Pantry Endurance Test

I'm redoing my guest bathroom and trying to find ways to save a few dollars here and there.  It isn't a huge, expensive redo, but replacing a toilet turns into redoing the cracked floor, and of course the old wallpaper doesn't come down far enough to meet the new baseline.  And while the medicine cabinet and light are off the wall anyway, might as well get new ones…  Not redoing the vanity or shower, which would have been much more expensive than the rest put together.

So I decided to see how long I could go without grocery shopping.  After all, I eat at least one meal a day at work anyway, so we're only talking about one or two meals a day plus snacks.  My last shopping trip was on August 29th.  There's still plenty in the pantry, a few things in the freezer, and I'm getting close to harvesting carrots and corn.  There was a surprise cucumber hiding behind a rock and all the cherry tomatoes ripened at the same time.  Plus, Eggy keeps producing, even if the eggplants are on the small side.  My guess is I'll run out of OJ, milk, and eggs around the same time.  I have dinners planned until the 16th if I can harvest a couple of carrots and ears of corn.  Maybe later if I have to run from work to choir rehearsals and pick up drive-thru, but I don't think the milk will last that long.  I can do without OJ, but I need milk in my coffee.  I'm out of cheese, too.  Had a dollop of cream cheese on my nachos (home-made tortillas).  It was different, as it subbed in for both the cheese and sour cream.

What I'm finding is that I still look longingly at the weekly grocery ads, thinking what I could make with what's on special.  But I do have loads of food on hand that I should prepare before stocking up again.  Most of our food waste as a nation is what we throw away because it spoiled before we could eat it.  It's an expense, and somewhat immoral when you consider those who do not have enough to eat.

But I really do miss grocery shopping.  I already started a list for when this ends.