Homemaker's Journal

What's In Your Pantry?

Maintaining a stocked pantry gives your family the security of knowing that you will be okay without going to the store for several months if necessary, due to life's interruptions, whether foreseeable or not. 

This is not a new concept, as a matter of fact only within the last decade or so have people not maintained a stocked pantry. In generations past, the shopping was only done once or twice a month and families canned the fruits and veggies from their gardens to last until the next growing season.

Now a days, you never know when weather, financial problems, personal illness or that of a family member will keep you from shopping. You also save money by avoiding those trips to the store to pick up "just one thing" and walk out with a full basket.

In effect you are creating your own grocery store of items that your family eats. 

You want to use some of the same principles as the grocery store as well. Keep like items together, placing the most currently purchased item in the back and the oldest in the front of your pantry. This is called rotating your inventory and is used to keep your items from expiring before they are used.

Canned and dried items, as a rule,  will last for a couple years. Expiration dates or 'use by' dates are written on most food products and are always very conservative. 

You can find a number of recipes for using the canned goods right on the cans. Do some experimenting before you find yourself in a situation where replacing the groceries isn't feasible.

[Side Bar: We also pre-mix dry recipes that we use on a regular basis such as biscuits, cakes, brownies, cookies, pancakes, and bean soup mixes in canning jars to store in the pantry. By doing this when there is time, we save time when we need them and are more likely to enjoy these family recipes. We just put the liquid that needs to be added and cooking directions on the label]

We also use the recipes and the pantry goods when camping. It's much easier to take a box of cans and some dry goods, than it is worrying about where to get ice in the woods for the cooler.

We recently held a pantry party for a newly married young couple where each person attending brought an item for the pantry, a dish to pass that was made of that item and the recipe for the dish for the couple. It was a simple, fun, casual and very thoughtful event.

Having said  all that, here is a quick and easy way to create a list of the most common and useful items to store, for your family.  

Firstly, always shop with a list. If you should buy additional items write them on your list. Save and date your lists for one month. Or you could save the cash register receipts for a month, but lists are easier to read.

Create a master list from the lists that shows not only the item, but the number of times that it was purchased in that month. Not only will this help you to buy for your pantry, but also show you your shopping patterns and budget for a month.

Watch the sales. When items on your master list are on sale (or you have coupons for them) buy enough for four to six months. By using this method, your expiration dates will be varied. Don't forget the canned meats, toiletries, paper goods, pet food, canned drinks, water and household items.

Remember to rotate your inventory.

Now, let me say this about that. We have two pantries, the one in the laundry area is our 'grocery store'. The pantry in the kitchen is for items that have been opened and we are working out of those packages, also for canned goods that we use daily, such as soups and gravies. We do keep back ups of these in our 'grocery store'. 

Also keep in mind that you want to keep your pantry at a moderate temperature for longer shelf life, not too hot or too cold.

Being ready for whatever life hands you is just common sense. Enjoy the peace of mind you gain with your new pantry.