It's time to kick things up a notch! The Shelftember challenge is one of our favorites, and it's about to become yours, too… Not to mention we've got a fun surprise in store for you at the end of this month!
It's that time again… September is here, and that means it's time for our Shelftember challenge! This will be our fifth year to host this challenge and we're so. stinkin'. excited! You know we love to make the most of our time in the kitchen without spending an arm and a leg. That's why make-ahead breakfasts and leftovers are our jam.
*Note: When you click the links in this post, we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
For the month of September, we're going to focus hard on shopping our fridge, freezer, and pantry FIRST! Time to clean out the very back of those shelves, get creative in the kitchen, and save our wallets BIG this month. PLUS, we're giving away a FREEZER at the end of this month… Wait, what?? Yes! Are you ready to rock this with us?!
HOW IS SHELFTEMBER DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I'M ALREADY DOING?
As seasoned shelf cookers, you should already be accustomed to meal planning around your kitchen inventory and merely supplementing with items from the store. You should be working off a grocery budget of $100/person/month, starting at $300/month. (Which, if you don't know, includes all consumables, not just food.) This really helps cut down on your grocery budget and drastically reduces the amount of food waste!
(Pssst… If you have no clue what we're talking about, read what shelf cooking is HERE! This will start you off on the right foot. Then come back here and pick back up where you left off when you're done!)
This Shelftember challenge takes what you're already doing and pushes it one step further. It's all about resetting our habits! Your budget is going to get even tighter and you're really going to be able to save some money and your shelves are going to be a whole lot cleaner! This is a great way to use up some of that older stuff that gets pushed to the back so it doesn't go to waste. Ready for the deets?
ALL ABOUT THE SHELFTEMBER CHALLENGE
For the month of September, your grocery budget is $25/week for the whole family. Yes, that is probably much lower than you're used to, even if you're sticking to our recommended grocery budget. If we can do this with a family of 10, then so can you! If that's absolutely impossible for your family, then you can increase the budget by $5-10, but don't go over $50/week (otherwise it's not really a challenge). We highly recommend trying to keep it as low as possible!
Since it may be hard to stick to this Shelftember challenge budget, it may be a good idea for you to take $25 cash out before heading to the store! Leave your credit cards in the car so there's no temptation to go over the budget.
You can also do grocery pickup if that's up your alley! This makes hitting that $25/week budget simple since you can easily see how much your total will be as you're adding items to your cart.
Pro Tip: If your store has a higher limit than $25 for pickup, you can still use the app to keep your budget in check! Add everything to your cart that's on your grocery list before heading to the store to see if you'll be coming in under budget. If it's over, then you know to adjust until you get it to $25!
WHY SHOULD I DO THIS COOKING CHALLENGE?
Alright, so you may be thinking that we're just plain CRAZY for even suggesting this! But stick with us for a minute… Here are just a few of our top reasons for doing the Shelftember challenge:
- It's going to make you focus extremely hard on what you're buying at the store to supplement for the month! This isn't the month to stock up on kitchen staples. It's the month to really focus on what you already have.
- It's going to save you some major money for the month! You'll be able to put the money you save toward paying off debt, your financial goals, the holidays, or placed in your slush fund account. It's totally worth it for this reason, alone!
- It'll help you get really creative with your meals! Double and freeze for later in the month or repurpose those leftovers into a new meal for later in the week.
- You'll be able to eat any foods in your kitchen inventory that are close to expiring. Focus on not having any food waste!
- You'll have the support of over 33 THOUSAND members in the Shelf Cooking Community! They are a wealth of knowledge, and even we are always learning new things from our community.
Need a little more help? No worries, we've got your back!
SHELFTEMBER CHALLENGE PRINTABLE MEAL PLANNING SHEET
We created a special meal planning sheet just for YOU! We want to help you be successful this month as you join the #Shelftember challenge. After doing your initial kitchen inventory, use this printable to help you break down what you'll be using each week, plan your meals, and add any supplemental ingredients that you're missing to your shopping list.
