Stockpile Your Pantry!

This is a picture of my pantry after a few weeks of triple coupons and super doubles at Harris Teeter. I am well stocked on the essentials! Keep in mind I live in a household of two people and I shop for myself. Because of this, I don't need many multiple items in order to feed a family and my essentials last much longer. For all of you working professionals out there that are single, or a household of two or three, let me show you how you can save on your grocery bill. Follow along with me as I "Cook from the Pantry" over the next month and show you how to make healthy, more impressive, delicious meals for one or two with everyday items from your pantry. I will share with you how to stock your pantry, why it is an important and key part of saving money on your groceries, and how to cook using these ingredients. You'll find a weekly post with me checking in to share new recipes and ways to use your stockpile and stretch your dollars.

My challenge? Eat from the pantry for a month, creating delicious and healthy recipes from every day items. My weekly budget will be $20 to spend at the grocery store for fresh produce and proteins, but the rest will come from my stockpile (pantry and freezer). This low budget will allow for me to save on my grocery bill for the month, while making use of items I already have.

--Savvyteacher

Finally, an organized stockpile!

I have been eyeing this piece of furniture at Crate & Barrel for the last month. QQ and I have been looking for something for this spot for quite some time. As I have ventured into the world of coupons and stockpiling we have realized how much we need a piece of furniture to store stuff in our "cozy" hallway downstairs. We don't have a great deal of kitchen storage space so it has been a bit of a challenge. When friends come over they have noticed the growing pile in the hallway. I hate that. We bought it last night for $299.99 and QQ put it together when we got home.

I am grateful that I no longer worry about tripping over my pile on my way through the hallway. My new problem is...how do I reorganize all my food storage. As I was surveying all the food to put away, I was amazed at how much there was. I have a ton and I have only done this for 5 months. What is even more amazing is that most of what went into the cabinet was free or just a few pennies! I am sure that it would have cost at least $300 at typical grocery prices.

It was all a bit overwhelming to organize last night and I was tired. I threw it in to get it out of the way. I'm going to spend some time today figuring out what would work best. Because the cabinet has glass doors on it, I think I am going to start collecting baskets on sale and move things to baskets. (Thanks Savvyteacher for that idea!) This way it will look nice in the hallway and be quite functional too!