Pantry Challenge

A group of girls on the internet was interested in doing a pantry challenge.  As a couponer, I get many things for free or well under retail prices.  My pantry is stocked and my weekly grocery budget is low.
Is there a way to make my budget even lower?  Yes!  Stop grocery shopping all together and see how long I can make good, basic meals using just the food in my pantry. 

That's the challenge.  How far can we make this food stretch?  How much do I really have buried in my cabinets and freezer?  I spent a good 20 minutes one morning digging everything out of my kitchen and writing it all down.  Every box or container that I wanted to use was written on my list.  I'm not going to bore you with the details, but let's just say that I have been very blessed with a huge stockpile of groceries. 

The goal is to see if I can do minimal grocery shopping throughout the next 4 weeks.  Obviously, I will have to still buy the basics: milk, eggs, bread, and fresh fruits and veggies.  But as for adding items to my stockpile, no.  Meats, well, hopefully I have enough in my freezer to last the month.  If not, I won't hesitate to buy more at a decent price.  Great meat prices are hard to come by.

Today starts week #1 and I will update on this blog as the weeks pass.  I will also keep track of my shopping lists and how much I paid for groceries every week.

At the end of the month, hopefully my pantry will be cleared out and ready to fill up again with great couponing deals.  All the items that we've forgotten about will be used up and nothing will expire because we are using it now.  I'm going to have to get creative with recipes, but I'm ready for the challenge.