Each week you should only need to grab basic groceries like bread, milk, eggs, maybe some fruits and veggies, and the rare missing ingredient (up to $25, of course)! If you can't fit it in the budget, see if you can find something in your fridge or pantry to substitute. (Check out all of our substitution posts HERE!)
WANT TO WIN A FREE FREEZER?!
Yep, you read that right! At the end of the month, we're giving away a FREE freezer (up to a $250 value)! What to the what what?!?! Just follow the prompts to enter the Rafflecopter below and good luck! 🙂
a Rafflecopter giveawayShelftember may be hard, but you can do it and it'll be so worth it! Let us know your wins in the comments below!
Looking for more ideas to help you with the Shelftember challenge?
- Use our list of dinner ideas to help you come up with new ideas!
- Be sure to modify your recipes and use substitutions when you don't have something a recipe calls for!
- Use your leftovers to reduce as much food waste as possible!
Good luck and happy shelf cooking!
Excited to try this out!!
You’ll do great!
HINT; Having a garden really helps out during this challenge!
Looking forward to using up what I have and updating my pantry and freezer inventory sheets!
You’re going to love it!
Definitely worth a try! I inventoried the freezer & ready to start.
So happy I have this community to help me get through this challenge!
These printables are just what I need to plan. Planning has been my issue, so thank you.
I have 3 freezers
Love!!! <3
I look forward to using up what I have in my pantry/fridge!
SHELFTEMBER couldn’t have come at a better time for us! 🥳
So sad is only for U.S.A. :c
Us too! 🙁
This is exactly what my pantry needs right now!
Good luck!
This is just what I needed, I’ve been saying for a few weeks not that, I need to stop buying food and start using what I have. I actually started earlier this week, I didn’t buy cookies because I have everything to make cookies in my pantry. Although I like to be prepared I also have thing in my pantry, frig and freezer, that need to be used up. For instance, I had some cheese ravioli, bacon mushroom & Swiss sausage and half a container of Spinach Artichoke Dip from Costco in my freezer, as well as a bit of leftover pasta cream type sauce that had mushrooms, garlic and Parmesan cheese in it. I loosely followed a Spinach Artichoke Ravioli Bake recipe from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjZCfPCWLCM . In my opinion it was wonderful but I forgot my sweet hubby is not an Alfredo sauce fan, but he did eat half of it. I felt so accomplished because I didn’t have to purchase anything and used up things I had, even the garlic bread was half a french bread loaf I have had in my frig for a couple week and made my own garlic Parmesan butter spread, a recipe I made up years ago. Although I won’t be making this recipe for dinner for my hubby again, all the leftovers are just for me, lol
Way to go! This is what shelf cooking is all about! Enjoy those leftovers 😉
Spinach and artichoke dip is delicious put on top of chicken breast and topped with a little Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes 😋
Yum!
Oh! THat’s a good idea! I have leftover spinach and artichoke dip from a party on Sunday.
Perfect!
A little late, but I’m ready to finish shelftember strong. School lunches could be interesting at the end of the month!
💪 You are going to rock this!
I’m ready fir my second year of Shelftember. This year is harder than last though. Prayers are needed here for a job.
You’ve got this, Morgan! Sending big hugs your way!!
Cant wait to shelftrmber!!!
Can’t wait to try this!
I’m excited! I have two fridges but in desperate need of a freezer!
My freezer is 20 + years old and I check it often to make sure it’s still running. Don’t want to lose valuable ingredients again!
Love all your tips. Wish we could participate in the giveaway without social media!
You can still enter in the giveaway at the bottom of the post with your email if you don’t have social media! 🙂
Oh, wow, thanks!
Wow, I spend more than $25/week just on produce! I don’t know how to do this. Maybe I’ll just say I can buy milk and produce and that’s it? I have lots of frozen broccoli but my family won’t eat it. I don’t have any other frozen veggies. We eat lots of salads and fresh fruits.
