After reading the Money Saving Mom's Challenge on eating from the pantry, I have decided to challenge myself to eat strictly from my pantry stash for 2 weeks!

If you’re anything like me, even on months that you practice menu planning, you end up with some extra food in your pantry. Maybe you were tired one night and whipped up something easy like breakfast for dinner, instead of roasting a chicken. Or maybe you had a last minute dinner invitation, and the rice dish you were going to make never happened.

Or perhaps you’re a bargain shopper. When you see diced tomatoes at a really good price, you stock up. The same with anything else.

Regardless of how you shop, at one time or another, you will likely find that you have a little of this and a little of that in your pantry, and you need a way to use it.

I will allow myself to buy fresh milk and produce, but everything else needs to come out of the pantry or freezer. There are two benefits to doing a pantry challenge every once in a while.

First, you save money. It’s nice to have a week every once in a while where you know your grocery bill will be minimal.

Second, it ensures that you aren’t wasting food. Food that is wasted is money that is wasted. It doesn’t matter how good a sale is. If you don’t use the item, it’s money wasted. By doing a pantry challenge every few months, you can make sure you’re using your food before it goes bad. Your pantry stock is continually rotated, and you aren’t wasting your food and money.