2nd Annual Penny Pinching Pantry Raid
You may recall last July. Last July, I decided it was time to STOP the MADNESS and use up all of that food wasting away in my pantry and deep freezer. It was an eye opener of epic proportions. And now, even after learning my lesson, I have fallen back into the bad habits of ignoring the food I have on hand and instead, eating dinner out, or buying whatever I want at any given moment.
That just. Won’t. Do.
I have far less in the way of starting supplies this year, but so be it. On Thursday, July 1, my family of three will embark on the Second Annual Penny Pinching Pantry Raid. And no, I am NOT headed to the grocery store tomorrow to stock up before it starts. I also won’t be listing in line-item detail every morsel of food I have on hand. You’ll just have to trust me. Nor will I be posting every single day, to let you know the boring/or not so boring things we consumed. But I will be posting, at least weekly, but more than likely every few days, on my progress.
This year, I have to estimate that as a family, including meals consumed at restaurants and my husband’s lunches, we are at a whopping $600 a month spent on FOOD.
Not this month.
We are tightening our belts, folks. $100 to spend on food, $25 on beverages, and $25 on 1 special occasion that may occur. So, $150. I intend to use up all the meat in the freezer – as my parents have us very well stocked on umpteen pounds of various meats – and try to make as much from scratch as possible. We also have a garden, so those veggies are fair game. (Expect lots of tomato based meals. And zucchini. Salads. You get the picture.) We have also already paid for a co-op, which means other fresh veggies will be popping up from that quite often. Our one tiny splurge is that we have a credit of $8 at the pool that we can use for french fries. That is also fair game.
Think your own pantry and freezer could use a thorough cleaning out? I bet they could. So why not join us in the challenge? YOU set your own budget. make it tough – it IS a challenge after all. But try to pick an amount you can live with, too. We have a couple of friends who eat nearly every meal out – yes, really – and as a guesstimate? They spend $1200 a month on eating meals out and groceries. I would KILL for that money!! (Perhaps I should offer to be their private chef? Show up daily to cook dinner?) So – if THEY were doing this challenge, I may suggest a more reasonable $500 a month budget. Are you more along those lines? Like I said – make your OWN rules.
Join US! This year Jennelle of Delicious Potager is co-hosting with me, and we would LOVE to have you sign up and play along. Just for the fun of it, tell us what you typically spend, as well as your challenge total, and then what you think you may do with the savings. Take a weekend vacay? Buy a LOT of new shoes? A new TV? An iPad? (Oh me, buy ME an iPad!!) Play along – what do you have to lose?
Comment NOW. You know you want to. 🙂
