half and Half, Coffee Creamer, Guacamole, Mayo, White Queso, Tuna, Mac and Cheese, plus a variety of Snacks.

Total for groceries at Costco: $319.21

11. McDonald’s

We took a two-day trip to Kansas for a family reunion and on our way home, we put in an order at McDonald’s so we could feed everyone during our last stretch. We had chips and applesauce in the van so we just picked up two 20-piece nuggets to hand out to the kids to round out their meal. Then we got burgers and chicken sandwiches for Matt, Elias, and Malorie.

Total at McDonald’s: $32.87

Total Food Costs for June: $1,121

NOTE: Without WIC and the Hy-Vee gift card: Our June total out of pocket would have been $1,421. (<— Though actually, there are items at Hy-Vee I wouldn’t have picked up had they not been a gift. And without WIC benefits I would not be buying as much cereal.) I thought it was fun to calculate that so everyone could see that even if we were paying out of pocket for all of our groceries, we still would have been right about at our new grocery budget for 2024.

Running totals for 2024:

January: $1,178
February: $849
March: $1,356
April: $1148
May: 1091
June: $1,121

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Big Family Grocery Spending for May 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for May 2024 post!

Big Family Grocery Spending for May 2024

Curious about where we shopped, what we bought, and how much we spent during the month of May? Here’s the breakdown!

1. Sam’s

On May 3 we ran to Sam’s to pick up this wagon/stroller that we’ve been researching. While there, I grabbed milk, butter, grapes, spring mix, spinach, watermelon, apples, pears, strawberries, and bananas. Elias ran in with Brayden a few days later during their Bro Time and picked up a few snack items also (not pictured).

Total at Sam’s: $99.74

2. Costco

We needed diapers so while picking them up at Costco one day, I got some odds and ends that we needed. I also picked up a Rotisserie Chicken for our dinner that night. Best $4.99 a person can spend for a meal!

Total for food at Costco: $150.33

3. Walmart

I needed some items at Walmart early in the month and while I was there, I checked to see if I could score any mark down items. YES! There were four packages of Free Range Chicken Thighs for just $1.98/pound! I grabbed all four. :) Plus I picked up a few other grocery items before heading out.

Total for food at Walmart: $35.18

4. Walmart

On Mother’s Day I ran into Walmart on our way home from church/Keith’s soccer game because I wanted Caesar salad to go with our dinner and berries for our dessert. I used the girls’ WIC card for the produce we got so didn’t have to pay much out of pocket this time.

Total at Walmart: $21.49

5. Sam’s

While I was in Walmart, Matt ran next door into Sam’s to get a box of bacon. (Not to worry – Elias was in the van with the kids.) I thought I had told him that we only needed one box of bacon. Alas, Matt didn’t remember what I’d said and didn’t know how far one box would actually go. So just in case, he picked up THREE. Hahahaha.

I mean, we do go through a lot of bacon at our house, but 30 pounds is a lot even for our family!! We all got a pretty big laugh out of it and well? Challenge accepted. If we have to eat 30 pounds of bacon before it expires, so be it. :) :) :)

And yes, we could freeze it but I’ve found that it then turns into one great big rectangle of bacon that is more difficult to work with in the long run. I shared one box with a friend, we’ve already eaten through another box, so as of the end of May, we only have ten pounds left. I’m quite confident we’ll finish it off before it expires in July. :)

Total for bacon: $107.94 (hahahaha. so.much.bacon.)

6. Walmart and Sam’s May 16

Another day, we needed just a few items at Walmart so we grabbed milk and WIC produce while we were there. Sam’s is right next door and I wanted to take advantage of a couple of items that were on sale. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a low overall receipt for a Sam’s run. But only five items this time meant only $35.94!

Keith enjoyed a free sample of a bite of pizza!

Total at Sam’s and Walmart: $54.20

7. McDonald’s

Wait. McDonald’s? Yep, Matt was working in York and met up with Malachi to switch vehicles. Malachi grabbed a bunch of nuggets for their lunch. We didn’t tell the littles because they would have felt very left out, ha.

I don’t have a photo of this. :)

Total at McDonald’s $7.00

8. Fresh Eggs

One day when Matt went to work on our property in York, he was able to get some fresh eggs from our former neighbor. We were so excited to get these!

Total for 6-Dozen Eggs: $15

9. Aldi

On our kids’ last day of school, Matt and I took our littlest five grocery shopping so we could get stocked up on what we needed for the fun outings we had planned as we launched summer break! First, at Aldi I got milk, coffee creamers, strawberries, pineapple, salad kits, fruit/veggie pouches for BabyBoy#11, pear cups, cheese slices, cheese cubes, brown sugar, chips, and a pork loin priced at only $1.89/pound! I splurged on sugar cones to make ice cream cones sometime when friends come to visit. :)

Total at Aldi: $105.41

10. Costco

After Aldi, we ran to Costco where we got lots of fresh produce: spring mix, apples, oranges, pears, watermelon, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, grapes, and sweet peppers. We got shredded cheese, cheese sticks, laughing cow cheese, and cottage cheese, ha – lots of cheese! 100% juice popsicles were on sale so we got three packages for our summer fun. Plus lunch meat, meatballs, chicken sausage, guacamole, peach cups, chicken nuggets, veggie straws, sweet potato fries, frozen pizza, Italian dressing, peanuts, yogurt, and frozen orange chicken that was on sale for a night off from cooking.

Spindrift and applesauce pouches were also on sale so we grabbed those too!

Total for groceries at Costco: $494.49

Total Grocery Spending for May:

$1091

Early this year, I bumped our budget up to $1,400/month to give myself enough wiggle room to feed 13 of us every day plus frequent guests. I’m thankful that so far I’ve been able to stay under budget every month with plenty to spare if I every need to carry that over for needs during upcoming months!

Running totals for 2024:

January: $1,178
February: $849
March: $1,356
April: $1148
May: 1091

 

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Big Family Food and Fun: May 12-18, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: May 12-18, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: May 12-18, 2024

With this many littles, Mother’s Day doesn’t tend to provide pampering and calm, BUT thankfully the kids had helped me do some celebration prep work on the days leading up to our special day. My main goal for Mother’s Day: Enjoy time in some form with all of our kids. Could it happen with this many of us?

