Money Saving Food Pantry

A Well Stocked Food Pantry

I hate spending money.

I hate spending money on anything really, but most of all I hate spending money on food!

 
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I absolutely LOVE food and always have an extremely well stocked house, but I don’t spend much for it.. at all. Here’s some tips on how you can shop smart, spend very little and have a food pantry stocked and ready for anything!

Keep in mind this is a long process.. our end goal is for the long run, not a quick fix. Having peace of mind and the skills for a lifetime are well worth the few months of hard work now!

If you are seeking an immediate or temporary solution to saving money on food, or just stretching things until the next paycheck, check out this post about how to eat well and save money. 

 Right now take a look at your budget… what can you dedicate to your food pantry? Can you find $5 a week, $10 a week? What about an extra $50 a paycheck? Whatever you can find to set aside for the exclusive task of building your food pantry, start now! In cash, in an envelope. Make a commitment to your future self that this is what you will use for stocking up and you will ONLY use the cash in the envelope to do so. Eventually this will be your ONLY food budget! That’s right… one day you will have eliminated ( or nearly eliminated) the need to grocery shop like you do now. Nearly all the money you currently spend on food will be able to have another purpose. So, begin with what you can afford, no matter how small. Start doing this today and by the time you are ready to make your first purchase, you will have a nice amount in your envelope to shop!  

Can’t find even the smallest amount of extra money? Don’t worry, I’ve been there myself. Here are a couple of ideas for side hustles to get the ball rolling: 

UberEats– Unlike Uber for passengers, you don’t have to have a newer car, you don’t have to pick up people. You simply pick up an order and drop it off. No set hours, you can just sign in and out whenever you get the opportunity. Money can be deposited immediately, so you won’t have to miss an amazing sale! 

DoorDash– Another delivery service like UberEats. I like this one also because the pay tends to be a little higher during peak times, although off peak times can be rather slow. 

You could also try a direct sales company. I love selling Avon  and Pampered Chef. There are many out there… maybe one of them will be the perfect fit for you!

Be creative. When you put your mind to it, you can find a way to gather a few extra dollars to help you save money and give you peace of mind for the rest of your life. Have a birthday or holiday coming up? Ask for Amazon Gift Cards or make a list of equipment/supplies for your food pantry.  

1. Do your homework:

     Over the next 3 months keep track of what is eaten in your household. Whether you cook at home, open a can of something or go out to eat, record everything. This will be the basis for starting your food pantry. There is no sense in buying foods that will sit around and eventually expire because no one eats them! (waste of time and money- the opposite of our goal) 

    When you have a solid 3 months of data, break down your master list into simplified categories. For example maybe you found your family eats tacos regularly- I would write ground beef in my meats category and make a mark for how may times we ate tacos : Ground Beef XIII. Tortillas would be in the breads category : Tortilla- Corn XIII. Seasonings- Mexican XIII, Vegetables- Lettuce XIII, Cheese- Cheddar XIII… you get the idea. Once you have all your foods broken down into categories you can then organize each category and see a picture of what your family generally consumes. Do you eat more chicken and ground beef, or do you tend to buy more seafood and fish? Are you consistent with seasonings or do you have a  large variety of preferences? 

2. Organize your data and put it to work:

    In each category list from most frequently consumed to least frequently consumed. This will now form the basis on where you will begin to build your food pantry. Each household will be different. This is why many of the “STOCK YOUR PANTRY” lists out there don’t work for you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read someone else’s list and thought what a huge waste of money that would be for my household! We would never eat ______.

    Take the top 5 frequently consumed foods in each category and start looking at your local grocery store ads. What is on sale? Who has the best deal? Record the lowest prices you find on the corresponding line on your list. Over the next couple of months you will start to see a pattern. You will begin to recognize what is actually a good sale and what isn’t. 

   During this time also look for coupons. ONLY clip coupons for anything in your top 5 lists. A classic trap is to clip coupons for things you wouldn’t normally buy. Saving $1 on something you weren’t planning to buy is NOT saving a dollar. Not buying it at all is a much greater savings. There are some apps/ websites you can also utilize to save some moolah: 

Ibotta– Choose items you buy. Upload the receipt and collect cash back. Once you have accumulated at least $20, you can cash out for a gift card. Use your gift card to save on your next shopping trip to build your food pantry! Win-Win! This is the one I use the most.

The Krazy Coupon Lady– This app/website is awesome in that you can see how to stack coupons and sales for the best deals. I wish to caution you, however, to not get too caught up in savings, but to use it as a guide for purchasing things on your list. 

Store apps such as Safeway, Fred Meyers, and Walmart also provide good sales. 

   Don’t be afraid to price check bigger wholesale or restaurant supply stores like Cash and Carry or Restaurant Depot, Costco or Sam’s Club. Price sales at discount stores such as Grocery Outlet or Aldis. Winco, Saars and even Walmart often have amazing sales that are worth your attention. Online retailers such as Amazon or Boxed can also offer great deals from time to time.  Really pay attention to the per pound or per unit price. Sometimes the smaller packages are better per unit (especially if  you have a coupon…). 

    While you are building your price points list for your local area, go ahead and do some research on different ways to preserve foods:

Canning is my number one choice because I can have shelf stable foods at the ready any time I want them and they require little to no added water to consume them (Important if you are ever in a grid-down situation).  Canning is fun to do and fairly easy to learn. There are 2 main methods depending on the food you are wanting to preserve: Water Bath Canning and Pressure Canning. BONUS: I can reuse the jars practically forever! Not everything lends itself to being able to be canned, so there are also other desirable methods.

