Feb. eat out of the fridge/freezer/pantry challenge

[HenDuck]

My best friend and I were talking about challenging each other NOT to go out and buy more food, but to eat only what we already have on hand in the fridge, freezer and pantry. This would be for the month of February.

Of course, you are allowed to pick up perishables like milk, bread, produce, etc. But nothing else!

I really don't think this is going to be hard for me since my freezer is packed with chicken and ground beef and turkey. I also counted 9 cans of spaghetti sauce in the pantry!

I am just interested to see how little I will spend on groceries this month.

Anyone wanna try it too?

 

[camdensmom]

I'm in! I actually did this for a week back in December. I was so sick of the crowds EVERYWHERE that I completely boycotted shopping. Since school started this year (I'm a teacher/working mom), I have been making monthly menus. I think I will do that for the month of February and use stuff in the house.

It'll be interesting to see how creative we can get.

 

[HeyIt'sMe]

We are going to have a $0 grocery bill in February. That's a great thing. But, the reason why is not.

My FIL was diagnosed with Stage 2 lung cancer in December and he starts his 6-week radiation/chemotherapy on February 4. He is going to the IU School of Medicine in Indianapolis for treatment (his doctor is the one that treated Lance Armstrong!). We live about 1/2 north of downtown Indy but my ILs live in NW Indiana. Soooo....they are moving in with us for the next 6 weeks. My MIL feels bad about it and said she'd buy all the groceries for us for the 6 weeks they are here.

 

[delmar411]

I might be in but I'll have to see what meat we have. We've got enough pasta to get through the month but I can't deal with pasta every day! LOL

 

[vellamint]

LOL! I have actually been doing this the month of January so I dont think we would make it through February too....

I am cooking things that have been around for TOO long and are just sitting there.......I am tired of looking at them......

Kids arent too thrilled but my husband is in.

 

[momto1]

Yes, count me in! But, I MIGHT buy things I need to restock up on. For example, canned tuna should be on sale now that lent is approaching. I buy enough tuna to get through most of the year at the rock bottom prices. Currently, I am out of tuna. But...everything else I am pretty much set. This weeks list only had perishable on it. I have a pantry full to way overflowing. It is almost dangerous to open the pantry door. Should be fun.
Lori

 

[luv2nascar]

I don't have enough meat to go through the whole month. But I am on a cut back low buy month. I probably can do it two weeks of the month. 1st & 3rd weeks. Save me a couple of hundred bucks.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I'm in but I do need to buy tuna and fish for lent. And I do have to buy bread, milk, and lunchmeat (yeck) for the kids. This must be bought weekly due to expiration dates so I am keeping the weekly budget at $15.00 per week for those. This is definetely way below normal. I will use the rest that is in the house.

I actaually started tonight (oops less in the pantry). DD15 tells me at 10pm that she needs baked goods for school tomorrow. In the oven goes one older cake mix and I made frosting from just margarine, powder sugar, vanilla, dab of milk, and cocoa. Hope the kids eat them cause she isn't allowed to bring them home.

 

[mannasn]

Sounds like fun!

I intend to do a pantry/freezer inventory on my next days' off (Thu and Fri), so this will be the perfect occasion to clean up and clean out!

 

[mello]

I did this for January, and succeeded all the way to yesterday. We've had really foul weather, so I haven't wanted to go out at all, but yesterday we had a break between storms and dh wanted to go get some treats. We wound up spending $150; yowza! Told him I'm not taking him grocery shopping again! Up to that point I think I'd only spent maybe $80 the entire month, mostly on milk and fresh produce.

We still have a ton of stuff stocked up so I'm game to go again. Looking forward to it!

 

[Swimnoid]

Interesting concept. Can't do it this month though because I have been trying to use up all the stuff I have in January so I am too low. I'll be following you all, though, to see how you do!

 

[npmommie]

I am low on a few things, which i planned to go get tomorrow, and after that I will try this.
the only problem is super bowl sunday, i have a menu planned for that.........so after that day i will do this.

 

[grlpwrd]

I will try.

My dh was laid off many, many times and I still have a huge stockpile to use up. (My cousins are Mormon and I have learned how they store food for a really, really long time.) I have 10# cans of powdered milk, dehydrated fruit, TVP, and more.

