I don’t know about you but I am staring down January meal planning feeling uninspired. I also ate out more and spent so much money in December. So here’s what I am trying…

In just the hanging shelf of my pantry I have more grains than I know what to do with. So many items I bought for one recipe and haven’t used since. So many cans. So much hot chocolate. And way too much canned corn?

.

What’s my plan?

I’m only buying perishable groceries in January. Think mostly produce and dairy. Everything else? We’re shopping our pantry and freezer first. Snacks. Staples. Random boxes I forgot existed.

The loose plan:

• use freezer meat & meals before buying more.
• Pantry staples until they’re gone
• grocery trips = perishable only

Why I’m excited to try this:

• Buying less…probably spending less
• Using what we have…less food wasted
• Less decisions at the store…more brain space for other things

A few unexpected wins I’m hoping for:

• More creativity in the kitchen
• Fewer “saving this for a special day” foods — let’s eat them now
• Actually using the freezer meals we forgot about
• Making treats instead if impulse-buying them

Mostly, I just want this to feel FUN, spark creativity, not be too restrictive. If January feels boring (or December drained your wallet), this feels like a low pressure thing to try. I’ll keep you posted!