Our morning started off with the very special breakfast of boxed cereal, ha. Then we got ready for church, packing up a picnic lunch to stuff down quickly between worship service and Keith’s soccer game. Brayden had helped me make Tuna Salad  for this last Friday and Acacia had helped make Pineapple Fluff. So we pulled those out to pack along with bread, crackers, avocado, and applesauce.

We set out our lunch fixin’s after church in the kitchen and dug in.

The girls and I wore our matching Adoption Day Dresses from the year before. It sounded like a great option for Mother’s Day, and then I realized that Mother’s Day marked exactly 1-year since their adoption day. How perfect!

So there we were at Keith’s soccer game, with all of us girls in our matching dresses. It was fun to see people’s delighted faces as they saw how sweet the girls looked!

Afterward, we ran into Walmart and Sam’s to get some fresh produce and bacon for the week but especially for our Mother’s Day dinner that night.

When we got home, Matt started cooking bacon for the Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole we’d made for that night.

Elias had picked out a very sweet bouquet of flowers for me at Trader Joe’s the day before. Then at church, the kids and some special friends gave me this lovely carnation bouquet.

Ok, but now check out this amazing gift from my friend Charlene!!! She makes these custom Birth Flower Bouquet Signs and surprised me with one featuring all of our kids! What’s extra special about these is that the flowers that go into the bouquet are all of our kids’ birth-month flowers. Isn’t that amazing?! She even included our Bonus Boy (because he lived with us for 18-months and is 100% a part of my heart). I can’t stop staring at this!

Elias and Keith put together a big Caesar Salad to go with our dinner and the girls and I made Cheesecake Parfait for dessert.

Justus and Kelsey plus Asa and Eva joined us. Malachi was out of state working all weekend so I didn’t plan on him being able to join us. :(

But then, look who arrived a half hour later?? Aw, Malachi. He left work early and drove several hours to be here for our time together. :) Dinner was a loud, scream-y event as we had some sick babies, tantruming babies, and in general, a lot of babies. But it was a gift to be all together. Ooh, and take a peek at Eva’s growing baby belly. Incredibly precious!

Monday morning I used some blackened bananas to make a three loaves of Banana Bread.

We’ve discovered that one of our favorite snacks is Peanut Butter Spread on Graham Crackers. Little Miss Independent made her own snack that day. I love how grown up she’s becoming.

Matt got his weed eater working and guess who stopped everything to watch the entire process? Oh how Keith loves all things mechanical and machinery. :)

Josie and Acacia took a few trips back and forth on the sidewalk. Their matching dresses (that I’d picked up at crazy clearance prices at the end of season last year) were too adorable.

I made a double batch of Creamy Bacon Spaghetti with Steamed/Buttered Carrots for dinner that night and it was a hit with everyone! (Truly that is such a big deal – making food that all seven littles will eat. The adults in the house are easy. But the kids? Well…)

Oh look, Anna had a matching dress too. :) I think Acacia ate half the pot of carrots all by her three-year-old self. She just kept coming back for more.

Monday afternoon I pulled some Breakfast Sandwiches from the freezer so that we could easily warm them in our air fryer on Tuesday morning. Not pictured: most of the sandwiches because they were warming up as I got out fruit.

We got Brayden and Kiya off to school just as our little ones’ Speech Pathologist arrived. She was there to work with Josie and BabyBoy#11 this morning, but as always, all three little girls swarmed her. She doesn’t mind at all and gives them all attention at the same time.

As soon as we wrapped up that session, Keith and I headed over to help set up for that night’s Food Distribution. We were put in charge of marking out UPCs with a sharpie, then setting up the bread table.

When we got back home, we had a few minutes before the bus came. Keith found a caterpillar and realllllly wanted to take it to school to show his teacher. I talked him into just taking a picture for me to send to his teacher. You’re welcome, Ms. Kristine. ;)

After school that day, Brayden, Kiya, and I got to go hand out food to about 100 people at the Food Distribution.

Elias and Matt had started warming up leftovers at home so when we got back, we continued to help get everyone fed. Then we took a bowl of grapes outside to munch on while the kids played and Daddy mowed.

 

Kiya had the privilege of planting grass seeds in Bible class a few weeks ago to learn patience as she waited for her seeds to grow. Well, grow they did! She has given this guy a “hair cut” at least four times and he’s not slowing down. I took this photo to send to our fabulous Children’s Minister and teachers.

Wednesday morning, we sliced up what was left of the Banana Bread and ate it with yogurt, hard salami, and oranges. While the kids ate, I made a double batch of Peanut Butter Honey Puffs.

Oh look, the Banana Bread was gone by the time I got around to taking this. :)

Sometime later that morning, I was delighted to discover that the kids dumped a bunch of puzzles all over the floor. Note that Acacia’s face looks angry, but she was, in fact, exclaiming happily that she’d found a match! My face on the other hand… :/

Matt went to York for the day to work, so Malachi came that morning to help me. Then that afternoon our friends came over to help get us through until Matt could get back. The Case family has become a part of us here and it is good in every way. Here, Christina is reading a book about Nanette and a Baguette, which she followed with treating all the kids to toasted baguette and Nutella!!

The girls painted their nails about 25 times – a special thing they like to do with Ms. Christina.

Clara and the kids always come up with something creative to do together!

The Cases took all the kids for a walk so that Elias and I could finish putting dinner together. Keith stayed back with us and helped me crack two dozen eggs.

Oh! And they had brought over a couple totes of hand-me-downs for the girls so we had a fashion show with some very proud models.

Dinner that night was a feast! Breakfast for dinner included Cheesy Eggs, Bacon (of course), Yogurt/Granola/Berry Parfaits, Cinnamon Rolls, and Hashbrowns.

Brayden’s food looked so good I asked if I could get a picture. But just look at how grown up he’s looking.

Breakfast on Thursday morning was more of the same from the night before. Then Matt and I loaded the five littles up for a quick (haha, quick isn’t really a thing) Walmart run. We needed some bike inner tubes and milk, plus grabbed a few WIC items while we were there.

