Wednesday, January 28, 2009

The Pantry Principle

I've wanted to share this idea for awhile but I needed to get my pantry cleaned up first!! =) I was telling my daughter-in-law about it and I realized that maybe others didn't know about it either. I learned about this years ago as a young wife from Barbara Salsbury She wrote a preparedness book that I devoured and I have been practicing her ideas ever since. (I don't think the book is still in print-but she has others)

She taught me the "Pantry Principle." It is an invaluable tool when first starting to build a food storage. It can seem so OVERWHELMING at first.

Simply defined, the Pantry Principle means to FIRST plan your meals around what you already have in your pantry/refrigerator/freezer. SECOND, check the food ads to see what is on sale to plan the purchases you could add to your food storage or to supplement your menu. This frees up a little more grocery money so that you can buy that extra can of soup or bottle of ketchup-only if it is on sale.

I think you would be surprised at how much stuff you already have available at home. After I told my daughter-in-law about this, she called me back and excitedly told me that she had enough food in her pantry to make meals for TWO WEEKS without having to go to the grocery store, except for maybe some fresh produce.

Keep doing this week after week and eventually you will be able to accumulate enough food that you'll be able to buy what you need only when it is on sale. You can go "grocery shopping" in your pantry! That's a pretty good "principle" if you ask me.

11 comments:

Patrice said...

Great ideas! Keep 'em coming!

Lisa said...

Very cool! Thanks for helping me out!

Kassi Jane said...

thanks for more advice!

Allyson said...

I agree! I'm trying to learn this principle right now!

Rhonda said...

I love it. Your pantry looks fab! I'm working on my storage, slowly but surely and trying to learn to cook with it at the same time. I have a friend that has a food storage room and she dumps it every 8 yrs and buys new stuff because she doesn't rotate or know how to use it. Makes me sick to think of all that waste. It's defeating the point!

Da Bergs said...

GREAT post!!! And, man, you have inspired me to go clean my pantry!!! My hubby will thank you! (and so do I)

Da Bergs said...

Okay. I had to go back and look at the pic of your pantry. WHERE on Earth do you keep your cereals? You chips? Okay. Maybe you dont eat that junk...???!!!

Nancy Face said...

I do a lot of that...it's great! :)

Momza said...

Is it wrong to covet someone's pantry?
Love the ideas!

Momzoo said...

grocery shopping out of my pantry is something I am slowly learning how to do...thanks for the reminder.

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home said...

Good ideas. I only wish I had a pantry this big!