- I did save money. I learned to be creative with what I had, and I learned that some dinners could be breakfasts. (like eggs, bacon, pancakes, etc. Not steak for breakfast. Altho Adam does like that.)
- It is really hard to do when you are trying to eat fresh produce. Every morning I eat Greek yogurt for breakfast, I try to eat fruits as snacks and always have a salad on hand. So I did save money on my dinners, but I can't look to this kind of challenge as radical change.
- In order to eat from the pantry to make it successful, I think you need a whole month's worth of stuff...canned goods, freezer meats, snacks. I didn't have as much and so found myself ending it after two weeks and buying a lot more.
So the final score is: yes, I'll do it, but not as hard core as some of my friends do. Now my freezer and pantry are full again, and I'm going to work with those, (but still in my house, they are only full for a couple of weeks. I joke, but we have more food categories....breakfasts, lunches, snacks, Troy, and dinner....ha ha! Troy would eat all day if I would let him!) So I know this blog is all over the place, and my coffee hasn't worked yet in my brain (lol)...but this is what I mean:
For breakfasts and lunches, I'm still buying what I need. Dinners I'll work with what I have and buy what I need afterward. I guess I'll "shop the pantry" first. I don't know why but it always seemed easier to buy than to go in basement and grabbed what I needed from the freezer or shelf first. I guess I rationalized, "I'll need another one anyways." In this experiment I learned that it's more frugal to eat what you have, then refill. Or if there is a good sale, refill, then you have it for next time.
I also was reminded of the joy of Aldi's. Really, I hadn't gone there in over a year. But they have great prices, a "Fit and Active" line for dieters (which are yummy), and we saved a LOT in going there last week. I brought $100 with me, spent $95, and my buggy was full. They are significantly cheaper in produce too, and the selection was great. So I'll definitely be stopping there at least once a month. I had rationalized that I was saving money because I was saving gasoline, but I head out that way at least once a month as it is, a side trip to Aldi's is definitely worth it! (and if any of you friends want to carpool sometimes, we can arrange that).
Plus, at Walmart, it's too easy to buy what you need....and then you see something you don't need and buy it anyways, because you are there, or "those shoes are cute", or whatever. (how did I end up in the shoe aisle anyways? I'm grocery shopping!! LOL!) At least for now I have to remain disciplined and not buy what I don't need or what will not benefit my family as a whole in the future. (they don't care if I have new shoes...lol!)
In other news....I went to Ohio this weekend and saw my family. Adam stayed here and worked a big job for Line-X. It was hard not being with him, we NEVER travel apart....but we survived and all is well again. :) I saw my grandparents first. I hadn't seen them in a year and a half!!! (due to illnesses whenever we came up last year...my grandpa's immune system was poor so we had to stay away.) My grandparents are well. My grandpa, you can tell he's been sick, he is very skinny (he was a big man), but he has life and vitality. I'm glad I saw them. My grandma had a spread for us and the kids were very well behaved while I visited my grandparents. All of the kids actively engaged my grandparents and talked to them, it was nice, they weren't too "bored" with my older family members.
Then we went to my parent's house and yard saled with my stepmom (well, I did, they hung out with their grandpa). I had so much fun with my "momma" time. I needed it. I spent $25 and got so much kitchen-ware, (serving dishes, glasses, etc), three paintings for my living room, a book ("The Help"), clothes for the kids, a bathrobe for Danielle, a brand new Old Navy jacket for me, bird decor (I like birds I'm finding out)....and much more. I felt like a rich person. All of the stuff I got was good quality. And it was nice to buy what I wanted and not calculate "Ok...can I afford this? Is it in budget?" because I budgeted it. The kids had fun with their grandpa. My dad let Troy play his guitar and got him some great learning books and DVD's for the guitar. Danielle, Liam, and my dad played ball in the yard. Troy drove the tractor. It was a good day.
Of course whenever I go to Ohio, I hate to leave. It gets harder every time. My family is there, and I hate that I only see them a few times throughout the year. :( It affected us all this time, even my step mom, and we tried to be cheerful on Sunday, (the day we left), but it was hard. We took a walk in the woods behind my parents' home and found a bone and skull, possibly a dog. The kids thought that was neat. I thought it was neat to be in the quiet and not hear a passing car every ten seconds.
Finally, we are waiting on a phone call from a job interview for Adam. It will be a change for us, and a little scary, but we know that we have to move on from where we are. We are still waiting on and hoping for Mylan, but we still need something now, whether Mylan calls or not. This place looks promising and they seemed to really like Adam. (who doesn't, right? ;) In all things, we are praying God's will for our family. I'll keep you posted. I'd appreciate your prayers tho regarding this.
Well, this was longer than I intended for "Eat from the Pantry" (sorry about that), but now you are caught up, so until next time....Christ Strong!
