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.
I would love to see what you make and learn more about all this. My husband and I have a full freezer with meats and such and we do have a stocked pantry. I just get stumped on meals and run low on ideas. I think your challenge will help. The only difference for us is we still have 2 children at home. My son helps us alot and my daughter is not working as she is in high school and has disabilities that make it hard on her.
ReplyDeleteI still find myself cooking like I have kids at home. The end result of that is I end up making freezer meals and restocking my freezer. LOL
Delete2023 will be a fun creative venture in your kitchen. Yes, please share what you're preparing/eating. I am a scratch cook and mostly basic protein, lots of veg and sometimes a carb on our plates. I froze a fair amount of fresh veg last fall-asparagus and blanched greens as well as blackberries from our garden patch. My must-have is fresh fruit: apples, clementines, bananas for hub.
ReplyDeleteI would like to empty my freezer by garden harvest-if it doesn't overheat again here!
Cheers to an adventurous 2023.
I'm focusing on even more scratch cooking this year. It's so much better for us.
DeleteI would be interested in the meals you're preparing. I also make almost everything from scratch, eat seasonally and try to eat healthy so it would be fun to see what you're doing also. We have a full freezer and pantry so for the next few months we'll only be picking up items that begin to run low, fresh veg and fruit along with dairy.
ReplyDeleteI'll share what I cook in my Monday posts. :)
DeleteYes, absolutely I'd love to see some recipes. And the monthly reports are always fun.
ReplyDeleteSounds good! :o)
DeleteI love seeing how you make such delicious meals on a low budget. So impressive and inspiring.
ReplyDeleteTwo out of four of us have COVID so far this week, so I have only fixed soups and eggs. Not a good start to the New Year.
Oh darn it! So sorry to hear that. Get well soon!
DeleteSounds like an excellent plan to save some $. I would love to see some recipes...quite honestly, I'm pretty sick of mine :)
ReplyDeleteVery good, I will share!
DeleteI am doing the same here, and I'd also like to see your meal ideas. We need to use the garden produce that we were blessed with ... I just canned the rest of the butternut and spaghetti squash from the garden this past summer. Next I'll start on dehydrating potatoes, again. Our grocery bill should be pretty low. Believe me, I'm very thankful! ;0)
ReplyDeleteExcellent Pam! You are doing a lot. Doesn't it feel good? :)
DeleteYes, please share your meals, ideas, etc. We have filled pantry, long-term storage and 2 freezers. We doing a pantry challenge in Jan/Feb except for really great deals, produce and dairy. I rarely use boxed meals and cook from scratch with our home-raised meat and a lot of home-preserved foods. Today I canned chicken stock with my new electric pressure canner. Making my menu for the week also and planning lunches.
ReplyDeleteGood for you Kay. I put a huge pork roast in my slow cooker today, canning it tomorrow. I'll post meals I make. Thanks for the input.
DeleteYes, please share your meal plans. I enjoy all your post.
ReplyDeleteOkay, will do! :o)
DeleteI love to can things. Always making jam or curds... cooking, baking. Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteNew follower!
hugs
Donna
Welcome, welcome! I'm so happy you found me. I am pressure canning a pork roast today. It's always an adventure around here. LOL
DeleteI’m hesitant to do a pantry challenge because if I eat it down what happens if the prices are sky high replacing them? Does that make sense?
ReplyDeleteTotally! Try not to get too caught up in "what if?". Eat what you have, especially if it is a slow mover or you have a lot of extra of a particular item. Replace what you regularly use to maintain the pantry or your stockpile.
Delete