This year, we plan to really expand our garden and grow quite a bit more than we did last year so that we have more home grown foods instead of store bought. I’m so excited! I can’t wait for the planting to begin! I love the feel of freshly turned soil between my fingers and toes! To me, there is no better reason to look forward to spring!
In addition to my wonderful pantry, I also have a full freezer! I’ve filled it with produce from the garden, great deals on meats from the store, and I’m starting to fill it with our very own chickens! Yes, we raise our own chickens, some for meat, but most for their wonderfully fresh eggs!
I finally got my freezer organized a couple of weeks ago, and now I have to reinventory everything. This is the key to frugality – keeping up with your inventory. This keeps you from buying duplicates of things you don’t need, and helps you with your menu planning. You’re not saving any money if you’re buying things that you already have on hand and/or things that will go bad before you get them all used up. This is something that I have not done since moving, and I definitely need to start doing again. It’s on my "To Do" list for this weekend.
As to the blessings of a well stocked pantry:
1) I can throw together a meal at the drop of a hat
2) If we have unexpected company, I don’t have to worry about not being able to feed them at meal time.
3) I can make my own breads, desserts, etc. from scratch which is much healthier and definitely much tastier!
4) I can pick and choose what I buy at the store each week. I don’t have to buy everything every time I go.
5) I can make my menu and then tell at a glance what I need to purchase to fill in any missing ingredients.
6) If there is an "emergency" such as job loss, illness, etc., I know that I don’t have to worry about what to feed my family. In these economic times, this is definitely a plus.
7) If someone at church needs a meal, I can throw something together very quickly to help out.
I know God has truely blessed my family through a well stocked pantry over the years, and in turn, we’ve been able to bless others. I pray that He will continue to bless my family in this way.
Tomorrow is my shopping day, and my list is not too long. I’m hoping to take advantage of a few sales this week as well as pick up the items that I need to get that we’re either out of or almost out of. My budgeted amount is usually $200 every 2 weeks, but I would love to keep it between $100 to $150. I really would like to see my grocery spending decrease again. I’ve done it in the past so I know I can do it again. Wish me luck!
God bless!
Steph
My Country Haven 
I love your pantry and couldn’t agree with you more on the blessings of a well stocked pantry.
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Welcome to the world of blogging! You will find that there is so much to learn and it is fun to share and find great kindred spirits from all over the country!I absolutely love your pantry! I planted my first garden last summer and did a little canning, but have already started planning for this summer. I live in Northern Wisconsin where the growing season isn’t as long as in Tennessee, but it is still fun to garden!If I am ever blessed enought to build my own house, the pantry will be one place I put a lot of focus into. My mother has a great system like yours and I love to go and look at the rows of canned yummies waiting for meals for her and my brothers.God Bless!Amanda at The Rural Bohemianhttp://theruralbohemian.blogspot.com
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What an awesome pantry. Im jealous.
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Thank you for your wonderful comments! I did not have a place for a pantry like this until we moved and I’m loving it (so is my family – especially my husband). We we do remodel the house, he knows that the pantry and the kitchen will be a major focus!
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I have a pantry similar to yours; come and see!I love gamma lids! I use them every day.Do you have fruit trees? It’s nice to can fruit as well.
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I recently found your site and have marked it to come back and read later on. I love what I’ve seen so far! I do have a pear tree, an apple tree (that will probably be coming down soon – it’s not looking too good), and grape vines. I made juice from the grapes for jelly, but have not gotten it done yet. The juice is in the freezer. It’ll get done.
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Thank you for this post. I just found your blog. I have been wanting to buy flour, sugar, rice, etc in bulk but was having trouble finding a way to store them critter free. It is amazing collectively what can be accomplished together. I am going to order some gamma seals they are exactly what I was looking for. Thanks again for the post I can’t wait to get them in the mail and go shopping.
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Wow, all I can say is wow!!! I hope to take advantage of our family and friends generosity with their garden produce this year and try my hand at canning and freezing.
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I, too, love your pantry!! Daniel built one for me when we were remodelling, but since we haven’t finished all the “other” remodelling, there’s still a lot of stuff being stored in the pantry that really doesn’t belong there. I’m looking forwards to when the pantry can be exclusively that – a pantry 🙂
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I am wanting some of the gamma seals. My fingers and grip just ain't what it used to be. lolLooks great Steph!!
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