No-Spend January: How to Stretch Your Food Budget This Month

Have you ever participated in a no-spend month? January is the perfect time of year to press pause on your grocery budget so you can focus on eating what you’ve already purchased. The best part is that the rules of a no-spend challenge are totally up to you. Interested? Keep reading to learn more.

What Is a No-Spend Month?

Otherwise known as a pantry challenge, the idea behind a no-spend month is simple. Your goal is to make as many meals as possible using the food you already have in your kitchen with as few trips to the grocery store as possible. You can be as flexible or strict as you want with the rules.

Some families choose to purchase only certain items each week, such as dairy products, produce and eggs. Others cut out the grocery store entirely.

The trick is to avoid stocking up in advance. If you buy all the groceries you need for the month ahead of time, you’re shifting your budget around rather than reducing the amount you spend and focusing on what you already own.

See more: 40 Nourishing Recipes You Can Make With Pantry Staples

What Are the Goals of a No-Spend Month?

The ultimate goals of a no-spend month are to consume the food you already purchased, reduce your number of trips to the store and save money on your grocery bills for a month.

What Are the Benefits?

Other than saving more money and focusing on the food you already own, a no-spend month, specifically aimed at your food budget, will help you get a better idea of what foods you already have on hand, help you think outside the box to come up with new and creative recipes using the items you’ve already paid for, and help you shift any bad habits of buying more than you can realistically use.

Set a Goal

Want to try a no-spend month? Give yourself the greatest chance for success by setting your goals ahead of time. If you found your way to this article, you might already have a few ideas in mind of what a successful no-spend January looks like. But here are some ideas if you need help brainstorming:

• Start small by participating in the first week to see how it goes.
• Limit grocery store purchases to the most perishable items only (milk, cheese, fruit, vegetables, etc.)
• Set a much smaller grocery budget than you’re used to and supplement with items you already have on hand
• Decide how much you want to save on groceries for the month, divide that number by four and only spend that much at the store per week

See more: Pantry Essentials to Keep Stocked in Your Kitchen (Printable Shopping List)

Preparing for the No-Spend Challenge

Want to really nail the no-spend challenge? Start by taking inventory of what you own. Unless you’re a dedicated minimalist, you may have more on those pantry shelves than you realize.

Set aside an afternoon to go through your pantry, cabinets, fridge and freezer to make a detailed list of what you already have on hand. Some people find it helpful to print out their list and tape it to the pantry or refrigerator door where they can quickly see what’s available for meals.

Making meal plans for each week is your best bet for seeing the no-spend challenge through to the end of the month. Take your schedule into consideration. If you plan to make a meal using those dried beans you bought and never actually learned to cook, make sure you leave enough time in your calendar to prepare them ahead of time.

No-Spend Challenge Tips

Because you get to make the rules of your own no-spend January, you can decide how best to actually do it. But here are a few tips for making the most of it so you can walk away feeling like it was well worth your time:

1. Be intentional with your ingredients.

If you have a single steak on hand, how can you stretch it to feed your whole family? You could each have a small portion with sides, or you could cut it up and serve it alongside beans, rice and cheese to make burrito bowl lunches for a few days.

2. Pay attention to expiration dates.

Did you find a half-bottle of barbecue sauce in the back of the fridge? Incorporate barbecue into your meal plan on the first week so you can finish off the bottle before it goes bad – and clear out space in the fridge.

3. Get creative.

No one says you have to follow a recipe precisely, so don’t throw out your favorite meals without stopping to think about how you can substitute ingredients or remove them entirely. You may end up loving the new version even more than the old one.

4. Go back to basics.

You don’t need to purchase a loaf of sandwich bread at the store. Do a quick online search and learn to make everything from bread and tortillas to pancakes and muffins – without the boxed mix.

5. Make a plan for food you just won’t eat.

We’ve all purchased something at the grocery that looked interesting but never actually made it onto our meal plan. If you have food on your shelves that you know you won’t eat – even in a no-spend challenge – give it to friends or family, or donate it to a local food bank.

See more: Cost-Conscious Tips to Make the Most of Seasonal Produce From Florida Chef Justin Timineri

When No-Spend Month Is Over

It may be tempting to immediately race out to the grocery store on Feb. 1 and restock those pantry shelves. But before you take the plunge and start filling up your grocery cart, consider what you learned from the challenge.

Did you save money? Did you find items you forgot you ever purchased? Did you discover any new and inexpensive recipes that could help you keep your grocery budget in check throughout the year? Half the fun of the pantry challenge is the participation, but don’t miss out on the second half, which is taking what you learned and applying it the rest of the year.