Dehydrating would be my number 2 choice. Like canning, dehydrated foods are shelf-stable and are at the ready whenever I need them. Some dehydrated foods can be eaten directly (bananas, pineapple etc), while others require water to re-hydrate them to an edible state. Freeze Drying foods is also an option, but the Freeze Dryer is pretty expensive, so it’s not a viable option for everyone. Freeze dried foods last longer and don’t require as much water to re-hydrate. A dehydrator on the low end can be found for around $10 at a thrift store all the way up to hundreds of dollars. You could make your own if you are crafty! Store dehydrated or other dry goods in vacuum sealed containers. I love using half-gallon mason jars sealed with the jar attachment to the Food Saver, or for larger bulk items such as flour, sugar and rice I use 5 gallon food grade buckets, Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers.  

Freezing foods is my number 3 choice. Although it is probably the most common way to preserve foods, it is not my top method. (although one of our favorite frugal meals is meatloaf) Freezer space is very limited. Once your space is full, its full. Freezers require ongoing energy consumption. When the power goes out, you risk losing whatever is in the freezer. Foods in the freezer also have an expiration (freezer burn anyone). The biggest advantage of freezing foods, is the ability to freeze raw foods, something canning or dehydrating cannot offer.

Fermenting, Curing, Smoking and some other methods of food preservation make near the bottom of my list. I love these methods, don’t get me wrong, but they are generally not my preference. Without further processing, these methods require upkeep and consistent attention. Yes, the food is delightful. Yes, I do use these methods from time to time, but they just aren’t my go-to. Experiment and have fun. Maybe you will find them more practical than I do. I certainly encourage the building of any skill! 

Finally the bottom of my list for ways to preserve foods is the refrigerator. Very short term and heavy consumption of energy make this method my least preferred. 

 If you are lucky enough to have a root cellar for cold storage of fruits and vegetables I would put this method above fermenting on my list. I am not so lucky… yet. 

3. Plan your first stocking up shopping trip:

   Over the last 5 to 6 months, you have been putting money into your envelope, you have been recording what your family consumes and you have been keeping track of where the best sales are for your top 5 foods in each category. Congratulations on making it this far!! You have probably started to notice how much you are currently spending on your regular grocery shopping. Maybe you’ve started to use some of the suggestions and reduced your spending slightly… this is a good sign! You are well on your way to long term success. It’s time to plan your first stocking up trip! 

    When the weekly flyer for your area comes out, scan for a great sale. Be patient… maybe this isn’t the week, try again next week. When you spot a great deal (or two) it’s time to strike! Count the cash in your envelope to see what you have to work with. DO you happen to have any coupons for this item(s)? How much of the sale item can you purchase for the amount in your envelope? Hold on… more thought needs to be put into this:

      How do you plan to preserve the sale item? Do you have the freezer space? Do you have the needed canning equipment? Do you have the capacity for that much all at once in your dehydrator? For items such as cooking oil, cereal, or flour do you have the space to store them, how much will be consumed before expiring? Scale back the amount you buy accordingly. Put the remainder of the money back into the envelope for the next great sale or use some of the remaining dough to purchase freezer bags, canning equipment, or other pantry storage related items. Freezer bags go on sale- watch for this mostly around harvest time (late August to mid-October). Canning jars go on sale around that time of year as well. Look for canning jars at garage sales, thrift stores or ask your  family, friends or neighbors if they have any. You may be surprised that your aunt or neighbor used to do a lot of canning and is willing to give you everything you could possibly want for free! 

    It’s time to head for the store armed with your cash and a plan! Only buy what you went there for and use the cash you saved for that purpose. Buy as much as you can afford, or have the ability to store. Once you arrive back home, immediately repackage into usable portions for the freezer, or can the food according to safe canning methods, or prepare and dehydrate the food. With all methods make sure you are using good hygiene practices and you label the foods appropriately with the date. 

   Repeat this process over and over until you have a sufficient stock pile of at least 6 months worth of food put away. Then, expand your shopping to cover the remaining items on your categories lists. This may take a couple of years, but once you get the hang of only shopping the sales, you will realize how much money you are saving by always having at least a 6 month supply on hand. When you are ready, build your pantry to be at least a years worth of food. 

Other items to stock pile and save money on are toilet paper, paper towels, feminine hygiene products, dish soap, hand soap…. etc. and WATER- you really cannot have enough water stored away. 

Be sure you are using your stock pile regularly and rotating the items. New foods in the back, older foods in the front. Keep track of your pantry. If you are finding that you aren’t eating something fast enough, don’t store as much of that item. In a few years you will will worked out what your family uses and how much to keep on hand so you aren’t wasting money.

Right now, the only things I buy outside of my food pantry budget is milk, lettuce, butter and dog food. ( and an occasional restaurant) 

To save even more: 

• Plant a garden or use a site such as www.ripenear.me  to find locally grown produce at a lower price (sometimes free). Grow your own fruit and have an herb garden. Learn what plants are edible in your area and forage. I pick gallons of mushrooms every year for free among other things. 

•  Learn to cook from scratch! The more you can do for yourself and not buy precut, premixed or pre-anything, you will save money! 
• Learn to cut and wrap meat. One of my favorite ways to save on meats is to buy in one big chunk or go in on half an animal with a friend, then cut and wrap my own steaks, roasts, ground meat etc.

• Crock-pot is your friend, as is homemade meals in jars. Quick meals ready to eat will keep you away from overpriced, over salted restaurants and that means more money in your pocket. 

I hope this serves as a guide to help you build a long term food solution in your own home! 

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