This is Why! part 8

Previous entries can be found HERE.

In this final entry for this series, I’m going to share miscellaneous ways I stock my pantry.  These things don’t really fit into any of the other categories we’ve talked about so I just combined them all into this one.

80.      I started out small.  When my husband and I first got married many years ago, I didn’t have a well-stocked pantry … I didn’t even have a pantry … and on top of that we were poor college students with little to no money to work with.  But over time, using the principles I saw my mama use, little by little we began to accumulate a small amount of pantry items.  We had to start at the beginning and work our way up to a well-stocked pantry.

81.       I start with the basics … the foundation/building blocks of a pantry such as butter, flours, milks, etc.  (Everyone’s ‘basics’ will look different.)  This is the foundation of my pantry and is what I focus on stocking first.

82.      I stock comfort foods.  Comfort food for me begins with chocolate so I watch the after holiday sales … Christmas, Valentine, Easter, and Halloween.  When I find chocolate candy on sale for half price or less I stock up. Them I vacuum seal it in jars until needed in baking or as a comfort food.  (Yes, even on a low-carb lifestyle there are times when nothing but chocolate will do!)

83.     I don’t give up.  Many times there has been a lack of money to help stock our pantry but where there is a will there is a way and I’ve been known to get pretty creative with what I’ve had to work with.

84.      I set goals for my pantry.  I take keeping a well-stocked pantry very seriously and make it a priority.

85.     I only stock what my family will eat.  While there is nothing wrong with trying new things, make sure someone in your family will eat it before you add it to your pantry.  Otherwise it’s just something that’s going to sit in your pantry taking up valuable space that could be used to stock something your family will eat.

86.     I stock a variety of foods.  Variety is very important when you’re eating exclusively out of your pantry.

87.     I also stock a variety of spices.  Spices can turn a mediocre dish into a dish that everyone looks forward to.

88.     I never turn down ‘free’ food.  If someone offers to bless me from their abundance, I say ‘thank you,’ and bring it home and preserve it.

89.     I take advantage of ‘free samples.’  I accept all free samples whether we use them or not.  If we won’t use it, I find someone else to bless with it.

90.     I read and research to keep up-to-date on new ways to keep my pantry stocked.

91.     I keep my pantry rotated making sure not to let anything in it expire or ruin.

92.     I write the date purchased on store bought items and the date preserved on home-preserved items before I add them to my pantry and use the oldest first.

93.     I consider water to a part of my pantry and stock accordingly.

94.     I stock homemade convenience foods such as freezer meals that are ready to thaw and cook.

95.     I build up my pantry by knowing what’s in it.  Knowing what’s in my pantry will keep me from adding too much of an item.

96.     I build up my pantry by not wasting what I’ve worked so hard to put in it.

97.    I work on building up my pantry all year long not just when the ‘garden’ is ready to harvest.

98.    I take care of my pantry items by keeping storage conditions suitable to each item.

99.    I use and accept the knowledge that this is my ‘job’ and one way I can contribute economically to our household budget.

100.    Last, but certainly not least, I use a positive can-do attitude to help me keep a well-stocked pantry.

 There you have it, 100 ways I build up and stock my pantry.

I hope this series has been helpful and shown you why everyone should have a well-stocked pantry as well as given you information that you can use to build your own.

Yes, you can have a well-stocked pantry!

Your comments are what will make this series more helpful so please share your wisdom.

To see how I incorporate all these ways in my daily life, join me at A Working Pantry.

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

This is Why! part 7

Previous entries can be found HERE.

Thus far we’ve talked about how I use leftovers to help stock my pantry, how I shop to fill my pantry, how I use the great outdoors to help keep my pantry filled and how I fill my pantry through food preservation.  In this issue we’re going to talk about using our calendars to help us stock our pantries.

Calendars????

