Simple Ways your Pantry Can Help You Save Money

The pantry is the keeper of the food, making it the most important area in the kitchen next to the refrigerator and stove.

One of the ways to save money on your grocery bill monthly is by making sure that the pantry is well organized and well equipped, which is easier said than done.

We’ve all been there…. when you open your pantry and you can’t make heads or tails of it or you go to the store and come back with cream of mushroom only to discover you have 6 more cans at home (nearing expiration no less!).

So what should you do to make sure the pantry is helping you save money?

Pantry List

Everyone has different things they need in their pantry. If I should you ours you’d think we were condiment and cereal crazy but hey it works. Some have a huge stock of baking staples, it just depends on your family. But having a list or an inventory is a great tool.

Here is a free printable list we have on the blog to help you figure out what you have and how many of what you have in stock. We keep this taped to the inside of one of the doors so it’s there IN OUR FACE when we are wondering. 

Pantry Fast

Yes STARVE your Pantry. If your pantry is like ours and occasionally seems to be too full (a blessing indeed), we stop buying.

There have been times, when for a week or two I will only buy fresh fruits, veggies and milk as needed until our pantry comes back under control. Yes …..as couponers we all love to stockpile BUT we want to make sure we are familiar with what we have, what we will actually use, as well as the expiration date of what we have on hand to avoid any waste.

Once it’s under control you’ll be better equipped to know what sales you need to take advantage of in the coming months. Make sure to check out, our posts on selling cycles, What to Buy in January. 

Pantry Meals

So now that we’ve cleared out what we have, know what we have and know what we need to buy then it’s time to make sure we are utilizing the pantry in the best way.

In January many families are recovering from the Holiday Spending Hangovers and need to get back in the black ASAP!

One way to save money is by adopting a frugal pantry based menu. Canned foods are very inexpensive for the most part and we can find different ways to use them to stretch our food budget.

We’ve rounded up 10 Dinners for Under $5 using what a lot of us have as Pantry Staples.

We also have a Pantry checklist that comes in handy for some (not all) but take a look at it and see if you can use it in your home. 

The pantry is an invaluable tool in our quest to save money — whip it into shape so that 2016 is a great savings year for your family.