I know it’s been a while since I updated my Food Stamp Challenge. If you recall, the first week of August I took on a new challenge – eating out of the pantry for two weeks! It was a way to test our preparedness for disaster, as we are in the thick of hurricane season here.
I diligently made up a menu plan for two weeks of eating out of the cupboard, and we more or less stuck to it, although we added meat to some meals and never touched the canned salmon (my kids and I love salmon croquettes, but it’s hard to find the time to make them with a new baby!)
I discovered a few valuable facts, which was the purpose of this exercise. For example, I allowed 24 oz. of canned chicken and 1 quart of powdered milk for Chicken Alfredo Florentine, but really it should be 36 oz. and 2 quarts of milk, because we like our noodles saucy. And the family really likes clam spaghetti, which we rarely have made before now but will now be a pantry staple.
Well, apparently I was well prepared because we ended up going for a month! I did spend $50 at week 34 and $12 last week, Week 35, on milk, bread, and fresh produce. Also, some friends gave us a bunch of meat after hearing about Mr R’s run-in with the car (in Texas, family troubles are made right with a gift of beef, LOL).
My total August expenditures were $433.76, which works out to $86.75 a week over 5 weeks (week 31-35) . And I think husband is kind of tired of brown rice. My pantry is still half full (lots of pasta, rice, beans, canned tomatoes left) but my fridge is bare.
Think I should go to the store? (I do have more shelves for my fridge, but since it was so empty it seemed like a great time to clean it. My crisper drawers are pulled out for washing, but they held 1 head of cabbage and some hairy carrots.)
See that bowl of pears? My boys gleaned them from a fruit tree at the bayou, bringing me half a bushel! I was going to can them, but I don’t think they’ll last long enough to put up. They are amazingly crisp and sweet – perfect for eating out of hand.
Food Stamp Challenge will return next week. I’m shopping this weekend and expect to blow the $140/week budget, since we spent so little last month!
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Good for you. I’ve been trying to do more pantry cooking, but it is harder than it sounds. We are really spoiled with fresh produce, dairy and meats. It is much easier to be a good cook with fresh stuff. But using only pantry items makes it more difficult, especially if you’re trying to be healthy. I guess chips / dip would be great out of the pantry, but not much nutrition. I admire your ability to pull this off, especially with several little ones to feed.
Wow, fresh pears? Sounds yummy!
The fact that you also have / had hairy carrots lurking in the fridge makes me feel so much better.
I get a very weird, unsettled feeling when my fridge is bare, I think it stems from childhood, but even if there is plenty to eat in the cupboards, I’m all kinds of out of sorts until the refrigerator has been restocked. I don’t think I’ll ever figure it out. (I do force myself through clean-outs like yours from time to time, I just hate them).
What, neurotic? Me? Quit staring.