Save money with reverse menu planning!

A few days ago I decided to peruse my kitchen closet and pantry. To my surprise I had so much stuff I could not believe it. I counted 16 bottles of bar-b-q sauce, which I did not purchase, but that's another post...

I have wanted to menu plan for a while so I decided to try something new. I did inventory on what I already had in my kitchen and I planned my menus accordingly. What does this have to do with stewardship? Plenty. I run to the grocery store many times per week and it all adds up, while food is stocked in my house and some foods on the way to freezer burn...tisk tisk.

My husband and I agreed that we would not purchase any more food until we have used some of the food we already have. I can at any given time look in my fridge and say " I don't want that today" and off to the store I go spending another $20. 

Well not this time, I planned my menus from everything I already had on hand. For 3 days straight I have not been to the grocery store, that's a miracle considering I go almost daily and sometimes more than once a day. I should own stock in food lion and walmart.

It was a great feeling as I pulled items off of my shelf and out of my fridge and prepared to cook them. I even went into the freezer and pulled out already prepared dinners that just needed heating up. We have had variations in our meals, such as eating breakfast foods for dinner, and it's been fun!

This experiment has proven to be a time and money saver, not to mention I am cleaning out some space in my closet and pantry.

So, if you're looking for a small way to save money and be a good steward over what you already have, try reverse menu planning.

You might be amazed at what you can cook up!

Remember: "True empowerment comes through stewardship!"