A self-confessed “scrounger” has shared her unique, no-waste approach to eating – which involves picking through her parents’ fridge and only stocking up on groceries every 6-8 weeks.
Kelly Bushnell was given the nickname by followers on TikTok, after she documented her often unusual meals and snacks – and she has since embraced the title with pride.
The 37-year-old is “frugal” and rarely stocks up on food, opting instead to eat whatever she can find on a day-to-day basis.
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While working from her parents’ basement earlier this year, this involved a lot of “scrounging” off of them – helping herself to leftovers in the family fridge.
And Kelly adopts a similar approach in her own home, choosing not to pre-plan meals, and saving even minuscule amounts of leftovers from previous meals.
But not all of her 600,000 followers are on board, with one even saying her meals should be a “form of punishment for prisoners” – with Kelly often eating foods past their best.
“I like to try to eat all the food in my fridge before going to the store again – it requires you to get a little creative when things are getting low,” the graphic designer, from Tacoma, Washington, told What’s The Jam.
Her minimalist approach to grocery shopping has led to her spending roughly £150 ($200) on the bulk of her food every two months.
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She said: “I do a big haul every one-and-a-half to two months where I’ll spend around $150-$200ish or so.
“In between, maybe every two weeks, I’ll go to the local store to get a couple of small things, like a bag of shredded carrots, a potato or sour cream.”
This means she is often left with few choices, and adopts a creative approach to ensuring she eats a balanced diet.
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This has produced meals such as using bread in lieu of pasta for lasagne, eating a half-rotting apple left out on her kitchen counter, and making ‘chocolate pudding’ using scrambled eggs and cocoa powder.
Kelly has made a series on TikTok called ‘What I eat in a day from somebody who just scrounges around” – which involves her picking through her fridge, and previously her parents’ fridge, and helping herself to leftovers and food on the turn, with no prior planning.
And her followers aren’t always impressed by Kelly’s creative solutions.
She said: “Some people are mean, but since it’s just about food, it doesn’t really bother me.
“I am usually giggling along with them.
“It’s usually people icked out more by my food choices than my style of eating.
“Some are disgusted by my choices.
“I didn’t even realise I was eating in a way that would be entertaining to people until TikTok.
“I think it comes from trying to be frugal, not wanting to go to the store, and taking the path of least resistance.
“Not a lot of thought goes into it.
“I just open the fridge and grab stuff.
“Half the time I don’t even realize I’ve done a weird combo until the internet lets me know.”
When she does head to the supermarket, Kelly focuses on items with a long shelf life, such as pasta, rice, and frozen vegetables.
A common meal for her is an “everything rice” dish, which can use up any necessary items in the fridge, and the leftovers of which she will chow down on throughout the week.
While her videos often face criticism, other followers have praised Kelly for her low-waste approach.
One person commented: “Something I really like about you is that you use all your groceries up and don’t waste food and ingredients.”
“Your food combinations are so unhinged but you make them look so good!” said another fan.
Someone else added: “As long as the food is safe to eat I don’t see the harm.”
Others praised her for being “resourceful”.
Kelly added: “There is also an unintended reaction – this will happen about once a week. “Someone will comment saying that my relationship with food is helping them with their eating disorder recovery.
“I feel honoured that my life might have a positive impact on someone else.”
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