A pantry challenge is a daunting task. The prospect of warding off the grocery store is an intimidating feat. There are many ways to prepare for a pantry challenge, but this is how I chose to approach it to set my family up for success.

1. Check current inventory

First, I cleaned out my fridge and my pantry. I took a little mental inventory of the things I had. I was focused mostly on my meat and veggie inventory for this step.

2. Set a Budget for your Prep

This is probably the most important step. The aspect of the pantry challenge that attracted me in the first place was the prospect of saving money. So if I spent more money on my prep than I would normally spend on groceries in a month, it defeats the purpose. The budget I set for my prep was the amount I would spend on food biweekly. Not only was I buying from two different grocery stores, (Walmart for dry staples and ShopRite for lunch meat and cheeses,) but also a meal kit delivery each week. So needless to say, I had a decent budget to work with. Most of my budget went to my “wise splurges,” and what was left I spent on cooking staples.

2. Stock up on Cooking Staples

It is okay to do some shopping prep for your pantry challenge. But the key is to not go overboard to the point where the pantry challenge isn’t worth the savings. My rule with stocking up was to mostly buy cooking staples that would help me make the most out of my food inventory and help me to stay in the game longer. So things I stocked up on were cooking oils, flours, seasoning, and bread crumbs. Since I am gluten-free and my husband and children are not, I got both GF and regular options for my staples.

3. Consider Some “Wise Splurges”

In thinking about how my family was going to survive over a month without the grocery store, there were two high priority grocery items in question: seltzer water and greens.

First of all, I am not proud of the amount of seltzer water my family..(mostly me) drinks or the lack of willingness on my part to go without it. I’ve always blown off seltzer water machines as pointless and overzealous. However, after making the sobering realization of how much money I spend per year on seltzer water, (let’s just say I could buy myself a really nice bag, or take another trip to Disney World with it,) $300 for a drink machine didn’t sound so bad. After scrolling through the options, I settled on the Ninja Thirsti. What sold me on the Thirsti was that it makes seltzer and still drinks. I could make my daughter juice (that maybe had less than a pound of sugar in it) and I could still have my beloved grapefruit seltzers at my disposal. I also love the independence it gives my kids, especially my 5 year old, who loves to get her cup and make herself a drink with the “drink machine.”

On the greens front, salads are one of the few greens my son loves, and using fresh herbs in my cooking makes me feel like Gordon Ramsay, only friendlier (most days.) So after I was done making fun of my mom’s obnoxiously bright planter in her kitchen, I decided to look into an Aerogarden for myself. An Aerogarden is a really great way to grow fresh lettuce and herbs in your kitchen regardless of where you live, and it also looks super cute. I got the Aerogarden Harvest Elite and it was the perfect size.

Conclusion

Preparing to stay away from the grocery store for months without spending a small fortune is no easy feat, but if you set a plan and a budget you can stick to, you’ll be on on your way to saving money and preventing food waste!