The deets

A few rules that I followed:
1.)  I used a butcher for the meat.  He cut all of the meat like I wanted it, and this way I could be assured that it was fresh.  This costs bit more, but (in my mind) adds to the healthfulness of the meal, and ensures that none of the meat was frozen ahead of time.

2.)  I did not use coupons.  You absolutely could, but then how would you know how much it would typically cost?  I will probably use coupons in the future.

3.)  I did use some food that I had on-hand.  So, if you don't have oranges in your house, for example, that might cost you more.

4.)  I went to three stores: the butcher, Costco, and Meijer.  I bought everything I could in bulk.  There were some things (like green pepper) that I had to purchase at Meijer because they didn't have them at Costco (you should have seen the looks I got purchasing 10 green peppers at Meijer!!!).

Here was what I spent:
Butcher: $248.99
Costco: $42.68
Meijer: $136.61

TOTAL:  $428.28

I know this seems like a lot, but remember - this is 30 different meals - more if you count leftovers, etc.  If we assume that we eat a different meal each night, then this is $14.28 per meal.  If we assume there are 4 people eating each meal, then this is $3.57 per person - not bad!  Think about how much cheaper this is than going out to eat all the time!  I'm so excited!  And my freezer is packed!  Here's a picture - this is actually minus 7 meals which had to go into a different freezer!

Because this post is taking too long, I'll post recipes and the grocery list in the next post.

So there you go.  We actually made the first meal tonight, and I can't wait to share more about it with you!