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

Friday, September 30, 2022

Pantry Challenge 2022: #2

 I got such good feedback on bringing back my pantry challenges, thank you for your encouragement!

So, how did you do with this week's challenge ...

Choose a grocery item that your family uses for $1 or less and buy 2 of them.

I heard from some of you that this was going to be difficult as hardly anything is $1 or less anymore.  That's true, but some things still are!

I took myself off to the local Dollar General Store and headed for their $1 section.  Did you know that Dollar General Stores have a whole section where they shelf things that are $1?

 Here's what I got ...


Two bottles of shampoo ...
(Each bottle was $1)


Two boxes of soap (each box has 2 bars) ...
(Each box was $1)


and two boxes of toothpaste.
(Each box was $1)

While these items are not food items, they are things that we use on a regular basis that falls under the title of 'groceries' at my house.

How did you do on this challenge?  What did you find for $1 or less?

Our challenge for next week takes us in a different direction and it starts by answering this question ...

How many quarters do you currently have in your purse?  That's right, it's time to go digging in your purse, dump it all out, look in all the crevices, pockets, wallets, zipper bags etc that you have in your purse.  How many quarters did you find?

Add that many items to your pantry this week?

Didn't find any quarters?  Pick a number between 1 and 5 and add that many items to your pantry this week!

You've heard me say many times that my pantry consists of anything and everything that it takes to keep my household running including food and non-food items.  Don't forget that when stocking your pantry!  Also, don't forget that stocking your pantry doesn't always have to cost money.  We can add to our pantries through foraging, swapping, harvesting from the garden, bartering, etc.  If you have a lot of quarters in your purse, you may need to think about utilizing some of these ideas to meet this challenge!

One more thing, remember that this challenge is for stocking your long-term pantry.  If at all possible, don't use the items from this challenge to go into your 'working pantry.'  Put them in your long-term pantry if you have one or in the tub we started last week until you can find a more permanent place for storing your pantry.  Speaking of where to store your long-term pantry may I offer the suggestion of the space under your beds.  Get tubs that will slide under your bed, label them and start filling them up.

I can't wait to read your responses next week!

 I'm off to start this challenge by finding out how many quarters I have hiding in my purse!

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

Until next time, 

patsi      

Sharing 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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23 comments:

  1. This past week I added to cans of black beans, 2 cans of chick peas, 2 cans of condensed milk, 2 cans of tinned tomatoes. The tomatoes were 75c each, the rest of the cans were 99c each.
    Here in Australia we have 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c and $1 and $2 coins. Bluey and I save all our gold coins($1 & $2). We save these in a tin and this is what we use for Christmas and special celebrations.
    I will be picking a number of items to add to the pantry.

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    1. Jane, you found several things for $1 or less, way to go! It can be done, look at the variety of things you found!

      That's a good tip on saving certain coins for Christmas and special celebrations.

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  2. Bought a case (12 cans) of garbanzo beans (.79/can). We store them under the bed right in the open case box. Closets are another good storage space. My baking long-term supplies are wrapped in plastic in tubs in my closet.
    --Frances in the Trailer Park

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    1. Frances, Great job! Yes, closets are another good place for storage. I have done the same thing with long-term baking supplies after they've spent some time in the freezer to get rid of insect eggs.

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  3. Good morning! Thinking of you, as Ian makes his way to your neck of the woods. Hoping you don't get too much damage or lose power for too long.

    Great buy on the V05 -- my favorite! I did not shop groceries this week or last, but need to get out today or tomorrow. My plans for the $1 challenge is to stock up on cough drops, something I discovered I need to replenish. What I had in my bathroom stash had gotten so sticky that you couldn't remove the wrappers. I'm guessing they were 5+ years old? As I was cleaning, I pitched them, they were so bad. I'm a single person household and have not had too many colds since I retired 3 years ago, since I'm not mingling with a lot of people on pubic transit every day. So, I don't use a lot of them, but feel the need to be prepared, in the event that I do. Meijer has their store brand on sale for $1.69, which is a good deal. They'll go in my current rotation, but will last me for a good long time. I currently carry 2 quarters for Aldi carts (one for me, and another in case someone doesn't have one), so will post up those purchases in the coming days.

    Stay safe!

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    1. Lori, the past 24 hours have been filled with some rough weather but thankfully the worst appears to be over. A great deal of our area lost power, but we did not! We were thankful all over again that the power company has recently buried our power lines underground. If they had still been strung from pole to pole we would have lost power too!

      That's a good idea about the cough drops, I agree, it's always best to be prepared if you can.

      Thank you for thinking of us during Hurricane Ian.

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    2. I grabbed cough drops while I was out, and I'm glad I did. My allergies have kicked in and I've got that "tickle" that just won't go a way! I put the rest of the bag in a pint canning jar with an oxygen absorber to (hopefully) keep them from getting soft and sticky over time. Will see how that goes.

