The crazy Covid lock downs taught us many lessons. One of the biggest take a ways was just how fragile the supply chain is. Most people I know are somewhat prepared with basics as our nearest grocery store is 20 minutes away. The big box stores are an hour away. When the covid lock down was announced, our little grocery store had it’s shelves stripped in hours, followed by the dollar stores. We are stocked up but were still surprised at how fast this occurred. As we are rural, we learned years ago that our stores get whatever is left on the delivery truck. An example of this is about eight years ago we were looking to get more bug nets in early spring. The store worker said they were slated to get 25 bug nets but when they went to unload the truck, the big city store said they needed the bug nets and took them. It happens all the time. The idea of prepping or stocking up can seem very overwhelming. Just where do you start and how do you do it in these days of skyrocketing inflation? I hope to provide a few tips to help you get started.
Even though I grew up in a suburban area, my mom always purchased meat in large quantities. She would get a whole pig or half a cow butchered and this was not common at the time. No one was purchasing meat like this. Our neighbor, Lucy, grew up in the Great Depression. One day, Mom asked me to go and borrow a can of something from Lucy. She took me to her basement and wow! It looked like a mini grocery store. Can upon can on neatly stacked, well-organized shelves. Paper goods stacked to the ceiling! Lucy’s basement and mom’s meat purchases left their mark on me. There were no buying clubs until the 1980s came along which made bulk purchasing much easier. Stocking up took on a whole new meaning!
Back in the late 1980s I was living alone. I always had some extra food on hand but nothing serious. One Thanksgiving day, I realized I was out of dental floss with a piece of turkey seriously stuck between my back molars. Fortunately, New Jersey had many stores open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, holiday or no holiday. That is not the case now, due to high crime. I went to the 24 drug store and purchased 6 rolls of floss, enough to last 4 months. I was super mad at myself for not paying attention and running out of floss. This got me seriously rethinking how much to purchase. Could I keep a year’s worth of some items? Yes, I can and you can too. Start small like I did. I decided to concentrate on dental care for my first goal. Every time I went to the store, I picked up several more packages of dental floss. In less than a month a had a year’s worth without breaking the bank. Next, I worked on a year’s supply of toothbrushes and toothpaste. Again, these smaller items did not impact my finances in a major way.
Next, I worked on smaller baking items, like vanilla, baking soda, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Again, this was a fairly easy goal to reach. As I was single at the time, my needs were much less than a family with children or other adults in the house. You need to figure out what your yearly use of an item is and then over estimate it a bit. When opening up a package of something like dog food, cereal, flour, or sugar, mark the date you opened it on the package. When it runs out, make a note of the date and see how long it took you to use up that item. Now I will not use cornstarch like I use dog food so you have to do some estimating on product use.
My husband once asked why I was growing and canning so many green beans. I told him if we eat two pints a week for one year, that is 104 pints I need to can. He looked stunned! He never thought about it in those terms. The same thing happened when I was raising meat chickens. Why do we need 20 birds for the freezer, I was asked? Eat one bird a week and those 20 birds won’t even last 6 months. It can be overwhelming to think how much food we go through in one year.
So, over the many years, I would gradually add to my pantry and watch it grow. When we moved to Maine and I learned to can and seriously garden, that was a game changer.
I look at what we have stocked up and realize that if we had to start from scratch stocking up again, the cost would be astronomical. After many years, we are at the point now where we just replace what we use. I don’t drag my feet in replacing items either because we are always one second away from some catastrophic disaster in this crazy world. The price of that item is also going to keep increasing so I might as well get it now before it costs even more money.
It’s also interesting to see how shrinkflation works. When I open something from anywhere from 2010 to 2018, there was much more product weight in the package than now. Place an item you purchased 5 years ago and place it next to the same item you just purchased. You will see a big difference. My 50 lb bag of dog food shrank to 28 lbs and twice as much to purchase. The 5 lb bag of sugar was reduced to 4 lb quite a while ago. Now imagine how much we have lost on all the items we use daily. A well-stocked pantry is money in the bank and security. An end-of-the-world event doesn’t need to happen, it could just be a bad snowstorm or an illness or injury that will lay you low and you’ll be glad to have a full pantry and extra toilet paper.
An honest assessment needs to be made about what you and your family like to eat. There is no point in buying 50 pounds of dried beans if everyone hates beans. The current world situation may add some urgency to getting a well-stocked pantry so I would recommend starting with protein. Canned meat, peanut butter, canned fish. Know your prices! This is crucial to avoid spending more than needed. Sometimes bulk items are not more economical. Be real with yourself. You can get a 4 lb can of tuna fish but what are you going to do with it? If your family hates tuna, forget any size can. There aren’t enough people on my road to eat that much tuna once I opened the can. Sardines are a great source of protein and cheap, usually under $2 a tin. I personally would rather starve than eat them but my husband loves them. If he eats two tins a week, one year’s worth would be 104 tins. That may seem overwhelming to try to acquire 104 tins of sardines but purchase several tins every time you shop. Don’t eat them for a week or 2 and pretty soon that pile of sardine tins starts growing.
