Eat Down the House was inspired by an overflowing pantry and refrigerator, a lack of time, and a desire to save money. It lasted about six weeks, from the end of March until the beginning of May. Perhaps the experiment could have lasted longer, but alas our humble abode became wedding central and hosted bridesmaids and friends from afar. I had no choice but to go grocery shopping and make sure our guests were well fed.
Looking back, Eat Down the House was a fun distraction from work and one of my favorite projects in quite a while. As the weeks went on, I could see the shelves getting sparser and felt a sense of accomplishment. What I enjoyed most though was working with my sisters on Restaurant Baby. Though Eat Down the House is over, I look forward to future posts and collaborations with my fellow Restaurant Babies.
A few lists and fun facts to sum up Eat Down the House
How to Not Go Grocery Shopping for Six Weeks
- Start with a well-tocked pantry.
- Work 70 to 90 hours per week. If you are working that much, your work place should be providing your food.
- Be so exhausted from working too much that when you actually are home, you only eat enough so you do not have trouble falling asleep from a growling stomach.
- Live with a sister who likes to throw dinner parties and eat the leftovers or cook with her leftover ingredients.
- Live near parents who love to feed you as much as possible and bring food over to your house on a regular basis even when you ask them not to, but they do not really understand the word “no” especially when it comes to food, so why do you even bother?
- Loosely interpret “best use by”, “sell by”, “expires on”. Trust the Sniff Test or the Hm-It-Is-Not-Curdled Test. Don’t judge me.
- Eat out at restaurants for every single meal. Just kidding! I actually ate out less than usual during Eat Down the House.
Cumulative Grocery Bill during Eat Down the House:
3/25 Bananas $ 4.00
3/27 Bananas $ 1.25
4/10 Coffee $24.00
5/01 Half & half $ 1.66
Total $30.91
Related Posts:
- Eat Down the House Challenge
- Eat Down the House: How to Cook Frozen Dumplings
- Eat Down the House: Dates, Cheese, Sausage
- Eat Down the House: Butternut Squash Risotto with Saffron
- Eat Down the House: Three Treasures Bread Pudding
- Eat Down the House: Seaweed Mushroom Soup
- Eat Down the House: Star Anise Beef Stew with Bok Choy
- Eat Down the House: Spiced Roasted (Sweet) Potatoes
- Eat Down the House: Grandma’s Tomato Eggs
