Eat from the Pantry Challenge - Follow Up

Just wanted to follow-up on my eating from the pantry challenge.

I am still sorting through and getting rid of boxes and boxes of stuff I don't need anymore. I am really not sure why I saved some of this for so long!

Also, on the grocery budget, looks like I will be under budget again this month. No point it doing the challenge if you go over the next month. I am still using up a lot of random things, expecially produce from the summer and I still have most the meat I bought in Jan. (Told you we don't eat much meat!)

What a good month this is turning out to be!

Eat from the Pantry Challenge - Final Post

Today is the last day of January! It has been a great month of using up a lot of food and using my creativity to make up meals that involved needing to buy very little. I am excited that it was so successful and also excited that it is over. I still have a bunch of things I want to use up this month but also want to make some new recipes. This month has been all really simple and basic foods and a lot of repetition. I am ready for some change!

Here was our menu for the last few days:

Jan 29
b- cereal
L- leftovers
D- grits, quiche, green beans (canned)

Jan 30
b - cereal
l- black eyed peas
d - leftovers for kids, date night for adults

Jan 31
b- baked oatmeal
l- leftovers
d- barbeque chicken and mashed root veg

Eat from the Pantry Challenge: Update 7

One last shopping trip - just a few items to get us through the end of the month.


So my food total for the month is:
Shopping Trip #1 $4.04
CSA Subscription $39
Shopping Trip #2 $42.18
Shopping Trip #3 $46.23
CSA Subscription $39
Shopping Trip #4 $48.40
Local Meats $29.61
Shopping Trip #5 $9.83
TOTAL $258.29

Not too shabby! I did use up a lot of random items this month. I don't expect to spend any extra money next month either, as I did not deplete all my stockpiles. I just used up some things that just needed to be used up, so I am really pleased.

Eat from the Pantry Challenge : Menu Week #4

Here is what we ate for the fourth week of the Eat from the Pantry Challenge. It looks like the challenge might be ending on a lot of blogs, but I will have one more update as I am running it all the way through Jan 31st!

Jan 22
breakfast-cereal
lunch-at a friends house
dinner- kids oatmeal, adults date night

Jan 23
b-pancakes and sausage
l-baked ziti and salad
d- leftovers


Jan 24
b-baked oatmeal
l- leftover ziti
d- bean burgers, parsnip fries, broccoli

Jan 25
b-cereal
l-leftovers
d-leftovers

Jan 26
b-toast, eggs, sausage
l- leftovers
d-yukon gold potato gratin, roasted mushrooms, beets

Jan 27
b-crockpot oatmeal
l- leftovers
d- OUT

Jan 28
b-toast
l- macaroni and cheese
d- quesadillas, peas

Eat from the Pantry Challenge: Update 6

With one week left, I thought I better take a look back at my goals from the start of the month and see how I am doing. When I went over my grocery budget, I sort of lost steam but I am ready to recommit to the goals and finish strong!

My goals:
1. Use as much of my stockpiles as possible - especially from the freezer
I am so excited about the items I have used up but I have lots more to go! I need to buckle down and plan meals for this last week that use only foods I already have.
2. Keep grocery budget under $200. This includes approx $80 for produce from our CSA.
I went a bit over this as I already said but I am happy to still be below my normal budget.
3. Only go grocery shopping 3-4 times this month.
I have been to the store 4 times already and I expect one more - hopefully only milk and some produce.
4. Bring nothing into the house (besides food) without getting rid of something(s) taking up TWICE as much space.
I forgot to track this but I don't think I have bought much more this month.
5. Keep count of how many boxes of stuff I donate and GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!
I donated three MORE BIG bags today! That makes my total 6 large bags/boxes. I know I can get rid of more if I make the time to sort through more areas.

Eat from the Pantry Challenge: Update 5

I went to the store again! I have at this point passed my goal amount for groceries for this month.

