using what's already there
Alex and I were talking over this upcoming week's meals and I was getting overwhelmed about finding enough good recipes to make. Then we considered how much food we already have in our pantry and freezer. Surely it makes more sense to use what we already have than buying hundreds of dollars worth of groceries every month. So this week will be interesting: I'll either make simple meals that don't need recipes or I'll use the ingredient search feature of Allrecipes.com
Then we went and still spent a good amount of money on food at Target. However, it was mostly prepared food and organic cereal and such. The frozen food is for when the little one is born. Most likely the AF's family support group here will bring by meals for us for the first week, but it's good to have a backup.
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Interestingly enough, while we were out, we heard about a contract a husband and wife made: no buying new consumer items for an entire year. Food and sundries such as underwear and socks and kitty litter don't count. Anything else they need/want, they would buy used. The radio show didn't say how it panned out, but it's an interesting concept and one that caught our imaginations.
This past month I've been cleaning our house and while we don't have an overwhelming amount of stuff, we have enough. I have fully two-thirds of my clothes put away (as I can't exactly wear them right now), and it's amazing how much I still have to wear. And this is after pruning my wardrobe occasionally and giving away clothes that I no longer need/want.
Here's a link to the story if you're interested: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/10/26/a_year_without_shopping/
Seeing as Alex and I already have to change the way we spend money due to the fact that there will be one extra family member and one less income, this might not be a bad time to try such a thing.
Of course, we'd make exceptions: birthdays and Christmas and items that should be new for safety reasons (like a new car seat), new jeans and shoes, etc.
Besides, e-bay can be a lot of fun. :)
Then we went and still spent a good amount of money on food at Target. However, it was mostly prepared food and organic cereal and such. The frozen food is for when the little one is born. Most likely the AF's family support group here will bring by meals for us for the first week, but it's good to have a backup.
-------------
Interestingly enough, while we were out, we heard about a contract a husband and wife made: no buying new consumer items for an entire year. Food and sundries such as underwear and socks and kitty litter don't count. Anything else they need/want, they would buy used. The radio show didn't say how it panned out, but it's an interesting concept and one that caught our imaginations.
This past month I've been cleaning our house and while we don't have an overwhelming amount of stuff, we have enough. I have fully two-thirds of my clothes put away (as I can't exactly wear them right now), and it's amazing how much I still have to wear. And this is after pruning my wardrobe occasionally and giving away clothes that I no longer need/want.
Here's a link to the story if you're interested: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/10/26/a_year_without_shopping/
Seeing as Alex and I already have to change the way we spend money due to the fact that there will be one extra family member and one less income, this might not be a bad time to try such a thing.
Of course, we'd make exceptions: birthdays and Christmas and items that should be new for safety reasons (like a new car seat), new jeans and shoes, etc.
Besides, e-bay can be a lot of fun. :)