I recently came across a blog called Make It Do, where the author is planning a year of using up what she already owns and not buying anything new (with some exceptions of course). I found this so refreshing in a day and age of overconsumption and attachment to material things. It inspired me to implement this in my own life, but in the one place it would hit me the most – my kitchen.

I’m such a sucker for new food products and gadgets, and I must confess, my pantry and freezer are overflowing with items. I am sure that we could survive a pretty long time without having to purchase anything, so I’m going to give it a shot and see how long I can go without buying anything for my kitchen.

Of course, there will be exceptions so here are some ground rules:

1. Perishables such as milk, cheese and yogurt will be allowed.
2. Replenishing daily supplements (ie. vitamins, protein powder) are ok.
3. If we have dinner guests or house guests, additional shopping will be allowed, but the real challenge would be to try to “Make It Do”
4. My CSA delivery will continue every week, but I will stick to the 6 items I have signed up for every week.
5. Produce items that are staples in our diet that aren’t available through my CSA are allowed – but I’ll keep you posted on what those items are so you keep me honest.

This will be quite easy in the beginning I’m sure as my pantry is full of legumes, beans and grains – it will get more interesting as I start to use up items. I’m sure it will be quite eye-opening to see what I actually do use on a regular basis vs what just takes up space in my pantry and freezer. I also see a lot of bread-making in my future (I bought a lot of ingredients when I got my bread machine…let’s just say I haven’t been putting a lot of it to use).

I think I already may have a breaking point – I’m almost out of my favourite Earl Grey Tea – we’ll see how long I can last with my other tea chest options.  It will be interesting to put a stop to my Amazon Prime One-Click habit!

Hmm…perhaps I should have consulted with the huz before deciding to implement this – or maybe he won’t notice? 🙂