Make it work for your family! The point of this is to use what you have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. But if you eat a lot of fresh produce and don’t have canned or frozen that your family will touch, then it’s okay to buy that at the store. Does your family eat casseroles or creamy pasta or soups? You could always try steaming that frozen broccoli and throwing it in something that will mask the texture of it if that’s what they don’t like. Good luck! 🙂
Interesting site. Will definitely be back.
CAN’T WIN IF YOU DON’T ENTER!
Thank you!! I need it!
I have been needing a deep freezer for so long!!
My one question is diapers (Im going to do this through Oct.) I have 3 under 3 and I would love to have the extra for Christmas. Do you think it is doable to do food and diapers for 25/week?
(I say this knowing there are twins happening which makes my question how do you do that?)
Unless you were to find diapers for sale, or switch to a cheaper brand of diapers for the remaining time, it probably is NOT doable! We usually stock up on diapers when they’re on sale and we made sure to have plenty before September so we wouldn’t have to worry about buying them during this month. The $25/week is really just for food. But if you’re able to get by on less for the week, then go for it! You’re smart in thinking ahead to Christmas and saving your money for that! 🙂
We had a deep freezer at our farmhouse which was always full of beef and farm produce.
The chest freezers are the best I miss having one of those.
This sounds like exactly what I need to try. I feel like I am in rut with shopping and cooking and need to plan out my meals and become more organized with shopping and using what I have in my pantry.
Who won th freezer Thanks
That’s being announced soon! 🙂
I love all of the great ideas!! Breakfasts have been made easier!!
Awesome!
I guess I need to follow social media more.closely! I think I missed the cutoff for the freezer giveaway, boo. Have a great day!
I am really looking forward to this! Thanks Jordan.
You’ve got this!
I’ve never tried this. Seems impossible for an entire month unless I had already stocked up beforehand (My family of 5 lives in 1200 sq ft without an attic, basement, or garage so stockpiling would be difficult or take up valuable space).. I’ll give it a try, see how much I can stretch my meals before my family starts complaining.
Check out this post for some great tips: How to Build a Stock in a Small Space
Already made breakfasts. Put some in the fridge and froze the rest. I almost forgot how good this feels.
Way to go!!
I cannot believe I learned for this Schelf cooking just now. It is amazing. I am up for the challenge!
Yay! Good luck!
I’m in for this challenge. My pantry is pretty well stocked and I need to use up items I’ve had for awhile. This will be a great way to do it.
Good luck!
So excited to be on this journey with the help and support of a wonderful community.
So glad you’re here!
Just wondering if there’s a sign up link or if someone is just following tags on Instagram
Hi! Just follow the Rafflecopter prompts in this post to enter the giveaway.
Trying to make shelftember a way of life all year!
My first #shelftember!! Looking forward to seeing what I can come up with!
This month challenges me the most, I love it!
Excited to start shelftember! 👏
I’m so excited for another #Shelftember!
So excited for this!!
Can’t wait to try this out AND save $$$
Yay! Good luck!
So ready for this challenge! 🙌🙌
Never knew it had a name. Excited to try and stick to it.
Excited to try this for the month of september! And beyond!
Really excited to implement this this month. I am on a spending freeze, so it comes at just the right time. I also just reorganized my pantry, so here we go! I do have to account for dietary needs as a nursing mama, so the weekly payment I make for our CSA milk purchase isn’t going to be included in my accounting. So TECHNICALLY, I will be spending $50 (Our weekly milk costs $25 farm fresh.)
You’ve got this!
Thanks for organizing this, we need to eat the food we already have!
So excited!
Yesss!!! A freezer would be such a blessing!
Good luck!
