Here’s this week’s Aldi Meal Plan – I hope it helps you see how you can eat really well on a budget!
Aldi Meal Plan
If any of the meal plans have been helpful to you, consider paying to help with the costs of the sharing site. This is completely OPTIONAL! You’ll see the plan below (it may be in fine print!) You can view it all on your phone. 🙂
$2.00
Maggie and I just returned from our girls’ getaway to New York City! Below are my tips and tricks for making the best of your time there. These are just all the considerations I made before we went, so if you have questions or need more detail – of course let me know! At some point I am going to figure out a fancy printable. 🙂 See the bottom of this post for our detailed itinerary. Early November was gorgeous with a mix of all the fall foliage and the beginning of Christmas decorating (a pleasant surprise!)
First consideration – FLIGHTS! You can read more about my tips for saving on flights here and also managing flights with littles here. For this trip, we used a flight certificate we had from our airline credit card, and we flew Saturday mid-morning to early Tuesday to get the best deal. I did not have a credit card for many years (any other Dave Ramsey kids?) and I wish I’d gotten this credit card sooner with all the travel we do. We pay it off early every month, and love the benefits. All that to say, we flew free this time, but there are inexpensive and direct flights from many places- just keep an eye out using Google flights. I find this is cheaper than using deal sights. Bonus tips- do not pay extra for seats together (if not traveling with a group and not flying Spirit/Frontier). There are tons of people on flights without an assigned seat – you can get seats together when you check in (especially when traveling with a minor). Second tip- try to pack light. This just makes things easier in my opinion!
Second consideration – Hotel! You can no longer do a short-term rental (AirBNB/VRBO) in New York, but honestly a hotel was going to be the pick for just two of us anyway. For this trip, I went through Expedia. I really like that they have joined with VRBO (our choice for short term rentals) and you can earn cash back on rentals AND hotels through a free program called OneKey. I will say that this was the most expensive portion of our trip, but it was important to me to be in a safe, quieter area close to the subway. We stayed at the Hotel Beacon on the upper west side and it was truly a dream. The staff were all so friendly and helpful. It was a block away from the subway, stores, and restaurants – we could see central Park from our window (!) and could easily walk to it. It also had a teeny kitchen so we were able to keep some breakfast and lunch items in our mini fridge (to cut down on costs- more on that below).
Third consideration – Getting around. I am affectionately known as “Safety Stan” around my house, as is this first-born whom we were celebrating – and let me tell you, we LOVED taking the subway (and sometimes a bus) most everywhere- including from the airport! I admit I studied this quite a bit using Google maps and also the MTA website (routes). This gave me a confidence boost knowing I’d be exploring solo with a child, and I liked not relying on my phone when out, especially when navigating the streets on foot. While I don’t think you need to go into as much detail as me, I DO recommend getting a general idea of where things are that you’d like to see and do (the upper west/East side for museums, Central Park, midtown for times square, Rockefeller center, and broadway shows, etc) and some possible routes, before you go. Also! You no longer have to buy a Metro Card if you have a card (or phone/watch) with tap to pay! And kids ride free- we just went through the turn style together. Rides are $2.90/one way and there is a cap of $34 per week! I feel like $34 for all the places we got to see was amazing!
We did take an Uber to the pier for our Circle Line Ferry tour as it ended “late” and also to the airport early Tuesday morning, but coming from the airport, we actually enjoyed the bus ride on the M60 from LaGuardia which took us right to the subway station. We got to the Upper West Side in about 45 minutes and saved $70 on an Uber/Taxi (which was an estimated 40 minute ride). If you didn’t pack light, the bus has luggage racks.
Fourth consideration – What to do and see! There is truly SO MUCH to do in New York City, so of course plan out according to what you like and don’t like. I don’t love the hustle and bustle of midtown, but we did pop in and out a few times to catch a Broadway Show and show Maggie some of the icons like Rockefeller Center and FAO Schwarz. I would recommend buying something like a New York City Pass (I was able to get us discounted passes through work- details here) if you want to go to “tourist” things like tours, museums, sightseeing, etc. The passes have different options. We used ours to first see the Empire State Building (pro tip- go in the afternoon! We went Saturday at 3:30, there was hardly a line, and the sun was setting! Glorious! the man said it’s packed in the morning, and as we were leaving there was a huge line (to see the city at night of course). Then we went on a Circle Line Harbor Lights Tour and oh my goodness if that is not a HIDDEN GEM. It’s a two-hour ferry ride and it was truly DELIGHTFUL. We got to see so much and learn so much about the buildings, bridges, history, etc. The Statue of Liberty up-close at night was beautiful. For both tours, all I had to do was scan my phone (no line). I would say the passes saved us at least 50% off the price of admission, especially for the Empire State Building.