Sam’s is right next door to Walmart and I knew of a couple sale items I wanted to take advantage of. The other kids stayed in the van with Matt, but Keith has been wanting to join me for a Sam’s run. So we told him that if he was sweet and calm in Walmart, he could go into Sam’s with me. Look who earned his place in my Sam’s cart! And look who got a sample of pizza. And look how I bought Lunchables…what?

Yep, Brayden and Kiya have fond memories of Lunchables from their time before coming to live with us. They ask for them regularly, and since they were on sale and we have a special church picnic coming up, I decided to surprise them with these!

That afternoon, the girls got into the “new” dresses again and started playing dress up.

Brayden helped me put the dinner salad together. These salad kits may not be the healthiest, but our kids gobble them up and I feel grateful that they are getting some sort of greens in them this way.

To go with our salad, I had pulled out several items of leftovers from our fridge: rice, corn, cooked hamburger meat, and three different containers of half-used salsa. I stirred it all together with a can of beans to warm up and make burritos for dinner. I LOVE doing things like this to avoid food waste and to clean out our fridge to create a brand new meal!

Dinner was a frustrating one that night. :( By the end of the evening, our kids have held it together about as long as they can – so mealtime can often be a time full of screaming and fits. This particular night was extra discouraging. We finally got everyone fed, through fights and consequences and teaching and belly breaths. Then we loaded everyone up and took a walk to Sunken Gardens to end the day.

It was our first trip there for the season and the walk calmed everyone. There aren’t many flowers there yet so it will be fun to continue our walks and watch the progress as spring and summer unfold!

I had cut up a watermelon and put it into the fridge, so we all had a chilled bowlful when we got home – a perfect snack to end the long day.

Friday morning we ate up bits and pieces of odds and ends from the fridge for breakfast. I hadn’t made Peanut Butter Honey Granola in a very long time and decided to make a double batch to have on hand for future breakfasts and snacks.

While the kids were playing, I made a loaf and a half of bread worth of Uncrustables for our busy weekend on the go.

Dinner that night was “French Fry Friday” aka “Mom’s Night Off.” We air fried Chicken Strips, Popcorn Chicken, and Fries. Plus I buttered some bread we’d brought home from Food Distribution for the kids to eat up while the food was cooking.

We ate outside and played until bedtime.

Saturday was a huge, full day. After my quiet God time, I started putting together the day’s food because we were going to leave right after breakfast and not get home until bedtime. For breakfast, I pulled out yogurt and fruit to go with the Peanut Butter Honey Granola I’d made the day before. Then I started making lunch for everyone to eat in the van: Tortilla Wraps with mayo, turkey, and spinach.

I ran out of turkey but decided that Matt and I should have special ones anyway. ;) So I got out Friday night’s leftover popcorn chicken for our Wraps and added some Honey Mustard!

As we were getting everyone ready to go, I was thrilled to see two sisters cooperating to get hair fixed for the day. (Sweet as our kids are, we have a lot of tough behaviors at our house – all day long. So any time the kids are being kind, sharing, cooperating, talking nicely – we really praise them so that we can enforce the positive behaviors we want for them.)

Our first stop for the day: Keith’s soccer game. I had packed bananas for the kids to eat while we watched.

No one sat still for too long. I had dressed the three littlest girls alike to make our day easier as I chased them at an event later that day. Seeing them SO CUTE in their dresses and then like this… Awwww.

After Keith’s game we piled back into the van, handed out our Tortilla Wraps and juice, and drove to York for the rest of the day. We dropped Matt off to work at our rental house, then the kids and I headed to Aaron and Eryn’s.

After playing there for a while, we loaded back into the van to go to a Kids’ Event at a park in York. This ended up being extra fun because we ran into so many friends while we were there!

If you look closely for a kid with red shirt and orange socks up on the stage, you’ll see Keith attempting to play a game he’d volunteered for… :)

Eryn captured this photo of me watching. :)

We were hot and tired by the end of the event and wanted to give Matt a little more work time. So we headed back to Aaron and Eryn’s to kick back for a while. I sliced oranges I had packed and spread peanut butter on graham crackers. Did I mention everyone had been served hotdogs and chips at the park? No matter. When we are outside all day, we EAT ALL DAY.

They have the most magical tree in their front yard to play in!

At dinnertime, we loaded up and went to pick up Matt so we could head home for the night. I handed out the Uncrustables I’d made on Friday plus Applesauce and these special individual milks I’d picked up on clearance a few weeks ago. Those sure have been coming in handy!

Matt gave the three boys a bath before bed but we decided to skip the girls and bathe them Sunday because I was too worn out, ha. And that was our week!

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Big Family Food and Fun: May 5-11, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: May 5-11, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: May 5-11, 2024

Keith had a soccer game right after church on Sunday, so once again, we packed a lunch to eat since his game was on the side of town where our church meets. :)

I had made two loaves of Stir-and-Pour Bread the day before so I sliced it and took a container of butter.

I had also marinated chicken thighs and smoked them on Saturday. When I got up on Sunday, I put the chicken into crock pots to rewarm and by lunch time after church, they were perfect and ready to eat! I had cut a watermelon to go with our meal, plus some friends joined us and brought salad, clementines, and drinks. It was a simple but delicious feast!

Keith had a nice cheering section for his game as we all loaded up in our new stroller/wagon to get ourselves settled in.

Coach Elias is doing such a good job. Poor guy had a sinus infection so he was drinking tea, coaching, and reffing all at the same time. :)

Back at home that afternoon, we had all the kids take a rest time with books. Then some went outside to play while Acacia and Josie “helped” me make pizzas for dinner. They were just in it for the cheese. ;)

Monday morning I baked several pans worth of bacon, scrambled some eggs, and got out fruit for breakfast. We also toasted and buttered the last of Sunday’s Stir-and-Pour Bread.

Matt took our three littlest with him that morning to York to drop off with a friend so he could work on the final property that we are almost ready to put on the market. Eva came over and hung out with Keith and Anna and I spent some time working. It was a great morning, then once Keith and Anna got on the bus for preschool, I had time all alone to get something done.

