Stocking the pantry for Fall/Winter

[MsDisney23]

So today DH and I are going to Shop Rite for their annual can-can sale. We start every July stocking our pantry for the Fall/Winter. We've been doing this for years, and just love that I hae my own grocery store in the basement. It is so easy and the savings are huge!

Dos anyone else stocked a pantry for the months ahead?

 

[java]

I"m just coming home from vacation so I gave not seen the flyer yet but I do stock up on some vegetables although I do have to watch the sodium for myself. Anything good in the flyer?

 

[thebigkahuna]

I don't have a pantry, so no stockpiles of canned goods for me.
If I buy 2 cans of something, that's considered "stocking up" in my house

 

[sbell111]

We don't do this for a few reasons:

1. I'm not aware of any large price difference on canned goods during the winter.
2. We typically don't buy canned veggies. We prefer frozen.

 

[njcarita]

i usually do better with coupons during the year than with the shoprite can can sale...

but I do agree with stockpiling items..... right now my freezer is bare and so are my cabinets.... but by winter they will be stocked.... with almost or nearly free items to get us thru the winter ....( husbands business has been slow the last 2 winters)... so I'm planning ahead....

 

[DreadpiratK]

Just picked 20 pounds of Blueberries, so those go in the freezer (except for the ones going into muffins of course) along with the 40 pounds of stawberries we picked last month.

That's about it until local sweet corn comes in, then we buy a few bushels from a local farmer and can it for the winter. Little by little we stock up until by the time the garden produce is canned we have a good supply. One of the nice things about living in farm country, you can PYO for most fruits, and buy almost anything else by the roadside fresh picked and cheap. We usually pick several bushels of apples as well, some for canning as apple sauce, and harder varieties just to keep. We just used up the ones we picked last fall a few weeks ago.

We did find that the Dollar Tree has recently gotten in a load of pasta, 2 lb bags for $1. My DW says that's a good price and it's good quality, so we are stopping at various Dollar Trees in the area and buying 10 or so bags at a time to stock up.

Seriously, I know it sounds a little tin foil hatty, but the way things are going in this country, a few weeks worth of food supply is a very good idea right now. The food supply in this country is far more vulnerable to things like hyper-inflation and other economic disasters then most people realize.

 

[budbeerlady]

I don't have a pantry, so no stockpiles of canned goods for me.
If I buy 2 cans of something, that's considered "stocking up" in my house

To make some storage space I have been making sure all the "furniture" I buy has some built in storage space. The antique dry sink I had to have has 2 shelves inside the bottom. Hold my veggies and pasta sauces. Dd's toy room has my extra laundry detergents hidden behind the door. I have a small space but I keep trying to pack it in.

We do stock up. Dh doesn't often get paid for a month or so in the winter so I try to stock pile when we have the cash. I am eagerly waiting for our local chains canned good sale when they are 3/$1 instead of $.79 each! I buy a tray of french style beans, cut green beans, yellow corn and creamed corn to balance out what we have canned or frozen.

 

[Local_Girl]

Seriously, I know it sounds a little tin foil hatty, but the way things are going in this country, a few weeks worth of food supply is a very good idea right now. The food supply in this country is far more vulnerable to things like hyper-inflation and other economic disasters then most people realize.

I don't think it sounds "tin foil hatty" at all, lol. I think a well stocked pantry (read that, surplus) of food is a prudent measure during tough economic times. I've always tried to stock up when I find great deals on staple items. Having extra on hand can help a family (or even extended family or friends, if necessary) through a tough economic time, such as a layoff. We know this from personal experience. Very useful, IMHO.

 

[MsDisney23]

Back home, we spent $312.00 and saved over $150.00

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Never been to ShopRite. I know we have one near us. What type of costs do you get with the can-can sale. Right now I can get a can of veggies for around .33cents to .50cents depending on the veggies. Fruits are much higher.

Also, is this better than PriceRite? That store just went in a few weeks ago?

