One of the frugal saving graces for me in the kitchen is my ability to keep a stocked pantry. I’ve had to grow into it and learn what exactly I need. It’s different in each home because every family is unique in their tastes and preferences.
It might seem contrary to call a stocked pantry a frugal thing. Stocked pantry might make you think of buying in excess or purchasing items at whim – so much so that your pantry is full. This is not what I’m referring to. My actual pantry is quite small – a very narrow closet. When I refer to a stocked pantry I am referring to a kitchen that has all staples on hand at all times. Don’t get me wrong – we run out of milk like every other family, but my essentials – especially dry and non-perishable – are almost always in supply. As crazy or unpredictable as my life may get I have not let this slide. Here’s why:
Unplanned Cooking
When I have staples on hand I can whip up pancakes/waffles, bread, muffins, cookies, brownies, tortillas (coming soon – stay tuned!), pizza, calzones … I think you get the idea. I don’t have to menu plan these items because I always have everything I need to make them. If I realize I’m supposed to bring a dish to share somewhere then I don’t have to run out to the store to get all my supplies, I can just walk around the kitchen and make something from what I have.
Intentional Purchasing
When I start to get low on a staple item I put it on my list and keep an eye out for the next few weeks. I look for the item to go on sale or for an opportunity to use a coupon/sale combo. Sometimes when I come across a deal on a staple item I buy it right then even if I’m not running out. I only do this with items I use all the time and that have no opportunity to expire. For instance, I would not do this with ground coffee as I do no like the taste when it’s stale.
Ease of Shopping
Menu planning is a lot, LOT easier when I have all the staples in the house. It means that I usually only need a few items from the store to finish off the meal. If I had to walk around my kitchen and check to be sure I had enough salt, flour, cumin or bread crumbs for every meal I’m planning then I would really detest menu planning.
Every once in a while I goof up and assume I have something that I ran out of and never wrote down, but for the most part I’m usually on top of it. Doing this has made my life in the kitchen a whole lot more pleasant, easier and even less expensive. So what’s your experience? Do you only buy what you need each week? Do you keep certain things on hand at all times?
Why I do what I do ~ Chloe is 4 now. Can you believe that? I can’t believe how much different 4 years old is than 3 years old. 4 years old means she notices things now – lots of things. She notices when I’m mad or upset. She notices when I’m annoyed, when I don’t feel good or I’m just having a bad day. She also notices when there’s something stuck in my teeth or if a pimple appears on my nose. She always notices when something smells badly – which has created more than one embarrassing situation. And the best part of her noticing everything – is that she always has the follow up question of …. “Why?” A 4 year old daughter has given me a whole lot of cause to self-examine and I guess that’s really not such a bad thing.
Photo by CedarBendDrive
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I find as I cook more from very basic ingredients, I need fewer ingredients. Which is good, because I have a teeny tiny pantry! I have to keep less on hand than ever before, but I’m getting better about creating meals out of whatever is in the pantry and not impulse buying because anything unnecessary in the pantry makes it so the necessary things can’t fit.
Looking forward to hearing about how you make your tortillas. I’m suffering with Old El Paso super expensive stuck-together disks over here on the other side of the world. Help!
Hope you move went/is going very well!
Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..kiddo quotes
I’m a small pantry girl too Elisa! And don’t worry – the tortillas are coming this week!
I would estimate we always have enough food in our home for at least 4 weeks and as much as 8 weeks of meals. We keep our pantry, cabinets and freezers well-stocked all the time. Weekly shopping consists of the few things I need to fulfill my meal plan, then the rest of the allocated money goes to buying loss leaders, sale meats and freezable produce (to freeze for future meals) and any staple that are running low.
Annie Jones´s last blog ..My Friend Is Giving Away More Sweet Goodies!
I can’t wait until I have the space to stock up that much! I’m willing to bet you’re a pretty organized person! Kudos to you!
I stockpile just like you posted. I generally have enough stockpiled in my freezer, kitchen cupboards and one large shelf in my laundry room to create meals for a month, possibly more. I have been doing a bunch of reading on stockpiling to see if I could improve on how I stockpile. The only advise that I found really valuable was to ensure that I stockpile in terms of meals if possible. It does no good to have a can of tomatoes but nothing to go with it to make a meal. I don’t know if this is possible all the time but it’s something to consider.
I definitely keep a stocked pantry. It includes many types of flours and other baking goods, sugar, oils, etc. I usually keep a package of dry noodles and some canned tomatoes as well. Oh, and there is always rice! Our pantry was the size of one cabinet so I couldn’t keep much.
Andrea´s last blog ..Make It Wear It
My pantry is stocked with supplies for baking… but unfortunately I fall short of dinner staples more frequently. We have one six-shelf pantry for all of our nonperishable food, and two and a half are dedicated to baking. Maybe I need to correct that ratio and I’ll have more luck with keeping healthy food in house!