Eat From the Pantry Challenge - Update #1

My first week of the Eat From the Pantry Challenge has been a success. We have consistantly eaten from the pantry and freezer entirely this week. I made one trip to the grocery store for milk, yogurt, bread and fresh fruit for a total of $23.00, well below my usually $50 - $60 per week total.

Monday night was our first challenge to the idea of eating entirely from what we have on hand. It was really cold and my dh wanted Sloppy Joes for dinner. No problem, I had it already prepared in the freezer. Then I realized we did not have any buns. Normally this would have prompted a trip to the grocery for said buns and several other impulse buys. Instead, I looked around the kitchen. We had pita bread and loaf bread so I used those instead. No one complained, in fact, Boo Boo decided she likes them better on pita bread, and ate way more than she normally would have on a bun.

So successes for the week -

1. saved money by not buying buns and impulse purchases
2. saved gas by not making an unnecessary trip to the grocery store
3. used food from the pantry and freezer
4. kids enjoyed the novelty of dinner and ate more than they would have normally

I'm ready to jump into next week!