Pantries and Preparedness. When it is just so hard to get ahead.

Last week Marie asked how to get ahead with the pantry when all the funds are tied up and emergencies come up to top it off! Well,  we have all been there. On Friday (Feather your Nest Friday) a number of lovely ladies made wonderful comments on this subject, much of it from experiencing the same thing. Thank you to everyone who replied.

This is a good subject... how to get ahead when it seems like an impossible task. When groceries run out before pay day. When other things have eaten into the finances and we still have people to feed... all those times.

Getting ahead is a buffer against emergencies. There is only one thing worse than running out of money before pay day and not having enough food in the house. That is this happening when you have a child.

This is where your emergency pantry supplies are a God send.

Some of the best stuff of my blog is what happens in the comments. The replies on this are so good. Cath suggested... the basic pantry ingredients that make a lot of different things are a really good place to start with, amongst lots of other things (I suggest reading the whole thing)
Mimi had been through such times and learned a tricky little method to set food aside. (this I thought was one of Mimis loveliest comments ever!)
Wendy added how she does this and she is very good on this subject!
Jen added how she has made progress in this area from her own experiences. Also Caths book, Eat Well, Save More, which I can also recommend.

It was all so heartwarming and helpful.


On Monday Wendy wrote a post that is just perfect. Her method of saving in one area of the budget to help another area...  you have to read this, it could revolutionise how you think of your budget...Creating your own mini economy. This fits in so well.
Wendy and I think alike. This is how I do everything. It is saving in one area and benefiting another.
And that is how I get ahead in the pantry, or one of the main ways.

Wendy's system relies on you knowing how much you have for different categories in your budget. This is crucial.
If you need help making your budget or maybe updating it then there is a good series I am following on budgeting that might be useful at A Chat over Coffee How to Budget.
Knowing your budget helps so much.  All year I have used the savings in different areas to grow my pantry and supplies. I have stocked a cellar this way. This was my priority and it has come togehter in hundreds of small ways and small steps.

Some of the areas we saved in included...
We did not have a weekend away that we usually have.
We are saving on prescription drugs. This will equal over $600 over twelve months.
I have made almost all of my Christmas presents and cards.
I didn't buy clothes most of the year.
Reward points from the supermarket all went to pantry items...
Each of these savings has been used to add to the pantry/cellar. That was my goal for the year.

Some of the things Ive done to stock the pantry are little by little things. ie I haven't bought any coffees out which I once did. Each time I buy a pantry item instead.
It all adds up!

Giving up a bad habit or unhealthy thing and using the money to build up your pantry is a win/win. I would be jumping with joy if I heard someone saying they gave up gambling or smoking and used the money to buy chickens. Can you imagine that!? There may be something that can go and is better off gone. And that money could go into something that grows more and more savings like fruit trees, or a compost bin or a canning kit!

A garage sale might clear out useless stuff that takes up space and simultaneously give you room for shelves and the funds to fill them.

Having said all of that there are still times that there is nothing to sell, swap or change and there is no room to move. Only free food is going to increase the pantry. But it is possible to get a lot of free food!

There are two posts dedicated to free food...

Stocking your pantry for free.

Free food continued.


Vicky also replied to Marie  here...

How do we stock a pantry when we are on limited grocery dollars, but would like to increase the pantry?

I have had several ladies over the years ask me this because they are tired of being out of food by the end of the week or had to allocate the grocery money for another bill or emergency and really want to have a lot more food in the cupboards.

First everyone's pantries are different as we all know, but one thing does need to be taken into account when it comes to pantry stocking although we would like to think so not everyone cooks or bakes! No kidding I know ladies that can't cook or bake at all and that's ok I am not eating their cooking. Besides we always say store what you eat and eat what you store. So if you want to get ahead in the pantry area just a little, but are unsure how to approach doing it maybe these suggestions will help give you an idea! And please remember these are suggestions not a given as we all eat differently.

If your pantry is low or you are just starting out:

First take stock of what ingredients you do have, that includes cupboards, fridge and freezer.

How much of these ingredients do you have? example: half a bag of beans, 2 cans of soup, a pound of hamburger or a pack of hot dogs

What do you make with these ingredients you do have and how often do you use them. example: has that half bag of beans been in the cupboard for a long time or is it from last week and you eat beans once a week? Don't spend grocery dollars now on something you don't use very often instead buy something you do.

With the ingredients you do have or have left can you use them this week to make a meal with? example: beans and bread or hamburger gravy?

If so that will be at least one meal planned for the week that you will not be buying items at the store for and can get something else to add to the pantry. A meal ahead if you will.

Next you want to stock your most economical ingredients first even if you have to change your meals for a little while and serve some of the same things. Price being the biggest factor. example: don't buy a 15 dollar bottle of olive oil if you are trying to get ahead or don't spend 6 dollars on a bag of chocolate chips wait for a good sale.

How many meals do you get out of your ingredients? example: if a frozen pizza is 5 dollars on sale, but would only feed your family once can you forgo it and buy 5 dollars worth of sale items that will either be more than one meal or part of more than one meal. example: say frozen veggies are on sale and you can get 5 bags of those for the cost of 1 frozen pizza or 5 boxes of pasta. You are farther ahead. You are adding to the pantry.

What kind of meals are you serving that can be changed or tweaked? Can you reduce the ingredients to get more bang for your buck at mealtimes? example: let's say you bought chicken breast on sale great job! But most chicken breasts are a good size and if you can cook 1 and shred it and make something like creamed chicken over biscuits or chicken and noodles you have chicken in the freezer for other meals thus stretching the grocery dollars.

If your family likes simple foods don't try to wow them every night. If they like grilled cheese and tomato soup or hot dogs and macaroni then serve it. If you have baking cocoa, sugar, butter, oats and peanut butter make a batch of no bake cookies or bars and skip the store bought cookies. Use what you have first.

If your family likes fruit, but doesn't eat it all when you buy it don't feel obligated to buy a whole bag of apples or a bunch of bananas on sale or not, buy just a few pieces of each so your money is not wasted. If they like breakfast foods and they are cheaper that week serve eggs or pancakes for dinner.

So let's say you stretched your meat the first week and have some left for other meals and you skipped the convenience pizza and bought frozen veggies or canned items or even 2 dozen eggs for what you would have spent on that pizza now you are ahead. You do this for at least a month and you will start seeing a difference in your pantry. If you have some of your budgeted food dollars left stick them back and wait until the next sale. Get a different cut of meat that's on sale or buy extra of something else. An extra bag of flour or cheese or butter if it's on sale. The biggest thing is to not serve the meals that require expensive ingredients when there are tasty and affordable alternatives.

This all just basic as there are a multitude of ways to save when it comes to the pantry, just a different way to look at it so I hope there is some information here that helps.

XOXO,

Vicky

Thank you so much Vicky and everyone who replied. Plenty of experience on this and such kindness and willingness to help someone else.

Most of us have built up supplies very gradually and using a whole variety of methods and utilising every opportunity! And when you hear of situations where there is no spare food (or worse) we are reminded of why we do this! It is a good reminder.

I  wanted to share with you some of the pictures I have received.  Everyone has been busy!
Vicky was harvesting cabbages. And not just a few!

As Autumn sets in she has been harvesting and busy.

Glenda as been picking berries.

The work involved in picking these reminds me of picking Mulberries only worse! But Glenda freezes them and then deals with them in batches.

I love seeing how you are building up your supplies! 

So over to you. How do you manage to add to your pantry for tough weeks when money is already tight? 

Thank you to everyone! xxx