There are also savings on several of the museums – the 9/11 Museum is Free Mondays starting at 5:30 and the American Museum of Natural History is free every day starting at 4:30. We were able to squeeze a LOT in to the last hour and it was completely free! (You could spend all day at either of those places so it may be worth it to you to buy a ticket).
There are also so many FREE things to do in the City (a separate post on this alone is coming soon). We spent a lot of time in Central Park, walked the High Line, visited the Harry Potter Store, watched the skaters at Rockefeller Center, stood in awe of Saint Patrick’s cathedral, and enjoyed a playground and the beautiful streets of the Village. We didn’t do it this time, but one of my favorite things to do is take the Staten Island Ferry! You get a beautiful Skyline view and see the Statue of Liberty- all for free! There’s also the Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Central Station, the NYC Library (we were bummed we forgot it was Veteran’s Day and it was closed this time), and Governer’s Island. There’s also an abundance of shops and markets to explore.
Last consideration, consider a flexible itinerary (and budget). Even without kids, you may get exhausted trying to fit too much into one day. Also it may not be in your budget to go out to eat every meal, so there’s no shame in packing snacks and stopping at a store for the basics! Here is what our days looked like:
Saturday
Fly mid-morning, take the bus and subway to our hotel
Drop Off bags and have a lil snack
Leave for the subway to the Empire State Building
See Macy’s and the crazy midtown crowd
Grab pizza for dinner and sit outside to eat and people watch
Back to hotel, put our feet up for a little, grab heavier coats/hat/gloves
Uber to Harbor Lights Tour, enjoy, Uber to Hotel
Sunday
Hotel room coffee and tea
Walk to Trader Joe’s (2 blocks) right when they open, grab some breakfast staples, snacks, and items for our central Park picnic, drop off bag at hotel
Subway to Redeemer WestSide for their 9:30 service (free coffee, too!)
Walk to Central Park (so many gorgeous brownstones on the way!) to see Belvedere Castle and the Lake and the amazing fall leaves
Picnic with Trader Joe’s items
Walk back to Hotel – stopping at Levain Bakery for a famous cookie!
Rest at hotel for a little
Subway to Winter Garden Theatre for Back to the Future at 2:00 (amazing!!)
Walk around Time Square (a little ;)) then subway
Harry Potter Store! Madison Square Park/Flat Iron Building
Pick up dinner from DIG ($5 off with app) and head back to hotel
Dinner and Holiday Baking Challenge on the Food Network (teaching Maggie the art of the hotel TV for shows you don’t normally get to watch!)
Monday
Breakfast in hotel
Subway to Greenwich Village (wayyy less crowded trip this time!)
Walked Grove Street (gorgeous homes and fall weather!) to the Friends Apartment then up to the famous Magnolia Bakery on Bleeker
Walked to the Bleeker Playground
Walked up Hudson to the High Line
Grabbed a coffee and then back to Hotel to rest and finish picnic items (from TJ’s)
Walked back to Central Park, stopping at a few thrift shops, then the bus to Columbus Circle and Target (#basic but we needed a few things and the escalator was fun ;))
Back to hotel, heavier coats, then American Museum of Natural History right at 4:30 for FREE admission for the last hour!
Subway to Times Square for pizza for M/Halal for mom and see FAO Schwarz, Rockefeller Center, Saint Patricks Cathedral, and Radio City Music Hall.
We flew out early Tuesday!
We saw SO MUCH and had so much fun. If you need help planning your trip, let me know!
Welcome back to weekly meal plans! I was doing specific stores, and that may continue at some point, but for now I think general plans would be most helpful. You’ll see the download in a small link below! Let me know how I can help!
