Coupons and Your Pantry

I know what a lot of people say about coupons: "I don't have time to fool with them, I always leave them at home, I forget to cut them out". I have said these things too. But a few years ago I attended a seminar about "couponing and building up your pantry" to save money on the food bill. I was so impressed by this woman's testimony. She was feeding a family of six for $60 a week. Now understand she didn't do this feat the first week, but over several months she built up her pantry and freezer to be able to use what she had on hand.

"On hand", a phrase that has been lost in our microwave world. My grandmother had a big pantry. She was never at a loss to pull something out to prepare a wonderful meal. Before this seminar my pantry had a few cans of odd and end stuff, now it is filled with staples. Again, this did not happen overnight, it just took a little bit of planning on my part.

To start my plan I made a menu for the week, including lunches. Then I made a list of what I had in my pantry and freezer which matched the menu. I then added the things I needed to buy for the meals on that list. I also thought about what I cooked most often and added those items to my list. This may seem like a lot of lists but at least after you come home from the store you won't be saying: "I forgot......,  now I can't make that dish." I can't tell you how many times I have done this. All because I thought I would remember what I needed or I thought I knew the ingredients for that recipe. A little up front work has saved me a lot in the end. Now for the coupons.

I get most of my coupons from the Sunday paper. As I go through them, I only pull out what I will use. When I first started I would tear out anything that looked good or one for a new product to try. I quickly realized I was only buying things I had coupons for and a lot of times those products were not food related. Now I am more focused and intentional about those coupons. I look at my list and pull out any coupons which match it. I check out the Publix ads for any buy one get one free items which I need as well as other grocery ads for special sales.

"Bogo" items are one of the ways I use to keep the pantry stocked. If you can allot $5.00- $10.00 of your weekly budget to use for stocking your pantry, you will be surprised at how quickly it will fill up. When you have used the last of an item, it is so nice to reach in the pantry or freezer and pull out another one without a thought.

Most grocery stores double coupons up to $.50. So when I have a $.50 coupon, I see $1.00 off an item I purchase. The old saying"pennies make dollars is true". Living thrifty is still the "in thing" to do. 

Happy "Food" Thrifty to You!