Saved by the stockpile

[2ndGenGranola]

We had some surprise company over the NYE holiday. A while back I would have panicked. My pantry was fully stocked this time and we were able to serve nice meals w/o a large trip to the grocery. (Even when they stayed a day longer than we expected).

[dcompton]

Hooray! Isn't it great to just have stuff on hand?

[Debbie-cat]

That's why I love my stockpile. Kind of like your own personal grocery store in your home.

[frugal me]

It's great to have a well stocked pantry.
It does come in handy.

[NikoSan999]

When my oldest daughter was here over Thanksgiving she said "Mom, you can get a cart and go shopping in the house". I said, "Yeah, ain't it cool!" She agreed.

[frugalfranny]

That's why I love my stockpile. Kind of like your own personal grocery store in your home.

Yes! I love my stockpile.

I had some unexpected company too for a meal. And while I had enough meat, I simply went to the freezer and got out another package of veggies (I bag stuff for only one).......it was a great feeling.

[NewLeaf]

Mine has saved me more than once! I am in the process of re stocking it!

[savvy_sniper]

I have been relying on my stockpile heavily for about the last 6 weeks. We have been eating good and the stockpile is still in great shape! Money has been VERY tight and I have only gone to the grocery store for an item or two. We also went to the salvage store last week for dog food and I bought 5 lbs bags of Gold Medal rye and whole wheat flour for 99 cents each!

I LOVE my stockpile.

[krbshappy71]

Not to bump and old thread but this is just what I was looking for. I have a question.

I've depleted my just-started-recently stockpile. It got me through the first couple months of financial problems but the problems haven't gone away, the food has.

I'm on a $50 a week budget, but since I get paid once a month I have the option of spending the entire $200 for the month at once or allocating myself only $50 each week.

If you had no stockpile (no, really, its gone, but we ate at least) how would you start? Bite the bullet for a couple months so you could stockpile some items or stick strictly to the $50 a week resisting the urge to go out of that $50 so you don't end up with 10 cans of tomato sauce and nothing to go with it?

I have no timeline as to when the income will increase as its the child support that I lost. Could be another six months, year, who knows or could show up online tomorrow. So that's why I'm feeling unsure as to whether I should still try to stock or just try to get through each month on this small amount.

Thank you for any input, hope you don't mind me jumping in here. *Note, its just myself and my 16 yr old eating.*

[Greebo]

My suggestion:

Give yourself $100 on the 1st and the 15th. Buy perishables as needed, buy non-perishables in small quantities EXCEPT when they're on sale. When they're on sale, buy whatever you can with the remainder of your grocery money after you buy everything else.

Like we go to Safeway and find 100 cal snack packs on sale 2 for $5 so we buy 4 or 6 or even 8 of them, cause they don't go bad.

[krbshappy71]

Hmm I didn't think to split it that way.

I am going to steal a recent menu that someone posted, maybe that will help me too. It was one from the $68.88 thread. Get some new food ideas and planning going on.

[Grainlady]

Not to bump and old thread but this is just what I was looking for. I have a question.

I've depleted my just-started-recently stockpile. It got me through the first couple months of financial problems but the problems haven't gone away, the food has.

I'm on a $50 a week budget, but since I get paid once a month I have the option of spending the entire $200 for the month at once or allocating myself only $50 each week.

If you had no stockpile (no, really, its gone, but we ate at least) how would you start? Bite the bullet for a couple months so you could stockpile some items or stick strictly to the $50 a week resisting the urge to go out of that $50 so you don't end up with 10 cans of tomato sauce and nothing to go with it?

I have no timeline as to when the income will increase as its the child support that I lost. Could be another six months, year, who knows or could show up online tomorrow. So that's why I'm feeling unsure as to whether I should still try to stock or just try to get through each month on this small amount.

Thank you for any input, hope you don't mind me jumping in here. *Note, its just myself and my 16 yr old eating.*

So sorry to hear about your plight. You'll find lots of help here if you can spend some time reading old threads, such as this one:

Bare bones menu- for fun

I had a $50/week ($200/month) food budget for two adults for years and managed to build a considerable stockpile by using $5/week specifically for storage foods. If you restrict your stock-up amount to $5, that will help refill your stockpile. If tuna is on sale for 59-cents, you can purchase 8 cans. The next week you might find peanut butter on sale, or divide your $5 between several things that are good bargains.

Now that I have more than a year's worth of food in storage, I've dropped my food budget by 25% to $75/ever two weeks ($150/month).

I prefer to divide my food dollars to a weekly plan so I can take advantage of loss leaders, discounts, and clearance items at the grocery store. I shop early so I can get those clearance meat specials. Check your deli department and see if they reduce their sliced deli meat each day. Our store discounts sliced deli meat to 50% after 8 p.m.

I never spend all my food budget, but focus on purchasing food at the lowest possible price, and purchase foods from ALL the food groups. As the leftover money accumulates, I purchase 50-100 pounds of wheat and large purchases of other grains/seeds/beans, a year's supply of Morning Moo's (a whey-based milk substitute we use instead of regular milk), powdered whole eggs, long-term emergency foods (freeze-dried foods), etc...

- I try to keep meat purchases to $2 a pound or less, and I spend no more than $10/week total for meat. If you use canned meats (chicken, tuna, salmon, SPAM, etc.) be sure to figure out how much you are spending per pound. As an example: Tuna that costs $1.19 for a 5-ounce can = is costing you $3.80 per pound. Tuna at 59-cents a 5-ounce can = $1.88 per pound. If you are going to use tuna, try to add some lower-costing protein along with it, such as beans or eggs.

- Frozen concentrated orange juice or grape juice are good bargains and a good source for vitamin C, you need each day. Just remember 3/4 c. of orange juice is a serving.

- Avoid single-serving foods (snack-size fruit, pudding, chips etc.), snack foods, and convenience foods. Figure out your unit price for all foods you consume. Medium-size eggs are generally less expensive than large eggs and you generally don't notice the difference in baking or cooking.

- Cook from scratch.

- Avoid wasted food.

- Grow some of your food. I'm growing enough leaf lettuce and spinach in some planters to provide more than enough greens for us from now until it gets hot. Then I'll plant a fall crop mid-August and will have fresh greens again until it freezes.

Hope you see your circumstances change soon.

[Maine Girl]

do you happen to have a big lots or xmas tree shop or salvage grocery store near you. i go to big lots once a month and stock up on snacks, cereal, even 100% juice. i spend maybe $20 but that way i don't feel slighted when i want a snack,

[Maine Girl]

i also started stockpiling with only 5 dollars a month.

[krbshappy71]

thanks for the tips! We don't have Big Lots anymore but we do have a day-old bakery store and I might have an old punch-card somewhere.

Wow only $5 that I dedicate to "stock up", I could do that, no doubt, until I get more comfortable with this food budget.