Are you ready to clean up and clear out — and eat well in the process? Then join the Pantry Challenge starting January 1. We’ll be making the most of what we have so that we waste not, want not.
Shopping your kitchen is a great way to save money on food. Doing a Pantry Challenge takes that practice to the next level, spending extra effort on making most of the food you have on hand so that you can avoid food waste and save grocery money.
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Every year for awhile now, I’ve spent concentrated effort to do a pantry clean out. By doing so, I limit my grocery shopping, I use up what we have, and I’m forced to be creative. I also learn to be more thankful for what I’ve got. I realize how full my “empty” cupboards really are.
We Americans are generally blessed with full refrigerators. Yet, in her fabulous book on home cooking, The Kitchen Counter Cooking School, Kathleen Flinn states, “as a country we collectively waste about 40 percent of the food produced for consumption.” Yikes!
I can’t argue with this. I just cleaned out my fridge. Due to poor planning prior to a busy holiday, I threw away food that could have been enjoyed if it hadn’t been forgotten.
The start of January marks the start of our yearly pantry clean out. Care to join me?
Why Do This
A pantry challenge is a focused, but limited, time to “eat from the pantry.” Rather than buying groceries like I normally would, I focus on what we already have. I build my menus around the ingredients I have as well as those I’ve been avoiding.
Sometimes it’s the meal that is is cumbersome to prepare or something that I’ve been too lazy to be creative with. The pantry challenge helps me deal with those items — and teaches me not to buy it again or not to avoid it for so long.
Another fringe benefit to giving my pantry, fridge, and freezer a good clean out/overhaul is that we save money, too. And January is a fabulous month to do that, is it not?
A pantry challenge can take many different forms and serve different purposes. It is basically the idea of cutting your grocery budget by a significant amount so that you can save money and use what you have. Sometimes this can be drastic; other times, it can be a chance to trim some fat from your budget.
An “involuntary pantry challenge” happens when weather, illness, or loss of income prevents you from shopping like you normally would. You make the most of what you already have.
By practicing this on a yearly basis, I balance out my grocery spending as well as keep things in perspective in case I have to make my pantry work overtime against my wishes.
How to Prepare
There are a few things that you can do to prepare for a Pantry Clean Out:
Make a few goals.
At the start of each pantry challenge, I determine some of the things that I’d like to accomplish. This has changed over the years as my shopping habits and the appetites of my family have changed.
By establishing some goals, I’m making it clear to myself what the point of this whole endeavor is. This month I hope to do the following:
- Spend $900 or less on groceries to feed our family. In 2022, we spent an average of $1600/month on groceries to feed our family of 7. With inflation, shrinkflation, and bird flu, I’m not surprised that this number was an all-time high. The most recent USDA Food Cost Reports say that it costs $1920 to feed our family. Yikes! I’m hoping to keep January’s spending to $900 or less.
- Give my freezers and pantry a good clean out. We have two refrigerator freezers and a deep freeze. All three are pretty full right now and could use some breathing room. (Fun fact: your upright freezers need space for air to circulate.)
- Use up those things that I have too much of or kind of wish I hadn’t bought in the first place. They are a weight on me, so if we use them up, I’ll feel better. Hopefully, this will teach me to shop better, too.
Take inventory.
By taking inventory of what you have in the fridge, pantry, and freezer, you know what tools you have to work with. You also have a chance to start out with a cleaned and (sort of) organized food storage.
Cleaning the fridge on a weekly or even twice weekly basis helps keep foods front of mind so that you can use them up before it goes bad.
I’ll be doing a big fridge clean as soon as my company leaves on New Year’s Day.
Plan meals.
Write a list of all the meals you could make with what you already have. You may be surprised that the list is so long.
Now add to the list the meals that you could make with just one or two ingredients yet to be purchased. This can be the start of your grocery list.
Planning a month of meals at the start of a Pantry Challenge can be really helpful. I’ll be sharing mine on Instagram, so follow along there if you like.
Be realistic.
