"Use-It-Up" February

The idea for "Use-It-Up" February stems from a new year's resolution that I made to budget and track our family's spending habits.  What I discovered (among other things) was that our grocery bills, attributed to my own bad habits (and to be fair - LOVE for grocery shopping itself) were a mounting culprit to our challenge of staying within our monthly budget.  Let me put it this way, I put myself on a shopping freeze for January (which I accomplished during one of the best months to shop discounted sweaters, boots, jeans, etc.) but I was not able to stay within our monthly grocery shopping budget. 

After reflecting on the "why" of this predicament I took a look inside our fridge, freezer, and cupboards to discover a couple of things.  1) I have a tendency to buy the same things that I have not used at home, because I really do not know what is left; 2) my organization of baking supplies, spices, dry and canned goods is truly awful, and I never know what I already have - so I just buy it again; 3) I love to cook and try new recipes, but I never go to the grocery store with a correct list of ingredients so I guess to realize that I didn't need evaporated milk - I needed sweetened condensed milk; and 4) I love food, I love grocery stores, and I just can't help myself when I see something new that I'd like to try. 

So, I'm doing something radical.  I've declared the month "Use-It-Up" February. Which means that except for dairy products, eggs, and fresh produce I will not be giving in to the pull of the aisles.  I will simply be using it up at home. 

I'll be chronicling my journey here, in hopes for support and inspiration, and perhaps some creative suggestions on how to use up what's bound to be some unusual findings.