When I woke up this morning, the sky was green.
I’m not joking – I looked out the window, saw this putrid color in the sky, and immediately forgave Charlie for crying and trying to wake me up.
About five seconds later, the sky opened up. The thunder and lightning is shaking our house. I was about five seconds too late to let Charlie outside this morning. Nothing says “Happy Monday” quite like a scared, shaking, wet dog who wants to sit on your lap during a thunderstorm. I don’t see this storm ending any time in the near future – which is probably for the best. Think I can enlist the Husband to clean the house since he’s not going to work?
A girl can dream, right?
There’s a lot of things I don’t like doing on rainy days. Running outside – for one. However, I don’t think I’ll be doing that today unless I want to risk getting struck by lightning. I suppose I don’t like to live on the wild side.
Another thing I don’t like doing on rainy days? Grocery shopping.
Just think about it.
You mean to grab your reusable bags from the front hall closet. You run from your home to your car in the down pouring rain, only to get to your car about five second too late – because now, you look like a drowned rat. You drive to the store, sitting up so straight in your seat that you look like a drill sergeant – because if not, you just won’t be able to see through the sheets of rain coming down.
Just when you get out of your car to book it into the grocery store, you realize you forgot your reusable bags at home. There’s no sense in going back for them now. Instead, you have the bagger give you paper bags because they’re more environmentally friendly than plastic. You think that’s a great idea until you get back outside in the pouring rain and try to lift those paper bags into your car. The paper disintegrates and your groceries end up all over your car trunk.
Sounds like fun, right?
As much as I love grocery shopping – there’s no way I’m doing it today… or tomorrow… or maybe the next day.
You see – I’ve let my food supply get a little… out of hand. My freezer is bursting at the seams with about 4 packages of frozen bread, pasta sauce, vegetables, baked goods, pizzas (for the Husband), and chicken (for the husband). I’m pretty sure I could make a few meals out of this.
Seriously – who needs this much bread?
My fridge is kind of overflowing. We’ve got leftovers from the past week and enough in the fridge to get creative over the next couple of days.
I usually let my pantry get pretty low, but right now I have rice, beans, pasta, tomatoes, and potatoes.
My goal for the week is to get this supply down to a manageable amount – especially the freezer. The only thing I think I will miss is almond milk, but I think I can survive a week of oats without almond milk.
I even did my part this morning to get rid of my first jar and a baked good out of the freezer.
My goal is to make it to at least Thursday or Friday without going to the store. You all know I like a little challenge. It’s time to see if I’ve still got my creative juices flowing!
Question: What’s the longest you’ve gone without going grocery shopping?
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Geez, I wish I could remember the last time I put off going to the grocery store. I’d probably say a few days at max and then I start to go a little crazy…especially if something’s not in the house that I REALLY want!
I’m feeling a little bit shakey from the anxiety right about now.
Just reading this gave me anxiety.
I was planning to go tonight (I DO NOT need to) and in a show of solidarity I will stay home.
I may have to hit up the Walgreens for a bottle of wine, though (0:
hahaha you crack me up!
I think the longest I’ve ever gone is a week and a half haha. But, since I’m on a tight budget (stupid grad school loans) I try to only buy stuff that I will be eating that week and therefore I run out pretty quickly. I hate grocery shopping in the rain too- it’s a miserable experience.
That is HARD!! I do a weekly trip, but pop into health stores most days to pick up the odd (totally unnecessary!) things, which is getting REALLY expensive!
And that looks like the best OIAJ EVER!!
I do that too - I’m just crossing my fingers I don’t run out of nooch this week! It’s getting low!
I need to do that I could live for months out of my pantry
I love no grocery challenges! CAn’t wait to see what meals you come up with and how it goes!
I get paranoid if I don’t go grocery shopping every week. I love the time all to myself.
But the longest I’ve gone is about a week and half before we moved, I was trying to eat out the pantry.
It looks though like you’ve got lots of stuff in your fridge to be creative and still have some wonderful eats!
Good luck with this, it is a good thing to do! I can see you have enough produce to survive
I usually go every week, i think I can go 2 weeks sometimes if I stop atthe store for things like bread and bananas. Bread around my BF never lasts to make a freezer like yours! 
I’ve gone two weeks without grocery shopping which is a loooong time for me! Living in NYC it’s hard to haul around tons of groceries so I usually go every few days to pick up essentials instead of stocking up. However, sometimes I get so busy and don’t shop for a long time.