Don’t confuse “pantry challenge” or “pantry clean out” with a “no spend month”. They aren’t the say.
If it meant that I had to go cold turkey and not buy anything, I’d be hard pressed to feed my kids. I could probably do it, but it would be a full time job getting creative in the kitchen.
Over the years, I’ve learned what’s realistic for us to manage. Sometimes I’ve cut our spending in half; other times, I saved just a fraction of our budget, but we were good stewards with what we had.
Use it or lose it tends to guide my efforts these days.
Keep a record.
Jot down each day of the pantry challenge, what you serve for all meals, and how your family responds to those meals. We have discovered some of our favorite meals based on recipes I developed during the pantry challenge.
I’ll be posting daily here on Good Cheap Eats our log as well as posting or linking to recipes that I use. Read our Pantry Challenge Daily Logs as we go along.
Make it a family affair.
One of my renewed goals as a parent and a home cook is to include my kids more in the meal planning and execution. With two high schoolers, two college students, and a college grad, we have a very busy household!
I hope to include the kids more in meal prep and part of that will be their taking stock of what we have and getting creative.
Give yourself a break.
Don’t freak out if you don’t meet all your goals. If you fall off the wagon, just brush yourself off and climb back on. Doing something is better than nothing.
Learn.
Go beyond your comfort zone and learn to make use of the food you have. Waste not, want not, right?
Read The Kitchen Counter Cooking School if you haven’t already, paying careful attention to Chapter 12 which is all about using what you have to your best advantage.
Be a good steward.
Most important of all, be a good steward of what you have. That, really, is the point of Pantry Clean Out.
Only you can know what suits your household best. If you find a killer deal on grocery items that your family needs, go ahead and stock up — even if it is a month to spend less.
Likewise, if you are tempted toward take-out, but know you have chicken that needs to be cooked, head home and do the right thing: cook that chicken. Save the take-out for another time.
Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list so you don’t miss out on January’s Pantry Challenge.
More Tips for a Pantry Challenge
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This post was originally published on December 30, 2012. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Caroline
I’m in, and we’re off to a good start today! Thanks for hosting this pantry challenge again!
Sunny C
Hey Jessica;
Thank-You so much for posting this, as I am on board with you, 100%!!! My freezer is cramed full of meats, and I have been trying to use up what I have since I purchase everything on sale. I am so proud to say that I follow the ads, and I buy what we like to eat on sale, sometimes a huge mark down sale, also! That is why my freezer is so full!
I also have a pantry that has most anything which I will need to eat out of with my freezer, and I am hoping to not purchase much of anything except for fresh fruits, milk, bread, potatoes, ect. I would really enjoy being able to save more money, this New Year, as we have had a few issues arise, which have cost us a good chunk of cash. We are currently having some plumbing work done, and SIGH it is so expensive!!!
I want to be able to resist shopping at the stores, and following the ads, as one of my goals for 2013 is to use up what I have and to save more money!!!
I am also trying to make some room in my freezer, as my sister in law has a huge Meyer Lemon tree, and she said that no one takes them…..This is a huge dream come true for me, as I could use those lemons, year round, as well as I wish to try any Recipes, using them. Maybe some of the other reader know of some Recipes using Meyer Lemons???
Thank-You again, as I am hopeful that I can perform this Freezer/Pantry challenge for SEVERAL months!!!!!
Happy New Year Everyone!!!! 🙂
Jessica
@Sunny C, do this with your lemons!!! http://lifeasmom.com/2012/01/when-life-hands-you-lemons-ultimate-recipe-swap-citrus-fruit.html
Tessa
This is a great challenge! I am completely on board and am looking forward to reading and sharing progress! Thanks so much for doing this!
Amy @ Tiny Blessings
I’m in! I was already planning to eat mostly from the freezer/pantry in January, and then I came across your challenge button on Pinterest…. perfect timing!
My goal: one “normal” shopping trip (not enough meat on hand to last all month), and other than that, just trips for milk/ fresh fruit & veggies.