I decided to go shopping all by myself, which almost never happens! I took my time walking through Costco aisles, getting diapers and a few random items we needed. Ah, and I grabbed a Rotisserie Chicken for dinner. Boom. Dinner is ready. :)

I then headed to Walmart for some things we needed and checked for markdowns – of course. I scored Free Range Chicken Thighs for just $1.98/pound!!! I also grabbed two chocolate cake mixes for $1.00 each (their regular price) so I could make our infamous Spinach Cake.

I had picked up a big Caesar Salad kit while shopping and Keith was excited to make it all by himself to go with our dinner. I don’t think Josie was very happy that Keith was on the stool she wanted to sit on. :(

I had the idea to purchase large containers like this for ease in letting the kids make these salads. I found some at Sam’s a few weeks ago and they are working like I hoped they would. We put the lid on and give them a shake!

Dinner was delicious and easy. I had put our Costco Rotisserie Chicken into a crock pot on “Keep Warm”  setting when I got home that afternoon so it was still great at dinner time. We ate it with Keith’s Salad plus Green Beans and Watermelon. Soooooo good.

After dinner the kids played and played outside even though it was a bit drizzly off and on. They were a little bit soggy when they came in, but they sure did settle in for sleep well after playing so hard and eating so well.

Tuesday morning I made Eggs in a Nest and prepped some Strawberries.

We are very close to getting our final rental house on the market in York. So once again, we loaded up the kids and headed to Menards for supplies so Matt would have what he needed when he headed back there to work. They only had one of the special carts so we had to take turns. That went…sort of okay. ;)

Back at home, we played outside while we waited for the preschool bus to come pick up Keith and Anna. This sweetheart found a dolly and put a size 5 diaper on her. She was a very proud and sweet mommy.

I picked up Brayden and Kiya from school that afternoon and headed to the Food Distribution site so we could help hand out food. We missed last week because of Keith’s Kindergarten Roundup, so it was great to be back there helping.

Before leaving, I had put some shredded pork into a crock pot with some seasonings so that we could have Shredded Pork Tacos for dinner. Matt and Elias had already fed some of the littles when we got back from Food Distribution then the rest of us ate in shifts. Keith was hanging out with our neighbors, Coleman and Sarah, so I asked them to come over and grab tacos. I love it when they say yes!

Here’s what our kitchen looked like that evening.

We’d brought back some bread and miscellaneous items leftover from Food Distribution so that was all over the island. Plus dirty dishes, packs of baby wipes, kids’ school lunch bags, and who knows what else. I knew what it looked like when I invited our neighbors to come eat with us, and I did hesitate for a few seconds because the messes at our house can sometimes be embarrassing.

But relationships matter more than messes and I invited them anyway. Coleman and Sarah are becoming a part of us and they are understanding about our crazy life with so many kids and so many needs. We chatted around this mess. I put items away as I could. Everyone filled their plates with tacos. It was a wonderful evening. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday morning I threw out lots of Oatmeal Packets for the kids to pick from plus cut up a Cantaloupe and some Strawberries.

While the kids ate, the little girls helped me crack 48 eggs to bake in sheet pans. When the eggs came out of the oven, I sprinkled cheese on top to melt. Later in the morning, I cut the eggs into rectangles and squares and put together 29 Breakfast Sandwiches. Some of the kids enjoyed a square of Cheesy Eggs while I built sandwiches.

After I assembled the sandwiches, I put some into the fridge to warm up the next morning. Then I wrapped the others in foil so that people could pull them out and warm them in the air fryer as needed.

The weather was gorgeous so we played outside the rest of the morning and early afternoon.

Malachi came by and Acacia insisted that she give him a ride on her little car.

For dinner that night, Matt grilled 18 burgers. While they were cooking, I made these smoothies for the kids to sip on while they played outside.

Since there are so many of us, and because the adults in the house get home from work at all different times, I’ve started putting the meat that we grill into a crock pot on the “keep warm” setting. This has worked great to feed everyone from early to late!

Matt took the littlest four on a wagon ride after the burgers were finished.

Then we fixed burgers for everyone and got out pickles. Some of the kids wanted to try pickle juice. Why?? Because they like juice and figured it would surely be tasty. One child who shall remain nameless definitely didn’t like hers but asked for seconds anyway because of stubbornness. :)

Thursday morning before school I sliced up several pears and warmed up some of the Breakfast Sandwiches I had made the day before.

We were almost completely out of coffee creamer, which forced my hand at attempting homemade. I’ve definitely wanted to avoid the less-than-ideal-ingredient options from the store but haven’t made the time. The Mocha Creamer I attempted turned out good according to Matt and not quite sweet enough according to Malachi. I’ll keep tweaking and then share the recipe!

Matt headed out the door to work in York for the day and Malachi came to help me with the kids. I had a phone appointment as this transition was happening so I turned on a show so that I could talk on the phone with fewer interruptions. Keith was excited to tackle Malachi when he arrived. :)

We played outside the rest of the morning with Malachi making four boxes of mac and cheese for lunch. Frozen peas are their garnish as they cool off the mac and cheese and taste great to the kids!

For dinner that night we were still waiting on Matt to get back so we kept it simple and warmed up leftovers from the fridge. We started with tidbits of Green Beans, Salad, and Chicken. Then we kept getting out more and more food as needed for the rest of the evening.

I took out the remainder of a container of watermelon and let the kids poke pieces with toothpicks. That way I didn’t have to worry about plates or forks!

Daddy got home!! We were all still playing outside – and still hungry – so I sliced several oranges. Those got eaten in about five minutes so I cut up some fresh pears for Matt to hand out.

Friday morning I had an appointment for one of the kids and didn’t get any pictures of our day until the afternoon. We had a very full weekend ahead of us so I pulled kids in to do Mother’s Day prep. We decided that this year we’d make food ahead of Sunday with Mom’s help so that Mother’s Day would be as restful as possible (while still trying to get seven kids off to church, and then to a soccer game…)

Josie helped me make a big Cheeseburger Casserole for Sunday evening’s gathering so that all we had to do was slide it into the oven to bake. The container full of frozen potatoes looked like SUCH a fun thing to play in!! “Josie, don’t touch please…”

“ooh, but I really want to…”

“Ok. Pulling my hands back now…”

Precious girlie. She did a great job and our casserole was put together in just a few minutes.