With what you have I bet you can come up with some creative meals for the rest of the week!
I don’t usually put off grocery shopping, but forcing yourself to get creative in the kitchen might be sort of fun. Then agian, my cabinets aren’t as well-stocked as yours. You’ll be fine!
Probably about 10-12 days if we are going on holidays and trying to use stuff up. Typically we go weekly but only buy food for the week. I know what you mean when our food supply goes up I try to be creative so that any shopping that is done is only for the fresh stuff we need.
You drive to the store, sitting up so straight in your seat that you look like a drill sergeant – because if not, you just won’t be able to see through the sheets of rain coming down.
hahaha this is me!
ugh, as painful as it is I think I may need to join you in this challenge for the sake of my bank account. I have SO much stuff, but sometimes will make a “quick trip” to the grocery store for bananas or milk and end up walking out with 3 bagfuls of things I don’t need. There are just so many awesome foods out there that I want to try! I think I just need to quit grocery shopping cold turkey until I finish up some of the stuff I have.
p.s. I always love looking at how miserable everyone looks walking in the rain from the grocery store. Is that awful?
haha - that is totally me!
I might take this as inspiration for my own life… whenever I do decide to reorganize the fridge or freezer I always find 2-3 opened bags of at least something! Maybe giving the grocery store a rest for a few days will let us use all the stuff we already have for a change!
That sounds hard! Even when my kitchen is overflowing, I’m always ending up at the store because I NEED 1 or 2 things. (Like bananas or something I can’t buy too far ahead of time.)
I’m going to have to hide the last banana from the Husband.
That’s a tough one for me… bc I buy in small amounts (as to not let things go bad- just me and all…), I buy often. So going a week and a half or something is a pretty big deal!
I’m sad about the rain, too. I want to run during lunch! My friend said he’d run in the rain. I told him people with short hair usually say that… no way I’m going back to work looking like a wet dog.
I’ve run during lunch a few times - I kind of loved it! It broke the day up nicely! But in the rain, yeah not so much.
Oh my gosh - I HATE shopping in the rain, even in the little sprinkly rain! And I kid you not, it has rained (or snowed!) nearly every grocery shopping day for the past 2 years…it’s like the clouds know when I have to shop; I’ve even tried to dodge the rainshowers, but apparently that’s not my gift, ha!
We have a house of 6, so we are at a grocery store 3-4 times a week! I’ve tried to simplify this so I don’t feel like I’m running that debit card all the time, but that’s not my gift either.
You’re good - I cry a little bit when I run out of almond milk.
apparently I don’t know who I am either…
this was in response to a comment I posted, but accidentally typed the first letter of my name rather than my actual name…I’m going to jump outta your blog now since I must look rather silly
haha! I love this.
Your freezer is nowhere near as bad as mine :-p Ours is AWFUL. My step dad loves pork, the rest of the family (bar me) are all about fish and chicken, then there’s me and my weird vegan food, plus loads od bread, pitas, beans, peas….there is SO much junk in my freezer. And the cupboards…OH don’t get me started on the cupboards!
In recent memory, I’d say I’ve never gone longer than a week without shopping :p
There is no such thing as weird vegan food.
A WEEK WITHOUT ALMOND MILK?
That might be worth a teensy quick sprint into the store. Just sayin’.
Well, if it gets reaallly bad, I could make my own, right?
I’ll be interested to see what kind of meals you come up with. I’ve tried to do this before and it’s tough!
I think the longest I went was maybe two or three weeks. I’m not including spur-of-the-moment trips to buy one or two things based on cravings I had. Should I? Anyway, I was able to go so long because I was moving out of my apartment at the end of that month and I wanted to make sure I finished everything that needed to be refrigerated or frozen so that I didn’t have to throw anything out when I moved. It worked and I saved a lot of money.
I know you’ll be able to make it to the end of the week. I think you’ll be surprised how many decent meals you can get out of what you already have!
A couple months! But I live in a dorm during the school year soo I don’t think that counts.
haha - yeah, not so much.
Even when I lived at the dorms, I was in the grocery store non stop!
I usually have to go once a week for staples.. but sometimes I’ll “forget” to go just to save money and finish off what’s been sitting in the pantry for ages!
