Frugal Kitchens 101 - The Pantry in 2011

I have often spoken of the benefits of a well stocked pantry on this blog.  Here it is 2012 almost seven years after I started this blog and I am still tooting that same horn.  The holiday season is now past us and within a few days life will be getting back to normal.  I actually spent a couple of canning sessions restocking my pantry between Christmas and New Years.  You see, our house had been on the market for 18 months before it finally sold and being rather frugal I decided moving empty jars and emptier freezers would not put my food stock at risk so for that period of time we did a lot of eating from the pantry.  Trust me as a food blogger it made things a bit more challenging to find foodie blog fodder but in the end we had a lot less food to move.  Just think of the logistics of moving a one to two year supply of food and how much extra work it is, not to consider the weather and damages during the move that would result in food spoilage.  Ok, so back to the well stocked pantry.


During the 18 months our house was on the market, the gardens were at a minimum so I had to actually buy some produce that I normally would grow.  What produce growing when we moved September 1 was left to the new owner although we could have added a clause so we could have it.   In the spring of 2011, I greatly reduced my canning taking a calculated risk that the house would sell.  Money that I would have spent in 2010 on buying produce as well as those needed to keep the pantry well stocked in food went into my food savings fund. 

When we moved here in September we already knew we would be a our vacation home for a total of six weeks before the end of the year so I made no real effort to start restocking.  Instead the focus was on organizing my new pantry.  In short, our well stocked pantry saved us an awful lot of money in 2010.  Yes, I do need to do a bit of restocking especially the home canned foods of which I have already started but essentially we at from our pantry supplies for most of the year supplementing with fresh produce and dairy as needed. 


A well stocked pantry serves as a hedge against unemployment, lean times, inflation and times such as ours when life is simply changing.  It gives you the peace of mind that if nothing else you can still eat.  I cannot stress enough the importance of a well stocked pantry.  Make having a well stocked pantry your goal for 2012!  Take one step closer to your food security in 2012.  You do not need a large expenditure to get a well stocked pantry and this blog is full of ideas for stocking your pantry on the frugal side.  Check the archives.  If you are not growing some of your own food now, this is a good time to start if only growing sprouts indoors along with a few herbs.  Remember, a well stocked pantry is frugal and it helps to keep you on the frugal pathway!