Greeting, Dear Friends!
Well...here it is...the 3rd of the month and we're finally ready to kick-off our "Dollar-S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g, Cabinet-Clearing, Clean-Up-The-Food" project for January 2018 and I'm excited!!! Our goal this time is to spend as little money as possible on food this month and use the extra to go in on the final push towards debt freedom. The end is near!
On Tuesday my husband and I took a complete inventory of food on-hand. We recorded every single food item under the appropriate heading in a notebook: canned goods, pantry items, fresh foods, refrigerator, and freezer. Surprisingly what we found wasn't nearly as bad as we thought it was going to be. We figured after the holidays we'd have a lot of junky-type stuff laying around, but we didn't!
What we discovered was that, compared to usual, we had very little meat (3 pounds of turkey burger, a pound of sliced deli turkey, a half dozen turkey sausages, and a bag of chicken tenders), a freezer mostly full of dried beans, frozen fruit and vegetables (peaches, blueberries, cherries, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and zucchini) and grains (oats, farina, cracked wheat, almond flour, oat bran, wheat germ, etc.), an ample supply of canned goods (fruits, vegetables, chili beans, black beans, chicken, tuna, and salmon), and fresh fruits and vegetables (apples, oranges, onions, cabbage, tomatoes, and cucumbers)...but no junk! Being careful through the holidays not to overspend or, for the most part, make more than was needed at any one point paid off. What holiday leftovers we did have ended up being shared with neighbors and/or eaten and cleaned up right away.
We've not been to the grocery store since the 26th of December and are out of a few staples that will be needed to turn what we do have into complete meals, so we will, most likely, do that tomorrow.
I did manage to get my menus planned out through Sunday and, for those that are interested, have updated them in this week's Happy Homemaker Monday post.
Well, Ladies, that's the kick-off report! My plan is to update our progress on a weekly basis. Pray for me to have wisdom, creativity, fortitude, and self-control in the days ahead. I really, REALLY want to have another successful
Dollar-S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g, Cabinet-Clearing, Clean-Up-The-Food Project!
Thank you all so much for joining me in this journey!
Until next time,
~Rebecca
Happy Homemaker Monday - January 1, 2018
I last went to the store on New Year's Eve eve (ha, I mean Saturday) and did buy quite the load of junk (teenagers in the house). Cleared out one basement freezer only to find like you not as much meat as usual. Threw out a fair amount of food (expired and freezer burnt). Hoping I can do better moving forward. Today I'll be looking in the pantry and upstairs freezer and possibly going to the store. I know you'll do great on your journey, seems you already have a great plan!
ReplyDeleteSounds like we're both headed in the same direction again, Jean. Fortunately, we didn't have to throw out anything this time. I'm just curious as to how I'm going to end up preparing all the veggies that in the freezer...and they're all good stuff...fresh garden grown zucchini purchased from my friend this past summer...fresh tomatoes and peppers from my cousin's garden...an abundance of cubed and blanched potatoes from our next-to-the-youngest son. I'm thinking lots of fresh spaghetti sauce, Mexican meals, and oven roasted potatoes are on the way. LOL! Have a great day and enjoy your food challenge, as well! <3
DeleteI wish I had not been in the stores since Dec 26. You rock. We are also trying to eat out of the pantry.
ReplyDeleteWe live 20 miles from the nearest town, so try to keep trips to town to two or three a month, if possible. As for eating out of the pantry, I would love to hear more about what you're doing on your end.
DeleteBest wishes! Maybe I should do the same. Medical bills are already starting! Went to get radiation set up today and they wanted $370 cash! I had to pay $50 and agree to let them auto deduct $50/mo. We'll pay it off early, but it still is a problem. Hugs, Laura
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laura! Wow! Was the $370 your co-pay? Glad they were willing to take payments. Hugs to you, my friend! Will be down to see you soon. Love and miss you!
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