We always run out of stuff pretty much exactly one week from our last grocery stop… we usually do a big shop on Sundays and then maybe pick up more milk or produce on Wednesday or Thursday. But some stuff we buy once and it, no joke, lasts us for MONTHS (pasta, rice, cereal, oats…)
Thats how we usually roll too!!
When I was in college and grad school.. I would eat every last thing that I had before I went to the grocery store.. sometimes spanning 3 or 4 weeks. Now .. I am there every Sunday .. like clockwork. Sometimes.. I have to stop during the week to pick up extra things!
I’ve gone almost a month without Grocery Shopping before, but that’s if I want to eat frozen veggies for 2 weeks ( My produce usually lasts about 2 weeks with the green bags) I don’t think you have too much bread! I order my bread from a Gluten Free bakery back where I used to live. They have the BEST gluten free bread ever, and it’s all fresh. So I buy everything in bulk. I usually have 12 loaves in my freezer. But I have 2 Refrigerators with freezers and an extra deep freeze in the garage as well. I buy in huge bulk whenever I shop. I save TONS of money this way. =)
Yeah - 3 of the loaves were samples too, so I had to shove everything around to make it fit!
Usually I’m at TJ’s every other day. It’s rare that I go over a week without shopping.
I have the same refrigerator. I hate the freezer because there is NO SPACE and I feel like I can’t get it organized. Maybe I should also have my husband eat his way through the food in the freezer that’s his.
I don’t think I have gone more than a week without shopping! I tend to go at least once and sometimes twice during the week to hit up the Farmer’s Market and my typical grocery store.
I also left my honey a “honey do” list because it’s raining, but he whined and said “it’s my summer vacation!!!” I’ll just keep dreaming too!
Ahahah.. I found myself nodding along to that whole grocery store in the rain process. Amen! It was a downpour here yesterday and I went to THREE stores. It was hell. But we needed groceries BAD. So now I am set for hopefully the whole week.. especially since the forecast says rain.
Have a great week, lady!
Oh I feel for you! I’m glad you could identify with that!
Maybe 5 days?! ahaha I’m trying to slowly start eating through my cupboards and freezer now… I’m moving in 6 weeks so it’s gotta go!
I love no grocery store challenges! It really does get the creative juices flowing! I never make it all that long with no trip though, because I eat sooo much produce. I typically just buy produce and have a use up the pantry challenge!
Yeah, the produce thing will be hard, but I’ve got a lot!
Eeee I won’t go grocery shopping on a rainy day either, unless it’s something I really can’t live without. It’s been raining here for like a week and half, but thankfully there have been some moments where the rain stopped so I could run out and grab a few things. I tend to go shopping at least twice a week, so a week without it is a pretty big deal. Still, it’s nice to kind of be forced to use up some of the extra stuff you have lying around the house.
That’s so funny because I’m out of almond milk too, but figured I could survive a day of milk-less oats. Not so bad really, although mine would be better in a nut butter jar and topped with a baked good.
Oh my! I am at the store every week like clock work. lol. I think that I could go longer except for with my produce. I bet some creative ideas will come out of this-can’t wait to see what you come up with!
i have a feeling you’ll ace this challenge! clean out the pantry is FUN!! well at first. haha.
Great philosophy! I agree… using left overs and items that have been stored for ages!
I do like the challenge of not going grocery shopping but I ALWAYS have to pick up at least one thing-usually produce like kale-to get me through. It is nice using up what you have. Good luck lady
I’m game! I am moving soon anyways and this will totally help! =)
Good luck girl! You can dooo it! <3
Good Luck! and have fun making new recipes and thangs! can’t wait to see the results
We’ve actually gone 2 weeks without going to the grocery store, but that’s only because we replenish most of our produce at the farmer’s market. All kidding aside, we usually dont go to the grocery store more than once weekly, and often more like once every 10 days. We always seem to have a huge stash of beans and nuts and a smaller stash of grains, which, along with veggies tides us over a long time.
Way to challenge yourself! I really need to go on a freezer clean out challenge-I’m at the point where something tumbles out every time I open the door! I grocery shop waaaay too often. I go on a main shopping trip once a week, but I’m usually at one grocery store or another a few times a week for work and can never leave without a few things!
two kids, nyc apt, and a food and fitness blog? not long. 3 days-max
SUCH A GOOD IDEA! My freezer looks like yours….I literally have 10 different kinds of breads, pitas, bagels, and the like in there! I need to start getting more creative in the kitch with all my ingredients I have on hand!
