On Mon, 21 Feb 2005 09:29:52 -0500, FERRANTE
> wrote:

>I am doing something wrong? I go to the store, spent $80, and two days
>later, I am looking for something to make a meal, and it is not there.
>I am obviously doing something wrong. I have never went to the store
>with a weekly meal plan.
>
>What methods do you use when shopping for the week? I thought about
>getting a couple boxes of cereal and milk, bread, butter, and
>breakfast is taken care of. Then lunch and dinner. Sounds simple. Is
>it?
>
>Mark
>Bachelor cook

$80 would feed my family of 4 for at LEAST 2 weeks. I admit, 2 are
children, but...
I buy large family packs of whatever meat is on sale, and break it up
into mealsize portions to freeze. Usually get 2 types every week. I
make a lot of good homemade soups, which take only a little meat, but
still...
I buy VERY few processed foods. I buy mostly fresh produce stuff. A
10-lb bag of potatoes lasts me a week or two and provides homefries,
french fries, mashed, boiled...many different varieties. Same with
big bags of rice and noodles. We always have salad stuff, and fresh
fruit. Breakfasts for the kids are either cereal and fruit or fruit
and cinnamon toast (they think I invented it) and I typically eat
leftovers for breakfast, as does my sister. We both pack lunches
daily. I make large batches of things like beef stew or spaghetti and
we eat it 2 days or freeze one.

That way, if I don't feel like cooking, there's always 4 or 5 dinners
in the freezer.
Jeanne