Eat from the Pantry Challenge Week 3.

I have an itch.  It's almost uncontrollable. 

An itch to go shopping! And here's the thing.... I still don't really need anything. 

I've sailed through the last two weeks of the pantry challenge without any desire to go to the store.  This week, I don't know why there's a difference.  I just know that there is a difference.  Don't worry though.  I have a plan.

I'm taking the boys to Stride Rite today to get them new shoes.  Their Aunt Lynn bought them gift cards for shoes for Christmas.  And yes, I know there are much cheaper places than Stride Rite to get their shoes, but my boys have feet like their Father....big & wide.  In the long run, it's just easier to get them good shoes to start with than to hear about feet hurting or having little piggies with blisters.  Anyway, I received an email about a clearance sale and I thought no better time get the most for my money.  Hopefully that will get my shopping desire out of my system.

This week, I need to stock up on a few necessities and that's it.

Here's the plan:
2 dozen eggs
4 gallons of milk
2 loaves of bread
2 large yogurts
2 blocks of cheese
Large bag of dog food

I can still make a full menu from my pantry and freezers.  If I find a good price on chicken, I'll probably pick it up.  I'm down to one bag and one whole chicken. 

I'm mostly on track with my goals for this challenge.

1.  Lower my grocery bill.
        I'm averaging around $50 a week.  Not bad at all for a family of 5 (and a dog)

2.  Use up deals from the pantry.
        I can actually see a dent in both my freezers and the pantry this week.  While
        there is still a lot there, I now have some room on the shelves.

3.  Teach Josh to make one recipe a week.
        He's made pudding and corn.  Week three we're going to make packaged muffins.

4.  Put money in our emergency fund.
       Well, if you read last week's update, you know things have been crazy tight for us.
       So, while I haven't put any money back yet, I also haven't had to dip into our stash
       that we have set back for property taxes.  I also managed to get some great deals
       around Christmas to cover the five (5!) family birthday's we have in February. 
       I'm not really doing well on this goal, but it could be worse.

One more week to go.....