What’s In YOUR Pantry?

How many of us, like Old Mother Hubbard, has gone to our pantry to get the ingredients for a meal……only to find it bare?

I don’t use the term pantry often. I usually the words ‘food storage.’ I buy in bulk when things are on sale and I shop my food storage room instead of running to the grocery store to purchase items for full price.

But whether you choose to call it food storage, or a pantry, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. You DON’T have to have an actual room or pantry to make this principle work for you. Your food storage can be stored under a bed, in a closet, in a cedar chest, on top of your kitchen cabinets. I have a friend who stores her items in between the studs of her unfinished basement. Another buys cases of canned veggies on sale, stacks them up in her den, throws a table cloth over them, adds a lamp and presto! a corner table made from her pantry items. The important part is that you understand the principle, NOT how perfect the spaces are.

Why store food in amounts larger than what you might use in between trips to the grocery store?

• The opportunity to always have the basic long lasting ingredients that are the foundation of your families menus on hand when you need them.
• Being able to save money by purchasing these items on sale.
• No emergency grocery store trips because you’ve run out of something yet again.

Now that I’ve given you good reason to have a full pantry, what ever shall you put in it? Well, you can go online and find many a site that will give you a ‘perfect pantry’ overview. The problem with this is that you may never have a recipe that uses capers, fish juice or dried mushrooms.

So what I suggest for people just starting out building their pantry is to sit down and make a list of 14 days worth of meals your family eats on a regular basis. 14 breakfasts, 14 lunches, 14 dinners. Throw in a few favorite desserts while you are at it too.

If 14 is just too many to start with, cut it down to 7 or even 4 or 5. But start somewhere! And use only tried and true recipes you know your family likes. I can’t stress that enough.

Then figure out what it takes to make each meal. Write down each and every ingredient. Include items like oil, salt, sugar, etc. Pay attention to amounts too. This will let you know how much of what you need. And THAT my friends is the basis of your pantry or food storage. Things you know you and your family will eat.

Remember, too, that food storage items aren’t just dried items or items that are shelf stable and edible. Your pantry also includes frozen items as well as everyday items such as toothpaste, laundry detergent, and toilet paper.

Feel kind of overwhelmed? I totally understand. But get over it, okay? You don’t have to go and purchase all this stuff at once. This is something very easily accomplished one bite (get it….food storage…….food……bite?) at a time. Need some ideas? I just happen to have a few:

• Take your coupon savings and put it towards buying an extra can or two of something to go into your pantry.
• Scale down your dinners out and use that money for building your pantry.
• Sell some stuff on Ebay to help get you started.
• Give up that daily latte, soda, chocolate bar and use that money towards your new goal.
• Eat super cheap for a few months. Use the savings to stock up.
• Each year at tax time, we set aside a certain amount of our tax return and ear mark it just for our food storage needs.

There is a real beauty in committing to using this kind of pantry principle. Say you decide to purchase 4 jars of on sale with a coupon peanut butter this shopping trip instead of your usual, regularly priced one jar. Then for the next four months instead of buying peanut butter you put that money towards a big 25 pound bulk bag of rice that your family loves . The snowball effect is truly impressive and money saving.

Besides convenience and saving money there is another great reason to take what I am sharing with you to heart. When my youngest son, Parker was born with several health issues. Very, very expensive health issues. Clean out your savings kind of health issues. But you know what? I have been able to feed my family with foods they like and are accustom to because of my food storage, which allows me to be able to shop only when items are on sale and I have coupons. Knowing that my family would be fed has been an immense blessing these last three years.

For you it may not be a medically fragile child. It could be the loss of a job. A severe storm. A burning desire to help your neighbor who is unable to feed her family. Regardless of the reason, having a well stocked pantry is essential.

Any questions? Any ideas of how you use fill your pantry or use your food storage? There’s a comment section down below. And you know how to use it!