Shelf cooking is the perfect way to use up the food you have, all while saving some major money on your grocery budget! Are you ready to see how you can save some ridiculous amounts of money?

It all hinges on shelf cooking.
Shelf cooking is a style of cooking I coined the name for that describes making meals starting with what you have on hand — in your fridge, freezer, or pantry. You buy only a few ingredients from the store to supplement what you already have, not the other way around. I'm so happy you're here and ready to kick butt in the kitchen!
When you start shelf cooking, what you will be doing is implementing a smarter, faster, cheaper way of cooking delicious, homemade meals for your family. And you won’t believe how easy it is.
HOW DID I COME UP WITH THE TERM SHELF COOKING?

As you may know, I'm a mom of eight kids! With such a large family, I get an overwhelming amount of people asking me about dinner time and how I manage to shop for, cook for, and feed my family on a budget. Let me tell you, it's a hefty task. But it's one I've been managing to do for years with a pretty low-key style of cooking that helps me stick to a budget!
Which if you know me, you know I'm all about sticking to a budget.
For a long time, I've wondered why my “method” of cooking isn't more common… as it's pretty common sense. It's become increasingly obvious that most people cook backwards based on a recipe they want to make, instead of using what they actually have in their kitchen.
It's time to shout from the roof tops what shelf cooking is all about and help change the world one kitchen at a time! You ready to join the party?
HOW IS SHELF COOKING DIFFERENT?

If you’re like most of the rest of the free world, as dinnertime approaches, you start thinking about (panicking about?) what to make. You quickly flip through the pages of a favorite cookbook. Even more likely, you spend some time looking through Pinterest. And there you find it: a lip-smacking, mouth-watering dish complete with a full-color photo. That’s it! You’ll make that… even if you don’t have any of the ingredients it calls for. You jot down a shopping list and dash to the store. Problem solved.
Uh, no it’s not.
It's so much smarter to build your meal around things you have and need to use up, not around stuff you don’t have. Cook first with what you do have, not with what you don’t have (and need to break a land-speed record, along with your wallet, going to buy).
Maybe you already do that. Maybe you think that’s the way everybody does it.
Nope. Not even close.
From my years of blogging, appearing in TV segments, posting on YouTube, speaking at all kinds of events, teaching classes, consulting one-on-one, and working with families, couples, and groups, I can say with great confidence that it is NOT common to cook this way.
Here’s how it goes down for most American families… When they do cook or meal plan at all, they pick a recipe off of Pinterest or the web. They buy the ingredients they need from the store. They cook the meal (sometimes). Then they let the leftovers go to waste after a few days, or they toss the leftovers out before they even do the dishes because they “aren't leftovers people.”
Believe it or not, if you are a natural shelf-cooker, if you cook FIRST using ingredients from your pantry, fridge, and freezer BEFORE running to the store, you are one of the treasured few. In fact, you’re a rock star!
SHELF COOKING CAN SAVE YOU MONEY

It’s no wonder most American families are in debt and struggle to afford the lifestyle they want. You might have heard it blamed on lots of things; maybe you yourself have joined the blame game on this one. But could it possibly be that we've been cooking wrong all along? Could it be that the way most of us feed our families is costing a whole lot more than it should?
Yes. Yes, that’s exactly what it means.
Let me tie it up for you in a neat little package. Ten times out of ten, the families I work with are spending more than they should on groceries, aren’t using the food they already have on hand to its full potential, and/or are letting an incredible amount of food go to waste.
No more! Time for the revolution!
Fasten your seatbelt, because that’s what you’re about to see. And you’ll be stunned at how much sense it makes. Simply stated, you’re going to think about what you’ve got in your home, and you’re going to make it happen! And it's gonna be fun!
Okay, okay. I get it. If you’re brand-new to this concept, you’re not gonna have a fridge, freezer, or panty stocked to the hilt with all the stuff you need to dish up dinner. But if you commit to joining the revolution, you will have all that and you’ll have it sooner than you think. Because I’m going to show you how.
WHY DOES SHELF COOKING MATTER?