Yes ma’am, read on …

In addition to bargain shopping on an ongoing basis for everything we put in our pantry I also shop with a focus using a yearly stock up schedule.  I try to purchase items when they are typically at their lowest prices and for the area I live in it looks like the following …

(I buy as much as I can and preserve it!)

67.   In January I focus on hog jowl and collards

68.  In February I focus on candy.  When I find a good after Valentine Day sale, I stock up and vacuum seal it in jars after I get it home.

69.  In March I focus on meats of all kinds

70.  In April I focus on ham

71.  In May I focus on beef, chicken and strawberries

72.  In June I focus on blueberries and strawberries

73.  In July I focus on beef, chicken and peaches

74.  In August I focus on fruits and vegetables

75.  In September I focus on beef and chicken

76.  In October I focus on candy

77.  In November I focus on celery, canned soups, spices, baking supplies, butter, ham, turkey, cranberries

78. In December I focus on baking supplies, ham, celery, canned soups, spices, butter, candy

79.  In addition to a monthly focus, I throw in a challenge or two throughout the year like  …  ‘this month I want to add 100 items to my pantry’ or a similar challenge.

In case you haven't noticed, I am very serious about keeping a well-stocked pantry!

Okay, I’ve shared with you how I use the calendar to help me fill my pantry, how about you?  Are there certain times of the year when you can get better deals on items you stock in your pantry?

Your comments are what will make this series more helpful so please share your wisdom.

To see how I incorporate all these ways in my daily life, join me at A Working Pantry.

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

This is Why! part 6

Previous entries can be found HERE.

Thus far we’ve talked about how I use leftovers to help stock my pantry, how I shop to fill my pantry and how I use the great outdoors to help keep my pantry filled.  In this issue we’re heading into the kitchen and talk about how I fill my pantry through food preservation.

51.  I re-can store bought #10 cans of food.  I’ve re-canned tomato sauce, bbq sauce, hominy, and black olives, etc with great success.  I’ve found that prices are much cheaper when buying in #10 cans as opposed to smaller containers.

52.  I use a dehydrator and dry fruits, vegetables and herbs.

53.  I use a food chopper to grind dehydrated vegetables into vegetable powders.

54.  I use a food chopper to grind dehydrated fruits into fruit powders.

55.  I vacuum seal and fill my freezer with things such as fruits, vegetables, and meats to name a few.

56.  I pressure can meats, vegetables and nuts.

57.  I use the water bath method for fruits.

58.  I use a vacuum sealing machine to vacuum seal things for the freezer as well as some items that are shelf stable.

59.  I use a vacuum sealing machine along with jar attachments to preserve things such as tea bags, candy, some cereals, etc.

60.  I oven can lots of different things.  

61.  I dry can (pressure can) nutmeats.

61. I make sour kraut by using the method of fermenting.

62.  I make jams and jellies.

63. I make my own beef broth and pressure can it.

64.  I also make my own chicken broth and pressure can it.

65. I render lard using my crockpot.


66. I use a roaster to cook down sauces before canning.


Okay, I’ve shared with you how I use the different methods of food preservation to help fill my pantry, how about you?  What food preservation methods/tools do you use to preserve your food?

Your comments are what will make this series more helpful so please share your wisdom.

To see how I incorporate all these ways in my daily life, join me at A Working Pantry.

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

This is Why! ... part 5

part 5 

Previous entries can be found HERE.

Thus far we’ve talked about how I use leftovers to help stock my pantry and how I shop to fill my pantry.  In this issue we’re heading outside and looking at the ways I build up my pantry using the great outdoors.

38.  We grow a vegetable garden.  We grow most all of our vegetables and then preserve them for use all year long.

39.  I grow culinary herbs.

40.  I grow medicinal herbs.   This year I’m hoping to expand this area of our gardening as I learn more and more about herbs. 

