I am in the midst of a 2 month freezer pantry challenge.
I started 1/1 and didn’t pre shop like some did to “stock up”. My last regular grocery shop was early December and a quick stop 12/23 to pick up produce etc for Christmas and New Years. I gave my self a 100$ budget per month for fresh produce and dairy. I shopped mid January, spent 80$ As we had no produce or dairy except a few onions and a potato.
I did plan ahead for super bowl Sunday. I set somethings back in the freezer (bag of shrimp, ribs, etc) so I don’t break the budget in February.
There is a small pile of things in my pantry that need to be used before they expire. Some items I don’t even know why I have them. Freezer wise we are using everything I have put up. I tend to “save” things like my freezer jam etc. Why?, I made it for us to enjoy. We are enjoying everything now.
What I’ve learned so far:
(1)We have a ton of food! We have eaten well all month except for a few new recipes we didn’t like. I think we should get through February without any problems. By the end of the month we will be out of meat and poultry which is fine.
(2) I need to take a closer look at what we buy. I have things in my pantry that I stocked up on that we don’t use that much. I tend to buy specialty items for recipes I never make. Also 40lbs of chicken breast is way too much. I got an outstanding deal on them. I vacuum sealed them so they last for ever and ever and ever. We would do better with a smaller amount.
Currently I’m re doing my master shopping list. Will continue to re evaluate my grocery shopping as we go through February.
I started 1/1 and didn’t pre shop like some did to “stock up”. My last regular grocery shop was early December and a quick stop 12/23 to pick up produce etc for Christmas and New Years. I gave my self a 100$ budget per month for fresh produce and dairy. I shopped mid January, spent 80$ As we had no produce or dairy except a few onions and a potato.
I did plan ahead for super bowl Sunday. I set somethings back in the freezer (bag of shrimp, ribs, etc) so I don’t break the budget in February.
There is a small pile of things in my pantry that need to be used before they expire. Some items I don’t even know why I have them. Freezer wise we are using everything I have put up. I tend to “save” things like my freezer jam etc. Why?, I made it for us to enjoy. We are enjoying everything now.
What I’ve learned so far:
(1)We have a ton of food! We have eaten well all month except for a few new recipes we didn’t like. I think we should get through February without any problems. By the end of the month we will be out of meat and poultry which is fine.
(2) I need to take a closer look at what we buy. I have things in my pantry that I stocked up on that we don’t use that much. I tend to buy specialty items for recipes I never make. Also 40lbs of chicken breast is way too much. I got an outstanding deal on them. I vacuum sealed them so they last for ever and ever and ever. We would do better with a smaller amount.
Currently I’m re doing my master shopping list. Will continue to re evaluate my grocery shopping as we go through February.