ALSO – I am working on adding recipes to my site! You can look on Pinterest for general recipes listed, or message me and I’ll send you what’s working for us 🙂
Hi friends! Thank you for your patience as we worked through a crazy few weeks with travel, sickness, (+ more sickness via allergies), etc etc! We are all good over here but I’m happy to get back to sharing these menus with you. I am not too thrilled with this week’s ad, but I am excited to see Kevin’s premade meals on the B1G1 list. We had the coconut chicken over the holidays for the first time, and the kids devoured! It makes meal time easy, too. Please let me know your thoughts on this list!
Publix Weekly Plan (With Grocery List)
If this plan is helpful to you, please consider purchasing it to help cover the costs of my share site. This is completely optional. You’ll see the download below in fine print (not sure why it does that!). 🙂
$2.00
Hi everyone! I’ve included the Publix plan below with dinners, breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. There seem to be lots of B1G1s this week (including…POUCHES!). Let me know what you think either on here or instagram!
Publix Weekly Plan
I hope this plan helps you save lots of money while eating well. If this or any plan has helped you, please consider paying $2 to cover my costs. This is totally optional. You’ll see the free download below in small lettering.
$2.00
8 boneless pork chops
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon each of paprika and garlic
Bake chops, covered, on 400 for about 12 minutes (6 minutes per 1/2 inch of thickness)
Remove foil cover and broil for a minute or so, watching carefully
LET THEM REST a few minutes, and check with meat thermometer (should reach 145) before serving. Can use pan drippings to make a sauce
Place bag of frozen meatballs (original- not Italian) in crockpot
Pour in 2 cups of beef broth and one packet of au jus gravy
Cook on low 3 hours
Served with rice or mashed potatoes and vegetable of choice
This is one of our favorite meals and it’s so easy to come together. Our kids call it “pizza casserole” because it does have the flavor of pizza!
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef (or turkey or italian sausage)
1 cup rice of choice, cooked (could use microwave kind to cut time. I use my instantpot and brown rice. We’ve also used steamable cauliflower rice before, too)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese blend like colby jack)
1 15oz can of tomato sauce
2 bell peppers, cut into strips (can use green or any color)
1 small onion, cut into small slices (we’ve omitted before and done a 3rd pepper no problem)
Seasonings – dashes of garlic, italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. measure with your heart
Preparation
In a large skillet that can be transferred to the oven (if you don’t have this – use skillet you have and use the lid at the end- will explain), brown ground beef with garlic and italian seasoning
While meat is browning, cook rice of choice
Transfer beef mixture to a plate and place sliced onions and peppers in skillet (remove some grease if needed- but not too much- that way veggies don’t stick)
Cook onions and peppers on medium-low until soft, about five minutes or so
Transfer cooked onions and peppers to plate on top of cooked beef
Place cooked rice in skillet, then add tomato sauce, cooked peppers/onions, and ground beef. Stir to combine
Top mixture with shredded cheese, allowing to cook on low a few minutes
Stick skillet in oven on broil for JUST A MINUTE OR TWO to let cheese melt (or put lid on your skillet and stay cooking on low until melted)
Serve portions with a simple salad!
Happy Friday! I’m a little late getting this out and I apologize! You’ll see the Publix meal plan attached below. If you need help with any “recipes” please let me know and I’ll get back to you!
Publix Weekly Meal Plan
If this plan (or any other plan) has helped you, please consider paying $2 to help cover the costs of my sharing site. This is completely optional. Thank you for helping me grow this site!
$2.00
The above photo isn’t mine (see credit) 🙂 But wanted to give an idea
Basic Protein Baked Oatmeal – A great recipe to make ahead and have multiple servings all week. We like to top ours with fruit, peanut butter, and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup
Ingredients:
3 cups of oats (I liked quick cook, old fashioned is great too)
1/2 cup vanilla protein power (can use whatever flavor you like)
2 cups milk of choice
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon butter, melted (or oil of choice)
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of salt
*Fruit of choice to mix in or add on top
To Prepare:
Preheat oven to 375
Spray 9×13 with oil/spread a lil butter to prevent sticking
Mix together all ingredients except for fruit
Fold in fruit of choice* optional
Bake for 35ish minutes until center is set
Portion and serve with toppings of choice
Simply with LC 