I had cooked several pounds of hamburger that morning, some of which we used for the casserole. Then I put the rest into a bag to keep in the fridge for a meal or two next week.

Next, Brayden came in and made a big bowl full of Tuna Salad for a quick Sunday lunch between church and soccer game.

Acacia got to help me make Pineapple Fluff for Sunday lunch (while munching on a slice of pear).

That container went into the fridge with the Tuna Salad, all ready for Sunday.

Meanwhile, Matt grilled 12 Cheddar Franks and 12 regular Beef Hotdogs for our dinner.

Saturday morning I made Sausage Gravy and Eggs to go with some biscuits that we came home with from Tuesday’s Food Distribution.

Kelsey and their Little Sweetheart came over for a little while so we got to enjoy some snuggle time.

We were planning to be in York most of the day for some Graduation Parties so we worked out details to meet friends at the park to hang out while Matt spent more time finishing the bathroom on the house we are trying to finish to put on the market. Before we left, I gathered a big variety of food items for us to take to eat all day.

Our friends Pam and Audrey met us at the park, plus later Katie and Bella. It was SO GOOD to catch up with them! A few hours later, we took seven tired, dirty kids to the Grad Party and got to see many more people we love and cherish.


Back at home, we warmed up leftovers and gave thorough baths to all the kids to get sand and grit out of their hair. :) We tucked them into bed, and that was our week!

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Big Family Grocery Spending for April 2024

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Curious how much it cost us to feed 13 people (give or take plus guests) every day last month? Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for April 2024 post!

When I look back through these posts from the beginning of the month until the end, I am amazed at how much food we eat! I shouldn’t be surprised since there are so many of us. It’s just that every time I get back from the store and see all the food in the house, I always think, “That should hold us over for a while!” But nope. We need another grocery run just a few days later so we can get more fresh produce and milk. And meat. And cheese. And…

Here’s what April looked like at our house!

Big Family Grocery Spending for April 2024

1. Walmart

The 8th of April was the first day I needed anything at the store since I’d gotten so well stocked up toward the end of March. But we were almost completely out of fresh fruits, veggies, milk, and eggs. We also needed more of BabyBoy#11’s special protein drinks, which we can only find at Walmart. So we headed there to fill our cart with the WIC items our littlest kids are allotted through their foster/adoption subsidies.

Total out of pocket I spent $43.00 on some staples that I can only find at Walmart (or that I simply needed and decided to pick up there since I was there anyway).

Total at Walmart: $43

2. Sam’s and Walmart

I needed some of our favorite Sam’s items and got a few others staples while we were there.

There’s a Walmart right next door so I went in for more WIC items and Pediasure drinks.

Total at Sam’s and Walmart: $255.49

3. Costco

On April 12, we headed to Costco to pick up diapers. While there we looked for items we love and use that were on sale so that we could get nice and stocked up.

The best deals that day:

  • Boneless Chicken Thighs – These were $6.00 off each package, making them only $2.65/pound. I bought three big packages so we can do this during the next few weeks!
  • Horizon Organic Whole Milk – They were clearancing out their 18-packs of milk because they are nearing expiration. They are regularly $21.99 and were priced at $5.00!! I bought six cases. These will be great for picnics and outings!

I also bought several fun picnic items we needed for a big gathering we were having, fresh fruits and veggies, applesauce, frozen pizza, crackers, lunch meat, sliced cheese, mayo, and a few other snacks and chips.

Total for food at Costco: $465.44

4. Kansas City Barbecue

This was a super rare treat as we almost never eat out. But THIS OCCASION called for KC BBQ!!

All of our adult kids were with us plus two friends from out of state. Matt and I were happy to treat everyone!

Total at BBQ restaurant: $140

5. Bro Time Meal

Elias and Brayden picked up a few items during a Bro Time outing so that they could make a meal for our family. They made a super tasty Smoked Queso for us, plus a pan of special Oreo Brownies!

Total for Bro Time Meal (beyond the groceries I already had at home): $15.79

6. Walmart Run

We took a morning outing to Walmart so we could pick up diapers for someone. We didn’t need much in the way of groceries, but we grabbed some fruit and ice cream while we were there.

Walmart: $19

7. Another Walmart Run

Goodness, Walmart, again?! A few days later, Matt was fixing the kids’ bike tires for the season so as we went in search of inner tubes, I checked for any grocery mark-downs!

I found these pizzas for $5.74 and $6.56…

Plus I was excited about this Beef Roast for only $3.12/pound!

Total at Walmart: $23.10

8. Aldi

I ran into Aldi for a few items we needed and was happy to discover strawberries on sale! I always stock up on the Fruit and Veggie Pouches there for BabyBoy#11. (We let our toddler/preschoolers eat these too as a snack.) Plus I grabbed sausage and bananas.

Total at Aldi: $39.31

9. Sam’s

Once again, we were almost out of fresh produce. And cream. And milk. So on April 25 we picked up those items at Sam’s along with a few other sale items and staples.

Total at Sam’s: $146.78

Total Grocery Spending for April:

$1148 

Our family’s grocery budget is broken down here.

Running totals for 2024:

January: $1,178
February: $849
March: $1,356
April: $1148

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Big Family Grocery Spending for March 2024

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Curious how much it cost to feed 13 people every day last month? Here’s our Big Family Grocery Spending for March 2024 post!

Big Family Grocery Spending for March 2024

Here are the details to share where we shopped, what we bought, and how much we spent on food during the month of March!

1. Super Saver

The very first day of the month, we went to Super Saver (a store we hadn’t tried out yet) to take advantage of their Mega Meat Sale. We got pork loin for just $1.58/pound, pork roast for only $1.18/pound, pork steak for $1.78/pound, plus hamburger meat marked down that ended up being $2.20/pound.

