Simplify Your Pantry And Your Life – Frugal Challenge

Since I’ve accepted my friend Christine’s challenge the other week to cook using only my existing food supply, I’ve learned some interesting things.  I’ve already shared with you a few things I’ve learned during the last few weeks, but I just realized another benefit to “shopping my kitchen.”

Click here to read Christine’s challenge, then click here to see my challenge and how it’s been going up until now.

As I have stayed out of the grocery store lately, either by choice or from the lack of transportation, the variety of food items I find in my pantry and refrigerator have been greatly reduced.  Here’s what’s been happening.

We used to keep multiple choices of cereals, and now have one or two.  There is no longer a huge variety of jams and jellies from which to choose in the refrigerator door.  All the various salad dressings are used up and have not been replaced since I discovered I can make my own out of what we have in the kitchen and we like it better.  The clutter of sauces and other condiments is down to the items we truly love.

Two things occurred to make this happen:

1) We used everything up out of necessity and now have no desire to replace it.

2) We were not in the grocery store browsing around, so we didn’t have the impulse shopping kick in, picking up food items simply because we thought we might like them.

Granted, variety is the spice of life, but when we start actually feeling burdened by the bounty of our pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, it can get to feel more like a chore.  The pressure to use up all the food you buy so as not to waste any money can become rather disheartening.  Every time I shoved past some forgotten jar of salsa, I felt burdened by it.

Having a kitchen filled with odds and ends of foodstuffs that we keep ignoring for our favorite foods doesn’t make any sense.  It’s wasteful and adds to the clutter of our homes and our minds.

If for no other reason than to remove the clutter from your life, my challenge for you today is to join my friend Christine and me in cleaning out your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator.  Eat what you have first, before you plan your next grocery store visit.  When you start with a clean slate, you won’t want that ominous burden of wasted food anymore.

The simplicity of a well stocked kitchen in which everything gets consumed just feels better.  You don’t need any more chaos in your life than you already have, so why clutter up your kitchen with food you may never eat?

Please check in here when you can to let us know how you are learning to live a more frugal lifestyle, and have a great week!

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From Hillbilly Housewife Blog.