Embarking On A HUGE Pantry & Freezer Challenge

 

As I prepared for retirement I did some stockpiling by filling my pantry, freezer and chest freezer with foods for now and long term storage.  Nine months into my retirement I am realizing that, compared to when I had children at home, I do not eat very much and my tastes are rather simple so I have quite a bit of food in this house.  With that in mind I'll be doing a HUGE pantry challenge to see how long I can go without doing much, if any, shopping at all.  I will be shopping my pantry and freezers first, which I typically do anyway, but with a different set of eyes.

 

I love nothing more that to peruse the grocery store ads and download coupons and offers each week to strategically plan my list so I can get as much as I can within a very lean budget.  I've done very well over the years and find it a fun challenge.  Now it is time to reap the benefits of my due diligence.

 

I do not plan to subscribe to any particular diet, however I do plan to make my meals as nutritiously balanced, somewhat low carb and as healthy as possible.  Instead of just making a list of things I need at the store I'm going to look at what I already have on hand and get creative to see if something else will work.  I plan to keep my basic pantry list items on hand and replace those things as they get used up while I reevaluate some of the other things I have been buying as well.  My goal is to modestly supplement what I already have on hand, buying some fresh produce and dairy items, while trying to keep those purchases very low budget.  I'll be sure that whatever I do purchase is at the lowest price possible so seasonal produce and sales items.

 

Occasionally, if I find an offer that is too good to pass up, I'll make purchases to replace items I am running low on or to stock up on something I know I will use, but for the most part, I have no plans to do a lot of overall grocery shopping this year.  That being said, this not at all about deprivation, but more about resourcefulness and creativity.

 

Let me know if you want me to share the meals I'm preparing.  There will be a lot of cooking from scratch, meal planning and prepping, some investment cooking and a lot of leftovers, some which will get reinvented into new meals.  I know most of you enjoy seeing the groceries I buy and the monthly posts I put up so I'll continue to do those.  I like seeing what other people tend to buy as well.  Are any of you planning any food related challenges this year?  I would love to hear about them.