Thank you Jordan for your tips, tricks, and productivity. I tell everyone about how this makes days go much easier. This is my third month steady with funcheaporfree! I am so happy I found you and your advice! It all started with the freezing leftover shredded chicken. And I’ve been hooked! In the name is Shelftember I’ll be freezing Pb&j sandwiches. ( they’re better than store bought uncrustables.) anyway enchiladas will be on the list for this month meal plan.
So glad you’re joining us for Shelftember!
Excited to give this a go!
Good luck!
I’m excited to try it!
I cannot wait to learn more, go home take inventory, plan meals, save money, save time stressing daily over what to cook… I’m really looking forward to learning more!
Wonderful tips that contribute to a wonderful life. Thankyou Jordan!
These printable lists are amazing thanks!
SO glad you love them!
I love Shelftember! I’m excited to participate again this year!
So excited to try this!
Here’s hoping we make it the entire month 🤞
You’ve got this!
I am definitely needing this after all of the summer spending! Thanks for the motivation! Let’s Goooo!!!
You’ve got this!
We may be at a severe disadvantage as I’ve done a decent pantry clean-out prior to leaving town for 2 weeks. BUT, a challenge is a challenge. Fingers crossed for this freezer 😀 I don’t have one of those yet!
Good luck!
Chilli is my fave shelf cooking recipe, I always have beans and tomatoes of some sort!!!
Yes! And perfect to toss into the freezer!!
I’ve always cooked this way just intuitively, but I love that you’ve created a movement around it! I. Excited to participate this month and REALLY buckle down!
I’m so excited to participate in Shelftember this year! I spent some time taking inventory, printed out the printable pack and punched it to put into my happy planner. Ready to do this!!
Good luck!
Can’t wait to rock this #shelftember !
You’ve got this!
We are changing so much this year. I’m definitely looking forward to this site being a viral resource!
I can’t wait to do this and get my grocery budget back on track! I have my productivity planner and now this is an added bonus for me to get my life back on track.
Awesome! Sounds like you are on the right track!!
Let’s do this 😎
I am so excited to participate this year!
SO excited! My family dreads this month (haha!), but I love the challenge—and the savings!
The savings make it worth it! Plus you may come up with some new and creative meals that they end up loving!
Definitely going to be a challenge, but let’s do this!!
You’ve got this!
So excited! 🙌
🥶
Look forward to this every year! Great time to get to the back of the freezer! At the end of the month..so much easier to clean! The free inventory printables make meal planning even easier!
Shelftember for the win!
A little nervous to try this out. More so that it’s going to feel overwhelming, but I’m gonna try my best!! Hoping to save some moola!! 💵
You’ve got this!
This is my first time visiting here. Good timing! I just complained to my husband about the amount of food we have to throw away every couple of weeks when we clean out the fridge. Time to refocus!
So glad you’re here!
I am so excited for Shelftember!! Thank you for all your wonderful ideas!!
Super excited for this month. I think this has become my favorite month challenge over the three years I have been trying them.
Let’s do this!!! 3rd year in a row. I love this challenge!!
💪💪💪
Excited for the challenge to get my mindset back To frugal cooking!
I’m so excited for this!! It’ll make us use up all those old cans of stuff we have in the basement!
I may have a problem 🤣 so since I don’t have a lot of space, my “pantry” is usually pretty empty! Our freezer doesn’t really have much that needs to be used since I buy just what I need every week and usually eat everything by the next time I have to shop.
Could I still pull this off?
Could you try it for a week and see how it goes? Then check out this post for some food storage tips for small spaces!
I am excited this should be interesting. Growing up with 10 sibilings their was never leftovers. So I’m always making so much food but instead of freezing it goes to my sisters or mom lol.
First year trying this!
Yay! Good luck!
Love that you always have free printable to help us out 💗
Always! 😉 We’ve got your back!!
Perfect timing for this! We need to defrost our freezer 😉 Time to clear it out!!
Perfect timing!
We want to try this!
Can’t wait to see what I can come up with this month
It’s always so fun to see what everyone comes up with!
These inventory lists help me keep track of what I have and really help with meal planning.
