Save Money on Grocieries by Using Up Ingredients Already in Your Kitchen

Are you sick of going to the grocery store? Or do you feel kind of broke this week and don't really have the money to spend on groceries? Then I have a solution for you! It's quite simple, really. Just use up the food you already have in your home!

Most of the time, even when we think we don't have much food in the house, when it comes right down to it, we do. Many times there is food that is simply forgotten about that really needs to be used up or tossed, so here's what you need to do.

First off, now would be an excellent time to clean out your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Start with one thing at a time, such as a single shelf in your pantry.

Pull all of the items off the shelf and place them anywhere you have room -- I use my dining room table.

Take a quick inventory of the items, jotting down what you have. You don't have to be super precise if you don't want to. For instance, you don't have to write out by name each type of pasta you have -- simply write something like, "pasta (3)" to indicate you have three packages of pasta.

It will help if you jot things down by the following categories:

1. Proteins (meat, beans, eggs, etc.)
2. Starches (rice, potatoes, pasta, etc.)
3. Packaged food (Hamburger Helper, Ramen, mac 'n cheese, etc.)
4. Vegetables (canned, frozen, fresh)
5. Sauces and condiments (spaghetti sauce, picante sauce, tomato sauce, bbq sauce, etc.)

Do this one shelf at a time until you have completely gone through your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Before putting things away, wipe down shelves, and then put the items away neatly so you have the added bonus of a freshly spruced up kitchen.

Next start to brainstorm about meals you can prepare with the food you have on hand. List the obvious things first. For example:

1. Hamburger, Hamburger Helper, and a can of vegetables.
2. Hamburger, pasta sauce, noodles, and fresh vegetables.
3. Chicken, bottled marinade, rice, and frozen vegetables.

Do this until you have enough meals planned for the week or run out of ideas.

If you feel stuck and simply don't know what to make with the ingredients you have on hand, visit www.allrecipes.com and use the tools they have available to help you find recipes based on ingredients.

I'm sure that you'll be able to come up with plenty of meals for the week once you stir up your creative juices. Not only will you save money, you'll also have a nicely cleaned and organized kitchen!