Pantry and Freezer Challenge week:

I've talked about the fact that some weeks I spend more than $25 on groceries, and some weeks less. The last several I have spent more (though the menus came out to be $25 or less per week), some weeks I spend less. When I have multiple weeks in a row where I have spent more, I do a pantry and freezer challenge.  This challenges me to use up the food I have stockpiled... there is nothing worth than throwing out food because it has gotten to old.

To do this, first I look in the fridge... does anything in there need cleaned out?  Then I look to my cupboards and freezer.  What is there that I could stand to use up?

I still have a pork loin and tub of mashed potatoes in my fridge from the awesome Target deals the other week, so they definitely need to get used up.  I also have cabbage and baby carrots, since I seriously stocked up on both of them recently.

While my goal was to just spend $10 a week, I found 1/2 gallons of organic milk at Amelia's for $1.99. I now have 4 of them in my freezer, as organic milk deals are hard to find.

It is not the most inventive menu, and very few recipes will be needed for this, but here it is:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast	Breakfast
oatmeal with milk, 35¢	bagel with peanut butter 45¢	yogurt w/frozen mango, 48¢	egg and toast, 20¢	oatmeal with milk, 35¢	banana smoothie, 35¢	Homemade Latte70¢
Mid-Morning	Mid-Morning	Mid-Morning	Mid-Morning	Mid-Morning	Mid-Morning	Mid-Morning
Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
egg salad sandwich, 45¢	Salad, 55¢	Salad, 55¢	egg salad sandwich, 45¢	Salad, 55¢	tomato soup, 30¢	EAT OUT
carrots, 10¢	Pork Loin, 75¢	1/2 can tuna, 35¢	carrots, 10¢	1/2 can tuna, 35¢	grilled cheese, $1.20
cantaloupe, 25¢	dressing, 15¢	cantaloupe, 25¢	cantaloupe, 25¢	cantaloupe, 25¢	cantaloupe, 25¢
	orange 40¢	dressing, 15¢		dressing, 15¢
Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner	Dinner
Pork Loin, 75¢	Baked Chicken thights, 76¢	Salmon Cakes $1	Spaghetti w/meat sauce, $1	Hamburgers 75¢	Scrounge for leftovers	Frozen pizza, purchased with coupons, $2
Mashed potatoes (from a tub) 0¢	rice 15¢	salad w/ honey mustard dressing, 70¢	salad w/ dressing 70¢	oven fries, 25¢
cucumber salad, 20¢	Cabbage, 25¢	baked potato w/butter 25¢		cucumber salad, 20¢
Snack	Snack	Snack	Snack	Snack	Snack	Snack
yogurt w/fruit	yogurt w/fruit	yogurt w/fruit	yogurt w/fruit	yogurt w/fruit	NA	NA
0.48	0.48	0.48	0.48	0.48
Cost	Cost	Cost	Cost	Cost	Cost	Cost
Total cost per week:					$22.52