41.  We grow our own fruit in our small orchard. 

42.  We grow strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries apart and separate from our little orchard.

43.  We raise chickens which gives us eggs and meat … and fertilizer for the garden after it has aged.

44.  We forage for nuts, berries, etc.

 45.  I constantly work towards growing and producing as much of our food as possible.

46.  My husband goes fishing.  My husband loves to fish, and we use his catch to add to our pantry.  Currently we have catfish nuggets and crappie in our freezer that he has caught.

47.  My husband hunts occasionally and brings home his bounty to be preserved.

48. We glean from fields in the area where we live … after being given permission by the landowners to do so, of course.  Sweet potatoes and peanuts are the two items we glean most frequently each year.

49.  We grow things inside our greenhouse.

50.  We have raised our own beef in the past and will do so again in the future.   

Okay, I’ve shared with you how I use the great outdoors to help fill my pantry, how about you?  How do you utilize the ‘outdoors’ to help you fill your pantry?

Your comments are what will make this series more helpful so please share your wisdom.

To see how I incorporate all these ways in my daily life, join me at A Working Pantry.

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

This is Why! part 4

Parts 1, 2, and 3 can be found here.

In the last entry we talked about how to use leftovers to help stock our pantries. This week we’re going shopping.  Of course, we stock our pantries by shopping but are we just filling our grocery cart or are we SHOPPING to fill our pantries? 

Here are some ways I shop to fill my pantry ...

16.       I pray about my pantry.  I pray before I shop, while I shop and for pantry stocking wisdom.  Yes, I really do this! 

17.       I make a grocery list and menu before I go shopping.   When I plan my menu before I go shopping my grocery list is a lot smaller.  When I shop from my pantry before I go shopping my grocery list is a lot smaller. You know what this means?  Menu planning and shopping from my pantry leaves more money in my food budget to use on the great deals that I find as I shop! 

18.       I scrutinize grocery store flyers.  I take a marker and circle the items that I’m interested in then I transfer the circled items to my grocery list.  Before I head to the store I check to see if there are any coupons available. 

19.       I use a price book/price sheet.  In order to get the best deals, I have to know what a good price is.  My price book/sheet gives me that information.   

20.      I use coupons IF and ONLY IF it’s for something we use or IF it’s for something new we want to try.  If we won’t use it, I don’t need it in my house!   

  21.     I take advantage of clearance food sales.  

22.       I use the 1 + 1 rule whenever possible.  When I purchase a food item, if possible, I buy an extra one and add it to my pantry. 

23.       I check unit prices.  Sometimes a lower price seems like something really great until you compare unit prices.  Yikes, I want to keep my pantry well-stocked but at the most economical prices, don’t you? 

24.       I ‘know’ the stores I shop at … meaning I know when they usually mark their meat down, where their clearance food is located, what their coupon policy is, whether or not they have a rain check policy and if so, what it is and when their sales start and when they end each week.  I make it my business to know everything about their marketing that I can.  

25.       I shop seasonal sales.  Turkey in November; ground beef and chicken in the summer especially around Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day; ham at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas; cranberries, canned soups, canned vegetables, celery, spices and baking supplies in November and December. 

26.       I buy marked down candy after the holidays.  I bring it home and vacuum seal it in quart or pint jars for later use.  Some examples are:  red hot cinnamons after Valentine’s Day, chocolate after Valentine’s Day/Easter/Halloween/Christmas and candy canes after Christmas. 

27.       I watch for items to go on sale that my family uses on a regular basis.  When I find a sale, I buy as much as my budget will allow using coupons if I have them. 

28.      I buy in bulk.  Some examples are toilet paper, paper towels, all kinds of dried beans, a variety of teas and cooking oils. 

29.       I add items to my grocery list as soon as I open the last one of any items.  This gives me time to restock the item before I need it. 

  30.    I take advantage of Amazon’s subscribe and save program.  

31.       We have grocery stores, etc that we stop in and check for great deals at when we’re out and about running errands … if time permits and we have any money. 

