No-Buy Week (or two) for Groceries?
This is a repost blog.
Original posts by u/shushupbuttercup on subreddit r/EatCheapAndHealthy on Reddit.
27 Feb 2019: No-Buy Week (or two) for Groceries?
I realized recently that I spend WAY TOO MUCH on groceries for my little family of three. While I meal prep and cook most of our meals, I somehow manage to shell out between $7-800 per month. In order to get a fresh start, I’m imposing a 1-week no-buy challenge on myself for groceries. We’re just a few days into it, and I’m seeing just how much of a stockpile I have that I tend to neglect or forget about when I do my weekly shops. I’m hoping to get as close to cleared out as I can without resorting to a diet of ramen packets and outdated mush.
In the past, I’ve found that a clear-out week has upped my creativity in the kitchen and reminded me that our meals can be simple and still satisfy. The other night we had spaghetti with a mix of vegetables, and surprisingly the guys loved it. I’m kind of looking forward to getting into the nitty-gritty of my freezers and the back of the pantry.
Has anyone else done this? Have you come up with any awesome dishes because you were forced into just using what you had?
4 Mar 2019: No-Buy UPDATE: Found some powdered milk in the pantry and smoked salmon in the freezer
I thought I’d share a delicious recipe update from my no-buy cooking challenge that I posted earlier this week. I found a box of powdered milk in the back of my pantry (I have no idea why I bought it on sale months ago) and a package of smoked salmon from Costco in the freezer.
I made my FAVORITE comfort food that I used to eat every time it was on special at a restaurant I worked at in my twenties. Smoked salmon and cream pasta. OMG, my son was in heaven.
I used some flour and ghee to make a roux, added some powdered milk and water along with white pepper, oregano, and salt. Put that in a bowl and used the same pan to cook the smoked salmon (I know you don’t need to cook it, but in this recipe it’s good that way), and then added the cream concoction back in. When my spaghetti (fettuccini is awesome for this, but I’m using what I have) was done and drained, I added into the cream and salmon and dished up.
ohmaygawd. so good.
That does sound delish! Also I want to say how much I appreciate you posting about your no-buy challenge. I’m lucky enough to have a stocked pantry, but it is time to clear some of it out and start fresh!
Thanks! I’m glad I posted, too. It’s been great motivation! My boyfriend came home with some oranges and bananas the other day ’cause he just can’t wrap his head around maybe eating some of the frozen fruit I have stashed away instead of fresh, but otherwise we’re still eating very well. My pantry was too stocked. It’s a blessing to be saving money because I bought too much. I’ve definitely been in a position where getting creative was a necessity because I only had a few dollars to feed us, and this is much more fun. :)
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