Here is where I am for the grocery budget for the month:

So for food so far I have spent:
Shopping Trip #1 $4.04
CSA Subscription $39
Shopping Trip #2 $42.18
Shopping Trip #3 $46.23
CSA Subscription $39
Shopping Trip #4 $48.40
Local Meats $29.61
TOTAL $248.46

I am still really happy with what I have accomplished this month. I am still a good bit below my normal grocery budget, I have used up a bunch of older things in my pantry and freezer, we have had some really creative meals, and I still have a lot of food going into February. I am disappointed not to hit the goal to limit my shopping trips to 3-4 for the whole month. If I had done that, I would have had better results on my budget goal. The problem was that we are drinking more than one gallon of milk a week all of a sudden so I keep running out of milk, therefore getting me in the store to "pick up a few more things."

Eat from the Pantry Challenge : Menu Week #3

Here is what we ate for the third week of January - the third week of the Eat from the Pantry Challenge. I realized we are a good ways through winter and have not eaten much soup so I declared this week Soup week!


Jan 15
breakfast-cereal
lunch-leftovers
dinner- stirfry noodles


Jan 16
b-pancakes
l-OUT
d- mac n cheese for kids, adults out on date


Jan 17
b-baked oatmeal and smoothies
l- chili and cornbread
d- winter squash soup, naan, mango

Jan 18
b-cereal
l-leftovers
d-leftover asian noodles and roasted cauliflower

Jan 19
b-toast, smoothies
l- leftovers
d-tortilla soup, roasted broccoli

Jan 20
b-crockpot oatmeal
l- leftover soup
d- zucchini chowder, popovers


Jan 21
b-toast
l- honey mustard chicken, leftover broccoli
d- cauliflower soup, beets, salad

Eat From the Pantry Challenge Update Four

Went to the store again, plus got another great box of produce from our CSA.

Here is where I am for the grocery budget for the month:

So for food so far I have spent:
Shopping Trip #1 $4.04
CSA Subscription $39
Shopping Trip #2 $42.18
Shopping Trip #3 $46.23
CSA Subscription $39
TOTAL $170.45

So it is pretty clear that I am not going to meet my $200 goal for the month, seeing that it is only the 20th. Actually I know I am not, because I have not included some beef that I purchased from a ranch in Eastern Washington and will be picking up on Saturday. But I am ok with that. I realized at some point that I had almost no meat in my house when the challenge started.

I considered not purchasing meat this month but decided that it was important that we have it and I should not go without for the challenge. We only eat meat for dinner 1 night a week or so and I want to keep it that way. So in addition to the coming beef, I got some good prices on chicken and stocked up a bit. I probably have enough chicken for Jan and Feb and maybe even some of March, and probably the same for beef once my delivery comes. That is why I will not make my goal.

I am, however, thrilled with the challenge. We have eaten so many things from our freezer and I am so happy that we are utilizing all of that food, mostly produce I froze in the summer and fall. The other thing I am happy about is that we have thrown nothing out this month and have really been careful to consume every leftover and every random bit of food. It has been great!

Eat From the Pantry Challenge Update Three

It took me a few days to get to it, but I got a bag packed to donate full of stuff! Definitely at least 2 times the amount of stuff that I purchased. It feels so good to be getting rid of it all.

So for the bag/box count:
3 boxes I took last week
1 1/2 LARGE bags so far this week!

I bet I can get a bunch more when I get around to finishing cleaning out the huge master closet!

And stay tuned, although I am still sticking with my donating goals, I am considering making some changes to my grocery budget goals!

Eat from the Pantry Challenge : Menu Week #2

Here is what we ate for the second week of January - the second week of the Eat from the Pantry Challenge. We are eating tons of leftovers and lots of repetitions so we don't waste anything! So far it is going really well though and everyone seems to be enjoying the food! Even the Salsa Pasta which was just a mish-mash of things I had around.

