Hit $100 in pantry savings last month without even trying

I always eyeball my grocery budget, but last month I finally sat down and added up what I saved by using stuff from the pantry instead of buying fresh. I had this half bag of lentils sitting there for months, a jar of tomato paste, some frozen veggies. Made a big pot of lentil soup that fed us three dinners. The total came to $107 saved across the month, and that was just from meals I threw together from what I already had. Anyone else ever tally up what your pantry is actually worth?

2 comments

2 Comments

noah_webb17d ago

Yeah I used to be the type who thought pantry meals meant boring canned stuff nobody wanted to eat, but your lentil soup story actually made me stop and think. I grabbed a bunch of old rice and beans from my own cupboard last night and threw together a chili that came out way better than I expected, probably saved me like $15 on that one dinner alone. Kind of wild how much cash is just sitting there in cans and bags you already paid for and forgot about.

the_sean17d ago

Right, the "old rice and beans" thing is real... I've been there so many times. What I started doing is keeping a running list on my phone of what's actually in my pantry, so I don't keep buying the same can of black beans every week. Then when I'm feeling lazy, I can just look at the list and think "okay, I have canned tomatoes, that half-bag of lentils, and some cumin" and that's dinner. Also pro tip: if your rice or beans are super old, just add an extra splash of broth or water and let them simmer a little longer, they'll soften up. Saves you from throwing out perfectly good food.