Works For Me Wednesday - The Well-Stocked Pantry
I have to admit that I’m a bit fanatical about having a well-stocked pantry. I always have sugar, brown sugar, flour, noodles, rice, canned tomatoes, canned beans, dry beans, cake mixes, brownie mixes, pie filling, chocolate chips, cornmeal, oatmeal, peanut butter, syrup, jelly, Italian salad dressing (sometimes other kinds too), barbecue sauce, steak sauce, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, potatoes, velveeta cheese, pickles and I’m sure there are a few more things… in my pantry. I also have a freezer well stocked with frozen vegetables, wild game meat and specials from the meat counter. I do grocery shop every week and normally I spend around $60 for cheese, milk, eggs, bread, a few fresh vegetables and whatever is on sale. A few times a year I’ll spend a lot of money restocking the pantry during one of the big sales - the most recent was the Columbus Day sale.
I do this because I don’t like to worry about running out of something. Also when there is an emergency of some sort, an unexpected expense, Lil Sugar or I are sick, unexpected or even expected company… I know I have enough food to easily feed everyone good, varied meals for up to a month without having to go buy anything other than milk, cheese, eggs and bread. And honestly if it came down to it… I could make bread so all we would need would be the milk, cheese and eggs. I have enough to worry about without wondering if I have enough food at home to feed my family or wonder where I’m going to get the money to buy extra flour and sugar so that I can help out with some baked goods for the church bake sale. I try to keep at least three months worth of staples on hand in the pantry and the freezer - we’ve been glad I do more than once in the past nine years we’ve been married! Now if only my pantry looked as good or was as big as the one in the picture…
What works for you? Tell me in the comments and click here to see more Works For Me Wednesday tips!
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:17 am
I try to stay stocked up too! My canned goods shelf is almost always FULL. Because my pantry is just a small standalone cupboard, I don’t have room for a whole lot of extras but I love being able to open it and find enough items to throw together a dinner without having to run to the store!
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:40 am
What a great idea! I talked about my grocery shopping habits today…you inspire me!
-Sandy toes
October 22nd, 2008 at 8:45 am
I am refraining from coveting your pantry!;)
What works for me? Well..check out my post! You simply MUST try Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations.
I’ve working towards stocking my pantry. I need to use your tips and perhaps watch for upcoming sales to take advantage of specific items.
Working on it…
Thanks
October 22nd, 2008 at 10:47 am
I wrote about this on my blog to, I think a well stocked pantry is a must have. I call it my mini emergency fund. I feel it is necessary in case of a job loss or illness.
http://downwithdebt.today.com/2008/10/22/my-grocery-emergency-fund/
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Great site Blessed, Kristine and Jody. I’ve known about since you started it but hadn’t stopped by in awhile.
It’s nice to know you have a pantry full of food. A safe full of ammunition is pretty good too; just in case!
October 22nd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
i’m in the process of moving into a new house and my first order of business is getting a food stockpile. mr. right is in real estate, so i plan on replentishing the stash when he has a big sale and living off the surplus between sales.
October 22nd, 2008 at 1:13 pm
What a great topic. I too like to have a stocked pantry, something about seeing all those cans and all the possibilities makes me feel safe and secure.
October 22nd, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I tagged you in my blog.
October 22nd, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Ah yes I’m a huge fan of the pantry! Check out my blog postings about preparing and prettying up your pantry from earlier in the year: http://www.housewifery.com/labels/pantry.html
October 22nd, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Very few things are as comforting as a well-stocked pantry!
October 22nd, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Isn’t it wonderful not having to run out to the store for things. We are fortunate in that my husband built a huge set of L-shaped shelves for our basement pantry and we also have a freezer and extra fridge. Because of this, I only have to go to the store every 2 or 3 weeks. I wrote about what I call “Michelle’s Mini-Mart” here: http://www.northofthe49.com/blog/?p=361
October 25th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I like my pantry well stocked. I buy when I can find a sale and preferably can also a coupon. Yesterday we went to the grocery store just to pick up a few things and ended up getting an awesome deal. Buy one box of Captain Crunch cereal and get 2 free. We took advantage of that deal. 3 boxes for less than $4! We bought the limit of 6. They also had local apples for 79 cents a pound. YUMMY! I usually spend less than $60 a week to feed a family of 5, but I wouldn’t be able to do that if I didn’t have my pantry well stocked. I can go down there right now and come up with many meals without having to go to the store. We also have an upright freezer that we fill when we find good sales on meat, frozen veggies, etc. I even put my flour in there, just to be on the safe side.
Lisette
http://couponqueenofcorning.blogspot.com/