 

[DreadpiratK]

I don't think it sounds "tin foil hatty" at all, lol. I think a well stocked pantry (read that, surplus) of food is a prudent measure during tough economic times. I've always tried to stock up when I find great deals on staple items. Having extra on hand can help a family (or even extended family or friends, if necessary) through a tough economic time, such as a layoff. We know this from personal experience. Very useful, IMHO.

Plus, you just never know when the Zombie Apocalypse will hit!

 

[jedijill]

Plus, you just never know when the Zombie Apocalypse will hit!

It may be sooner than you think! Zombies reported in Portland!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38178388/ns/local_news-portland_or?Gt1=43001

Jill in CO

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

if anything is on sale that we use, I stock up be it the freezer or pantry! and if I have coupons on the sale items, I double stock!

 

[jerseygirl81]

I can't say its a big savings for me but every but adds up. I buy a case of canned tomatoes for making spagetti sauce when the Shoprite has the can can sale and I buy soup. Linda

 

[winniedapooh]

I do out an inventory list of all of the toiletries, laundry and cleaning supplies, and paper products I will need twice a year. I adjunct teach in the spring and fall and use those "extra checks" along with coupons to stockpile! With 5 kids, DH & I this has worked really well. I have this really neet Excel Spread sheet I made that gives the product, how much I estimate I will need, and how many I have. After every shopping trip, I update it and print it out again. I have done this since the fall of 2008 and LOVE IT! This year I added in summer lunch quickies for the kids: peanut butter, jelly, jam, fluff, soup, spaghettio's (blech), tuna, etc.

 

[3girlsfun]

I have been thinking about doing this with a few things. But, I haven't yet. I do meal plans, and lists, and only buy what is on the list. I have been spending between $300-400 for our family of five. This includes food, paper items, diapers, formula, baby food, etc.

I read about a lady who went to Sam's once a year (after she got her tax return) and bought all the toilet paper, paper towels, detergent, dish washing detergent, etc. that her family of 6 would need for the year. I thought is was a pretty nifty idea. She said she spent about $1500 for this shopping trip, once a year.

I do use a lot of canned veggies either bc of the sodium, but, when I do, I always drain the water from the canned veggies.

 

[dvcfamily41801]

Back home, we spent $312.00 and saved over $150.00

Holy can! Thank you for now having that commercial/song stuck in my head!!!

K need a picture now of what $312.00 worth of cans looks like!!

How are ya doing? Long time no talk!!

 

[annsteere]

We keep a stockpile in the basement laundry room. Not a well balanced, three month food supply. But, whatever I've seen at a stock-up price.

So right now I've got tomato soup (6 cents/can), brownie mixes (less than a quarter), lots of pasta but not a lot of canned vegetables. In a few months, the stock might be very different.

I DO stock up on red peppers in the fall. When they are abundant, they get cheap. I buy 30, chop up, and freeze in individual baggies. (Use cheap dollar store baggies stored inside good quality freezer quart ziploc bags. The small baggies are about a penny each and get trashed as I go. The outer bag can be reused).

When my parents had a farm, I canned and froze veggies and fruit. No more.

 

[missysid]

We live in the rural country so I try to keep 6-8 months of all non perishable supplies on hand if not more. With winter months or busy summer months we can not always make it to the store on short notice.

We have a pantry room in our basement (size is 12 X 10) and it has rolling shelves and cabinets set up to hold boxes and cans. We also have a large garden and can all of our extra fruit and veggies for use in winter months. For instance last years apple crop was huge. We put up over 100 quarts of apple sause, just shy of 70 pints applesauce. Way to much for 1 year but canned the right way it will last 1-5 years in the right conditions. Always nice when a crop fails one year. We store enough potatoes, onions, and pumpkins to last until the next season in the cold room.

I think stocking up is a great idea. It has made life simple for our family, saved us money, and prepared us for the unknown. A friend just lost her job on Friday and is not sure where her grocery money is coming from. We can help her out with items. But we feel better knowing if that happens to us we will not have to worry about that expense for a while.

With all of the sales and free items we have about a year or two of Health and beauty items. Love having that stocked when the boys yell "mom we are out of deo". No stinky boys here