This is my fun week. We’ve stocked up on pasta and tater tots, so we can go a little crazy with our splurge ingredients. Particularly fun is to just go wild on Tater Tot Supreme and load it up with mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, olives, salsa, and bacon.

We also have

• dried apricots to give our oatmeal a little kick
• bacon, cream, and parsley for Spaghetti Carbonara
• cream, tomatoes, parsley for Spinach Alfredo Chicken Tomato Pasta

Finally, chocolate chip cookies make the first desert we’ve been able to afford.

I came in $3.45 under this wee, so there’s plenty of room in this budget. You can drop the turkey sausage if you like since you might get have a sale like I saw this week. Save that money for when there is a good sale on sausage, chicken, or turkey.

• Bacon – $4.29
• Bread (1 loaf, 21 slices) – $0.99
• Chocolate Chip Cookies – $1.79
• dries apricots (6 oz) – $2.19
• Eggs (1 dozen) – $2.19
• Jalepeno (2 peppers) – $0.19
• Milk (1 gallon) – $2.69
• Mushrooms (5 oz, about 6 large white) – $1.09
• Olives (can, 6 ounces) – $1.00
• Parsley (1 bunch, fresh) – $0.99
• Potatoes (5 pound bag) – $1.49
• Salsa (16 ounce jar) – $1.50
• Tomato Sauce (2 cans, 4 ounces) – $0.58
• Roma Tomatoes (3) – $1.45
• Tortillas (30 corn) – $1.87
• Turkey Sausage (12 oz, links) – $1.89 (SALE)
• Whipping Cream (16 oz) – $1.99

Total: $30.55

Leftover Meals:

• Bean Soup (4 servings from week 1)
• Chicken white bean soup (3 servings from week 4)
• Lentil Soup (3 servings from week 4)
• Egg Potato Sausage Casserole (2 servings from week 4)
• Simple Oatmeal (1 serving from week 1)

Leftover from Week 4:

• Baking Powder – most of the can
• Baking soda – most of the box
• Black Pepper – about 9 teaspoons
• Bread  – about half a loaf
• Bread Crumbs – 3 cups
• Butter – 3-4 sticks
• Canola oil (most of a bottle)
• Cheese – 20 oz
• Chicken – about 1 pound
• Cinnamon – 4 teaspoons
• Corn, frozen – 8 oz
• Eggs  – 6
• Flour – 8 cups
• Garlic – several cloves (about 20)
• Honey – 12 tablespoons
• Italian Seasoning – about 8 teaspoons
• Lime Juice – 10 oz
• Milk – 2 quarts
• Oatmeal – 11 cups
• Onions – 2-3
• Orange juice – 30 oz
• Paprika – 5 teaspoons
• Pasta – 2 1/2 boxes
• Pasta sauce – 2 cans (16 oz per can)
• Parmesan Cheese- 1 1/2 cups
• Peanut butter – 27 oz
• Potatoes – 5-6
• Salsa – 4 ounces
• Salt (lots)
• Sausage, ground – 4 oz, frozen
• Spinach, Frozen – 6 oz
• Sugar (most of a bag)
• Syrup – most of a bottle
• Tater tots, frozen – 16 oz
• Veggies, frozen mixed – 16 oz