I have an enviable, first world problem: I have too much food.

That is, I have a refrigerator, a basement freezer, and a pantry cabinet that are (1) disorganized, and (2) stuffed to the gills. We have bulk purchases, leftovers, items bought on sale, frozen meals friends brought over when I was on bedrest or after the triplets were born, and it is a mess! In advance of starting solid foods (and freezing and making a lot of baby food), I’m declaring bankruptcy.

I got this idea from my husband who told me about the idea of email bankruptcy, or deleting everything you have when you get too far behind and then starting fresh. Since I’m not going to throw food away, clearly, the only other option is to use it all up, no matter what, before letting any more in. Not to say we won’t buy anything, because that’s unavoidable, but no more pasta, no more frozen pizzas, no sauces, just produce and dairy until the cupboard is bare!

The best part about this frugal goal is that I may be able to avoid (except for buying milk) grocery shopping for quite some time since we have an amazing farmers market in our neighborhood. Eggs, cheese, bread, sausages… all fresh and local. I don’t have time to take stock of everything I have and post detailed meal plans, so we’ll just be taking it as it comes. I also have no idea how long it will take, so this is really an experiment in the true sense of the word!

Ohdeeoh pointed me towards a fun project at good + happy day, a mail kit for preschoolers to create notes for friends and family members. My 3.5 year old is an avid stamper and we have lots of out-of-town family, plus I love the idea of cutting up packinging or magazines for him to resuse. Maybe I’ll make two, one for his cousin in the Mountain states who would be on the receiving end of a lot of his notes.

Mommy Making Money did a good write-up of Once a Month Cooking. When I go back to work (soon!), this is definitely something I am going to do, especially since it is very compatible with fall/winter eating. Right now, I don’t want anything made ahead and frozen when there is so much fresh and wonderful around us.

Surely You Nest takes on school fundraisers and provides a wealth of greener options. As a first time school parent this year, I’m betting this is going to be a new issue for us. Exciting to know there are better options than magazines and reams of wrapping paper!

Organic Mania is offering a Twitter feed in case you want to hear where she’s spotting low cost organic groceries as it happens. I have yet to sign up for Twitter, but this is making me consider giving it a shot…