This week, Andrew and I set up a new challenge for ourselves. See, we tend to buy in bulk and when things are on sale. Most of the time, it works great. But right now, we have a pantry and fridge full of food and yet we still buy a bunch of groceries each week. Something isn’t adding up there. We need to start paring down the pantry.

So as part of some cost-cutting and decluttering we are doing around here, we decided to cut down on our groceries and eat what we already have. We set our weekly grocery spending limit at $25. That is for any food or beverages we are going to eat this week. Here is how we set up the first week.

Rules

• We needed to eat mostly food we already had in the pantry, fridge, and freezer.
• We could only spend $25 this week. That included any meat, produce, beverages, snacks, etc.
• We shopped at Aldi because they have such low prices.
• We could still use the free coupons we already had (more about that below)

Meal Plan

The first thing we did was to look at what we already had and make a meal plan. It was surprisingly simple. Breakfasts we typically eat the same thing every day (Fruit and a waffle for Mac, a bagel for Andrew, whatever is available and strikes my fancy for me). Lunch is usually some kind of leftovers. We already had some fruits and vegetables along with some of the basics like pasta and rice. Here is what we are planning on eating this week:

• Sunday: Grill out (veggie burger for me, chicken for Andrew, assorted vegetables)
• Monday: Soup and Grilled Cheese
• Tuesday: Quesadillas
• Wednesday: Smashburger (Andrew and I bid on and won 25 “Free Entrée” coupons at my school auction in March. Since then, we have gotten “free” burgers once a week.)
• Thursday: Fried Tofu for me and Ham Steak for Andrew, french fries
• Friday: Omelets
• Saturday: Hodge Podge Dinner (meaning whatever we have left over)

What We Bought

• Waffle Fries (to have with on our Tofu/Ham night and with our Smashburgers) – $1.29
• Everything Bagels (for Andrew’s lunch) – $1.59
• Eggs – $0.89
• Bread – $1.39
• Chicken Breasts (for Andrew’s grill night, quesadillas and some stir fry for lunch) – $3.50

• Shredded Cheese – $2.49
• Butter – $2.29
• Coffee Creamer – $2.19
• Cream Cheese (for Andrew’s bagels) – $1.69
• Colby Jack Cheese (for grilled cheese) – $1.69
• Strawberries – $1.49
• Mangoes – $1.47
• Green Peppers – $1. 79

That comes to a grand total of $23.76 spent this week on groceries. So if all goes right, we will not purchase anything else this week.

Why Are We Doing This?

There are a few reasons why I came up with this idea.

• Budget– Now, we aren’t in dire straits or anything, but I had to drive Andrew to the ER last week after he almost sliced the tip of his finger clean off (read about that here). While we wait for that bill to come through, I’m tightening the belt to get some pennies ready to send off.
• Decluttering– That sounds weird when it applies to food, but it is true. My fridge, freezer, and pantry are so cluttered with food that I get a bit overwhelmed and end up not eating any of it. I want to clean up those areas and make sure we aren’t wasting food.
• Setting an Example– I am always wanting to set a good example for Mac. This challenge will show her how to eat a mostly healthy diet on a budget.

So, have you ever tried something crazy like this? Tell me below!