Awesome!
I look forward to doing this every year!
Same!
I’m excited to try and learn about different ways to rethink leftovers cuz my husband has gotten picky and won’t eat leftovers like he used to plus I’m just in a big rut with what to cook anymore. Kids are gone so we are basically empty nesters and having to relearn how to cook for 2
You’ve got this!
This is so exciting. Though I do shelf cooking half of every month. So I don’t have the supplies to cook for a month.
So excited to try! Also I need that freezer! Lol!
Good luck!
I am excited to give this a try. We just got notice that our lot rent will be increasing…so this will push us to really think about what we consume and how we can save/stretch that dollar!
Perfect timing!
The garden is in a state of abundance this is the perfect time for the challenge.
That’s awesome!
Day 1 was a success!
Yay!
I’m in!
Yes!!
So excited to try this out!
I’m excited to try this!
Just downloaded a whole bunch of your printables! Excited to start using the meal planner and freezer/pantry inventory printables!!!
Yay! You’ve got this!!
Yeah for Shelftember!
So so excited to try doing this!! 😊❤️
This is such a great idea! I’m excited to try it and see how much time and money this saves our family!
Good luck!
I’m ready for this challenge!
💪
This printable is great start, thank you! I am excited to give this shelf cooking a try this month! Great practice ahead of winter.
Ready to get things going this weekend with making some freezer meals!
Awesome!
Super excited!!
This is a super cool way to use up the items you have already purchase, save money, and feed your family at home!
I am so excited to be trying out Shelftember for the first time this year! This is such an awesome journey to be on!
We’re so glad you’re here! Good luck!!
I am trying my best to curb our grocery budget. We are eating out of pantry majority of this month. However, with food prices going up and living in a rural area it’s been hard staying within $25 a week for fill ins. I was looking at the USDA’s cost of food and it says that for thrifty plan for a family of four per month was almost $900 for June 2021.
Do what works for you and your family! You’ve got this!!
I can’t believe that I can do it 🙂 $25 per week seems so impossible. I am very excited to try this challenge and make my husband happy about Big savings 😎 Let’s do it!
You’ve got this!
Love this challenge. This is my second year doing it and it is so nice!
Yay! So glad you are joining us again!
I’m excited to try this!
You’ve got this!
Woohoo!!! Loving how this challenge is really stretching me to get creative with $25/week!
Way to go!
I need to do the #Shelftember challenge, because I need to stop wasting so much food! Thanks for the accountability!
You’ve got this!
I’m so excited to try this and start scouring all of your resources. We have always been financially stable but we have not been good at having plans and meeting goals. We are in serious need of saving a lot of money fairly quickly and I’m excited to see how this helps!
Excited you’re here!
Double and freeze for the win!
It’s the best!
I so appreciate all of the free content you have. You spread so much joy and help so many people.
Thank you, Stephanie!
Question for all!! I’m very new to this but excited to try it out. Because I read the rules late on the game and had already grocery shopped, does it exclude you from the challenge of you went over 25$ in the week? Even though I’m confident I can stay under the $100!! Also, how do you factor in the case lot pricing? Like do I add all onto this month’s even though I won’t use it all this month? Even send some links I can look at to answer these questions. Best of luck!!
Excited for this challenge. My husband and I are in ministry and feed a lot of people throughout the week because of hosting, so digging through what I already have in the kitchen will be so helpful!
You’ll do great!
I just took a leave of absence from doing hair of 17 years! I had baby # 5 a year ago and I have not been able to keep up with work and home life!
So, I’ve given up something I love (hair) for something else that I love even more, being a mom! Being on a budget has always been important to me but now the priority has upped it game since I won’t be bringing in an additional income. I’m nervous for this venture but I know it’s what I’m supposed to be doing for my family and myself right now! Thank you for this challenge to get me started with living on an even tighter budget then before!
You’ve got this mama!!
So excited to try!!! Much needed
You’ll do great!