Regular readers of A Reason For Homeschool know our monthly ‘Do It’ List cycles in once-per-year tasks on a rotating basis. Our August ‘Do It’ always calls us to give our Kitchen/Pantry shelves some attention. You can check out last August’s detailed treatment of this topic, where you will find ten suggestions to help clean out and organize those areas of your home. Number 9 on that list is: Use It Up!
This month we want to challenge you to do just that — Use it up! Most of us have enough food on our shelves (and/or in the freezer) to feed a small army for a month. Let’s roll up our sleeves, clear out those shelves, and use up what we have! If we eat some strange combinations, no worries. It will be good for our children to accommodate your culinary creativity. Canned peaches can be served with spaghetti, just as well as a salad. And who decided waffles are only for breakfast?
Here are some random items you might find and need to use up along with some recipes to try out for using them:
- Verde Salsa (the green stuff!) — try Beth’s 5-ingredient Slow-Cooker Verde Chicken for an easy, versatile meal.
- Cream Soups (Chicken, Mushroom) — Here’s my Poppyseed Chicken recipe (you can download a copy at the bottom of the page):
- Teriyaki Sauce, Spaghetti Sauce, or Sauerkraut — try one of the five recipes shared by Corinna from the YouTube channel Life’s Little Thingz.
- Rolled Oats — why not give Bridgitt’s Oatmeal Burgers a try?
- Black Beans — try the Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe from our blog post, Soup’s On!
If you need some ideas for using up your ingredients, try going to www.AllRecipes.com where you can search by ingredients you have. My search for “black beans” yielded 3,769 results, including black bean salsa, black bean quesadillas … and even black bean brownies! Another great resource is the Supercook recipe search engine, where you can enter multiple ingredients you have on hand, initiate a search, and get matching recipes from lots of different sources.
During August, many homeschool families are spending money on curriculum, so freeing up funds from the grocery budget may prove helpful. If you are one of those organized women who bought curriculum last spring (or early summer), here are some suggestions for diverting grocery budget funds:
- Don’t spend it—save it!
The sun may be shining now, but we all know a rainy day will come. A major appliance will give out. The car will get a flat tire. One of the children breaks his arm and there’s a trip to the ER. Life will happen, so be ready for it. Dave Ramsey would be proud of you for planning ahead. - Build the Christmas Fund.
In a few short months, Christmas will be upon us. Many of us blow the budget or (worse yet) have a whopping charge card bill arrive in January. Why not avoid both, by storing up some resources now to shop those Black Friday sales later? - Save for a Special Occasion. Are you hoping to take the whole family’s dream vacation next spring? Or maybe you’d like to fly in grandparents for an extra visit with their adoring grandkids? Working together to save toward something special can make it even more meaningful.
- Make an Offering. Is your family praying for a missionary on the field? Did you just find out about a financial need someone in your church may have? Although you may be in the habit of regularly tithing your income, it’s good to occasionally make an over-and-above love offering where God directs, modeling for your children the truth that we genuinely are “more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35
Whatever your grocery budget is, challenge yourself to trim it during August. Get buy-in from the family by collaborating with them about how to use the money you will save. If possible, postpone trips to the grocery store as long as you can, and avoid stopping for “just one thing” (which it never is!) during the month. Keep a running tally of the savings and post it on the fridge, or on a chalkboard or marker board if you have one: 
We would love to hear how you are using up what you have – including what interesting combinations your family sees on their dinner table this month. And what are you doing with the grocery budget savings? Leave us a note below and let us know!
Download your copy of the August ‘Do It’ List (standard or blank versions available):
August 2019 BLANK 'Do It' List
Download the printable recipe for Laura’s Poppyseed Chicken:
Laura's Poppyseed Chicken Recipe (Printable)
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