Living Out of the Pantry

I have been following the blog at The Erratic Homemaker about how she is not shopping for food for a month and living on the food out of her pantry. She has a great sense of humor, and it is fun to see how she is doing everyday. That got me to thinking in the shower yesterday. (That is where I do most of my thinking) I wondered how my family would do?

We are stocked with food right now, and I think I am going to try for this week. If all goes well I will keep it going. I will shop for milk, bread and produce, but nothing else. My husband was not very excited about no lunches out this week unless they are free. He does get a free lunch every Monday at work. I will also be going to Wal-Mart to get my free bag this Saturday. But I figure, if it is free it is not shopping right?

I was also thinking about the blogs of Mom's who only spend $40 or less on food each week. I have come to the conclusion that I don't think it is fair to compare myself to them. Most of those families are childless right now, or have toddlers and infants only to feed. I have 10 & 9 year olds that would eat the dog if it lays in one spot for to long. Plus they both dance 5-6 nights out of the week. They need the food due to burning so many calories at class. My three year old still eats small amounts, but is in a growth spurt right now. And when summer comes they all eat non-stop.

So I guess my point is, don't compare your family to other families. If you are happy with your spending budget, good! If you are not, work a little harder at it. Get it down as far as you can while still feeding your family and their needs. I am just going to experiment with only eating the food we already have. If it doesn't work, then oh well. I won't know until I try.

Every family is different, that is what makes them so fun. Enjoy your kids now while they are still small, they grow up so darn fast. Plus if you are money conscious, they will grow up that way too. My three year old wanted to help me cut coupons last night. I gave him the pages I didn't need and let him cut away. We get to spend time together, he gets practice on using scissors, and he learns a lesson on how to save money. And you know by the end of the summer I will be ready to send them all to boarding school, but for now I will enjoy them!