4 Steps To A Pantry That Saves You Money
I was so proud of myself for planning ahead for my meals this week. With my recipes all laid out and my grocery list ready, I headed out to our local store and got everything I needed. No last minute stops at a convenience store, no pizza delivery, and no fast food. Good for me!
When I got home and started to put my groceries in the pantry, I noticed a reoccurring theme. There it was. Duplicate items purchased today at full price instead of the reduced price that I had paid before. I hadn’t remembered that I already had some items that I needed, so bought them again. I sure didn’t need to spend the money on those things again. And I sure didn’t need to pay full price for them when I can always find a sale. What a tremendous waste of money.
It is time to make a plan so this never happens to me again. For this plan to make sense, I’m dividing it into 4 steps. Let’s give this a try.
Step 1: Empty Your Pantry. Take a couple hours to clean and wipe out your pantry. You’ll need a few boxes and a strong cup of coffee. Begin by taking every food item out of your pantry or cupboards. Look for expiration dates and damaged goods and throw them out. Wipe down the shelves and doors.
Step 2: Categorizing Your Pantry items. Here’s where your organizational skills come in. Group your pantry items by similarities, like canned vegetables, broth, snacks, dressings, soup, pasta, and so on. Lay your spices out alphabetically so you can easily check for duplications. You’ll be surprised how many times you buy the same spices. Check all the items for expiration dates or damage and throw out anything that seems questionable.
Step 3: List The Contents Of Your Pantry. This is somewhat involved work, but it pays off. Make a “basics” list; a list of all the items that you use routinely, and tack it to the inside of your pantry or cupboard door. If you use an accounting type columnar pad, you can make tick marks in the columns to indicate how many of each item you have in the cupboard and draw a line through one when you use it. That way you can keep a running tally of how much of any one item you have. This seems more labor intense than it really is. Your ongoing list of items will get easier as time goes on.
Step 4: Grocery Shop Using Your List. If you already have a supply of the basics that you bought when they were are a special price, you’re all set. Why would you want to accidentally buy the same items at full price because you forgot you had some? That’s why referring to your new list will save you money. Stock up on your staples, like pasta, rice, canned tomatoes, and soup, when the price is right and eliminate that duplicate purchase at full price.
Wouldn’t it be great if we always knew what food items we had in our pantry and never bought duplicates at anything other than a sale price? Once you dig out your pantry and discover all those hidden items tucked away in the dark corners, you’ll see why a system and a list is important in saving money and time. You’ll never go grocery shopping again without referring to your newly categorized and inventoried list of the basics.
