New stock.

(my stockpile cabinet, back in the day)

I did a single-girl overhaul of my pantry last night. My ex-husband left in May, but it's really taken this long for my shopping mindset to shift from two to one. Early this year I got pretty into the whole couponing/stockpiling thing. Most of my stockpile hasn't been touched, but I kept buying old staples automatically (I do still use coupons), resulting in a pantry overflowing with cans and boxes. So I decided I'm going to stop overstocking things, actually use up the groceries and toiletries I have, and then figure out what and how much I really need.

It was also exciting for me to realize that I can now keep whatever staples I want in the house. Buying groceries just for myself has been surprisingly cheap, so I can probably start getting more quality food instead of quantity. I can stock pine nuts, roasted red peppers, unusual cheeses, all kinds of things that my ex wouldn't eat. I can be as fancy and healthy as I want. I can shop more at Whole Foods. I don't even have to keep white rice in the house! (But I will.) This is one of the few "pros" of my situation that has really felt like a pro. :) Anyone want to come over for dinner?