 32.      I shop at farmers markets and roadside stands. 

33.       I shop at Mennonite/Amish non-electric stores.  Twice a year I get to shop at a non-electric Mennonite country store.  I absolutely love it.  This is when I restock my spices as well as other things that are considerably cheaper than mainstream grocery stores. 

34.       I shop at Asian markets.  I get to do this about once every couple of months. 

35.       I shop at warehouse type stores.  The bulk of our grocery shopping is done at Sam’s Club.   

 36.      I shop at dollar stores.   

37.       I shop at discount grocery stores such as Aldi’s and Save-a-lot. 

Okay, I’ve shared with you how I shop to keep my pantry filled, how about you?  What tips do you have that will help us all stretch our food budget and fill our pantries at the same time?

Your comments are what will make this series more helpful so please share your wisdom.

To see how I incorporate all these ways in my daily life, join me at A Working Pantry.

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

This is Why! part 3

Parts 1 and 2 can be found here.

Beginning with this entry and for the remainder of the series I’m going to be sharing with you some practical ways that I build and maintain my well-stocked pantry all the while eating from it daily.  These are all things I have done or am doing.

In this entry we’re going to concentrate on leftovers and how I use them to add to my pantry.  What! You didn’t know you could add to your pantry using leftovers … oh.my.yes!

Let’s get started, shall we?

1.      I save the bones from fried, baked or from deboned chicken … both cooked and raw.  I add them to a freezer bag I keep in the freezer.  I even add the bones leftover from a meal we've eaten after the chicken has been eaten off the bones.  Don’t go ‘eeewwww’ … they’re going to be frozen, cooked, and pressure canned.  Nothing’s going to live through that!  When the bag of bones is full, I dump it out into a pot of water, add a little vinegar, raw garlic and onions and bring it to a gentle boil.  I let it boil gently for 2 – 3 hours then let it cool, strain out the bones and vegetables and pressure can it in quarts or pints.  I have also frozen it if there wasn’t enough for a canner full. By doing this I add nutrient rich chicken broth to my pantry. 

2.      I do the same thing with beef bones … both cooked and raw.   By doing this I add nutrient rich beef broth to my pantry.

3.      Before we leave broth, let me add that I also do this with raw vegetable peelings … I don’t add the vinegar though.   I make sure that I wash the vegetables really well with a vegetable wash.  This is the one that I make and use.  By doing this I add nutrient rich vegetable broth to my pantry.

4.     I make freezer convenience meals by filling up freezer/microwave trays with leftovers and adding them to the freezer part of my pantry.   I’ve even been known to cook extra so I could add a few freezer/convenience meals to my pantry.  I let them thaw in the refrigerator then pop them in the microwave to heat and then eat. 

5.     I keep an ongoing soup bag in my freezer.  Every morsel of food is precious when building up my pantry.  Not enough leftovers for another meal … only a tablespoon full left … no problem … I put it in a freezer container/bag and continue to add to it until the container is full, then use it to make a pot of soup or pot pie, or add to a casserole, etc.

6.     I use leftover raw vegetables from the garden … you know the ones that get too big such as cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, etc or that are left over from a big canning day … maybe I have a cup of raw green beans left. It’s not enough for another canning, not enough for a meal so I stick them in the dehydrator, dry them and then grind them up using a coffee/spice grinder or a food processor/chopper.   The end results are that I add the powdered green beans to my ongoing vegetable powder jar.  I do the same thing with tomato peelings.  I add all kinds of raw/dehydrated/ground up vegetables to my vegetable powder jar on an ongoing basis.  What do I use vegetable powder for?  I sneak small amounts into meatloaf, meatballs, casseroles, hamburger patties, soup, vegetable patties, etc.  Great nutrition from something that usually goes to waste.

7.     I use leftover peelings from lemons.  I wash lemons in the vegetable wash mentioned above.  I zest the lemons then either make lemon extract out of the zest or dehydrate the zest to add to my pantry as dried lemon zest.  I add two things, lemon extract and lemon zest to my pantry from the lemon peels.