A good rule to follow is use up one item, and replace it with two or more if you can afford it. Take advantage of sales, which are few and far between now. Pasta is still relatively cheap. Buy as much as you can afford. For long term pasta storage, place the boxes in a sealed plastic bag as pantry moths can make their way into a sealed box. This is an extra layer of protection. You can still purchase tomato sauce for your pasta relatively cheap if you get generic. You can always spice it up when you get home or even add meat and vegetables. If you can cook, make homemade sauce and can it. Not everyone can cook and sometimes just need to throw together something to eat quickly. Peanut butter is a good protein source and kids (and adults) love it. Nuts are a great source of protein also and nut butters, like cashew butter or almond butter taste wonderful. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich goes along way on an empty stomach and is quick and easy.
Beans are great protein source but not everyone seems to be crazy about them. We love beans, all kinds. Dried beans are usually the least expensive but must be soaked for about two hours before using. We keep a variety of dried and canned beans in quantity. Always rinse off the canned or dry beans before eating. A can of beans added to a salad will give you added protein and make you feel fuller. Just eating a salad is satisfying as I am always hungry a few hours later. Beans or a couple of pieces of meat, cheese and some nuts help to stretch that salad into a meal.
If you have a freezer and are able stock up on meat, then go for it. We can meat also as it last for years and requires no refrigeration or freezing. I tend to try to purchase mostly meats without bones. If the choice is chicken breast or legs, the breasts are a better choice. Why pay for leg bones? Take advantage of holiday sales on turkeys and hams. Save those bones for soup later on. Make turkey soup or split pea or lentil soup from the ham bone. Leave some meat on the bones for added flavor and protein. Large batches of soup can made and frozen or canned. If you are feeling under the weather that container of chicken soup you previously made will seem like manna from heaven. If you are not going to eat the whole turkey or ham, it can be repackaged and frozen for future meals.
A well-balanced meal needs more than just a piece of protein, whether it be fish or meat. If possible, always purchase rice in bulk. We vacuum seal the rice into smaller packets. I also saw someone storing rice in clean, dry soda bottles. It held 2 lbs. I was impressed! The rice packets are easy and tasty but cost much more than plain rice that you could spice up yourself. Buy plain oat meat in quantity. You can add whatever you want when you cook it. Fruit, maple syrup, spices, the possibilities go on and on.
If you can purchase flour and sugar in bulk, then I advise you to do so. Break it down into smaller-sized packages and place in a 5-gallon bucket with oxygen absorbers. If you only can purchase 5 or 10 lb bags, place them in 2-gallon zip lock storage backs for added protection. I freeze the flour for a few days to kill any weevils or larva that my be living in it. Lards and oils can be kept in a cool, dry place for years. The price of oils and lards is skyrocketing right now.
We all remember how toilet paper and paper towels were in short supply during Covid. Trying to purchase several extra rolls of toilet paper a week is frustrating so if you can afford it, purchase a case. It costs more up front but less in the long run due to the lower per-unit price. If purchasing that case of toilet paper means you have to forgo the weekly/monthly pizza night, it’s well worth it.
Soap, shampoos and laundry detergent are costly to try to stock up on. If you can afford it, purchase two of that item every time you use one up. The same goes for bottles of alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and first aid items like band-aids, gauze, and OTC medicines.
If you can produce your own food and preserve it you can save a lot of money. Freeze or can your excess produce or fruit. One or 2 packages of green beans seeds will pay for itself many times over. Same with other vegetables. Learn how to save seeds to use next year. I used to raise meat birds but when I added up the costs to raise, feed, and process the birds, it’s cheaper to buy chicken on sale now.
I realize that acquiring all of this can cost a lot of money and takes discipline. If you treat yourself to an expensive takeout coffee daily, write down and see how much money you are spending on this habit. Yes, it’s become a habit now instead of a treat. Make coffee at home, it’s much cheaper. Buying a can of coffee instead of pods is far more economical. Brown bag your lunch. Going to a sandwich shop for a sandwich, chips, and soda is approximately $15! Treat yourself to a fancy coffee or lunch out once every two weeks instead of every day.
Track every penny and see where the bleeding is occurring. You may be surprised how much is money is going out on unnecessary items. It’s always cheaper to eat at home. Eating out used to be a treat, a rare once-in-a-while event and it has become a weekly habit for many people. I know times are tough right now but the long-term outlook is bleak. In spite of the media saying things are great, the economy is great, etc., it’s not. Just look at what is in your grocery cart and what it costs. We are not as stupid as the powers to be think we are.
It’s always cheaper to make homemade and the quality and nutritional value can’t be beaten. Having a well-stocked home is peace of mind. If a meal is needed quickly, no need to run to a store. Go shopping in your pantry and put together a meal. It’s satisfying. Start today by inventorying what you have on hand and build from that. Set a goal of acquiring a month’s worth of food and supplies. When that goal is achieved, go for 3 months…..you get the idea. Achieve a goal and then set a new goal for yourself.
Make sure you have a space for all of your items and date and rotate for your maximum shelf life. When covid hit, the media portrayed anyone with more than a case of toilet paper as a hoarder. By definition, a hoarder is someone who is extreme with their acquisitions and cannot control their shopping and spending habits. I am responsible for the food and supplies in my home, My husband is responsible for the other stuff, like nails, wood, car maintenance items, etc. This article was composed over several weeks. My husband came back from the store two days ago. He bought a can of SPAM: $4.59 A ½-gallon of half and half: $5.28. Prices are skyrocketing and they are not going to go down.
Spring is coming and so is the riot season. Heaven knows what to expect with the upcoming election season. Start building your pantry now, if you have one already, expand it. Do this for yourself and your family. Pray for our country and our families.