Gia
I am in and this is perfect for us right now! My freezer is full of produce and protein from our CSA and garden this year!
Quick question: When do you run a total for your groceries? At the end of the week?
Jessica
@Gia, I almost always post a Grocery Geek post on Saturdays.
Barbara Walker
I’M IN!!! Been waiting for this and can’t wait to read the posts. I have a made our January Calendar of Meals (now hanging on the frige), and have a $200 ($40/week) budget for groceries. Most of my spending will be for milk and fresh veggies.
Jessica
@Barbara Walker, great job!
Tamiko
Count us in for the challenge. Looking forward to learning and experimenting with the food we have.
Rebecca
I’m in. That comment you made about using up those items that you’ve been avoiding…10 cans of fat free refried beans…what was I thinking? I see a lot of burritos being consumed this month!
Jessica
@Rebecca, you could use it to thicken soup, too.
Jennifer
I am in – except I am carrying it over to other areas as well. A no spend month is in the works for us!
Heidi
I am in! This is the first year I’ve really tried to stock my pantry, the first year we’ve had a chest freezer, and the year I changed my cooking style. (Meaning I still have some stuff around from my old style that I have been avoiding using.) I am SO in!
Jessica @Proverbslady.com
I am soooo with you this year! I really stocked up over the last 4 months and now it’s almost too much. I really need to focus on what I have and make it work for me instead of spending more money on groceries. I am very excited to see what I can do with what I already have.
Tiffany @ Wife.Mother.Teacher
I can’t seem to find your button html. 🙁 Can you advise me where to look please? Thanks!
Jessica
I don’t have the memory resources for folks to hotlink to the photo. So, if you right click the button and then hit save, it’ll be downloaded to your computer. Then you can load it into your post. Thanks!
Jodie Mo
Something like this has been on the To Do list for a while. I’m in!!
Michelle
This is the first time I have officially done the pantry challenge, and believe me, we have plenty to use up! Lookng forward to the seeing how much we can save this month, especially after Christmas spending. Just looked through your book last night, deciding which recipes to add to the monthly meal plan.
Jessica
@Michelle, glad you’re taking the plunge!
Kristi F
I’m in… I love this idea !!!
Camille
I decided to do this yesterday when I figured out there would be absolutely no overtime on my husband’s check during this pay period. What a rude awakening. After figuring I only had $40 to last for groceries for two weeks I thought I’d better get on the ball and shop from our pantry. When I found your post this morning it was like a ray of sunshine. Sharing always helps me stay on track and I’m sure I will find lots of encouragement and ideas. http://frugalandhealthful.com/2012/12/31/january-2013-pantry-challenge/
Jessica
@Camille, I love it when I’m a ray of sunshine. 🙂 You can do this!
Hollie
YES!!!!!! I LOVE joining you each year. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!
Jessica
@Hollie, I love it that you join each year. 😉
Creativeme
I’M in! My freezer is ready to burst and my pantry is a mess so this is a great exercise to do right now. The post Christmas Samson is always a food overload. Thanks for the suggestion.
Jennifer
I’m in!
Nikki
I’m in! We generally don’t spend too much monthly since I make a monthly menu and do my best to stick to it. By creating a menu for an entire 30 days (30 dinners + 8 breakfasts and 8 lunches – the kids eat breakfast and lunch at school; we eat leftovers for lunch at work the next day), it cuts down a lot on what we spend. I’ve shopped both ways…buying the whole month at one time (with dairy products and breads getting bought weekly) and also buying weekly for just those meals. I spend less buying monthly but sometimes it’s not worth it to have to store it all! I buy the kids school snacks once a month and hit up the meat sales when I can (those BOGO really add up to big savings), which cuts the spending down for the following months meals. I know it’s not feasible for everyone to do that, but we really struggle financially so I do every little thing that I can. In December, I spent $387 for our family of 4 for the month, plus an additional $75 on holiday extras. I have a ton of things in my pantry that I really need to clean out, so I’m excited to join this challenge!