Old Mother Hubbard and Me!

My husband's job is mostly commission-based- he installs security systems and gets paid by the job and the devices he installs. Well, a couple of weeks ago he suffered an injury that put him on "light duty". Light duty= office work= low paycheck. So this week I am putting my frugal muscles to work to see how little I can spend when I do my weekly grocery shopping tomorrow! 

What I have decided to do is to try this "Old Mother Hubbard"-style and to take a look at what I already have in my freezer, fridge, and pantry, and try to make some meals from it. Luckily, they are not completely bare thanks to my deals shopping of weeks past. So here is what I have come up with so far in no particular order (note: I usually only plan dinner menus because we always have cereal for breakfast and the kids always eat the same things for lunches, and my DH doesn't eat lunch...go figure...):

Dinner #1: Canned chicken noodle soup- I'll add dumplings (this is a first for me!) and some extra carrots that I have, maybe even some extra cooked chicken (see dinner #7)

Dinner #2: Spaghetti- no meatballs for this one, but I'll make either some homemade bread or rolls and accompany it with a big salad (I like the giant bags of salad from Sam's Club for $2.50)

Dinner #3: Tuna pasta salad- I have some of that "Suddenly Salad" mix that I tried for the first time this week and it was pretty good- I think that if I just add some canned tuna and have some cooked broccoli on the side, maybe some of that leftover bread and/or rolls with it then it will be pretty good!

Dinner #4: Frozen Pizza- Got this cheap, not particularly healthy, but it's a crowd-pleaser! We'll have some salad on the side.

Dinner #5: Corn pancakes or waffles and eggs- I like to make breakfast for dinner sometimes, but I like to use the Jiffy corn muffin mix (can't beat it for $0.33 a box!) and do corn pancakes because they're a little bit heartier than the buttermilk pancakes.

Dinner #6: Potato Soup- I just recently got a recipe for how to make a cheesy potato soup using items from food storage (dried potato flakes, etc.). I am going to give it a try and maybe add in some of those extra carrots and accompany it with some corn muffins.

Dinner #7: Grilled Chicken Salad- this is a favorite of ours! We just take some chicken breasts (I think I have 2 left in the freezer!) and season them with a little garlic salt and pepper and then throw them on the grill. Once they're done, we cut them up and put them on a green salad. Add some cheese and  your favorite salad dressing, maybe some bread on the side, and you've got a yummy and filling meal!

So that's the plan for next week- I'll be sure to post again to let you all know of my successes and (though hopefully fewer!) flops.

How could you reduce your grocery bill for next week with items you already have in your cupboards?? Leave a comment and let us know what you're going to try this week!