My food cravings seem to run in phases – this would explain the buying of produce but not eating it. Sometimes those bananas are too green when you get them at the store, but days later, after they’ve ripened, I’ve lost the craving. What a waste! Sometimes I have a real “need” for Pasta Bolognese, other times I can’t stop eating corn dogs. Lately my cravings are for Lean Cuisine frozen dinners, which are far tastier than I expected them to be, but why am I buying this stuff when I have a pantry already full of food? In these times of financial difficulties, this is a completely unacceptable waste, so it has to stop. I have to eat this food.
And that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Starting on April 1st, 2010, I’m going to eat everything in my pantry, refrigerator and freezer until they’re completely empty. I am not going to buy ANYTHING new until the whole place has been cleaned out (or I don’t have enough to make a single meal). No buying of chips at work, either - the vending machines and cafeteria are verboten, however the once-a-week night out at a restaurant is not. Why? The idea here is to see how long this will actually take; saving some cash is a bonus. The proscription against vending machines is only because what I get in the vending machine I probably have at home already, but a nice dinner is, sadly, not something I normally indulge in (didn't I mention frozen meals and corndogs earlier?).
I know I’ve got a fair amount of variety at home, and a ton of rice and noodles and tuna and tomato sauce (etc.), so I should be okay for a month, maybe more. I shall chronicle my experiences here regularly, listing what I’m eating and how I’m faring. Since I have a couple of days before this project begins, I am going to inventory everything I have first, so that I know exactly what I’m getting myself into. That will be the first post.
Stay tuned… J