This week seemed to be the perfect storm to stock my pantry.... Matt was gone on a trip to Atlanta and our parents gave us thanksgiving leftovers. Since Matt was gone, I didn't make "normal" dinners. The kids and I ate thanksgiving leftovers and cheap meals (potatoes and veggies, spaghetti with no meat, etc.) Since both of these things combined this week, it was a perfect week to take a little bit of money to add to the pantry. This will save lots of money on future grocery store trips. I went to Aldi and spent $20.07 on a lot of canned goods, then went to Kroger and spent $1.47 on 3 loaves of bread that I will freeze.
So here's what I got for $21.54
4 boxes of mac and cheese
3 boxes of chicken broth (I use this in a lot of meals and I haven't made any in a while)
3 loaves of bread
3 cans of green beans
2 cans of chicken
2 jiffy corn bread mix
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 cans of tomato sauce
2 cans of tomato soup
2 cans of mandarin oranges
1 can of chicken noodle soup
1 box of beef broth
1 can of corn
1 can of mixed veggies
1 can of pears
1 jar of peanut butter
1 bottle of BBQ sauce
1) When you buy one canned good, buy another. You'll be amazed at how fast your pile grows if you just buy one or two extra every time!
(tip from lovely little snippets)
2) Set aside a small portion of your grocery budget for stocking up. Even $3 to $5 per week will make a big difference. Try to combine sale prices with coupons and if you don't find any amazing deals, just "roll" your stock-up money to the following week.
(tip from money saving mom)
What is your best tip for stocking your pantry?
Once a year, go through and try to use up a lot of items in your pantry (this works well for us because we are getting ready to move for the 4th time in 2.5 years of marriage). For me, it is easy to forget to use some of the food I have bought. It makes me make new or different meals and (this past time we moved) we went a month with spending barely any money on groceries (by that I mean about half of what we are used to spending). I could not believe how much we had accumulated! This helps me to know what we really (truly) need to stock up on and what I can just pick up as needed.
ReplyDeleteAlso, have you seen this - http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/homemade-mac-and-cheese-vs-annies-mac-and-cheese-which-takes-more-time I, personally, do not care if you buy mac and cheese or if you make it from scratch. I remember that you posted once about the fake ingredients in some other food. I started making mac and cheese from scratch when we were overseas, but I have not bought a single package since we have moved back. Just thought I would pass it along. Woo - that was a long comment :)
Thanks Alissa! I love the link! When I make mac and cheese for dinner, it's always homemade, but when it's lunch it never is. I'm not sure why. I guess I thought it took longer, but the link proved me wrong.
ReplyDeleteI love that you went a month with spending barely any money on groceries. That's impressive. Have you heard of the pantry challenge? (http://moneysavingmom.com/2009/12/eat-from-the-pantry-challenge-my-goals-and-plans-and-come-link-up-yours-too.html) It's where all of January, you eat mainly from your pantry to save money and clean it out. It's a great idea!
Oh man - I love challenges like these! I might have to do it in January.
ReplyDeleteIt is a bit lame - I can go on and on about the aforementioned mac and cheese recipe, but I LOVE IT. It is so easy to make and throw in leftover meat from the fridge, or some veggies, or some leftover chili, or whatever and it seems like a "real meal" and tastes delicious. I probably use it as base for a meal every other week. I may or may not be married to a man who thinks "if it does not have meat, then it is not a meal" :) I love Frugal Fridays!