How a Full Pantry Saves You Money

by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

How much food is in your pantry? The more you have could mean the more you save. Here are six rules to help you stock up simply and inexpensively.

Call it obsession or maybe just a legacy from my Depression-era grandparents, who kept their larders full, but I have a well stocked, full to brimming over pantry. I have always shopped ahead and stocked up, but after moving to a larger home last year with incredible storage space in the basement, I have fulfilled my dream of having a full pantry.

With today’s unstable economy, having a full pantry is protection against high prices and provisions for tomorrow. My full pantry allows me to avoid unnecessary trips to the supermarket, saving time, money and gas.

It is easy to start stocking a pantry. There are just a few rules that make it simple and even inexpensive.

Rule #1: Buy only what the family will use.

Filling a pantry with items that family members may not like or things that may never be used defeats the purpose of building a stockpile of food.

Rule #2: Stock up with sale items.

Don’t rush out to buy six cans of spaghetti sauce or four boxes of macaroni and cheese. Wait for a sale. Most supermarkets put out a weekly sale ad so watch for favorite products and brands to go on sale. In addition, some markets offer in-store savings on select items so be a savvy shopper and search the shelves for bargains. When the spaghetti sauce is at a low sale price, that is the time to stock up with several to store on the shelf.

See A Grocery Stockpiling Guide: How and When To Save

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Rule #3: Use coupons.

Many Sunday newspapers still offer coupon inserts and other coupons are in many mailers. However, online sites like Coupons.com and grocery apps offer digital versions of the same coupons. Often, manufacturers put out coupon savings at about the same time as their products go on sale at the supermarket, providing a chance for even greater savings. Better yet, find a supermarket that offers double coupons or even triple coupon events to increase the savings!

Rule #4: Prepare the space for your pantry.

Whether it is an empty kitchen cabinet, a freestanding shelf, a hutch, or basement shelves, utilize any open space for food storage. My basement came equipped with many shelves and bonus kitchen cabinets, installed by a former owner. Remember that any space used as a pantry should be cool and dry. Most garages and outside storage buildings get too hot or cold to serve as safe storage space for food.

Rule #5: Once you have a pantry established, remember to rotate.

Put the newest items in the back and use the first one in line. This is easier to do if you organize the food on the pantry shelves, like item with like item. I keep condiments like ketchup, mustard, and salad dressings together with each item in a row of its own.

Rule #6: Don’t buy more than you can ever use.

Once into the routine of planning and stocking a pantry, it is easy to get carried away, but don’t buy more than can be used within a reasonable amount of time. Keep track of use-by dates on products, plan ahead, and if more than three squeeze bottles of mustard won’t be used by that time, don’t buy more.

With these simple tips and money saving ideas, anyone can stock a pantry, saving money and limiting trips to the market. A plus is that a well-stocked pantry can save the day during weeks when money is short or the weather limits shopping. The key to a well-fed family on a budget is a well-stocked pantry!

Reviewed September 2023

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