~ from my home to yours, living the Working Pantry lifestyle ~ surviving today's economy ~ a can-do spirit and attitude ~

Friday, September 23, 2022

Pantry Building Challenge 2022: #1

I hear from others that they don't know where to start when it comes to building a well-stocked pantry.   They see the need but just don't know how to go about achieving anything beyond providing daily meals for their family.

Starting today and every Friday until the end of the year, I'll be issuing a weekly challenge that will provide anyone serious about building a well-stocked pantry a place to start.  Well experienced pantry builders are invited to join in the challenges as well!

For this week's challenge let's keep it simple ...

Choose a grocery item that your family uses for $1 or less and buy 2 of them.  When you get home with your items, put one in your working pantry (for use now) and the other one away in your long-term pantry.  I find it helpful to use a sharpie and write the best buy date or expiration date on the container where it's easily seen. (Don't have a long-term pantry, create one by utilizing a plastic tub with lid until you can reorganize your home to include space for a well-stocked pantry.  We'll talk about some options/places for storing a long-term pantry throughout your home as we go along in this challenge.)  Put your one item in the tub, unless it's a frozen item of course, and put the tub in a closet or in some out of the way place. Every week we're going to add to this tub through different challenges and watch our pantry grow.

That's it!  You have now started to build your well-stocked long-term pantry.  

Be sure to come back here and leave a comment telling us what you purchased.  I'll post a picture of what I purchased in next week's pantry building challenge.

Let's do this!

Don't forget that you can check on the progress of my ‘September Goals’ by clicking HERE

Until next time, 

patsi ... 42 years' experience of frugal living and pantry building (if you include my frugal childhood, well that would add a few more years to my experience!)

A Working Pantry

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine 

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

A Working Pantry is a way of life, a lifestyle if you will!

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.' 

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Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.


12 comments:

  1. Hi! I'll have to think long and hard about an item for the pantry the is $1. Not many things are $1 or less these days. Mmmmmmm

    Coleen

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    1. Coleen, so true, prices are definitely increasing, it seems, almost weekly. Take a look around your kitchen and home, is there something you use on a regular basis that is equal to or less than $1?

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  2. Today I went to Dollar Tree and purchased two scrub sponges. One will be used now, the other will be for the long-term pantry. Next I went to Dollar General to use my $5 off $25 coupon to purchase aloe vera lotion for sunburns next summer, one package of soap (with an extra $1.00 off coupon) and extra light bulbs (no coupons, paid full-price, hate to do that). I did a walk through at the thrift store where I have a long list of items I need but found nothing.

    I have been planning for a while and my long term pantry items are dumped in a pile in the corner of the basement. Last week I ordered a shelf from Amazon and it arrived bent. They are going to replace it but the new one won't arrive until the end of October. It's not a problem. Just knowing there are extra supplies in the basement gives me peace of mind.

    The window of opportunity to get food at a reasonable price is quickly closing. Now is the time to prepare.

    Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry

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    1. Jeannie, scrub sponges are a great idea!

      I hate to pay full price for anything too, but sometimes it just has to be. When that's the case, I just pay it and move on knowing that I've done the best I could.

      Having extra in your pantry does indeed bring peace of mind. I agree about the reasonable prices, they are quickly becoming a thing of the past.

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    2. It is now common for us to sit down to eat and comment that we are glad we stocked up on a particular food when we did because the price is out of budget now.

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    3. Lana, its the little things that make life pleasant. My husband loves olives on his salads. They are imported from Spain so I knew that would end quickly. I bought about three cases when they were $.99 a jar and shoved them in an upstairs closet. He gasped when he saw the price the last time we went to the store and put the jar back on the shelf. I told him we have plenty at home and he looked so happy.
      Jeannie

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  3. We start with shelf staple foods we like and will eat, like tuna fish, peanut butter, crackers, even canned soups & prepared rice in the small plastic pouches. Added to that is bottled water. It was a life saver it the Texas storm of 2021 which left us along with many parts of Texas without electricity for 10+ days. Love this and will be following along. The small plastic tub is a great idea - to then move into an used closet. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Agent X, not, thank you for your sweet words of encouragement! We live in hurricane country, so we are well acquainted with surviving off-grid during long-term power outages! Shelf stable foods are a must in a grid-down event!

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  4. I have never commented but I love that you are doing the pantry challenge again. I truly enjoy reading all your tips (plastic bin) and seeing what others purchase. I also enjoyed the last challenge when you picked letters of the alphabet. Thank you for bringing this back. I look forward to reading it each Friday.

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    1. Anonymous, thank you, I have some, what I think are, fun ways to add to our pantry this time around. I hope you enjoy some of the old, mixed with lots of new ones!

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  5. I love your challenges, Patsi. I added 2 boxes of apple cranberry herbal tea from the Dollar Tree. Ours still has things for $1. Each box has 20 tea bags and the tea is strong enough to get 2 cups per bag. It makes a lovely hot drink on a cold day or evening. Blessings, Cookie

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