      This week, I focused on getting my pantry back in order. I pulled everything, sorted, checked dates, and pitched that which had a long-passed "use by" date and items I know I brought with me when I moved here in 2016. And, while at it, I set aside for donation items that were still good but wouldn't be used before expiration -- I use sauerkraut once a year, maybe enough for 2-3 reuben sandwiches around St. Pat's. Why do I have 4 large cans of it in my pantry? While cleaning the pantry, I updated my inventory list that helps me insure that I have what I'd need in case of an emergency. For this week's challenge, I added 2 cans of tomato paste to my pantry, and will add 2 more when I see them on sale. I put up my own tomatoes and spaghetti sauce, but do not have the patience to cook them down to make paste.

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  4. I haven't been to Dollar General in a long time. The one by my house caught on fire, and they renovated it, but I haven't been in yet. I need to go! Funny, I used to use that Strawberries & Cream shampoo many years ago. Smells so good! I have cut my hair super short, so I have just been using baby wash/shampoo or a body wash/shampoo/bubble bath combo I got on Amazon to save time and money, but that strawberry would be a nice addition. Thanks for all your tips!

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    1. Kathy, You're welcome! The strawberry and cream shampoo does indeed smell nice!

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  5. Along with the apple cranberry tea that I reported earlier I was able to get two boxes of pasta at the Dollar Tree at a later time. I also added two quarts of no'mato soup to the freezer for long term storage. Due to a medical condition that has to do with histamine and mast cells I cannot eat anything canned, and precious few things that are dehydrated because of their histamine levels. Everything must be fresh or frozen. Thankfully we have a whole house generator in case of power outages.

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    1. Cookie, I haven't been in our local Dollar Tree in several weeks! That apple cranberry tea sounds delicious, refresh my memory please, is this a tea that you make or buy? Pasta is a staple at our house!

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  6. We haven't done any shopping this week but last week we purchased 25 pounds of apples for $10 and today while the weather has been wild we got all of them made into applesauce and canned. Cost came to 60 cents per jar and we are well stocked for the year.

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    1. Lana, our weather has been wild too! Hurricane Ian left us with a lot of clean-up in our yard! That's a good breakdown price on the applesauce and you just can't beat homemade!

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    2. Our yard is covered in debris too. The neighbor kids will be happy to earn some money cleaning it up!

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  7. Green beans are one of my favorite canned vegetables, and Double Luck is the tastiest of the canned green beans. I found Double Luck green beans for $0.69/can and bought 11. I thought I had 10, but I was too busy checking for dents. I intend to get these as long as they are this price because this brand will no longer be in our area.

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    1. Practical Parsimony, sounds like you are being wise and prudent!

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  8. Patsy, I think your pantry challenges are great fun, not to mention a great way to focus on the pantry tasks at hand. We shopped last week so won't be going again for a week or two. Last week our Harris Teeter had canned garbanzo beans for under a dollar so I bought 4. We're not fans of garbanzo beans, but have recently heard that they're a good snack after dehydrating. They also had boston butts on sale for $.99 a pound so we bought 2! They are prepped and ready to be canned for pulled pork today. Our next good buy wasn't under a dollar, but the Lord directed me to a sale and I found a like new Corsori dehydrator for $50. I had prayed and He made a way!!! Now, I'm praying for a grain mill. God absolutely takes care of our every need! I love Lori's idea of carrying two Aldi quarters! I will be doing that. (We're blessed, so many times our Aldi customers often pass their carts on to the next customer.) Patsy, thank you for your faithfulness to us.

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    1. Jan, you got some really good buys! Don't you just love the way the Lord shows up, His ways are unlimited in His provision for His children! Thank you for your sweet words of encouragement! You made my evening!

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  9. Patsy I hope you dont have damage from the hurricane, I heard it headed into the Carolinas. Sometimes we can get a can of tomatoes, corn ... a few things for $1 but it has to be a big sale. If so I buy quite a few. You did well with your selection! xxx

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    1. Anonymous, Hurricane Ian did hit in our area, but thankfully we didn't get much damage. We spent almost a full day cleaning up the yard of debris and putting things back where they belonged after the wind blew them around, but we feel blessed that that was all.

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  10. A local store had a good sale this past week which was the first fantastic deal I have seen in months. They had canned tomatoes marked down to $.14 each!!!!! You had to buy at least 5 to get that price. I asked the manager if she had enough for everyone and if so could I load up my basket? She said they had plenty and please, help myself. I did. I filled up my basket half way with of all the different varieties. They don't expire until 2024. They will be shoved in a closest upstairs and next gardening season, I will be able to plant less tomatoes. The space can be used to grow something else.

    Since I don't usually shop there, I looked around and found apple cider vinegar for $2.49 which is the old price. Everyone now is charging $3.49 or more. I picked up two for pickling season next year.

    It was such a great blessing but one I would have missed if I hadn't been diligently checking the sales of every single store every week.

    Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry

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    1. Jeannie, you hit the jackpot! Great tip about checking the sales ads every week!

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