Jan 8
breakfast-cereal
lunch-mac and cheese
dinner- crockpot tortilla soup


Jan 9
b-toast or cereal
l-OUT
d- leftover soup


Jan 10
b-baked oatmeal and smoothies
l- chicken rice soup (thawed from freezer) and salad
d- bbq beans, acorn squash, salad and oven fries

Jan 11
b-cereal
l-leftovers
d-salsa chard pasta and broccoli

Jan 12
b-toast, smoothies
l- leftovers
d-large salads with chickpeas, deviled eggs, broccoli and leftover oven fries

Jan 13
b-crockpot oatmeal
l- ham and cheese croissants (thawed from freezer) or sandwiches
d- spaghetti (thawed from freezer) salad and choc tapioca pudding (found in back of pantry)


Jan 14
b-toast
l- spaghetti
d- Quesadillas with homemade tortillas, sweet potato casserole (from freezer) and roasted cauliflower

Eat From the Pantry Challenge Update Two

Went to the store again today. Here is what I bought:

Grocery ($42.18)
Milk
Chicken Breasts
Yogurt
Produce
Rice
Canned Tomatoes
Kix Cereal
Eggs

Non-Grocery ($39.16)
Lightbulbs
2 boys shirts on clearance
backless booster seat

So for food so far I have spent:
Shopping Trip #1 $4.04
CSA Subscription $39
Shopping Trip #2 $42.18
TOTAL $85.22

As far as non-food items, I need to get back to cleaning things out. My goal for today is to get rid of enough stuff to make up for twice of what I bought!

Eat from the Pantry Challenge : Menu Week #1

Here is what we ate for the first week of January - the first week of the Eat from the Pantry Challenge. So far the only food I have bought is a gallon of milk. The rest I already had either leftover from my last shopping trip in December, my CSA subscription, or from my pantry or freezer.


Jan 1
breakfast-cereal
lunch-chicken rice soup (thawed from freezer)
dinner- spaghetti (sauce thawed from freezer), cauliflower


Jan 2
b-waffles and maple syrup
l-chicken rice soup (thawed from freezer)
d- adults date night and kids leftover spaghetti


Jan 3
b-cereal
l- bean burgers (thawed from freezer) and sweet potatoes
d- leftovers


Jan 4
b-cereal
l-sandwiches
d-bean burgers (thawed from freezer) and broccoli and carrot sticks


Jan 5
b-baked oatmeal, smoothies (I have lots of frozen fruit!)
l- sandwiches
d-pizza (sauce and cheese thawed from freezer) and salad


Jan 6
b-waffles
l- ham and cheese croissants (thawed from freezer)
d- leftover pizza and potato wedges*


Jan 7
b-toast and smoothie (I have lots of frozen fruit!)
l- mac and cheese**
d- bbq chicken (thawed from freezer) and roasted delicata squash and salad (both from CSA)

*EDITED - forgot to make the wedges, just had pizza
**EDITED - did not have this, had some leftover odds and ends instead!

Eat From the Pantry Challenge Update One

So far, so good in the Eat From the Pantry Challenge!

I went to Target today to pick up a few things. Here is what I got:
1 gallon of milk ($4.04)
canvas bins for storage
lightbulbs
socks and undies for 4 year old

Fortunately, I also packed a medium sized box of items to get rid of from my closet that looks about right for twice what I am bringing in. I actually have 3 boxes of items ready to donate but my husband says that I can't count the ones I packed the day before I decided on this challenge. :-( Bummer, since one of them is huge! That's ok - there is plenty more junk to get rid of around here!

Eat From the Pantry Challenge!

A little over a year ago, I participated in a 30-Day No-Spending Challenge. It was awesome. I loved it. I spent so much less money that month and used up a lot of the stockpiles of food I had. I was considering doing a similar thing for January, when I ran across this Eat From the Pantry Challenge!

So after thinking through these two types of challenges, and thinking about what my goals really are, I have decided to sign up for the challenge. My goals will reflect not just trying to decrease the food I have in my freezer and pantry but also decreasing the amount of overall stuff in my house.

My goals:
1. Use as much of my stockpiles as possible - especially from the freezer
2. Keep grocery budget under $200. This includes approx $80 for produce from our CSA.
3. Only go grocery shopping 3-4 times this month.
4. Bring nothing into the house (besides food) without getting rid of something(s) taking up TWICE as much space.
5. Keep count of how many boxes of stuff I donate and GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!

Should be fun!

Budget Tip - Cook More from Scratch

Alternate Title - Conquering your Cooking Fears

I am just so glad that I finally tried making tortillas today. They were not really round, but they tasted really good and it was so cheap to do. I have been wanting to try for so long, after I realized how expensive tortillas were at the grocery store, relative to other things that I buy. I was really scared that they would not turn out, either not cooking through or sticking to the pan. Neither of those things happened and really it was a pretty quick process.

Here is the tutorial I followed:
Tortillas at Cooking During Stolen Moments

I have also made yummy pita pockets like this:
Pita Pockets at Tammy's Recipes

It is also easy to make things like sandwich bread or hamburger buns, especially if you have a bread machine you got as a wedding present hiding in your closet.

I also conquered another cooking fear this week - Cinnamon Rolls:
Cinnamon Rolls at Pioneer Woman

I halved the batch and decreased some of the butter and sugar in the filling, plus I made my own frosting. They were so good in spite of the fact that my rolling was a bit uneven.

Budget Tip - Pay Attention to How much you use!

I confess - I tried to make my own dish detergent. And then I kept trying it, thinking it would miraculously start working better. And you know what, it didn't! The glasses never did rinse clean. And yes fellow frugalites, I did try vinegar as a rinse aid. It just did not work for me.

So instead I am back using regular detergent, but way less per wash than ever before. I started pouring it into a plastic tub and scooping it out with a measuring spoon instead of pouring random amounts into the washer each time it ran. Then, this week I had an epiphany, and switched to a measuring spoon half the size as the one I was using and.... it still works great!

So there is my frugal tip!

Grocery Wrap-Up : 30 days of Nothing

Yeah! I did not spend any money since my last trip so I came to the end of the month with a few extra dollars.



I have spent a lot of time thinking about what I want to do next month. Originally I thought I would do a $200 or $300 plan similar to this month. But to be honest, I am sick of the plain boring meals we have had. Sick of making them and sick of eating them. I think I will up it a bit more than that, but still keep a little extra room so I can stock up on things as needed.



It has been fun! I am so glad I participated in the 30 Days of Nothing Challenge.

Non-food Purchases : 30 Days of Nothing

Well, I have really enjoyed the 30 Days Challenge. It has made me so much more aware of what I was spending money on. In order to spend as little as possible this month, my main strategy was to stay out of the stores (and avoid looking at the sale ads.)

I think it went well. I definitely purchased a few things I had not planned on at the start of the month. Most were actually needs like bandaids and medicines needed for sick kids. I did end up breaking down and purchasing paper products - like wax paper and foil - and I had said at the start I would just make do.

As I look over my recorded purchases, I am pleased with how I did even though there are a few things we could probably debate whether they were wants or needs.

Tomorrow will be my last post on this, summing up my food budget.

Grocery Trip #6 : 30 Days of Nothing

Continuing the 30 Days Challenge ..


I made what I hope and plan will be my last grocery store run of the month. I have a menu plan for these last few days and I should have everything covered to last me not just to the end of the month but actually until Friday, which is supposedly my usual store day.



Today I bought whole wheat flour, corn meal, brown sugar, butter, cream and milk. I was going over the list with my husband last night and he said the cream was a necessity. (We want to make apple crisp and homemade ice cream!) Who am I to argue with that? Luckily it did fit into the budget.

That takes me to $194.78. Wow, I even have a few dollars left. I thought it was going to be even closer as they did not have one item on my list today, so it will end up waiting until next month.

Hopefully the next few days will go according to plan!

Grocery Trip #5 : 30 Days of Nothing

Continuing the 30 Days Challenge ...

This actually wasn't a grocery trip. I have a lot of food in our house, thanks to all the apples we picked and my CSA subscription, so I did not really want to go to the store but we were in need of milk. (I figure the less I go, the better for my budget.)

I had to go to the drug store to get a prescription. I figured it would be too much, but I walked by the milk just in case, and it was only 4 cents more than what I normally pay at my grocery store. So I got it. I bought myself a few days.

So yesterday morning I bought 1 gallon of milk for $2.79.

My total so far this month: $178.97. I think I can make it.... We'll see. I will still have to go to the store before the end of the month to get butter and whole wheat pastry flour and sugar.