Getting Started: Assessing the Frugal "Frantry"

To me one of the most important aspects of living frugally is to find out where you are right now. Most of us have way more lurking in our cupboards, fridges and freezers than we know. How many times have you gone out and bought an ingredient only to find a few days later that it was there hidden in the back of your cupboard the entire time?
I have not yet mastered the self discipline of making a weekly menu (it is one of my goals in life) and so I rely a great deal on what I call "frantry" cooking. That is simply taking ingredients that are already in my fridge, freezer and pantry and assembling a meal; therefore the term "frantry". This works well for me only when I keep an idea of what I HAVE!
My husband was gone on a business trip this week and I took the opportunity to completely assess my pantry; removing EVERYTHING from the cupboards I use for food, lining it up on the table and counters and documenting what I have. Next week, I will do the same to my fridge and freezer.
It is not enough to simply look at the boxes, cans and jars; you also need to open them up and see how FULL they are! There is nothing worse than thinking you have plenty of baking soda, cocoa powder or some other ingredient and finding out at the last minute you were wrong!
After you know what you have and how much, see if you have duplicates that can be combined. I purchased cheap plastic containers that were stackable and placed dry ingredients like rice, beans, oatmeal and the like in them and labeled them with my lovely label gun. My pantry has so much more room and I can now easily find the ingredients I need.
The next step will also be to type up the ingredients on the computer and have a master list. This way I will know what ingredients that I use and when a sale comes up I can stock up on the appropriate items.
I also had to weed out a few things that were taking up valuable real estate in my pantry. There were about five things that I realized had been in my pantry for awhile and I had no plans to use them anytime soon (or ever). I lined them up and had a couple of my friends take their pick; everything was taken and I now have more room for things I use.
Once you know what you have in YOUR frantry, check out a site called supercook.com
This site allows you to enter the ingredients you have and searches the web for recipes that utilize them! It is great for last minute meals or when you want to make a dish to use up meats and produce before they go bad.
After using the site for awhile, you will be able to pull your own meals together with ease. Some of my husbands favorite meals are the result of my "experiments" from the frantry. I like the challenge of taking one meals leftovers and turning it into a completely different meal.
Frugal living doesn't have to be a drag, it can be an adventure if you have the right attitude. Our grandmothers were champion thrifty chicks many years ago and they had way less to work with! We can do this!
-D