The truth is, there are are a lot of compelling reasons:
- It’s kinder to your wallet. You’ll be amazed at the money you save!
- It reduces waste! Forget about the carbon footprint for a minute and consider all the leftover-sludge footprints. That’s good money you’re just throwing away.
- It teaches you how to cook from scratch as well as some other nifty skills.
- It’s healthier! You decide what goes into your food.
- It helps teach your kids good habits! This is huge in our society. Shelf cooking teaches not only about what they eat but about how to make it happen without breaking the bank.
- And, maybe best of all, it keeps things creative and exciting in the kitchen – and who doesn’t want that?
So let's get to it!!
HOW TO START SHELF COOKING
All it takes are a few steps and you'll be ready to shelf cook your way through your kitchen and save lots of money while doing it! Ready to see how easy it is?
STEP 1: SET A GROCERY BUDGET
Okay okay, pump the brakes before you break out into the nervous sweats! We break it down into a super simple way that's easy to understand and implement. Set a grocery budget and it will help you get started on a path that will save you money… That's gotta be something you're excited about, right!?
STEP 2: INVENTORY YOUR FOOD

This may sound like a daunting task, but it's really not so bad once you get the first time under your belt! You have to know what you have before you can start shelf cooking… I mean, it's in the name, right?
- Do a total kitchen inventory to help you keep track of your food. We have free printables designed for you to write down everything you have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry! The only things you don't have to keep on it are your kitchen staples, since those should always be readily available in your kitchen.
- Organize your pantry, fridge, and freezer while doing your inventory! It'll make it much easier to see and use everything you have.
- After you do an inventory, check out this pantry staples post to help you know which items are essential to stock up on to be successful in the kitchen.
Pro Tip: Keep up with your inventories each time you come home from the store or pull something out to cook with, and you'll always have an up-to-date list of food in your house.
STEP 3: MEAL PLAN
Now you know what food you have in your kitchen, it's time to give it a purpose!
- Learn how to meal plan with ingredients you already have! Use our free printables to help you plan your meals for the week, so you know exactly what ingredients you'll be using from your house and what you'll need to supplement with from the grocery store.
- Use our free dinner ideas printables to help you come up with meal ideas! Add your favorites to the list and you'll have a place to look and easily come up with ideas when you're in a rut.
- Don't forget to institute a weekly leftovers night! We love our leftovers around these parts. Not wasting food is a huge part of shelf cooking, so reusing your leftovers in a super smart way is very important to us! Once you learn how to reheat your leftovers like a pro and how to repurpose them into something brand new, you'll love them too!
Pro Tip: Make your grocery budget work for you and look at what's on sale while you're meal planning, using store apps or those junk-mail circulars. Need some fresh fruit and veggies for the week? Go for those that are in season and cheaper.
STEP 4: GO GROCERY SHOPPING
Take your grocery list, either on your phone or on a notepad, and head to the store. Use our grocery shopping tips to help you make the most of it. Remember to only buy what's on your list and stick to your budget! If you find meat or kitchen staples that are on sale, then put items back at the store to keep your budget where it needs to be.
Alright, well there you have it! What are you waiting for? Let's start shelf cooking! Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below!

