[Homesteadingfamily] Building a pantry reserve

I have been asked by several members off list, how I got us to where we are, to not have to go to a grocery store weekly or at a minimum of bi-weekly. I go MONTHLY. And for my family of three with three large dogs and 5 cats, our grocery budget is an amazing $250.00 per MONTH. We buy no fresh meats or dairy except an occasional cheese from the grocery store. Produce is limited to only what is not in our garden or fresh grown. We DO buy fresh organic fruits that we do not produce here. I'll take this post to try to describe how I do it....

About 15 years ago, we began building our pantry of future stores. It seemed when I was preparing a meal, I would always run out of an ingredient, or someone would holler for toilet paper and it would be gone....no matter how simple it was, I would ALWAYS be short on or out of something! I began to make a list of what we used most frequently and taped it to the fridge for easy reference and notes. Then, when I would make my trip to the grocery store,dollar store or Walmart, I would take that list along. I began looking for anything on that list that was really cheap or on sale. Then I would check for the expiration date and buy as much of that longer life product as I could afford on that trip. People would stare and laugh when I roll out a cart with 8-8pks of Bounty towels @ $6 each! LOLOL and would have only spent about $50, but have enough to last us for the next year. I REALLY take advantage of good SALES.

For example:
I am running out of tomato paste frequently and do not commonly make this. I found it on sale at ALDI'S for .33/can...it is running about 57 . at the stores near us. So, I'll buy a flat of 24 can for about $8...and get two or more if I have enough money. I now have tomato paste for the next several months or a year or so, depending on my usage. When I notice I only have about 12 cans left in the pantry, I began looking for the best price on that product again...I do NOT wait until I run completely out before replenishing! Then you will be right back where you started! LOL On a recent trip over to North Carolina to visit an aging Aunt, we passed an ALDI'S on the way. We don't have one near us here in NGA. So, I made a mental note that on the way home, I'd stop in and check on their tomato paste prices that day. They were STILL .33 can! I stocked up once more (it had been almost 2 years since the last time) and purchased 2 more flats of 24 cans each. Now, we are set with tomato paste for probably the next two years. The expiration date is 12/2012. I am happy!

The moral to this story:
Begin by buying ONE item that you use a lot...as much as you can get of that one item. Then do another item the same way. The more you do this you will notice the pantry building of staple things which are used the most. Can be flour, sugar, toothpaste, whatever!

If you use say, one 6 oz tube of toothpaste per month for your family, calculate how much you would need for the year (you may use more or less than this) and when you find your brand on sale, buy enough to last for the year. When you notice that you are down to the last two tubes, begin pricing toothpaste again and re-stock when you find the best price. You will never run out and always get the best prices to boot!

I took one product at a time...usually being the most used products. Now, we have what I call "back stock" on almost everything that we use. We never pay full price and I cannot remember the last time that we ran out of anything and had to make a trip to the store because of that! LOLOL But, every time I go to a store, I scan the end caps and sale papers to see if anything is a good deal , even if I have plenty on hand already, I will buy a few more of a particular item if I have enough in my pocket to do it.

To begin stocking a pantry like this, will save you hundreds of dollars in other ways, too. You will not be in the car driving using gas on short notice to "pick up this or that"...you will not run out when in the middle of a meal prep or middle of the night...you will always get the best prices or sale prices on all that you buy...you will not be tempted to "impulse shop" and spend extra dollars on things that you really did not need. If I am not in the stores, I cannot be tempted by the wonderful smells of a deli or "loss leaders" (items put on really low sale prices usually on the aisle ends or "end caps" to get you to stay in the store and keep sh opping to see if there are more like this there). The stores know all the tricks to get you to spend, spend, spend! So, if you are there less frequently, you will not be tempted.

When we stock up on laundry detergent and products like bleach or fabric softeners, dryer sheets, etc...we go to Sam's once per year or two. I buy the largest boxes of SURF (the brand we use) which are usually 145-180 loads each for about $14, or about .10/load. I buy 10 of these boxes for approx $140. Then I stock up on those gal + half containers. They come three jugs to a box and we will by 4 of those boxes. Fabric sheets the same way...usually about 4-6 boxes. We spend right at $200 and never run out of any of those things! We have laundry supplies for the next 2-3 years and do not have to run to the store for any of this PLUS we beat any price increases that have happened because we stocked up long ago!

I realize that everyone does not have $200 to put on laundry items...but I set it aside specifically for this purpose the year before I know that we will be going for a re-stock. Never run out, never run to the store to be tempted..works for me!

All it takes to get going with this is a little pre-planning. The list on the fridge allows me to jot down anything that I use a lot and want to keep in my mind for my next trip out (I CANNOT rely on my memory!LOL),whenever that may be. Always check the exp dates and look to the back of shelves instead of right on the front of the row. All new stock is generally rotated from back to front, so the freshest stuff will be found on the BACK of the shelves, pull your products from there. One frequently used product and about $10 will get you going into the mode. Make it a habit once you get started. In about one year, you will have a most amazing pantry, have your years store at your fingertips and save $$$$$ in the long run! AND most important....NEVER, NEVER RUN OUT!

I hope this helps someone. If you have questions, please ask! I can tell you it DOES work...
~deb