31 Frugal Shopper Habits #1- Yearly Pantry Challenge

A couple of months before we moved from Florida, our pantry, fridge and freezer were crammed full of food. I didn't have to shop for weeks. And the last week before we left, I gave away bags and bags of food. One bag was just pasta. Then we still had lots of food in storage until we settled in to our new place in Virginia.


The first month in our dream state of Virginia, we lived at Best Western. It was great but not much space for a stockpile. I also hardly shopped any sales. The only appliances available to me were a minifridge, microwave and a rice cooker.

What a culture shock for a couponer!

Now that it's been 9 months with a "normal" kitchen, and back to couponing, our pantry is slowly growing. So, perfect timing to eat down the pantry. Besides, how can I fit new finds in there if there is no space!

 

With the new Pantry Challenge from Life as Mom, I feel encouraged to do this right in the beginning of the year. What a great way to jumpstart saving money! One of the ladies left a comment on the post above saying they would save money for buying new tires. Well, we need to buy a couple of tires too!

 

My goals for this pantry challenge are:

1. Save $150 (about 2/3rds of our grocery budget).

2. Get used to alternative protein sources.

3. Spend $150 for staples like milk and bread and stockpiling only really, really great deals to use for the next months.