Have you ever done a Pantry Challenge? A Pantry Challenge is making a concentrated effort to use the food that you already have in your pantry, freezer and fridge to create meals for your family instead of running to the store. I try to do a Pantry Challenge 2 to 4 times per year, with the challenge schedule for a 1 week time period. I do this for several reasons, but if you are giving it some thought and trying to get everyone else on board, check out this list of 4 benefits to doing a pantry challenge that might help convince those who are unsure.

1. It saves money. This one is obvious because oftentimes you are doing this specifically to stay out of the stores, right? If you are using what you have, you can likely put all or at least some of that week’s grocery budget toward savings.
2. It prevents waste. If you are anything like me, you stock up when the price is right. Which means I have lots of stuff in the back of my cabinets or in the bottom of the freezer, that frankly, I often forget about. I don’t want to look in my pantry a year from now and discover that my foods have now expired.
3. You get to be creative. We are all busy. Trust me, I get it. But because of how busy we are, we often go through the motions cooking the same things day in and day out. One of my favorite things about Pantry Challenges is that it gets you to mix things up and create other meals. Plus, you might even find new meals to incorporate into your day to day.
4. Saves time. No really, it does save you time. Even if you are intimidated by the idea of creating different meals, think about all of the time you will save by not going to the grocery store. Any parent with little ones can appreciate not having to take them shopping. Or is that just me?