Last week, Andrew, Mac, and I started a challenge that I called “Paring Down the Pantry” which consisted of only buying $25 worth of food for the week. We combined that food with all of the random odds and ends that were stuffed into our full fridge, freezer, and pantry. Read more about week 1 by clicking here.

So how did we do? Great! After our Aldi run, we stuck to our budget and didn’t buy anything else. None of the meals were particularly photogenic, so I didn’t take any pictures. It went so well, in fact, that we decided to do it again this week. The only difference is that we raised our budget a bit to compensate for the food we ate out of our stock last week. Here is what we bought and are eating this week.

The Rules

• We needed to eat mostly food we already had in the pantry, fridge, and freezer.
• We could only spend $35 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. (Last week I described why we have so many Smashburger coupons)

Meal Plan

Just like last week, we made a meal plan right away. We looked at everything we already had and cobbled together some meals. A few of our meals are a repeat of last week because we still had the ingredients to use. We also included a few lunches this week because I am off of work Monday and Tuesday. Here is what we are eating this week:

• Sunday: Grill out (veggie burger for me, hamburger for Andrew, assorted vegetables)
• Monday lunch: BBQ meatballs for Andrew, veggie burger for me, mashed potatoes and corn
• Monday dinner: Eggs and hash browns
• Tuesday lunch: Loaded Baked Potatoes
• Tuesday dinner: Baked Mac and Cheese (find the recipe here.)
• Wednesday: Smashburger and frozen waffle fries (we typically make Mac a grilled cheese)
• Thursday: Pasta with tomato sauce and frozen veggies (we have a frozen bag of peppers, onions, celery, and parsley)
• Friday: Fried tofu for me and hamsteak for Andrew, frozen french fries

What We Bought

• Bagels (For Andrew’s breakfasts) – $1.59
• BBQ Potato Chips (For Andrew’s lunches) – $1.49
• Bread – $1.39

• Milk (a half-gallon because we are still finishing out last gallon) – $1.19
• Shredded Cheese – $2.49
• Cream Cheese (for Andrew’s breakfasts) – $1.69
• Sour Cream (for loaded baked potatoes) – $1.19
• Ground Beef – $4.03
• Deli Meat (for Andrew’s lunches) – 2.69

• Mangoes (2) – $0.98
• Bell Peppers – $2.99
• Grapes (2 lbs.) – $1.78
• Avocados (2) – $0.98
• Strawberries – $1.49
• Garlic – $0.89

That comes to a grand total of $26. 86. We tried to leave some wiggle room because we are starting to run low on coffee and we buy that in bulk from Costco. If we need to buy that this week, we will go just over the $35 budget.

Honestly, I’m starting to think we could make this a permanent change. One trip to Costco a month with a $100 limit and then $25-$30 a week at Aldi is what I am thinking.

So tell me, is my plan totally insane?