The No-Shop Challenge

I noticed something the other day. I noticed that my kitchen is overflowing. I only cook for two people, but I'm pretty sure I have enough food to feed a family of eight at any given time. This is most likely due to the following:

• I over-shopped for Thanksgiving
• Thanksgiving yielded lots of leftovers
• I like to have lots of options when I start getting creative in the kitchen
• I go grocery shopping every week
• I shop at Costco for many things, thus creating stock-piles of certain foods like canned beans, pasta, chocolate chips, flour, onions, peanut butter, sugar and frozen chicken

In an effort to make up for going over-budget on groceries the past few... months, I am challenging myself to use what I have.

That's right. For the next month, I will not go grocery shopping. Wait, I take that back. For the next month, I will only allow myself to purchase:

• eggs and dairy (but no specialty cheeses and such)
• fresh fruit and veggies (AFTER I use the fresh and frozen we have)
• brown sugar (it's Christmas...)
• wine (for entertaining and gifts only)
• cat food

By doing this, I will be saving:

• Money
• Gas
• Time
• Food
• Myself from the evils of over-consumerism

So here are my official no-shop challenge rules:

1. No grocery shopping until January 1 except for above-mentioned items
2. I cannot cheat by buying groceries at the drug store or mega-stores like Target.
3. Gift certificates and store-credit cannot be used until January unless it's about to expire
4. Accepting leftovers, gifts and home-grown produce from friends and family is OK. (Thanks for those beautiful pomegranates, Grandma!)
5. I can't ask JT to buy groceries for me.
6. I will still cook the same number of meals per week, but I will only use ingredients I have.
7. If I don't have the ingredients I need, I will use a substitution or create something new and different.

I'll let you know what I create!

And what about YOU? Do you think you could take on the no-shop challenge? What will you make?