Month One is done — and honestly, it went smoother than I expected. I only went grocery shopping twice this month and spent $45.88 total out of my $298 budget. Not bad.
Still haven’t done a full inventory (classic), but I’ve been making it work with simple meals, repeat ingredients, and zero pressure to be fancy.
🍗 How One Chicken Stretched Into a Week of Meals
This chicken did the heavy lifting. I spatchcocked it, roasted it over onions and potatoes, and turned it into a bunch of meals:
Thighs + legs → smothered chicken with broth and pan drippings
Breast meat:
With a side of rice and sautéed spinach
Salad — the chicken was the main part
On a sandwich — quick, not fancy
Potatoes + onions from the roast got mashed and served with the smothered chicken
Bones + scraps → homemade broth
Not a scrap wasted.
🥣 What I Cooked (Some doubled as freezer Meals)
Here’s what came out of my kitchen this month. Some meals lasted 2–3 days. Some were thrown together from random things. All were made with what I had:
Cabbage Parm with quinoa
A version of Zuppa Toscana
Used coconut milk instead of cream
Swapped kale for spinach
A complicated casserole that turned into:
Dinner
Lunch leftovers
Breakfast with eggs on top
Frittatas (multiple times — I’ve got fresh eggs from the coop)
Spaghetti and meatballs (topped with veggie powder)
Baked salmon
Chicken chili
Taco salad
Cottage pie
Egg roll in a bowl (served with rice)
Staples + Random Things That Helped
Cottage cheese (I went through a lot)
Homemade peach bourbon jam
Homemade granola
Hard-boiled eggs + sardines (this is normal here)
Ginger-orange juice
💰 Budget Breakdown
Budget: $298
Spent This Month:
Week 1: $24.93
Week 2: $20.95
Total: $45.88
Leftover Budget: $252.12
Still under. Still eating good.
✅ What’s Actually Working
Repeating meals — less to think about
Using up what’s already open
Cooking in batches so I can eat off it for a few days
Not making everything from scratch — just the things that make sense
🔜 Goals for Month 2
Finally do a real pantry + freezer inventory
Make a few more staples (Yogurt, veggie bouillon again)
Prep 1–2 freezer meals for the nights I just don’t feel like it
Are you doing a pantry challenge right now?
What’s working for you — or what’s been hard? Drop it in the comments or come chat over on Instagram.
