Trying to save money by menu planning

We talked about menu planning at Amanda's Cookin' blog two weeks ago on Thrifty Thursday. I said then that I was going to make an effort to save money by planning a weekly menu. I've never stuck to one for very long before. Hopefully this go 'round I will be a little more successful.

Here is my first menu:

Monday - meatloaf w/ gravy, buttered potatoes, steamed broccoli
Tuesday - spicy orange beef w/noodles
Wednesday -breakfast for Dinner--pancakes, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns and toast
Thursday - crockpot pork chops with cream of mushroom gravy over egg noodles, green beans
Friday - homemade pizza roll-ups and salad
Saturday -chicken tortellini soup w/homemade ciabatta bread
Sunday - spaghetti and meatballs w/homemade Italian herb bread (This is usually my shopping day)


Tonight's meal went over well...even though my kids don't really like cooked potatoes. We ate late because my son had to stay after school to practice his part in a school play. Everyone was starving so I didn't bother to take pictures.

I made a huge meatloaf:

3 lbs of hamburger
1 C. of Ritz crackers, crushed fine
1/2 C. ketchup --I am picky, I only like Heinz
1/2 C. milk
2 eggs
1 package of Lipton onion soup mix
extra garlic and onion seasonings
a few splash of Worcestershire sauce

Mixed it altogether with my hands and formed a large rectangle of meat in a 9x13 pan. Baked it at 350* for about an hour. I drained the grease off of it half way through the cooking. We like brown gravy served on our meatloaf instead of any type of tomato topping.

I'd planned on making dessert but the night got away from me.