Matt spotted packages of Chicken Strips and Popcorn Chicken that ended up only costing $2.98 for a 24-ounce package (which breaks down to $1.99/pound). We bought nine packages to enjoy during the next few Friday nights. I also checked the French fries in their freezer section and found some big bags on sale at a fairly decent price so I took advantage so that I could have a night off or two. :)

Overall this store’s non-sale prices were significantly higher than what I pay at my regular stores (Costco, Sam’s, Aldi). But stopping in this time for this meat sale was worth it!!

Total at Super Saver: $108

2. Bro Time Meal

Elias and Brayden planned a meal for our family and went to the store to buy needed items to make the meal. They decided on biscuits and gravy, hashbrowns, eggs, and orange juice.

It turned out amazing and the night off was a gift to me. I had most of the necessary ingredients on hand for them to make this meal, but they did (use my credit card to) pick up biscuits, hashbrowns, and juice at the store.

Their total at the store: $18.17

3. Sam’s

March 5 I went to Sam’s with two of our girls to give them an outing and to pick up a few of the items I can only find at Sam’s plus some other staples. While I was there, I picked up two boxes of our favorite Orange Chicken so that when I needed a night off, we’d have it on hand. Cost for two boxes is a splurge at $25.96. But when compared to needing a night off and ordering take out, this is super savings!!!

Total for food at Sam’s: $204.67

4. Costco

The next day we needed diapers, plus the littles needed an outing, so we headed to Costco. Since we were there anyway and we always need fresh produce, we picked up grapes, oranges, bananas, and peanuts. (We like keeping those peanuts in the van to help with hunger meltdowns and to feed the parents who also sometimes get hungry and need to eat.)

Total for food at Costco: $31.74

5. Aldi

I hadn’t been to Aldi for a while and needed baby food pouches for our littlest plus a few of our Aldi favorites.

Total at Aldi: $76.56

6. Costco

Matt and I had decided to have a two day getaway! So, I ran in to Costco get a few convenience items for our big kids to have on hand to feed our gang while we were gone.

Costco Total: $47.26

7. Eating Out

While Matt and I were on our short getaway, would you believe that we ate out three meals but didn’t have to pay out of pocket for any of them thanks to gift cards we’d saved up for this? So thankful!!

We enjoyed Cheesecake Factory…

Good Evans…

And Culvers.

8. Costco Lunch

We’d made plans with our littles to have a special Costco lunch sometime during their spring break. So we made this happen mid-March, ordering a pizza ahead of time then ordering some hotdogs once we got there. This is about the only way we can make it work to “eat out” with our crew and the breakdown ended up being only $1.80/person for this fun lunch!

Total at Costco: $21.65 for 12 people

9. Costco

While we were there, I ran through and picked up a few items like potatoes, apples, bananas, maple syrup, and juice for picnics.

Costco grocery total: $78.01

10. Sam’s

We decided to pick up some Rotisserie chickens at Sam’s on our way home from church on March 17. Since I was in the meat aisle, I grabbed hamburger meat – the best price for the best quality that I can find in Lincoln.

Total at Sam’s: $42.68

11. Costco Stock-Up Trip

It had been quite a while since we’d done more than pick up a few items here and there during small shopping trips. So on March 22 we took our five littlest kids on a big shopping outing.

We got what we needed up and down each aisle: chicken thighs, chicken breast, organic hamburger meat, strawberries, sliced cheese, shredded cheese, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, applesauce, avocado cups, crackers, hot dogs, sour cream, ketchup, mayo, coconut oil, turkey lunch meat, tuna, cream cheese, tortelloni, butter, crackers, and pistachios.

Total at Costco: $501.69

12. Gallon of Milk

We were getting low on milk toward the end of the month but I didn’t have time to do anything about it. So Elias and Keith make a quick trip to a local grocery store close to our house to get us by until I could go to Aldi. Milk at this store was significantly more expensive than I’m used to paying at Costco, Sam’s, or Aldi so that definitely solidified these as my favorite three money-saving stores here in Lincoln!

Total at Russ’ Market: $5.02

13. Aldi Bro Time Dinner

Elias and Brayden spent another Bro Time afternoon making dinner for us. They had gone to Aldi earlier in the week to decide on what to make and to pick up needed groceries.

They made us a Taco Feast with Cinnamon Rolls for dessert.

We already had most of the needed ingredients at home, but they grabbed limes, cilantro, taco shells, cinnamon rolls, and a few other things when they were shopping.

Total from Aldi: $16.61

14. Aldi Stock Up Trip

On March 28, Matt and I loaded up our five littles and got stocked up on all of our favorite Aldi items. I bought a case each of Organic Spaghetti Sauce, Organic Salsa, and Whole Milk Yogurt. Plus we bought 5 gallons of Milk, about 15 Fruit/Veggie Pouches to try and feed the baby, Organic Spring Mix, Bananas, Blueberries, Apples, 6 containers of 100% Fruit Cups, Tortilla Chips, French Fries, Granola, Cottage Cheese, and Salami.

Total from Aldi: $203.68

Total Grocery Spending for March:

$1,356.

I stayed under budget, but barely. I felt great about this because it had been a while since I’d focused on stocking up fully on all of our staple foods. As of the end of March, we had full freezers, fridges, and pantry to get us kicked off into April!

Running total for 2024:

January: $1,178
February: $849
March: $1,356

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Big Family Food and Fun: March 17-23, 2024

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Here’s our Big Family Food and Fun: March 17-23, 2024 post!

Big Family Food and Fun: March 17-23, 2024

We had been gone all day the day before, so this Sunday started off with an easy breakfast of Breakfast Cookies from the freezer.

We were finally able to meet for church back in our own building after many weeks of being displaced due to a frozen pipe bursting situation. It was so good to be there! Sam’s is right on the way home so we grabbed two Rotisserie Chickens for lunch to share. (And I picked up hamburger meat while I was at it.)

I’d made sides in the morning before church so we warmed them up to eat with our Rotisserie Chicken: Cheesy Potatoes, Green Beans, Cream Cheese Corn, Baked Beans, plus Pineapple Fluff.