I go to the ethnic grocery store for most of my produce and Asian foods. I still also go to Trader Joe's for our rice and nut milks, but I am trying to stay away as much as I can.

I think my challenge will be to find the time and have the cookbooks I need to make use of all this stuff.

 

[minniemair]

I am most definitely in! I really believe that stockpiling can save a ton of money week in week out, but, that said, if I'm throwing things out because they've expired I'm not saving $! I'm embarrassed to say I don't even know what is in our upright freezer at this point. This thread is the incentive I need to get those shelves and cupboards organized and the food used and not wasted.

 

[delmar411]

ok so far this is what I've inventoried from the pantry

22 cans of tuna ~ some pouches too but they are stored in another cabinet
8 boxes of tuna helper
4 boxes of hamburger helper
1 box of Chicken helper
4 boxes of boil in the bag whole grain rice (2bags per box)
6 boxes of instant type mashed potatoes
2 boxes of instant mashed sweet potatoes
1 box stuffing
26 boxes of pasta (at least an equal # of jarred sauces)
1 bag of rice noodles
1 bag of egg noodles
approx doz boxes of shake n bake (2 seasoning per box)
approx 4lbs of rice
1 box of zataran's rice mix
20 cans of veggies
approx 15 boxes of taco shells

need to check the deep freezer today and the regular freezer

have plenty of cereals and oatmeal and muffin mixes for breakfasts

 

[JeremyGNJ]

my wife and I decided to do this a couple weeks ago.

Unfortunately, after throwing out various canned good that were expired, and stuff in the freezer that was probably freezer burned...there wasnt all that much left.

 

[HenDuck]

ok so far this is what I've inventoried from the pantry

22 cans of tuna ~ some pouches too but they are stored in another cabinet
8 boxes of tuna helper
4 boxes of hamburger helper
1 box of Chicken helper
4 boxes of boil in the bag whole grain rice (2bags per box)
6 boxes of instant type mashed potatoes
2 boxes of instant mashed sweet potatoes
1 box stuffing
26 boxes of pasta (at least an equal # of jarred sauces)
1 bag of rice noodles
1 bag of egg noodles
approx doz boxes of shake n bake (2 seasoning per box)
approx 4lbs of rice
1 box of zataran's rice mix
20 cans of veggies
approx 15 boxes of taco shells

need to check the deep freezer today and the regular freezer

have plenty of cereals and oatmeal and muffin mixes for breakfasts

I think we can ALL eat out of your pantry for the next month!

I just checked the mid-week grocery store ads and made my list. Just picking up basic perishables. We'll see how little I can spend this month.

I'm also looking forward to baking more from scratch. My mom is giving me a KitchenAide mixer for my birthday so I'm feeling motivated!

Good luck everyone!

 

[delmar411]

I think we can ALL eat out of your pantry for the next month!

and this is what is leftover after giving away what would amount to a minvan full of food.

added it up and that stuff only cost me $15 in total. Almost all of it was free.

checked the deep freezer as best I could since I can't quite get the door all the way open at the moment. Between the deep freezer and regular freezer it appears there is about 25-30 meals worth of meat (I'm probably over-est but the kids are light eaters) plus a bunch of frozen veggies plus a ton of hamburger buns (free from DH's job) and then some random DH only meals (seafood..I'm allergic).

In theory we could go 2months w/o buying anything other than fresh items...and I probably will too unless it is a freebie!

 

[DMickey28]

I am doing this week and next week since I have a very very tight grocery budget.

We don't have much in the freezer actually. I used up the last of the chicken breast at the beginning of the week. Now I have a whole chicken, a pork tenderloin, a frozen ball of meatball mix that DH won't eat because it has pork and veal in it, a few frozen cornish hens that DH won't eat either, and hamburgers!!

My mom is coming in a week and I am sure she is going to stock up the freezer again ... it's what she does in exchange for having a nice place to go in the winter time!!

 

[runwad]

ummmm, I want to do this but I don't know if i can? We're ok as far as food for dinners but I'm thinking items for the kid's lunches I"ll have to stock up at some point this month...ya know crackers, pudding cups, pretzels. And I have a hard time not buying a really good sale item and stockpiling. I think I"ll just watch all of you and try to do the best I can without committing.ha