I need to take an inventory of our food in the house

JAM2000 · October 2010

I have some frozen meals, etc in our freezer (since I dabble in Once a Month Cooking). I also have lots of chicken, pork chops, steaks etc frozen in both our upstairs and basement freezers.

I totally need to take an inventory of all the meats, frozen meals, frozen veggies, etc in our freezer and on our pantry shelf in the basement- like soups, macaroni, etc. I feel like we need to start using up more of what we have in the house.

Ever feel like that?

babybird7 · October 2010

Yeah, every once in a while I won't make out a meal plan and will strictly try to make meals out of what's in the freezer/pantry. I can usually do pretty well until the last day or so. I'm doing it this week actually. We've had veggie quesadillas, chili mac, and salads so far. I can still probably squeeze out some hamburgers and maybe one more thing. The cabinets are getting pretty bare.

Good luck to you.

rab41380 · October 2010

I wish I could do that. I feel like we buy just enough every week, and then we are empty and have to refill. Maybe I need to take advantage of sales more. I just am not a fan of frozen meats, and chicken. I like to buy fresh.

jen5-03 · October 2010

Yes, when we are feeling poor I make a point of shopping the freezer and pantry first. It's great for when you feel like you have too many bills to pay.

Right before we moved this summer, I went about a month where I was spending under $20/wk at the grocery store because we were eating freezer foods. That felt great.

I also discovered how important it is to label everything, even those things you "know" you'll remember. Because I nearly made chicken soup with apple sauce. Fortunately I tasted my "chicken stock" first because it looked funny.

Stacyc625 · October 2010

I usually do it once a month. makes it so much more manageable. I then do a 'eat what is in the house' grocery list- and just buy the dairy, fruits and fresh veggies that i need to make dishes to use the inventory. just another way of cutting down the grocery bill- you would be surprised how long you can go with what you have already. At least in my house.

I have a master list in Word that i print out once a month in categories- and i quickly go through and tick next to the item or put an amount (canned corn- 5) etc. I then can sit down and create a meal plan with those items.

MamatoJackson · October 2010

I totally exhausted our grocery budget for this month, like, halfway through the month. (Pregnancy cravings?)

Because of that, I'm getting creative and using up what's in the freezer and pantry - By the time I refresh my grocery budget for next month, pretty sure we'll be close to being down to bare-bones!

silkyhorse · October 2010

I shop deals/sales a lot, so I often feel like this!

I haven't been doing as much shopping since ds came along, so the freezer is finally starting to get a little emptier. I still have a long way to go, though.

spiritenergy · October 2010

We stock up on food when things are in season. Then we eat down the freezer and pantry during winter. Our food bill is super low during winter allowing us to save money. I also can a lot of food. Right now we are filled to the brim with canned goods, frozen meat (we are in a meat CSA), nuts, flour, frozen fruits and vegetables, and other staples like yeast, honey, flour, and sugar. Starting Nov 1 we hardly buy anything at all until the first weekend in May when our farmers market opens back up. This strategy allows us to eat locally and organic on a budget.

HerHighness · October 2010

i keep a dry erase board on my deep freezer so i can do just that

i also shop my pantry and freezer before doing my biweekly meal plan/grocery list

Want a personalized experience?

I need to take an inventory of our food in the house

Re: I need to take an inventory of our food in the house

Choose Another Board

Search Boards