Things You'll Need:
- Storage space (cool, dry and off the floor)
- Storage containers (plastic totes or bins, Tupperware, Ziploc bags, or a food heat sealer)
- A notebook for keeping records
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Step 1
Review your current menus and food choices. Decide which foods would be most appropriate to buy in bulk, typically any food you eat twice a week or more. Review your favorite recipes, and see if you can create "shelf stable" versions. Replace milk in recipes with canned milk, or fresh salmon with canned salmon. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite shelf stable recipes is creamed salmon, which starts as simple as a can of salmon and a can of evaporated milk.
To truly save money and be happy, your food storage should consist of food that you like, and enjoy eating. A disaster is not going to be any fun if your food storage is a 15 lb. can of rolled oats, and no one at your house likes to cook or eat oats. We also want to rotate the food in our storage and use it up regularly, so it needs to be products and meals that everyone will eat.
Canned fruits and vegetables are surprisingly nutritious. Not quite as good as fresh, but typically good sources of vitamins and minerals. -
Step 2
Start saving money on your regular purchases by buying in bulk. If you are on a tight budget, it can be hard to buy a whole case of a product, but try to slowly build up your inventory. Use a notebook to record the prices of your purchases always. This is especially important when buying in bulk, because you don't want to overspend. Record low prices from the newspaper and ads. Learn the lowest you can possible pay for a few good staples. Generally breakfast cereal is significantly cheaper in bigger boxes.
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Step 3
Package your food very well for storage, so you don't lose any of it. This is often the reason that individuals or small families can't really buy larger boxes and cases; because it might go to waste or get stale or inedible.
When you buy large boxes or bags of pasta, cereal or even lollipops, consider dividing them into smaller bags that can be individually sealed and carefully stored in your bins or even in your freezer. Products in cardboard boxes, for example, like my favorite cheap potato flakes, really need to be transferred to a waterproof container, or sealed in individual bags. Then you have all the convenience of individual packaging with the box price discount. This works great with breakfast cereal, don't ever leave the last part to get soggy in a curled up bag!! There are starving kids in China that don't have any Froot Loops at all. -
Step 4
Rotate your stock as it begins to grow. Use your notebook to record the price of all your pantry items (based on unit of weight to be exact). Buy low, and when you know that you are paying a low price, buy lots. When you add new boxes and products to your stored food bin, write the date of purchase and the date of expiration on them with magic marker. Remove a few of the older items, to be "eaten up" and let your newest items go to the back of the line. If there are any foods in there that you don't like to eat, don't buy those anymore, and consider donating what you have before it expires.
Keep your notebook handy at all times, and take it shopping with you. You can tape an envelope inside your notebook and keep your shopping receipts in there. You will need to have your receipts if you want to return anything to the store (and when you buy a whole case of something, you will want to return it if it is unsatisfactory for any reason before its expiration date).
Comments
LilacGirl said
on 8/23/2009 Being prepared is always a good idea. Great suggestions and practical advice.
LuckyAngel said
on 7/30/2009 I have a can of salmon and evaporated milk right now. I'm going to need that creamed salmon recipe :) This is a great article.