Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping

Every new year we set goals, challenge ourselves to reach new heights, and to focus on what’s really important in life.  The picture above is a handful of receipts where I bought grocery items over the last few weeks.  Back in 2011 I  made it a goal to simplify my life more by enjoying the blessings and not wasting what God has given me.  One of the ways I did this was by going through several No Grocery Shopping weeks, picking up only necessities while trying to use the items we already had in our fridge, freezer, and pantry.

When I did it in 2011 it was my intention to go 1 month, but I made it 8 weeks (with only a few hiccups).   It is my plan to do this again with the hope of making it at least through the month of January.  I will be sharing with you the successes and challenges on those specific areas in my life as I go through them.

Life Simplified Goal:

• No Grocery Shopping (except for necessities) in the month of January.

Explanation of the Goal: My goal during the month of January is to not shop for groceries other than necessities (milk, eggs, bread).  Our freezer is full and our pantry is overflowing with all the great deals that we have picked up over the past few months.  One of the reason for the goal is that I want to use the items I have and not waste them.  Stockpiling is wonderful but there may come a point when we need to eat through that stockpile before it expires, save the extra money to work on a financial goal, and be creative with what we have at home.  I have been thinking about this challenge for several weeks over the Holidays.  Over the past few months (including our experience traveling to India) it has really hit me that we have been really blessed yet there are children and families that content with a lot less.  Menu planning may take a little extra creative thinking on my part but I think I can do it. If I do purchase something it needs to meet one of the following criteria:

• FREE – I don’t want to waste free grocery coupons that my family will use while doing this goal
• Necessity – Milk, Eggs, Bread, etc…
• For Someone Else outside of my household.  For example I make meals for new Moms in our church and if I need to pick up an item for them on the way to deliver a meal that will be an exception.

I have already started this goal.   The only things I purchased this first week has been a loaf of bread and 1 gallon of milk.  Last week we ate a bunch of leftovers for several days since our fridge was full and we don’t want to waste the food we have.  Plus a sweet friend brought us a meal after my daughters surgery which was amazing and got us through more than two meals.  It takes a little more time and focus to come up with a menu but everyone seems to be doing pretty well.  The real challenge will come at the end of the month when we are getting low in the pantry and when we host guests!

I will share with you the challenges, successes and what I had to purchase so you can keep me accountable or even go through the journey with me by participating  and sharing your story.  I would love to extend this goal into February if I can make our pantry stretch!

Life Simplified is a series on getting rid of the extras in our life while learning how to enjoy what God has given us so we can continue to be a blessing to others.  Our homes can quickly start are bursting with “stuff”  and if you are like us we just have too much.  I am doing a series on ways we are learning to simplifying our food, homes, and lives.  When our hearts, lives, and homes get too cluttered we may start missing out on opportunities to serve and bless the people around us.