Four women, four challenges, and one month to change their spending habits. How did it go?

Let’s get started…

Musia

My challenge:

No new groceries for a month. I have to use the chicken and meat in my freezer or the items already on my pantry shelves. The only exception is perishables: fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, fish, etc.

Why did you join this challenge?

My father always used to laugh and ask, “If we were stuck in the house, how long would we survive?” The answer was always “very long.” My mother’s a huge fan of stocking up. The freezer is always full of meat and chicken. The pantry always has all the ingredients you’d need to make breakfast, lunch, dinner, and five snacks a day.

And I guess I’m her daughter.

When we first moved to our (tiny) Jerusalem apartment, I knew I couldn’t shop the same way I did in America. I planned to use the nearby shuk as my fridge for fruits and veggies. The local makolet would serve as my pantry. Basically, I’d only buy what I needed, when I needed it.

For the most part, I do. But even though the American me would be shocked at how little is in my pantry… it’s somehow stuffed to the brim. I buy pasta for dinner and then decide to make rice instead. I make a bulk meat order and forget how little only two people can eat.

So for the next month, I’m not shopping. I’m going to use up the items in my kitchen instead. (And see if we can finally answer my father’s question: just how long can we survive?)

What are you most worried about?

Running out of my staples. What if I use up my basics, like oil or spices? (Get creative, I guess, but what if I don’t want to think?)

Frayda

My challenge:

Keeping to a shopping list — I usually make a list of what I need and then double it when I get to the store. For this month, I can only buy things that I wrote down before I left the house.

Why this specific one?

I always wanted to be conscious about spending money in the right places. Sometimes I blow my budget just because. Baruch Hashem, I have the flexibility to do that, but really I’d love to be saving more.

Often, I go to the store and come home with things I don’t need, either because I was hungry when I saw them, or the item just looked interesting. Most of the time I don’t use them. I’d love to cut back on that unnecessary spending. I’m hoping this challenge will make me more conscious of where my money goes so I’m not as spend-easy.

What are you most worried about?

I don’t think there’s much I’m worried about. This challenge will definitely be hard, but it doesn’t feel impossible.