Way to go! When I first lived out on my own, I would go to the grocery store once a month. This was before I ate vegetables and when my diet consisted of potatoes, kraft dinner, apples, and licorice. I wish I was exaggerating the truth.
Once I started eating healthier I would go to the grocery store every second Tuesday. Now that I’ve figured out the perfect amount of groceries so we have just enough to last the week, I go once a week.
I guess I could try to push it to every 2 weeks, but I know my produce would die 7-8 days in.
longest = probably 2 weeks as a real adult. College doesnt count. A month maybe?
On the first shelf-right above the fruits and such what is the blue container?
I usually get to the store at least once a week, but we never really have a shopping day where we get everything we need. We just go to it as we need to
It is greek yogurt from Trader Joe’s!
I need to do this!! I go grocery shopping WAY too often. I pass by Whole Foods going to/from the gym and I find an excuse to go in there at least a couple times a week. I find myself buying new things before finishing old stuff and too much is going to waste!
Im a little crazy when it comes to my grocery shopping schedule. I go every Saturday regardless of what else is going on. Its mandatory, that at some point every Saturday I go to the grocery store. If I dont, it messes with my whole week. I probably shouldnt admit that.
::raises hand:: me too - except I was a busy bee this weekend!
I was going to try! But it looks like I’ll run out of leftovers for meals if I don’t go. So tonight it is!
8 days in my max when i’ve done pantry challenges
I usually go one week out of the month without grocery shopping. It gives me a chance to use what there is in the house to avoid too-stuffed-fridge syndrome. Some very interesting meals usually come out of no grocery week.
You are lucky to have rain at all!!! I live in Austin Texas and we are so far into drought there will be no fireworks this independence day!!! It hasn’t been a “rainy day” since September. It’s drizzled, but the last time it honest-to-goodness rained was nine months ago.
Generally, I can relate to an overflowing fridge, freezer, and pantry because I love to be (over)stocked on everything I might (ever?) need! However, I’m moving soon and am trying to be good about chipping away at what I’ve got so I have less to pack! So tough to do! haha
Honestly, probably a week! Haha, we go..quite often
I’m in the same boat! In fact, my pantry collapsed about a week ago because I had too much food on the shelves! I’ve definitely been making more of an effort to get through my pantry stuff now! Last week I only picked up some fresh produce and didn’t allow myself to get any more food, but I think I’ll have to do that a few more times before I’ve made a dent in my food collection!
Ditto to Jess’ comment. I never go that long without grocery shopping. I like to get fresh produce 1-2x per week… and sometimes more!
you may remember me doing this little “challenge” a couple months ago…and i am so glad i did. seriously - i don’t need 5+ grains on hand at once, or a bunch of random munchies! i’m one person! i think it also helped me to get creative with meals and rediscover food i used to love. i’m still much more disciplined/manageable in that department, too!
I have the SAME problem. I am not allowing myself to shop until two weeks from now. I did THAT much damage at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s this weekend. I might get low on the veg, but oh well! I can live off of pb and j
I will be posting my overflowing kitchen tomorrow. I like seeing posts like this…it makes me feel less crazy!
I live in the middle of nowhere…. I’m lucky if I get to the store once every week and a half to two weeks. There is a grocery store, but things can get VERY expensive in small town stores. This is the reason for the 4 1/2 lbs of carrots in my fridge.
Chelsey,
This is such an appropriate post for me to read because we need to try and eat everything in our pantry and fridge before moving in a week. We have so much stuff we’ve forgotten about until now. It’s definitely going to take some culinary creativity to use it all because we rarely go more than a week without shopping!
Too funny… I posted this on the 14th. http://coffeecakeandcardio.com/2011/06/14/pantry-challenge/ I hope your week goes well and that you enjoy using your pantry! I’ve enjoyed using mine.
i think the longest I’ve gone is a week and a half/close to two weeks? I could probably live off what’s in my pantry/freezer for longer, if I’m well stocked, but I would still have to get some fresh produce!
Generally, I have a really bad (and expensive) habit of going to the store every day and just buying what I feel like. We’re currently in the process of moving house though and so are trying to shop very little (moving is expensive!!) and finish up what we have - you’d be surprised how good some bizarre combos can be! Enjoy this week!
Funny post! I need to do the same thing. I go to the grocery store because I forget a “few” items and end up with a cart full. My fridge/freezer/pantry is packed! I should see how long I can go… (!)
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