Now that we’re back from our holiday travels, I have felt the need to clean out some of our pantry and freezer items. Buying in bulk and buying ahead really works well for our family, but I’m thinking it may be a good idea to dig down to the bottom of my storage containers and freezers to see what random items I’ve kept pushing to the side for the last few months. I have plenty of meat, plenty of frozen vegetables and fruit, plenty of pasta, plenty of so many food items!
So I thought to myself, “What if? What if each week during January (and maybe February?) I only buy fresh produce from the store, eggs and milk from our local sources, and (wait for it)…nothing else? What if I forced myself to think simply, to use what we have, and to be creative?”
I’m really not sure if this little experiment is going to work for me. The beauty of buying in bulk when I come across a sale is that I pretty much never run out of anything we need and pretty much never have to pay full price for anything. One or two months of eating from our food storage and not taking advantage of deals might set me back a little bit. Plus, whatever shall I do if I run out of applesauce?!?!??!?!
Right. I am not going to run out of applesauce.
There are dozens more jars where this came from. We had a great apple year.
Recovering from my bulk-food-obsession-panic, I realized that there will likely be good deals to be found in February and March when I’m ready to stock up again. Duh. In the meantime, I think we’ll see some big grocery budget savings. Sweet!
Our menu this week reflects all the food I have ingredients to make without having to shop. Because this is the beginning of our experiment, I have plenty to work with. And who am I kidding? My family could probably eat well for more than three or four months with all the food I have stored away. It’s like a Coppinger Family Grocery Store in my back room. I’d show you a picture, but it’s freezing in that room and therefore a terrible mess because it’s too cold to organize, and I’m not humble enough to share the insanity all over the internet.
Breakfast
- Peanut Butter Breakfast Cake
- Warm Vanilla Soother
- Quick Mix Pancakes
- Quick Mix Biscuits
- Snickerdoodle Muffins
- Cheesy Eggs
- Fried Eggs
Lunch
- Creamy Mac and Cheese
- Calico Beans
- Turkey Salad
- Pizza Soup
- Shepherds Pie
- Taco Corn Fritters
- Easy Noodle Stir Fry
Dinner
- Pizza Boats (for Sunday Night Huddle)
- Chili Mac
- Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Potato Soup
- Lasagna Casserole
- Turkey Pot Pie
- Cheesy Salsa Enchiladas
Fruit and Veggie Sides (I serve 1-4 with every meal)
- Spicy Avocado Dip
- Sliced Cucumbers
- Baby Carrots
- Broccoli
- Mixed Greens
- Spinach
- Apples
- Pears
- Oranges
- Blackberries
- Applesauce
- Spaghetti Squash
- Pineapple
- Zucchini
Have you ever done an “Eat from the Pantry and Freezer” Challenge? Anybody care to join me in this little experiment? That way, on January 31 at the end of this challenge, together we can enjoy eclectic meals of whatever is left of our rice, tuna, and of course, applesauce. Don’t forget the applesauce.
Hi ~ I am doing a pantry challenge with Jessica at good cheap eats, but I’m doing Dr. Oz’s diet too, so I’m spending more than I had hoped to?
I like the idea of seeing the bottom of my freezer plus saving money. I’m forced to get creative with meals which is good.
I made your healthy oatmeal applesauce muffins last week my husband and I loved them. Thanks j
I’m definitely up for it! I need to use up what’s in my freezer. To be perfectly honest, I don’t even know what’s in the bottom, LOL
This is how I approach meal planning. Start with what I can great from what we have, then buy ingredients to fill out the rest. I have fewer people to feed though! I can’t stand wasting food so I use it up instead by thinking this way.
I’ll be joining you! I try to clean out my freezer by doing this every January and every June so that food doesn’t get freezer burned or go bad. It also helps my freezer not to get out of control. After the holidays and Nutcracker season (my daughter is in this every year) I enjoy some time off cooking as well.
We are a military family so I am forced to do this every 3 years when we get ready to move. I hate to throw away any food and even though there is always someone to pass unused food along too, I prefer to only pass condiments and other items that you kind of have to pass on. If I pay good money for my frozen meat and veggies I hate to part with it b/c I didn’t use it in time! :)
Oh yes! We are already doing this. We have several large purchases that need to be made this year, and the biggest line item in our family budget is groceries. So far this month, we’ve only spent $125 on groceries (normally we’d have spent $250-300 by this point). Most of that was milk, eggs, and fresh produce to fill out what is already on hand. I don’t have any room in the freezer right now, so we’re eating it down as much as we can.
We are on day 7 of a pantry/freezer challenge at our house and it is going really well! We are already seeing a big savings in our budget, and it has only been 1 week. Our goal is to not visit a grocery store until the end of February… we will see how those last couple of weeks turn out! Good luck everyone!!
This is funny – this is EXACTLY what I am already doing this month. Great minds think alike. :-)
Count me in! I’ve been wanting to do this! Will only buy eggs, milk, fresh veggies and fruit and maybe bread. I’m trying to get back to making bread all the time. This may be the push I need!
Our goal is to do this for most of the winter. We live in rural Ohio and get the bulk of our meat/veggies/eggs from CSA sources. We have 2 more vegetable pick up’s this month, then nothing local until May (April if we are lucky). We are well stocked with root vegetables now and plenty of warm season produce canned or frozen. Dairy and advocado’s have been my only grocery store purchases this month.
We do this regularly. In part to thaw the freezer. You’d be surprised what’s at the bottom! We call it “eating up the freezer”
We are doing the same since right after Christmas. It feels good to use up what we have a save money.
I just said to my husband earlier today that we needed to not buy any more meat or veggies to put in the freezer. We are getting ready to move to MO from CA sometime in the next few months. We’re waiting on the exact timeline from my husbands work but we’re thinking March or April. We buy a lot in bulk and I like to have extras on hand for when the store doesn’t have that bag of frozen organic spinach or organic peas. We need to clear out an upright freezer and an apartment size fridge’s freezer. We will be stocking up on pantry goods that we use all the time that we can move with us, until we find replacement stores in our new location that carries some of our favorites. We will be leaving behind our beloved Trader Joe’s and Costco. Sam’s club just does not offer the organic\ natural goods and prices that we are used to. Our budget won’t get a break since we’ll be stocking up but it won’t be way over by cutting out meat and frozen veggie purchases. I look forward to reading more about your challenge! Thanks for all you do!
I stumbled upon your site yesterday and can’t get enough. I love your recipes, thought provoking stories and your love for God. My husband has been on me to stop buying items and try to live as long as we can from our freezer and pantry. Thanks to your wonderful post I have made the decision to do just that. Thanks so much and God Bless you!
Tonight I made creamy mac n cheese with buffalo chicken. It was delicious.
I am doing the same thing at my house! I have three freezers- all full, and a pantry that is overflowing! We also had an awesome apple year, and I canned almost 250 jars of apple and pear products this fall. Those will last us several years, but we have a ton of food! I began by pulling all the random cans/jars in my pantry and building two weeks of menus off those, then I’m moving into the freezers. All I have bought this month is milk, and we were given some oranges. After realizing that my grocery spending had increased by 15% last year, I’m looking forward to saving some money there!
Here is how I do my “Pantry Challenges” http://myoverflowingcup.com/a-pantry-challenge/
It is a wonderful way to use up those mysterious bags in the freezer, clean and organize, and save money at the same time. It can be challenging, but it is also fun.
The only thing to keep in mind is that while we are saving money, it will take money to replenish our stock. I often do this on the months that are tighter financially, but find that the next shopping trips are more expensive than normal. Just something to keep in mind…..
Thanks, Laura, I’m with you!