Do You Pantry-Shop?

One of the best ways to save money is to buy things on sale, but buying on sale is maximized if you pantry-shop. Stocking a pantry from nothing requires diligence and some work, but ultimately, it is worth the effort in the long-run.

I organized my pantry today with the help of our 6 y/o son; the organization was beneficial to me because it showed me what we have and what I still need to stock up on before the winter months fully set in.

By this time, you might be thinking, "Must be nice... I don't have a pantry!" I encourage you to think outside the box and realize that if you have some space, you have a pantry, even if it's not a full cupboard. In our last house, I didn't have a pantry, but I had shelves in one half of our coat closet, and those shelves served as pantry shelves because the closet was close to the kitchen. A little weird to put coats in the space where grocery items were, but it accomplished my goal.

The Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) encourage pantry-stocking for their members and are pros at thinking outside the box for food storage. You don't have to be Mormon to use their ideas; if you have space under a bed, you've got space to stack boxes of canned vegetables. Pantries don't have to be enclosed cabinets or closets. If you've got the ability to build shelves, fantastic. If you can't build shelves but have a small bit of cash to put in to the project, IKEA has inexpensive, sturdy shelving units that are easy to put together. No space in your kitchen? Think basement, laundry room, or even garage. Canned goods (un-dented, of course) are designed to have an indefinite shelf life and don't care if they're stored next to the boots in the mudroom or next to TP in the bathroom cabinet. If the "under the bed idea" makes you realize that your beds are too low for this trick, fashion some bed-risers from small wood blocks, or buy a set at Bed, Bath, & Beyond (with a 20% off coupon, of course!) and maximize your space. Depending on how big your pantry is, it might be a shelf, a section of a shelf, or even stashed away under your sink.

So once you have a pantry idea in mind, how to go about stocking it? Think about the things you use regularly in your meal preparation and presentation. We use a lot of canned tomatoes, canned vegetables (beans, corn, & peas), and we eat a lot of beans in stews, soups, and chili. I buy these things when they're on sale in quantities of 6-12, depending on how well-stocked my pantry is at any given time. This provides what I need to make meals for my family and keeps me from having to buy it when I need it, invariably when it wouldn't be on sale and would be full-price.

I also have a section of the pantry for convenience foods that store well (boxed macaroni & cheese, for example) and another section for baking goods (cake mixes, powdered sugar, etc.). There's a section for spices (bought in bulk at Whole Foods or at Costco) and another for cleaning supplies. But you can see how this would vary by family and cooking habits. Make a list and watch for sales. Put a little extra grocery money towards the pantry-building or stocking, and then when you're stocked, you can save the money that you're not spending on full-priced items.

Once you have your pantry stocked, don't forget to rotate your stock. Put the things that were the first-purchased at the front, so you'll not forget about a can of spinach that was purchased 5 years prior, instead eating the cans of spinach that were purchased 5 weeks prior.

There's a part me that smiles when I think of my pantry -- what I have stashed away and don't have to buy when I start holiday baking & cooking. And as things go on sale during that timeframe, I'll stock the pantry for future needs as well. It's a cycle, but one that works well for frugally-minded people everywhere. :)

Happy stocking!

~Sue