Many of us are lured to the large discount bulk buy stores for the discounts they offer. In my experience, I've spent more money on "discounts" and in many cases, donated unused items so that they would not meet their experation dates!
Unless you have a family like the "Duggers" who have been featured on TLC with 16 children - oops, just checked, now 17 children, you probably don't need a case of 3-lb cans of kidney beans in your cupboard.
Here are a few guidelines to use to determine if you need to stock up on an item or not.
1. Make a list of your favorite recipies.
Keeps the pantry ingredients on hand for your favorite receipes. Thin out items that do not fit well with the menus you enjoy.
2. Plan at least 3 meals a week.
By planning three meals, you will be better prepared when you visit the grocery store to keep to a list.
3. Shop for non-food items once per month at the maximum.
By planning and shopping only once per month for non-food items will help you to determine your food buying patterns and keep you focused on fresh foods for your family.
4. Shop for fresh fruits and vegetables weekly.
Since you are stocking your pantry for receipies you commonly make, and you've determined three meals you will make this week, you should buy the fresh ingredients for those three planned meals as well as any additional pantry items that your need for those three menu items.
5. Inventory your pantry once per month.
Once you have run out of an ingredient, enter it on your shopping list.
6. Watch for sales, but don't buy at all sales.
When your favorite items go on sale, go ahead and purchase them to supply your panty. However, just because there is a sale on one of your favorite items, it doesn't mean you need to always take advantage of it. If you already have a good stock of that item, walk away from this sale. There will be another sale - really.
7. Stock up on bulky items.
If you have the space, I like to stock up on bulky items. This makes my regular grocerie shopping very streamlined and targeted because I don't have to fill a cart every week. Things like paper goods are a great example of something you can buy in bulk if your storage space allows. There is no expiration date and these are items that you need to have available.
8. Do not stock up on cleaning supplies.
Most homes have a greater variety of cleaning supplies than are necessary. Pull together all the cleaning supplies in your house and determine which ones you really use. Throw away all the others. Cleaning supplies generally last a long time, so you don't need to stock much.
9. Laundry supplies
I am glad that laundry detergent companies are taking out some of the water in their products and providing consumers with smaller containers that do the same loads of laundry. All Small and Mighty is my choice for laundry detergent because it cleans well, comes in a variety of scents and is compact and easy to store and use.
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