There are many reasons as to why you’d always want your pantry stockpiled with food. It could be because you’re preparing for a natural calamity that will make it dangerous to go outdoors. It can also be because you’re worried about the pandemic and you want to avoid making unnecessary back and forth trips to the grocery.
Stocking up on food isn’t exactly hard but it does cost a lot of money to do so. Some people tend to shop for a week or two’s worth of food because it’s a lot easier on the budget. Moreover, they don’t want to stock up too much food for fear of letting it go to waste.
With enough planning, stocking up on food doesn’t exactly have to be expensive or wasteful. All you really need is a sound plan and an idea of what it really means to fill your pantry or kitchen with the necessary goods to keep your tummy filled in case you need it. Here are a few tips to consider.
Always Do Your List First
The last thing you’d want to be doing when going grocery shopping is doing it blindly. There are many benefits to shopping with a list and that is you can prevent yourself from going over budget or from overstocking on goods. Make it a practice to list down what you want to buy and then to make a rough calculation of the overall expenses.
You’d first want to list the essentials first. These are the things that you’ll be looking for first inside the grocery and they include produce processed food and other things that you need on a regular basis. If there’s extra room for more, consider buying the extras or optional items that your family might want.
When making your list, try to understand what it is exactly you’ll be needing for the next couple of weeks. While stocking on food is the goal here, you wouldn’t want to waste food by overstocking your pantry with items that will eventually spoil because you didn’t consume it.
Use Sales And Coupons
This should be a given by now but yes, you should definitely take advantage of coupons and sales. You can get discounts of up to 10% and even more! There are many websites and platforms that you can get discounts from so be sure to explore the internet first before you buy.
You should also check the grocery if they are holding special sales on certain items. For instance, if there is a buy one take one deal on cereal, try to get those as well. By taking advantage of these deals, you’ll be able to fill your pantry without having to put too much of a dent in your budget.
Stock Up On Food That Last Long
One of the concerns that you might have is that if you stock up on food, some of the things you buy might spoil or might expire. That’s an understandable concern as many people actually make this mistake. What you can do is stock up on bundles of goods that last long.
These include canned goods and processed meat. You should also stock up on beans in bulk as these can last for months if you are getting the dried ones. What’s good about buying in bulk is that you can get considerable discounts as well so it’s definitely worth considering these options.
Ideally, the things you should stock up on are those that can last on your shelf or pantry for months. Obviously, you wouldn’t want to stock up on produce and meat as these can spoil very easily. Even if you store them properly, they can only last for a few weeks or so.
Grow Your Own Produce!
Surprisingly, a lot of people don’t know this but it’s actually very easy to grow your own produce at home. Of course, you can’t grow every fruit and vegetable at home. However, there are a few ones that you can easily grow given that you have the necessary equipment.
Some of the products you can grow at home include a selection of herbs, and simple plants like tomatoes, garlic, onions, and even a few salad leaves. It can be intimidating to grow your own produce but these ones are very easy to grow. All you need is some good soil, pots, and of course, a lot of patience.
Aside from being practical and basically a means to get free produce, it’s also a sustainable lifestyle as well. On top of that, you get the freshest of ingredients for your dishes. All you need to do is take a few steps, harvest your produce, and you’ll be good to go!
Take Control Of The Shopping
Things can get out of hand if a lot of people try to add their own input when it comes to grocery shopping. As such, make it a practice to take control of the grocery shopping. Follow your list, follow your budget. Only make room for the wishes of others if there’s extra space on your cart and your wallet.
The problem with grocery shopping is that some people can have no control over what they buy. They end up getting whatever they want, whenever they see it. That’s bad practice especially if you want to save money.
Always Pay With Cash
This is a little secret that not many people know. When doing your groceries, try to make sure that you’ll be paying with cash. What this does is that it prevents you from going over budget. If you make it a mindset that you’re going to pay with your card, you wouldn’t be concerned about your limits anymore.
Stocking up on food doesn’t always have to be an expensive practice. As long as you are prepared and you know what to do, you can stock up your pantry with goods and you won’t feel guilty about it. These tips will help guarantee that you have enough food in your pantry and enough money in your wallet as well.