And checking it twice.
Gonna find out
If I've stocked enough rice.
Big Daddy built a terrific pantry for me last spring and I got busy filling it up...little by little...week by week. Looking back, I made a few purchasing mistakes, but nothing outrageous. We figure we saved a couple thousand dollars this year just by buying differently. Just think how much we could save if I stopped playing around at this and really got down to business!
The first thing I started with was...you guessed it...a list. lol Actually it was a small binder. Each food item that we normally purchase had its own page with a dollar figure, date and place of purchase. I tracked them for a few months until I could see a pattern. When gas prices were zooming through the roof, food was following suit. I watched a 25 lb bag of flour go from $11.99 in April to $13.49 in June. I also noticed a cycling effect. One store would carry "x" on sale this week and then that same item would show up on sale someplace else the week after. Dog and cat food goes on sale every 4 months. Of course some things NEVER go on sale, so we stocked up and paid 2008 prices.
I also started a SHTF reserve. Oh for those of you who are new to this - SHTF is (shit hits the fan). You just never know what's going to happen!
Anyway, I stocked 100 lbs of flour, 75 lbs. of sugar, 50 lbs of rice, 50 lbs. of pasta, 20 lbs. of salt and dried beans, 20 cases of water, and 30 lbs of coffee. It's not nearly enough for any major hit of the fan, but it was a start and we're adding to it.
Okay, so how do we keep/store all of this stuff? The canned goods all sit on a series of cheap IKEA shelves. I can see it all and can rotate stock easily. Bags of sugar, flour and boxes of salt are stored in their original packaging, and kept in new garbage bins. This will keep the dampness and mice (if you have any) out. Lately, I've been collecting buckets/pails from the local grocery stores. Food-grade buckets are hard to come by...actually I can't find a source for them in Canada. So I get these fabulous buckets with great fitting lids from the bakery depts for free. I keep bulk spices, dried fruits, choc chips, etc. all in their original packaging in these freebie buckets.
It's hard to take pictures of my pantry because it's really tight quarters, but I tried. Now I'm off to....make another list.
I love it. That's GREAT !!! And a new blog too. You are a busy gal. Congrats on coming out of the closet with your food storage. hehe!! God, I love that old cabin, like to get snowed in there for a month or 6.
ReplyDeleteChris
Very cool...can't wait to follow the new blog too!!
ReplyDeleteSorry about that...I thought the comments would show up in my email like the other blog. I fixed it!! hehe
ReplyDeleteHey Chris: Feels good to be "out"! hehe We're going up next week, I'll have some dandy snow pictures for you. Good scavenging those buckets eh? hehe
Thanks Penny! You still my friend after my "outing"? lol
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ReplyDeleteOk you are amazing....holy crap if I lived close enough to you for pointers.......maybe I could be a stay at home mom too.....*wink*
ReplyDeleteLooks nice! Very neat and organized. I love those buckets from the bakery department, I have always used them as water buckets for the animals but I never thought about using them for storage too. Good idea!
ReplyDeleteDianne: thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteShiloh: Now if only the rest of my house was neat and organized! Btw: love your farm pix.
Wow...that looks great! I like the new blog!
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