Want even more shelf cooking tips?
- Check out the recipes on our site the next time you're in a meal planning rut!
- Always try to use substitutions when you don't have something a recipe calls for… This will keep you from running to the store as often!
- Put your freezer to good use! You can freeze a crazy amount of things that'll keep them from going bad!
Now go become a shelf cooking master!
Love this! Thanks for taking the time to make an awesome website!!
It’s so great to hear that you love it! 🙂
I love all these ideas, It would be great if you could share more recipes! I feel like all the recipes that I find online contain things I would only use once for that recipe so I would find myself spending more than I need to.
We’re definitely working on more recipes! THIS post has some great information on how to meal plan with ingredients that you already have on hand, so you definitely should start there. Honestly, that will probably help you out more than the recipes will! 😉
The link no longer works. Can you post an updated one for the meal planning with ingredients you already have?
Thank you for bringing that to our attention! It’s been fixed now. 🙂
Ok this all sounds great, but I usually plan for a week at a time and, except for essentials, I usually have a plan for everything I buy. How do I start a good stockpile without going over budget? For example I always have either ground venison or beef in my freezer because my husband hunts and my parents raise beef. But I only buy chicken, pork, etc when I plan to use it that week. My problem is I do end up buying a lot of ingredients because I don’t have that much on hand. So it’s difficult to stick to my budget. And my main grocery store is even a discount store🤦🏼♀️ I really need a better system, but am overwhelmed with how to begin.
I’ve been watching Jordan for a while now, and honestly I just couldn’t see myself doing the shelf cooking thing. Fast Forward… I am now 27 weeks pregnant with twin girls! YAY!, but also no one told me how uncomfortable pregnancy can be. 😬 Yesterday I was having just a really tough day, and I couldn’t make it to the store. So I had two choices. Have my husband grab take out, or I could try this shelf cooking thing. I looked around and found frozen tilapia, canned artichokes, shallots, lemons, and Baby potatoes. I roasted the potatoes, shallots, lemon and artichoke hearts and then cooked the frozen fish as directed. It was like the weirdest and best fish and chips dinner. My husband and mom loved it. Thats why I’m here. I’m going to take a full inventory, and I’m going to give this shelf cooking thing a real chance because I’d rather save money for the new babies than on groceries that go bad a lot.
-Lauren from Colorado
Oh my goodness, that is just so good to hear!!! Congratulations on being pregnant with your 2 sweet baby girls AND for taking the plunge into shelf cooking head first! You can do it, you’ll get the hang of it soon enough. Way to go! 🙂
That sounds pretty good; great creativity. Unfortunately my husband has very set ideas about meals and those veggies “don’t go with fish”. It really is very restrictive. You are so blessed that your husband and mum are more flexible.
people who aren’t leftovers people have never struggled financially and it shows. We were grateful when to get the leftovers to take as a sack lunch to school BUT it meant dad was in the late spring temp layoff cycle at the places he worked. We’d have to put up the bunny ears on the TV, (never could afford cable) and cut off the A.C. The cat would sleep in the bathtub on the non-sunny side of the house and would hiss if he got too hot. We’d go sit at the library during hotter days when we had the cat AND a yard dog, the dog could protect us leaving back yard windows partly open (screened of course) so the cat could have a breeze with the oscillating fans.
Shelf cooking was our way of life, hot dogs and Mac & cheese boxes were easy to bulk buy before dad’s job slump as well as freezing bread (yuck, never did like thawed bread like that, ended up like a wet worn sponge)
Will there be a pre-order for the cookbook when it comes out?
We expect to have one, but we’re not 100% sure on that yet. Keep checking back to be sure! 🙂
I just discovered you on You Tube last week, Jordan, and have been watching you for several days straight. You are so engaging to watch! I took your advice and inventoried my pantry, fridge, and freezer, made meal plans for next week around what I had on hand, and went to the grocery store with my husband yesterday (Saturday). Instead of spending $100 to $125 like we usually do, we spent $56! And just FYI, we are not your target audience–we are retirees! In fact, Friday was my husband’s last day on the job, so now we’re on a fixed income and determined to spend no more than $75 a week on groceries.
Way to go! Continue shelf cooking like this and stocking up when things are on sale and $75/week will be doable for you!
Hi. I love this concept and am new to shelftember itself. Is $25 for all food? Breakfast, lunch, dinners, snacks? Excited to do this!
Welcome! Yes, for the month of September (or whenever you’d like to do a “Shelftember”), it’s $25 for all food since you’re focusing on eating what you have at home and supplementing with food from the store to get you through the week. You can read more about it, plus our giveaway, HERE!
Could you make a post with shelf cooking staples? I’m new and just having a hard time getting started! Thanks!
We have a post for pantry staples that you can find HERE!
What a great idea! We spend hours trying to plan meals and then still wander the supermarket.
Do you have a list of kitchen gadgets and must have tools for kitchen ?
Yes! You can check out our Kitchen Tools post HERE.
Thank you so much!! This is all so helpful and I’m so grateful for such a great resource for my family!
Of course!
Love these ideas!
I’m so excited I found you! We’re trying to build a house and we need to save save save…I’m a spender! So this is a challenge for me. But I’m excited to join this community!!!
So glad you’re here!
Trying to sign up for this but there’s no link or anything.
For the meal plan? You can sign up here!
Love being able to inventory and then use what I have during the month of September.
I love when Shelftember comes around. We actually implement this multiple times throughout the year.