What's for Dinner?

A derecho, often referred to as an "inland hurricane," swept through Northwest Indiana last week, leaving behind chaos, destruction, and prolonged power outages for more than 300,000 people. On the third day of being without power, with no restoration in sight, I finally came to terms with the fact that I needed to thoroughly clean out both our refrigerator and freezer. Unfortunately, they were both pretty full, and it pained me to throw away all that meat, dairy, and produce. This experience was also quite eye-opening.

What I found was a concerning amount of waste and excess: forgotten leftovers, duplicate condiments, and bulk Costco purchases—edible clutter!  Busy schedules, impulse buys, and, quite honestly, poor planning on my part had led to overspending, disorganization, and decision fatigue around meal prep.  Being forced to start over was inconvenient, to say the least, but it also gave me a chance to pause and regroup!

Since my refrigerator and freezer were empty, I decided to tackle my pantry and cabinets too. I found long-expired spices, numerous duplicates, and bins filled with who knows what. I removed everything and sorted through it all. Getting started is always the most grueling part of any decluttering project, but once my momentum kicked in, I found it refreshing to create calm and order, especially after a week of so much upheaval.

I love starting fresh and using the hard lessons I've learned to develop new habits and routines that promote calmness and simplicity. Now that I can think clearly and while I’m still reveling in the joy of my "Filled with Less" kitchen makeover, I am jotting down ideas and goals to protect my home, budget, and sanity from the effects of "too much." Here are a few reminders I've printed out to keep me motivated:

MAKE A PLAN

It doesn't have to be elaborate or extensive, but some level of planning is essential. It's a "choose your hard" situation. Carving out a few moments to create a basic meal plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is challenging, but choosing not to do so and then feeling overwhelmed by too many options is even harder. Clarity and preparedness can significantly improve my eating and spending habits.
 

KNOW WHAT YOU’VE GOT

Ok, so this is a big one for me. I’ve obviously not been killing it at keeping track of my pantry supplies, but now that they have been simplified and tidied, I can begin again! It will be much easier to take stock before shopping! And much easier to use up what I already own instead of buying something else to add to the clutter.

BE AWARE OF YOUR TEMPTATIONS

As I alluded to earlier, one of my guilty pleasures is COSTCO. It’s like the Disney World of grocery stores! Samples (or “examples,” as my daughter used to call them when she was little), weekly deals, and aisles of every kind of product I never knew I needed create a desire for MORE that is stronger than my willpower. I try to justify it every way possible, but at the end of the day I have to admit I end up spending more than I save and cramming my pantry and refrigerator with excess inventory I can't keep on top of. There I said it! Costco and I need to take a break for a while.

BE CONSISTENT

Cleaning out your refrigerator (freezer/pantry) is like pulling weeds. Doing a little bit consistently saves way more time and energy than avoiding it until I just can't take it anymore and it becomes a whole afternoon project. Maintaining a clean, decluttered kitchen not only sets me up for success in terms of my health, financial, and even creative goals; it also makes me happy! 

Intentional living and decluttering aren’t lifestyles I’ve perfected or mastered, but tools I return to again and again to access joy, stability, and renewal! I am a work in progress, continuously learning and re-learning. Life is messy and uncertain (land hurricanes happen!), but simplicity and order are always there to return to as a means of getting back up and moving forward!