Our friends Kermit and Caitlyn joined us plus Justus and Kelsey and Asa and Eva came. There were 15 of us altogether. :)

Justus had picked up a turkey super cheap ($0.58/pound!!!!!) but they didn’t have freezer space so it had landed in our freezer. I had been thawing it and decided to get it baked that afternoon.

I do it this way – boring but good. :)

We had leftovers for dinner, random bits of whatever we could find in the fridge. So this freed my time to work on the turkey plus the kids helped me use over-ripe bananas to make a Banana Cake for Monday’s breakfast.

They turkey finished baking and Matt turned on an audio book to listen to while he took all the meat off the bones after the kids went to bed. My hero. :)

Meanwhile the Banana Cake had cooled and I had made a simple Cream Cheese Frosting for it and covered it to have Monday morning.

Monday morning we enjoyed pieces of Banana Cake with bacon. I made quadruple the amount of bacon we would need for that morning so that we would have extra ready for future meals that week.

Matt had saved the turkey bones for me, so I got out our huge stock pot and started a big batch of broth.

Eva arrived to help Matt so Keith and I headed off to help set up food for Tuesday’s Food Distribution. It’s always a bit hard for me to keep him focused on our work, but if I say, “Keith, will you help me take this apart?” he is ON IT.

Monday afternoon I spent some time making some Turkey Bacon Cheese Sandwiches for easy grab and warm up meals.

Elias had taken Brayden out for Bro Time and Kiya wanted to help me in the kitchen. So she put cheese on all of the sandwiches after I assembled them.

We packaged them up for the fridge or freezer, feeling great about having 25 ready-made sandwiches plus 5 wraps!

I used more of our cooked turkey plus the broth that had cooked all morning to make Turkey Noodle Soup for dinner. Oh, this is good stuff! So good that I was excited to eat it and almost forgot to take a picture until we’d already filled our bowls and worked on seconds. (By the way, I shared turkey sandwiches and cooked turkey with Justus and Kelsey since it was their bird, after all.)

Tuesday we stayed home all morning because we had a case worker visit for BabyBoy#11. (We’re working toward adoption!!!!!)

After getting Keith and Anna on the bus for their afternoon preschool, Matt stayed home to put the baby down for his nap and I took Acacia and Josie to Walmart to pick up a lot of our WIC items for the month. This gave Matt an hour and a half of quiet time to get some work done and it gave the girls and I a little outing plus restocked our fruit and veggie supply. :)

We got home in time to put groceries away. Then I left to pick up Brayden and Kiya from school so that we could head over to our Food Distribution to hand out food to the community. We came home with some too:

Remember the van door debacle from last week? The parts came in and Matt was able to get us all fixed up with a working door again. PHEW. That is a relief and now no children are allowed to touch the new door handle. ;) Isn’t she beautiful?

I had put Baked Potatoes into the crock pot to cook all day so we had them for dinner with leftover Rotisserie Chicken from Sunday and cheese dip.

A friend of ours is the principal at Lincoln High School and Matt had been talking to him about trying to watch at least one of their home soccer games. The weather was just right for this so after we fed the kids we loaded everyone up and headed over. We found a perfect spot on the “non-fan” side where we could climb all over the bleachers and not drive everyone crazy.

I sent this photo of the game field to Malachi who had played both teams last year during his senior year of high school soccer. :)

We got home just in time to brush teeth and tuck everyone into bed so Wednesday morning we had a simple breakfast of cereal so that we had more time to clean up and get ready for school.

After Brayden and Kiya got off, we got the other five ready and went to the indoor play area at the Zoo.

The snacks I packed turned into the kids’ lunch because they just kept eating and eating. We had cheese and crackers, applesauce, fruit/veggie pouches, and juice.

Then Anna, who was being very sweet and grown up that morning, took out the clementine she had packed. She peeled it all by herself and enjoyed her dessert.

Subjects not covered and photos not taken to share with you here: One major preschooler fit as we were trying to get out the door to go to the zoo, one baby puking on the zoo indoor play place floor, and one major toddler fit all the out of the zoo and all the way back home. BUT, these outings are super fun and super worth all the effort to get there and get back home. Truly. :)

Back at home, we got Keith and Anna on the bus for preschool then Acacia and Josie went outside to enjoy the sunshine.

Acacia: “I a Mommy!!”

Josie: “I digging! I outside! I not inside. I outside.” :)

Malachi stopped by that afternoon to pick up some of his mail and Acacia promptly put on his shades. :) Note the little sleeping blob on the bean bag beside Acacia. That’s Josie. She “doesn’t need a nap anymore.” Okedokee.

When Brayden and Kiya got home from school, Elias took Brayden out for some Bro Time. (They go out twice each week so Elias can pour into him.) Kiya and Acacia helped me in the kitchen, cleaning out a dishwasher all by themselves. :)

Meanwhile, Josie was making BabyBoy#11 belly laugh with her games.

For dinner that evening, we pulled out leftovers to eat so that nothing went to waste in our fridge. Kiya made a package of Caesar salad to go with our meal.

We finished off the Taco Rice Dinner that I’d made last week – eating it as a dip with chips. Plus we had Kiya’s salad and leftover green beans.

The next morning we got out pre-made Breakfast Sandwiches and Pancake Sausage Muffins for everyone to warm up in the air fryer.

This particular day turned out to be quite amazing for me. We had made arrangements with a dear friend/babysitter in York for Matt to drop off our three youngest with her while he worked on one of our properties for a few hours. That left me at home with only four kids – and part of the day they were all in school. So I had three and a half hours of COMPLETE QUIET TIME in our house that afternoon. Oh, it was life giving and wonderful! And our little ones loved their time with their precious Emma!

I decided to grill burgers for dinner that night because the weather was lovely and because as meal-prep time, I didn’t have any littles underfoot. We had our Burgers with Tator Tots, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, and Pickles.

We decided to go to Costco on Friday morning to grab diapers and ended up turning it into a big stock-up trip. I’d been trying to focus on using up what we had in the pantry and freezers but getting restocked on all of our basics brought a lot of relief to me that day so that meal planning and prep will be easier.

