Guest Menu Plan by Kimberly I have a really hard time passing up a really good grocery deal, even if I don't need it or we already have five boxes in the cupboards. There is something about buying cereal for 5¢/ounce or yogurt for 12¢/carton that really makes my day. Consequently, my pantry and cupboards are starting to overflow! So over the past weeks, I have been making more of a conscious effort to use some of my surplus. This week that involved getting a spiral sliced ham I bought on sale at Christmas out of the freezer. Then I had fun coming up with creative and diverse meals using ham. I tried some new recipes, used items from the pantry, Keep Reading

  Welcome to March! It's a new week, new month, new menu. I love kicking things off with a plan, and this one is delicious. Here's what's for dinner at my house this week: Monday -- Pulled Pork Sandwiches, chips, Frozen Coconut Limeade Tuesday -- Thai Quinoa Salad, fresh fruit Wednesday -- My Brother's Chicken Tacos Thursday -- Black Beans & Brown Rice (with taco leftovers) Friday -- Dinner with friends Saturday -- Coconut Chicken Soup, fresh fruit Sunday -- Dinner out We'd love to feature some of YOUR menu plans! Go here to find instructions on how to submit your plan and have it published on Frugal Living NW! Find more great Keep Reading

I can't believe this is the final week of February! Usually I dread this time of year and the gray, cold days that come with it. Early 2015 (and its 60+ degree days) and I are getting along just fine. This also marks the final week of my February Freezer Challenge. My goal was to create meals starting with what I already have in my freezer and spend under $150 on fresh dairy & produce (Read more here: week 1, week 2, week 3). I ended up going over, spending $171 total. I have a $13 produce Groupon that will get us through this week. I'm cool with our February total, as it's still several hundred dollars less than I usually spend each month on Keep Reading

We are right on track with our February freezer challenge (read more about it here and here). So far, I have spent $73 this month. I only picked up three small items at the grocery store all last week! That felt strangely liberating. I went over our grocery budget every single month in 2014. So, I'm either not setting a realistic amount for our family or I'm just not sticking with it. I think it's actually a combination of the two. This challenge has helped bring some discipline back into my meal planning and grocery shopping. If you are struggling to stick with your grocery list/budget, I'd highly recommend "shopping" your freezer first. Here's Keep Reading

Last week, I talked about my goal of creating meals using food from our freezers + fresh produce from the grocery store. My goal is to stay under $150 for groceries for the month of February. Total spent so far: $66.28. I just need to pick up a few things this week, though, so I think we'll be in good shape. I made a HUGE pot of delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup on Monday that ended up stretching into quite a few leftovers. And over the weekend we made the most amazing hamburgers I've ever put in my mouth (Are you making your own hamburger buns yet? It just might change your life.) so I'm repeating a couple meals that we didn't get to last Keep Reading

My goal for the month of February is to spend just $150 on groceries. I have three freezers packed with food, and I want to make sure we use it while it's still good. The freezers need to be pretty empty by the time July rolls around, when we'll start filling them with summer produce again. (Read more about how I save money by stocking basic food items.) So for February, I'm going to create meals starting with what we have on hand and supplementing with fresh produce. Here's what's for dinner at my house this week: Monday -- Chicken Tortilla Soup - This is our family's favorite soup. From the freezer: chicken, corn tortillas, jalapenos, corn, and Keep Reading