I started the pantry challenge as a way to use up what I had on hand and cut my spending. It was partially successful, partially a failure. I did use up a great deal of what I had on hand and tried some good recipes out. The month ended with me realizing other than meat I have enough on hand to go another month which is what we are currently in the midst of. As for saving money I failed at this. I ended up using the extra money from my grocery budget to purchase some non food items such as diapers I found on special. I also put it toward a couple of pinterest projects I wanted to do for the house so none of ended up going to pay down my student loans which was my initial hope.
The huge success really was my ability to not shop. I am finally able to go into the grocery store and despite the sale objectively say that I do not need something. This shift is huge and will in the end save me as much as ending my need to shop for recreation did. Hopefully my kids will learn that meals can be amazing, nourishing and fun but do not have to consume as much of my time on the weekends.
Another success of the pantry challenge has been the meal planning. Things have occasionally not gone according to plan but sitting down on Sunday and thinking about what needs to be used up that week has helped with waste and time management during the week. I know ahead of time that I have all the ingredients on hand and it does not have to occupy my thoughts during the day. This was really a godsend when I did not feel well as dinner did not take a lot out of me. There have been a couple of nights when I did not want to make what I had planned and subbed something else but felt the freedom to do this.
Overall the pantry challenge was an amazing experience and I recommend it to everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment