My Mom (Jo from Jo’s Country Junction) and I were talking. Both of us agree that we really need to use up what is in our kitchens. Too often we buy groceries, then put them away putting everything in front of the stuff that was already there.
We don’t have a great handle on what is actually in our kitchen. We don’t have a great idea of how many items of what is in the kitchen. Our freezers are full.
WE NEED A KITCHEN/FREEZER CLEAN OUT!!!
Have you been where we are now? Have you figured out how to solve the problem? We aren’t sure if this will work but…we are both ready to give it a try.
Starting on April 15th…and going until May 15th, we are both limiting our grocery spending and making a BIG effort to use up what we have.
We have heard of people doing things like budgeting for groceries…tracking their grocery spending. Neither of us wants to be super into that long term, we just really want to clean out what we have so we aren’t using outdated food and so we are more conscious of what we are buying…and mostly so we are USING what we are buying.
We’ve heard of people not spending any money on groceries. We both know with kids in our homes, we need to buy milk and have fresh veggies available. We also know we need some of that for us but we both know neither of us needs to buy any meat so this is what we came up with…
From April 15th to May 15th:
We won’t buy any meat.
We will limit grocery spending to $100 for that period of time. That $100 will focus on milk, bread, and perishables like fruits and veggies.
Most importantly, neither of us is allowed to go to the grocery store and buy hog wild before the 15th. If we need milk or a few perishables, that’s fine but not meat…and no canned goods!!
I’m personally convinced that $100 isn’t enough for the month – we spend about that much in beverages alone between Gannon’s soy milk, Craig’s energy drinks, and my oat milk. But, we will cross that bridge when we come to it! Will you join us? Let’s get creative with this!
Thanks for reading!
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I agree, I do no think you can get by on 100.00. It will be interesting to see if you manage! I should do the same thing . I have a freezer full and a 1/4 beef coming! Good thing it is grilling season.
I think during Covid I bought more than I needed and now my cupboards are rather full. I didnt like going to the store more than every 3 weeks so lots of extras are now stuffed in the food pantry. We have been slowly eating our way through it. I look forward to watching for updates on how you are both doing on your plan. Yes, more shirts are coming.
I think you will need more than $100 for perishables for a month. I know when my kids were little, I spent a lot each week on milk, string cheese, and fresh fruit. But I will wait and see how it works out for you. I am trying to do the same thing, but with cleaning products. I over buy on those and need to use some up before I buy more.
I totally think you can do it! Buy those beverage products and fresh fruit-nothing else. Use what ya got! And if you need to go over $100, that’s fine-you don’t have substitutes for those specific dietary needs.
Each day that you have time to cook, pull down things from the cupboards that need to be used and spread them out on the corner. Plan 3-5days of meals to use those items and use as much else from freezer/fridge to make it a meal.
Think unusual meals. Breakfast doesn’t have to be eggs or oatmeal. (Tell the kids we’re on vacation 😉
If you don’t focus on it, it won’t happen.
Yes, I’ve done this-decades ago. My pantry has set staple products. I buy when inventory gets low and I rotate so nothing ages out. Once a week I go out to the big freezer and pull the focus foods for the week, placing them in the inside freezer (or fridge to thaw if eating soon).
And yes, I do track every expense, every penny, every month, every year……since 1999. As a Ramsey fan, I’m sure you have some sort of accountability principle. I don’t need to track anymore but I do out of interest in our choices. Conscious spending is the fast-track to achieving the debt-free goal. It got us there by age 49.
I’m excited for you and Jo doing this challenge together and await the stories of what you’ve done, what you’ve learned about yourself and your families eating style and the decisions you make going forward.
One observation from photos: Can you organize all the baking stuff in 1 cupboard and all the meal box/bag items in the other? It would give you a fast glance of meal options as you won’t need to sort through baking product.
Re Craig’s energy drinks. Just read an article about a 21 years old university student who had been drinking 4 cans a day for 2 years. He suffered heart failure, ended up in intensive care and doctors were considering an organ transplant. Apparently each can contained 640mg of caffeine, more than double the recommended daily maximum of 300mg. So please be aware of how much caffeine Craig is taking in on a daily basis. I hope you won’t be offended by this email but I had read your blog about limiting your grocery buying and then read the article about the young man and they clicked together in my head. Good luck with managing your groceries and eating up the cupboard and freezer. All very sensible goals. I’m about to do the same having stocked up for Brexit and then Covid.