I’d had a first breakfast around 5:30am and a second breakfast around 7:30 but those were small “meals” so by the time we loaded up at 10:00 I was ready for my first lunch, ha. I grabbed the one leftover burger from the night before, chopped it up, and warmed it up with leftover corn to eat on the way to the store. Weird? Sure maybe. But it hit the spot and kept me going!

Matt ended up with four of the five kids in and on his cart on the way in. Anna hung with me until we redistributed kids in our two carts for the actual shopping time.

We got a variety of random items from crackers to berries to applesauce to chicken and hamburger. We got avocado cups, cream, half and half, coffee, sliced cheese, shredded cheese, pistachios, chicken nuggets, and several items we use that were on sale. I love watching the end caps of each aisle to see what is featured at a big discount! (Matt’s cart was full of two more kids, diapers, water bottles, and chips.

We got to enjoy some free samples, the likes of which made a sweet chocolate mess all over Acacia’s face.

We made it home in time to get Keith and Anna on the preschool bus then Elias and Matt brought in all the groceries with Acacia and Josie trying to help them bring in huge, heavy boxes. :)

I dropped off Acacia and Josie to spend time with a friend from church who watches them for two hours each week. They love going there and always have fun adventures. :)

Matt picked them up and brought them home. Again we see evidence that Josie doesn’t need a nap anymore. ;)

For dinner that night we had Orange Chicken with Rice and Spinach. This is one of our favorite splurge meals from Sam’s. We go through two boxes in one meal, which costs $25.96 – much more than our typical homemade meals. But this fed 5 adults and 6 kids on Friday night, which breaks down to $2.36 per person. MUCH cheaper than ordering take-out!

We were able to find the Husker men’s basketball game and watched it, sort of, between chasing kids and changing poop diapers. ;)

Saturday morning I made 15 Scrambled Eggs and cut up leftover Baked Potatoes from Tuesday night. I fried the potatoes in butter with salt and pulled apart several Clementines for us to eat.

After breakfast we loaded up to go to York just like we did last Saturday. We had been invited to a birthday party so we worked out details for Asa and Eva to help us spend the day there (they were already in York for a photo shoot).

I packed up a big bag full of extra “just-in-case” clothes, diapers, wipes, and snacks.

Matt and Asa spent four hours at our rental house working on repairs while Eva hung with the kids and me, first at a Carnival and then at a Birthday Party. We saw so many York friends that day!!

We got home in time to make Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup for dinner.

Then we got all seven kids through bath time.

And that was our week!

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Help Me with Grocery Cost Comparisons?

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I’m hoping you’ll take time to help me with grocery cost comparisons?

When I wrote this post to share about grocery costs that I’ve discovered that have NOT increased, some of your comments got me to thinking: What does inflation look like across the U.S.? Obviously I only know how it is affecting us here in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Will You Help Me with Grocery Cost Comparisons?

I know for sure that what I experience may not be what you are experiencing. So if you don’t mind taking some time to answer a few questions, I think we would all benefit. My goal is to always be helpful. I think I can be more helpful if I know more about how your grocery stores are behaving. :)

So to start with…

Those of you who shop at Costco and Sam’s:

  • Can you get Chicken Legs for $0.98/pound like I can?
  • Do they still offer Rotisserie Chickens for $4.99 where you live?
  • Is your 1-pound package of Organic Spinach and Spring Mix $5.00 or less?
  • Can you find Organic Hamburger Meat for $4.98/pound like we have here?
  • Are the (in season) fresh fruits and vegetables relatively similar in price compared to what they used to be? I’ve found that berry prices have increased quite a bit. :( But apples, bananas, oranges, pears, and grapes (in season) are hanging in there at prices that don’t make me flinch.

At Walmart:

I mentioned here that I still see pasta for $0.98 for a 1-pound package. I see off-brands at other stores for this price too. Is this price the same from state to state? What have you found where you live?

I double checked my information and took this photo at Walmart last week:

I snapped this one too, showing that the Whole Wheat Pasta (what we prefer) is also a really good price at just $1.43 for a pound:

I’ve definitely seen prices jump quite a bit on many food items at Walmart, which makes me shop elsewhere for most of what we need. But there are some of these basic items (like pasta) that has stayed low in cost.

At every grocery store:

  • Have you noticed that the price of processed/frozen prepared foods is OUTRAGEOUS? This has been my biggest jaw drop while shopping.
  • Are your store’s weekly sales and loss leaders decent? Some of the ads I see make me cringe – like “THAT’s your sale price? Ouch!” But I also see prices that draw me in and make me feel like if I really pay attention, I can stock up on basics when they are sale at very reasonable prices.

An example: Last week one reader, Julie, let me know that our Nebraska/Iowa chain, Super Saver, was having a Mega Meat Sale and suggested that I check it out. I’d never been there before, but the meat prices they advertised were AMAZING and well worth the trip! ($1.18/pound for pork roast?! $1.58/pound for pork loin?! Yes please.)

Meanwhile, almost everything else I saw there was pretty high in price compared to what I pay at Costco, Sam’s, and Aldi. But the Super Saver loss leaders got me in the door and I saved a lot of money taking advantage of their extreme sale prices. I need to pay attention to their sale flyer in the future!

Store Markdowns:

Are you able to snag some mark-downs that make you happy? I’m still finding GREAT markdown items at all the stores I go to: Aldi, Sam’s, and Walmart (with some fun clearance items at Costco). Specifically, I always check the meat at these stores to see what might be marked down.

Chicken Breast for just $1.76/pound after mark down —>

Overall:

  • Have you found that if you avoid high priced processed/prepared food and stick with basic, whole food, homemade meals – your budget isn’t taking too hard of a hit?
  • Have you tried shopping around and trying new stores to see if something else works better for you now compared to what used to work for you before inflation hit us so hard?

I appreciate any questions you might take the time to answer so that we all might learn something new that works in our area. I’m very curious what you’ve found that works and what prices you’ve found that haven’t increased during the past few years.

While grocery prices have increased in some ways, we can still save and feed our families well!

Free Worshop!

This is great timing as I just came across a FREE Crush Inflation Challenge offered by Tiffany at Don’t Waste the Crumbs. She’s so practical and everything she shares is very doable. Sign up for this free challenge here.

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