I bet you’re curious about how the first month of the pantry challenge went—and, of course, how much I spent from my budget. Let’s dive in!
When I kick off a pantry challenge, I usually take inventory of what I have so I can meal plan accordingly. But this year, I switched things up. Since adding canning and dehydrating to my food preservation skills (on top of my usual freezer meals), I now have way more food to track. So instead of listing everything upfront, I decided to wait until my supplies got lower before making a plan. I love having a mix of preservation methods—it keeps things flexible and lets me get creative!
The month started off slow with some simple meals, but a few weeks in, I had fun experimenting. Toward the end of the month, I got sick (boo), so I leaned on low-effort meals to get through. Looking ahead, I definitely need to prep more freezer meals for those “I don’t feel like cooking” nights.
Now, Let’s Talk Money 💰
My budget for this challenge was set at 35% of my usual grocery spending, which meant I had $298 to work with for the month. Here’s what I actually spent:
🛒 First shopping trip: $33.80
🛒 Second shopping trip: $30.26
💵 Total spent: $64.06
That means I still have $233.94 left in my budget—woohoo! I’m really happy with how the first month went and excited to see what Month 2 brings. My plan? More dehydrating and a few freezer meals for those easy nights. Budget stays the same, so let’s keep this going!
Are you doing a pantry challenge this year? How’s it going so far? Let’s swap ideas! 👇🏼✨