Hey, readers!  Some of you may recall my participation in Project Food Budget 2.0 a few years ago.  (You can read those posts by clicking on the category with its name.)  I committed to a full year of weekly blogging about my food budget.  It was an eye-opening experience.  It required discipline in shopping AND in blogging.  I loved what it did for our bank account, but I didn’t always love how Warm as Pie became so focused on food and money.

Last week, I randomly ventured over to Emily Levenson’s blog–host of Project Food Budget–and I was surprised and quite pleased to see that she was doing the project again.  In fact, it started on June 1st, so I was late but not too late.  This time, Project Food Budget is running only 12 weeks.  I think that is a good balance.  I will have the experience of focusing on my budget and building a community with other bloggers, but my blog won’t get invaded by tons of money talk.  (Any other fans of Little Women?  I can just hear Meg March saying, “I despise all this money talk.  It isn’t refined!”)

I will be posting each Tuesday to share the news on my weekly budgeting, meal planning, and shopping.  This is my Week #1.  Everyone else is on Week #6.

Goal: $120         Actual: $99

My true budget (set by my hubby) is $150 for food per week, but part of the reason I’m doing this project is to cut down on spending.  Therefore, I’ve made my own budget $120.  When we eat out, we mentally divide that expense and subtract it from the food category and the “fun” category.  So my new budget also leaves a little wiggle room for eating out from time to time.  I’m shopping for six eaters–one of whom is just a little guy who doesn’t make much of a dent in the budget, yet.  I try to choose natural options–organic when I can swing it.

My shopping day is Monday, and I chose to go to Aldi.  I have been an Aldi failure for years, but in the last few months, I’ve improved my Aldi-shopping skills.  Some pep talks from friends, inspiration from my sister, and quite a few practice runs have brought me to the point where most of my shopping happens at Aldi.  I only have to grab a few things from the grocery store later in the week.  We also have the benefit of a Nickles Bakery outlet nearby, so we get our whole wheat bread at a very low cost.  VERY!  Our bread of choice is only $1, and it is over $3 at Wal*Mart or Shop ‘n Save.

Okay…blah, blah, blah…enough of the boring stuff.  We have a busy weekend, so I’m only planning four dinners (hence the low budget).  Here’s my menu:

Meatless Monday: quesadillas with cheese (of course), black beans, yellow bell peppers, lettuce, and tomatoes.  Peach-Mango Salsa.  Homemade guacamole.  Tortilla chips.  Applesauce.

Tuesday:  meatball sandwiches.  Mixed veggies.

Wednesday:  quiche with ham, broccoli, and cheddar cheese.  Watermelon.

Thursday:  pecan crusted tilapia.  Rice.  A mix of green beans and yellow wax beans.

While you have food and budgets on your mind, I hope you’ll visit my fellow Project Food Budget bloggers:

Emily Levenson

McGinnis and Bean // Red Pen Mama // Seeking White Space // facepalmmama // Gardening in High Heels // Melissa Firman // Copy & Post // Rachel Olive Miller // Shea Lennon // Erra Creations// Two Eggs Over Easy//Rainaldi

Edited to add a new blog to the list.  Edited again to add another blog that I somehow missed.