Monday, April 25, 2011

the unshopping list

DIY Chalkboard - Unshopping List
DIY Chalkboard - Unshopping List
A common problem in our house is buying delicious ingredients, putting them in the fridge, and then forgetting about them until something starts to stink.

I will then search the fridge for the source of the smell, and inevitably locate a hunk of cheese that has turned green or some peaches that have turned putrid. Exclamations of expletives ensue as my expensive produce is tossed in the trash.

Wasting food makes me angry. And sometimes my fridge is like a black hole - it's hard to keep track of what's in there, and if something gets pushed to the back, it's quite likely that by the time we find it again, it will be inedible.

So I started writing an unshopping list - instead of listing what we need, I list what we already have - a reminder of leftovers to be eaten or ingredients to cook with.

Last summer I did a little DIY project and made myself a chalkboard to fit inside my pantry door. To make the chalkboard, I sprayed a wood painting panel with chalkboard paint and hung it using 3M Command mounting strips. I learned that using chalk markers on the board works better than chalk (the chalk rubs off too easily- usually on Larry's shirt - but the chalk markers don't smear).

Now when we open the pantry looking for a snack, we can see a list of food that we already have.
DIY Chalkboard - Unshopping List
DIY Chalkboard - Unshopping List
DIY Chalkboard - Unshopping List
The unshopping list quickly morphed into a menu planning board however - which is still helpful, because then I know what I can make with the ingredients I have, and what leftovers (L.O.s) we have. I also use it to plan our international meals.

Fall meals:
DIY Chalkboard - Unshopping List
You may have glimpsed the chalkboard in my New Year's Eve post:
new year's eve international dinner party
February meals:
DIY Chalkboard - Unshopping List
DIY Chalkboard - Unshopping List

Sometimes, someone gets in the way of my photo shoot:
DIY Chalkboard - Unshopping List

Here's what we're eating this month:
DIY Chalkboard - Unshopping List
DIY Chalkboard - Unshopping List
Some of our favorite recipes featured on the chalkboard:
DIY Chalkboard - Unshopping List

5 comments:

Juanita said...

Great idea...looks stylish too!

eileen marie said...

If that's your writing, it is like the most beautiful penmanship ever.

Funnelcloud Rachel said...

Thanks, Eileen! Writing on the chalkboard can be a challenge!

Rachel Anne said...

I like it! It's like a restaurant menu every time you open the door.

Kirsten said...

I had to leave a comment because I found this post by googling “unshopping list,” looking for ways to corral this information exactly — I could have written this post! I’m so sick of wasted food, and always forget the meals I bought ingredients for if they’re not to be made right away. I don’t have the wall space you do, but I’m playing with laminated lists on the refrigerator with dry erase markers. Wish me luck 😊