Wow! It has been so long since I have written. Tonight I break the silence :) I was browsing through my blogs that I read and over at It Just Takes One I came across the five minute friday that Lisa-Jo Baker hosts! One writing prompt. Five minutes. Just write. No editing!

There is a first time for  everything and this is what I came up with!

Go:

I watch the girls in my Bible study. Young, beautiful, vibrant young women who are so full of life. I am the only married on in the bunch and so I pause and remember...

It was just a few years ago. Many of the same girls. I had not yet met my husband and at times wondered if I ever would. I wondered if I would ever have children of my own. If I would ever be the head of the home.

Now I am.

But I remember...I remember the lonely nights. I remember the longing. I remember wishing that some guy any guy would notice me.

I remember girl talks with so many of the same girls in my living room now.

I remember movie nights.

I remember the tears.

I remember the laughter.

I remember the love.

Tonight I look around me and am thankful as I remember...

So many sweet memories.

So many sweet friends.

And I am thankful for the memories that are yet to be made.

I remember...

Stop.

$75 a week for groceries.
Is that even possible today in the world we live it!?

Our budget is pretty tight right now and we are trying to save for a house as well. My goal is to save as much as possible wherever we can.

Living frugally has always been a part of our marriage. I love thrift store shopping, finding the best deals etc...it is like a game-how much money can I save this time.

Now that Jason is gluten free things are a little more difficult (oh the days of buying 3 lbs. of pasta for a mere dollar).

We have also been going mostly dairy free and mostly sugar free.

On $75 a week.

Some weeks we make it and other weeks we go a little bit over but we are still in the beginning stages of it and learning new things every week which helps!

Did I mention I have so much fun with it?

I know I may seem really odd because of that BUT saving money really can be FUN!

So how do I do it?

I think the thing that has helped me the most is:

Meal Planning.

I make a list of meals that I am going to make for the week (a lot of people do monthly but right now for our family we are sticking with weekly shopping more on that later).

I am addicted to love Pinterest. A lot of times when I am browsing I will pin meals I want to try later on my Healthy Eating Inspirations board. When it comes time to choose meals (I normally plan at least six meals) that is normally the first place I go for inspiration. Any meals that I don't make during a particular week I will roll over to the next week.

Once I have my meals I then go through the recipe ingredients. Anything I don't have on hand gets written down under that meal.
Example:

Meal #1: Cornflake Chicken
Veggie: Broccoli
Starch: Mashed Potatoes

To Buy:
-3 Chk. breasts
-Box of Cornflakes (1)

I don't list anything else because I know I have a package of frozen broccoli in the freezer waiting to be used, potatoes in my pantry waiting to be used and extra butter in the freezer.

I repeat this process and then, once I am finished with all of my meals, I transfer it over to my big shopping list which I divide up by store.

I am planning on sharing my weekly shopping trips with you on here. I think it will be fun but also help keep me motivated!

So look for a post coming soon!

What about you?

How do you save money on your grocery bill especially if you have food allergies or special diet needs in your family? I would love to hear about them or any questions you all may have!

Blessings!