8.     I use leftover orange peelings to make dried orange peel for use in recipes using the same method I use for lemons.  I add dried orange peel to my pantry from leftover orange peelings.

9.     I use leftover pieces of fruit to make fruit powder just like the vegetable powder in #6.  I use fruit powder in smoothies and fruit-based deserts.

10.  I make apple cider vinegar using leftover apple peelings.

11.   I make apple jelly from leftover apple peelings.

12.  I make peach jelly from leftover peach peelings.

13.  I make pear jelly from leftover pear peelings.

14.  When I fry bacon, I strain the leftover grease and put it in a freezer container to use for seasoning purposes.

15.   When I have just a little bit of buttermilk leftover from a cooking project, I pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it.  When it is completely frozen, I pop it out and add it to a freezer container for later use.  When I get ready to use it, I let it thaw in the refrigerator, stir it up and use as if it were fresh.

To sum it all up, from leftovers I add chicken broth, beef broth, vegetable broth, freezer/convenience meals, lemon extract, lemon zest, orange peel, vegetable powder, fruit powder, apple cider vinegar, seasoning grease, buttermilk, jelly and bags of ingredients for making soup or casseroles.  Pretty good for leftovers, don’t you think?  

Okay it’s your turn; how do you use leftovers to add to your pantry?  Your comments are what will make this series more helpful so please share your wisdom.

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

This Is Why! ... part 2

Part 2

Before I start sharing specifics of how I keep a well-stocked pantry in this series, I want to share where what grocery money we currently have is coming from.

Remember from the last post this is our situation …

Recently my husband and I received the news that one of our monthly expenses … health insurance, was going to increase substantially.  In the same month we also received news that our income was being reduced substantially as well.  Double whammy!  Our first reaction was dismay, our second reaction was to pray and then we set down with our budget and started making changes to accommodate our new financial situation.  When all was said and done, we had some good news and some bad news … the good news was that we could still pay our bills each month … the bad news was that there was nothing left in the budget for groceries.

Where is our grocery money coming from since we don’t have anything left in the budget for groceries?  Here's what we're currently doing ...

We have a set amount budgeted for auto gasoline and for utilities.  Whatever … if … anything is left from these categories, we use for groceries.  Sometimes its $5, sometimes it might be $10, other times it might be a bit more and then sometimes there’s nothing left.

Also, as we make the last payment on a debt, instead of snow balling that amount into the next smallest debt, we are using it instead for groceries.  By doing this we are slowing down the pace at which we can pay off our debt, but it does allow us to have something each month we can count on to work with.  For instance, we have several medical bills and are making monthly payments on them.  This month we made the final payment on one which will give us $20/month that we can actually depend on/call our grocery budget.  It’s not much, but it’s a start and we are praising God and asking Him to bless us and give us wisdom in spending it.

In addition, we are selling things to supplement what we have to spend whenever possible.

Right now, these are the ways we’re getting the money we spend on groceries.  These methods supplemented with our well-stocked pantry, is how we are able to provide food for ourselves during this lean time … and we are doing good.  So many have expressed concern over our situation and have offered help to us in various forms.  My heart is full and overflowing with love and appreciation for your offers, but we are okay.  Sure, there are things that we would like to have but can’t during this season due to this situation, but that is okay too.  We are taking our needs and wants to God and laying them at His feet in prayer.  So please understand, we are doing good, we are okay … please don’t worry about us.  The only thing I would ask that you do is lift us, and any others who you know that may be going through something similar, in prayer to our Heavenly Father. 

So, how did I get a pantry stocked well enough to be able to weather our current financial storm?  I’ll start sharing specifics on that in part 3.  The goal is to post a new entry every Wednesday ... but don't be upset if it's a day early or late ... I'll do my best to stay on track, but I lead a very busy life ... which is helpful in dealing with this situation ... get busy and stay busy!

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

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

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine