Eat from the Pantry Challenge

Thanks to the challenge that Life as Mom and Money Saving Mom issued, the month of January is going to be "Eat from the Pantry" month at our house! Basically, I am going to plan as many meals as possible from food that I already have in our pantry, refrigerator and freezer and limit my spending on other grocery items.

All of the participants have been encouraged to create their own "rules" for the challenge, so here are mine.

1. Spend no more than $75 a week on groceries. In my case, that includes paper goods, toiletries, etc. I really want to challenge myself to watch my spending and purchase mainly items I need to complete the meals that are on my menu. It will be difficult to refrain from purchasing products ahead, but I will do my best (although I will pick up any free or nearly-free items that might be on sale that particular week.) I tried to set a goal that is realistic, yet will cause me to stretch a bit to meet it. [Note to husband: Should I succeed in this challenge, please don't decide that we need to cut the grocery budget permanently ;)


2. Limit the number of stops at the grocery store. Yikes - this will actually be the hardest one for me! Since Publix is basically on the way home from dropping my girls off at school, I have a habit of stopping in two or three times a week to get sale items or other things I forgot to buy earlier. I hope to make no more than two stops each week, one at Publix and another at either a drugstore or supercenter. (There may be one additional stop this week since I purchased very little over the past two weeks due to being out of town for the holidays.) I know that just staying out of the store will help me keep my spending down!


3. Fill in any foods that are needed to complete meals with sale items and spend the rest of the allotted money for the week on produce and healthy snacks.

On Saturday night, I sat down and wrote out this week's menu based on what I already had in the house. Here's the plan:

Monday: Chili, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Fruit

Tuesday: Cheese Lover's Pasta Roll-Ups, Salad, Bread

Wednesday: Roasted Chicken, Rice Pilaf, Green Bean Casserole

Thursday: Cajun Chicken Pasta, Green Peas, Bread

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Cheeseburgers, Homemade Macaroni & Cheese, Baked Beans

At the end of each week during January, I'll post a picture of what I purchased at the store and share whether or not I came in under budget! Let me know if you are tackling this challenge as well or if you've ever tried something similar in the past!

You can follow others in their Eat from the Pantry Challenge at Life as Mom and Money Saving Mom. Read what others are accomplishing this week at 5 Minutes for Mom.