What Is A Pantry Challenge?by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 16 Jan 2007 09:32 AM You may have heard the term "pantry challenge" come up a lot on frugal websites and forums. But what exactly is a pantry challenge? A pantry challenge is using your existing food stores and resources, your pantry, to make all of your meals. It is a challenge to not buy anything new from the grocery store to complete dinner. A pantry challenge can be anything you want it to be. You can do the challenge by yourself or as part of a group. A group challenge can be a lot of fun. The members tend to keep each other motivated, inspire each other and share tips and ideas. A pantry challenge can vary in its "rules." You first set the time length for the challenge. Most challenges last for a week or two, but you might try three days if it is your first challenge, or a month if you are an experienced pantry challenge participant. Other rules to set for the challenge have to do with what is allowed. Can you purchase milk and fresh produce, for example? Are non-food items included in the challenge, such as no paper products? Can you use up some freezer meals or does everything need to be made from pantry items? It is really up to you and the group to decide how strict to go. Why should you have a pantry challenge? There are a few good reasons. A pantry challenge can come in handy when the budget is running low, and it is better to make do with what you have for the week or other time frame. A pantry challenge can also help you use up older items in your pantry that you tend not to grab when it comes to dinner time. Remember that great sale on black olives? Well, those four cans have been sitting on the shelf forever. Now is the time to get creative with them. Have you ever participating in a pantry challenge? I would love to know your pantry challenge tips! Related Articles: Pantry Challenge: Making My Own Boxed Bake Pantry Challenge: Enchilada Helper Pantry Challenge: Using Allrecipes.com 8 Practical Stockpiling Tips: Save Money! Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantpreparedness tags User Comments  Jeff Bogle (1022) 16 Jan 2007 09:05 AMInteresting. I had never heard the term pantry challenge before reading this article. When money is low or when we cannot bare the thought of food shopping at our local supermarket, we open up the cupboards and get creative. A lot of spices and combinations I normally would not attempt to incorporate come into play and the results, while mixed, are always entertaining. It feels good to make a meal out of the stuff already laying about the house.  Mary Ann Romans (26876) 16 Jan 2007 09:17 AMJeff It sounds like you are born to be frugal! Can you think of a dish that turned out exceptionally well? Any tips for using spices? BellevueMama (21) 07 Jul 2007 08:44 AMWe *just* did this, although I didn't realize it had a name! I'm always up for a challenge, so now that I know it's an art form I'm even more motivated to get us through another day without hitting the stores. Here's some ideas we came up with: Mayo Biscuits (I'm out of shortening) made with 1 cup flour, about 6 Tbsp Mayo, a pinch of salt, a shake of sugar, a tsp or so of baking powder and enough milk to bring it together. I added garlic and oregano so they'd go better with our 'italian' themed pantry scramble last night :) Let's see, we have rice, cream o' stuff soups, I'm sure I've got chicken in the depths of my freezer somewhere, and some deer meat. Oh. And LOADS of green beans frozen from the garden. TONS of green beans. Time to get creative! Thanks for the inspirational ideas...keep it coming! ~Sarah Mary Ann Romans (26876) 07 Jul 2007 03:54 PMMayo Biscuits! Very creative. I know mayo can make a chocolate cake, but I never heard of a biscuit. I'll have to try that one! Green beans, cream soups, some other veggies and a biscuit crust, and you have yourself the makings of a pot pie!  Gretchen Hulett (183) 10 Sep 2008 03:22 PMI love this idea. I am all for making meals from what we have. I know this will help my daughter too. Community Tags cooking, homecooking, meals, pantry challenge, pantry cooking, stokpile, scratch meals Discuss this article
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