I’ve been knocked off my game. I started out the year determined to establish a solid and effective budget. Cutting the fat and making wise choices. I made some sacrifices and reeled in my miscellaneous spending. I even found a way to curb my grocery bill by shopping at ALDI’s and catching sales at traditional grocery stores. And then, my nutritionist put me on the Mediterranean diet. Then it went one step further…I was advised to go gluten-free.

By now you know that when I delve into something, I invest time and money. For example, my ever-growing lipgloss collection.

My Bath & Body Works products

Or my crafting goods.

I like to collect and gather things. It’s an issue that I’m working through. I haven’t bought a lipgloss in two months. I haven’t been inside a Bath and Body works store in weeks. And my crafting …well like I said…I’m still working on my need to collect. Meanwhile, this slight disorder has spilled over to my new diet plan. I have blown my “budget” and overstocked my kitchen with gluten-free, plant-based items.

 

If I see a food product on sale, I feel like I must buy it because finding items that meet my dietary guidelines is difficult and expensive. I was buying way more than I could consume, but then I had an idea. Actually, it came from one of those penny pinchers TV shows. Once a month, the couple featured on the show collected change around the house and that’s the only money they could spend on food that week along with what they had in their kitchen.

Why couldn’t I do this and get myself back on a budget? It’s also a good way to use up food that’s been sitting in the pantry and fridge. I decided I would establish a monthly Purge Week.

During Purge Week,  I’ll give myself a small budget for fresh produce since it’s essential to my Mediterranean diet plan.

The next step is to work my way through these. This pile is a combination of homemade frozen meals and vegetables. This week, I’ll use some of these items as part of my meal plan. There’s chicken stew. There are also mixed vegetables and sweet potatoes cut and ready to be roasted.

I also have frozen fruit I need to use.

And loads of meat that I haven’t cooked yet. Plus lots of grains, legumes, and canned goods in the cabinets.

Here’s a quick list of some of the meals I plan to make during Purge Week. Nothing new needs to be purchased.

Garlicky Bok Choy

Chicken Tikka Masala

Crockpot Lentil Soup

Sweet potato, quinoa & black bean bowl

Let me know if you’re interested in joining the adventure. I plan to do a Purge Week once a month. BTW, I’ll be posting some of the recipes I make, starting with the lentil soup coming up next.

Stay blessed,

Barbie