Keeping your pantry packed with items you use all the time for cooking is the key to saving money on groceries. Having a well-stocked pantry saves trips to the grocery for that one ingredient you don’t have and offers you a variety of food preparation options for you and your family. And, stocking up today, even if you spend as little as $100 to pack your pantry, will protect you against high prices as well as provide you with provisions for up to six months. Plus, with all of us trying to minimize our budgets, avoiding unnecessary trips to the grocery store will save you both time and money. So if you have space in your pantry, consider packing it for a six month period. However, there are some factors to consider anytime you pack your pantry which include the following.
Pantry-Packing Tips
- Purchase food items that your family will actually use. Packing your pantry is useless unless you pack it with the food items your family likes and the things you’ll use in preparing meals. Purchasing anything else completely defeats the purpose of packing your pantry for a six-month time frame.
- Pack your pantry with sale items. Don’t just purchase goods to pack your pantry. Wait for sales of the items you really want in your pantry and then purchase them. Most grocery stores advertise weekly sales and specials in your local newspaper. So, check out those grocery circulars and the local newspaper before making that pantry packing trip to the store.
- Check out and use coupons to buy those pantry items. Online coupon sites, grocery store flyers, and your local newspaper are full of coupons. And although it is sometimes overwhelming to think about perusing them all, these coupon resources can help you save a lot on the items you want to pack in your pantry. Pay special attention to grocery stores that offer double coupon savings. If that particular store has a lot of the items you want to purchase to pack your pantry, you can save a lot of money.
- Organize your pantry so you can pack what you need in it. No matter the size of your pantry, it is imperative that you have it organized so you can pack it, but so you can utilize the food items you pack it with. There is nothing more frustrating than being in the middle of a cooking project, knowing you have that one ingredient you forgot to get out of the pantry and not being able to find it. And, remember, if you don’t have a pantry in your home and simply use another space as a pantry, pantries need to be dry and cool. Be cautious about where you store your pantry items so they don’t spoil.
- Rotate your pantry items. After you’ve cut those coupons, gone to the grocery store, and packed you pantry, you don’t want any of that food to go to waste, so remember to rotate pantry items newest in back so you don’t go past expiration dates. Also, consider keeping like-pantry items organized together to make for easier extraction (i.e., bottles together, sauces together, canned vegetables together, etc.
- Purchase only pantry items you will actually use. A good rule of thumb is to buy only pantry items you’ll probably use within a six-month period. Anything else and you’ll end up losing money on that packed pantry due to spoilage.
Six Months of Pantry Supplies
Too keep your pantry packed for six months on $100 is simple. Follow our simple pantry packing tips and see just how much money can be saved in time and gas. Begin today packing your pantry and discover how easy and inexpensive meal preparation will become.
Leave a Reply