Stop Shopping and Clear Your Fridge!

by Monika Bartyzel, Posted Feb 24th 2009 @ 9:05AM

Over the last few days I have been mulling over a post about my fridge-cleaning plan. Basically, I'm trying to only buy base necessities when I need them, and otherwise rely on the foods in my fridge, freezer, and pantry. The plan is to clear out as much as I can, by eating and not trashing, and then re-stock.

And it seems that I'm not the only one mulling over this plan, although my motivations are a wee bit different. Over at eGullet, there's a challenge to go without shopping for one week, and live on the food that's waiting to be eaten in your home. I'm right with Steven Shaw, the man behind the plan, that we so easily horde food without eating it, although I don't think it's as simple as: "If you spend $100 a week on groceries, this experiment will put $100 back in your pocket quicker than you can say stimulus." Should you have a pantry full of foods you've never touched for years, maybe. But otherwise, you'll need to replenish, which is my goal.

The more you love food, the easier it is to go nuts and pick up things that appeal to your foodie whims. As I see it, by using up that old horseradish dip, mustards, and frozen soups, the space is not only free for new flavors, but replenishing with a plan. By that I mean: a fridge and freezer full of the ingredients I especially like, want, and find useful, rather than the remnants of whims past.

So I dare you -- don't go out and shop! Discover all the tasty nibblets you have right at home.

[via The New York Times]

Filed Under: Trends, On the Blogs, Stores & Shopping
Tags: a week without grocery shopping, AWeekWithoutGroceryShopping, cleaning out your fridge, CleaningOutYourFridge, eating from your pantry, EatingFromYourPantry, stores-and-shopping

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

2-24-2009 @9:43AM Kokopelmana said... I had this revelation in late December, that my pantry and freezer were overflowing. At the beginning of the year, I vowed not to step foot in the grocery store for the entire month of January. We belong to a CSA, so I pick up a box of fresh produce every week and the farm we belong to has a small store with meat, dairy and produce. VERY small, we're talking one little room. Nonetheless, I felt that with my well-stocked pantry and tons of protein sources in the freezer, my weekly trip to the farm should be sufficient.

As it turns out, it certainly was.

I went five weeks without stepping foot in the supermarket and, surprisingly, we ate better those five weeks than we had in months.

Having only my existing stock and what came fresh in our box every week - supplementing dairy at the farm store - it forced me to be very creative with what was available to me. I was so pleased with myself!

More importantly, it really showed me how much I was overbuying each week. And how deliciously resourceful I could be when challenged.

Good luck to everyone who takes on the challenge. If you're like me, it will be a real eye-opener. And fun! Bon apetit!
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2-24-2009 @10:31AM alisa said... My husband and I like to do this as well. We call it "random bag night" which essentially means we raid the cabinets, fridge and freezer for ingredients. It saves on shopping trips to the large local supermarket (we go about once a month now) and I supplement it with some fresh meats or veggies from a small local butcher who offers better quality food at 1/2 the price of the big markets. It's great to save money, be creative and also support local businesses !

I have posted some of the random bag night results here:

http://theripetomato.wordpress.com/

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2-24-2009 @10:36AM sweetbird said... You have a very large amount of lettuce in your fridge, just thought I'd mention that.

Carol over at 'Alinea at Home' was doing the same thing recently. I think we forget how much food we really do have in our homes. I did this a few a weeks ago. All went well until we were eating things like vegetable soup with beans that my husband begged me to go shopping again. But, it was nice to see the inside of my cupboards again.
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2-24-2009 @2:09PM Savor The Thyme said... This is such a great idea. I just make my plan/lsit every Sunday, see what I am missing and off to the store to blow another $100. I guess because I always want new recipes for my blog, I assume I just need to write a new recipe and go shop. Instead, I need to carefully examine what I have an work from there.
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2-24-2009 @2:10PM Brittany (He Cooks She Cooks) said... I need to do this. I go food shopping all the time, and like you mentioned, the more you love food, the harder it is to stop buying things. But food is getting more expensive, and my college budget won't be able to take all the grocery shopping I do...

http://HeCooksSheCooks.net
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2-24-2009 @5:30PM KF said... I go through "Use It Up" challenges fairly frequently -- at least once or twice each year. I'm on one right now, in fact. There is a certain sense of relief when the fridge empties and it becomes whiter, brighter, and cleaner. I tend to revert, as foodies often do, and need another purge months later.

I also joined the BYOB Challenge (Bake Your Own Bread) for 2009, so, since 12-31, I have not purchased any bread or crackers. While this has helped clear out the pantry as well, it did necessitate an inventory of my freezer breads.

How many of you have inventoried your pantry and fridge and freezer? It's EMBARRASSING how much stuff you'll discover, and it particularly shamed me to see how much I waste, and how many duplicates I buy.

The bread is inventoried, so now I need to list every single thing in the two freezers I own, plus the fridge, and post it on my door. If that doesn't stop me from shopping, nothing will.

Bread Products inventory and BYOB details on my blog at http://www.warmolives.blogspot.com
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2-25-2009 @2:24PM kim said... I did this out of laziness more than anything else this past week or so. My folks were out of town and they usually do the shopping. So I just started going through things in the fridge.

I made cream of random-green-veggies soup that used up broccoli, spinach, and asparagus, as well as a block of asiago that was starting to worry me and my dad's whole milk that no one else drinks.

Made a huge batch of pizza dough for a party over the weekend, and had my friends clean out their fridges for toppings :)

Went through a bag of oranges. I learned that putting chili and salt on oranges that aren't as sweet as you like make them a helluva lot better.

It's not a bad thing to do every now and then. Definitely fun getting creative with it
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2-24-2009 @10:40PM Anne said... Um...I'm sorry to say but this is nothing new. I shop twice a month, stocking up the pantry and fridge at the bulk store and produce stand, with a trip to Walmart for non-preishables once every two months.

Why is anyone surprised about this???
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2-26-2009 @7:45AM David Grant said... Reminds me of a Mike Royko column (Chicago Tribune long ago). He would go shopping with his boys and let them buy whatever they wanted. BUT they didn't go shopping again until it was all gone. He said 1) it made for some pretty strange combinations near the end and 2) the boys learned how to plan and buy intelligently.
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2-27-2009 @8:51AM Boston Beans said... Breadchick at The Sour Dough started doing this back last summer with her Pantry Plan. She is in the middle of her Winter Pantry Plan while also reviewing general cookbooks to help use up the pantry.

Like most people here have said. This is nothing new just common sense.
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2-28-2009 @3:28PM Carrie said... included in my best of february 2009
http://haveless.blogspot.com/2009/02/best-of-less-is-more-february-2009.html

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4-15-2009 @9:46AM Kathy said... I have got to make an effort to do this in order to reach my goal of not going to the grocery daily/weekly by summer. I have been making all of my own basics but still seem to find myself in the store for one reason or another and buying stuff ( fresh oysters, more produce{cant wait for my csa},a bottle of wine. I need to just not go and try this for a week because I have plenty of food at the house!! I am like a grocery shopaholic !!!
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