Eat From the Pantry Challenge Update and more...

So my goal for this month has been to eat from what we have on hand here at home with the exception of milk, bread and produce. You can read more about that here. We've done okay as far as meals go. We've had a couple of evening things going on this week so we've had to do really simple and quick meals the past two nights.

This has been a little harder than I thought it would be already because I didn't think about some of the little things. I knew we'd be more than set for meals but I did NOT think about the kids' lunches and pop (I'm sure if any of you know Tim, you're probably chuckling). Already I have had to go out and purchase lunchmeat for my daughter's lunches because she does not do well with PB&J like my boys. It's a MUCH better choice for me to make the purchase than to deal with her complaining about her lunch...daily...for a MONTH! I've also had to purchase juice boxes for their lunches...I've tried packing water bottles in their lunch boxes before to save money and they always leak.

It is very hard for me to pass up really good deals or free stuff! I had some errands to run today and while I was out, I decided to stop at a few stores to see what I could grab for free, nearly free and a couple of really good deals! Here is some of what I found:


I ran into Kroger knowing I could use some of my I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Coupons before they expire. They have the butter sticks and tubs for $2.08 each. I was able to get 5 packages of sticks and 2 tubs for $.56 total!!

Here are the links for those coupons:
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Baking Sticks $1.00/1
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter products $1.00/1
*Note: I was able to print one of these links more than the typical 2 times (sorry, I don't remember which one)...so be sure to go back and try to print more...just in case! And also remember...you can freeze butter!! Stock up!!

I was also able to grab 4 bags of these...

ALL FOR FREE!

The link: Wonka Gummies $1.00/1

I was also able to run into Giant Eagle to grab a few things for free and I also wanted to use this coupon to get cheese for $1.00 per bag before the sale was up (today). This is a really good price and hard to pass up.

I also went to Meijer and used the Finish dishwasher detergent coupons to get it for $.99!! GREAT deal! While I was there I grabbed a couple of produce items and some free soup. Find the Meijer deals here.

I went to Target for the pop. They had 12 packs for $3.00 each but have a $1.00 coupon on their website. I had to do two separate transactions in order to use both of them due to the rules stated on the coupon. I asked my cashier ahead of time if this was okay...she said yes.

All in all, we are doing okay with the challenge. I guess it all boils down to whether or not I make the choice to live without something or not...and how far I'm willing to go with that.

Have you been trying to eat from your pantry? If so, how is it going for you?