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How Getting Ahead Saves Me Time, Money, and Mental Energy

June 19, 2023 By MelissaB 2 Comments

 

Woman grabbing a full glass jar from her pantry shelf

Since the pandemic, I’ve been working on getting ahead in my pantry and finances. It’s taken me a few years, but I’m finally able to reap the rewards of my hard work.

How Getting Ahead Saves Me Time, Money, and Mental Energy

The two most significant ways I got ahead were having a well-stocked pantry and using this month’s income to pay next month’s bills. Here’s how each saves me time, money, and mental energy.

Pantry

I have two large shelving units in our basement that hold canned and boxed goods. I’ve grown this pantry in the last nine months since we’ve moved. Now, when I go to the grocery store, the only items I “need” are fresh fruits and vegetables. The rest of what I buy is to restock the pantry when needed.

In addition to dry goods, I have two deep freezers full of dairy-free cheese (I only buy this when it’s on sale), meats, fish, and freezer meals I’ve made in advance.

A well-stocked pantry and freezer save me money and time because I don’t have to run to the store for one or two items. If I run out of an ingredient when cooking, I get another one downstairs. I call it “shopping in the basement.”

Using This Month’s Income to Pay Next Month’s Bills

Getting ahead financially has been my goal for some time, but it was only over the last year that we’ve been able to do so. Having all the money I need to pay this month’s bills at the start of the month saves me mental energy, time, and money.

What I Used to Do

When I didn’t have extra money, I would assign each paycheck to specific bills I had to pay. Since my husband is paid every two weeks, this could get tricky. Our house payment is due on the first, but sometimes, depending on how the paychecks fell, I wouldn’t have the money to pay that bill until the very end of the month, which stressed me out. I had to keep an eye on all my bills to avoid missing any due dates.

What I Do Now

Now, I’m one month ahead on all bills in my budget. So, when June 1st hit, I had all the money I needed to pay June’s bills. I can pay my house payment anytime during the month because the money is waiting for me to make the payment. Also, on June 1st, I have the entire amount of grocery money for the month at my disposal, so I can buy groceries whenever I want or need to, rather than waiting on my husband’s paycheck to come.

When my husband was paid on June 1st, I went to July’s budget and added his paycheck to those expenses. I can’t express the comfort I get from having all the money for this month’s bills ready as soon as I start the new month. It also saves me time because I can sit down to pay my bills at once without waiting for more paychecks to come in.

Final Thoughts

If you’re financially able, I highly recommend getting ahead on your pantry and your budget. You may find, as I do, that getting ahead saves time, money, and mental energy.

Read More

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MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: money management Tagged With: budget, groceries, pantry, ynab YNA

4 Meals from the Pantry to Save Money

March 20, 2023 By MelissaB 2 Comments

Woman looking at her pantry shelves and grabbing a jar

If you’re like me, you may find it harder and harder to stay within the grocery budget as food costs skyrocket due to inflation. So I try to find nutritious recipes that aren’t expensive. In addition, to save money, I try to have one week where I don’t make a complete grocery shopping trip and instead only buy some fresh fruits and vegetables and make my meals from the pantry to save money. Doing this allows me to use up what I have and stretch my grocery dollars.

Our Favorite Meals from the Pantry to Save Money

These are the pantry meals we make during the weeks I skip grocery shopping:

Spaghetti

My kids don’t mind a pantry meal when the meal is spaghetti. So I buy pasta and pasta sauce when they’re on sale, and I purchase canned mushrooms at Costco. I mix them together for a quick, cheap meal.

We recently upped our spaghetti game by making Pizza in a Bowl (I left out the creamed soup and only used half the cheese.) I was amazed at how this meal stretched—we had it for two meals!

Breakfast for Dinner

Omelette with mushrooms

Another favorite is breakfast for dinner. We might have omelets with green peppers and cheese and a piece of toast. Or, if we have many bread heels in the freezer, we make French toast and eggs. Sometimes we make a breakfast sandwich with ham, egg, and cheese on toast or an English muffin. Another economical recipe is Ham, Broccoli & Cheddar Frittata. (If money is tight, I leave out the ham, and it still tastes good.)

Broccoli, Potato, & Soup

I recently found this delicious recipe for Broccoli, Cheddar & Potato Soup. I like it because I can use frozen broccoli. (This recipe and the broccoli frittata recipe are the only ways I enjoy eating frozen broccoli.) Like Pizza in a Bowl, this recipe stretches and easily feeds the four of us for two meals.  Oh, and while I am talking about soup, another good recipe for meatball soup is here.

Fried Rice

Another frugal yet filling meal is Chicken Fried Rice. We use a rotisserie chicken from Costco and save the bones to make homemade chicken stock. Since rotisserie chicken at Costco is only $4.99, the meat is cheap, and we add rice, frozen vegetables, a few eggs, and seasoning.

How We’re Able to Keep Our Meals Frugal

For years, I’ve stocked up on items when they’re on sale, so I pay the lowest price for groceries. We have a pantry in our basement, two deep freezers, and two refrigerators so we can keep a full supply.

When ground beef is on sale, I may buy 20 or 25 pounds. We have food intolerances and can’t eat dairy, so when our favorite vegan cheese, Daiya, goes on sale, I may buy 20 bags. Then I won’t buy any more until it’s on sale again. If we run out before it goes on sale, we do without until the next sale.

Shopping this way makes having a pantry cooking week easy.

Final Thoughts

Keeping within our allotted grocery budget is getting more challenging every month. One way we rein in expenses is by making meals from the pantry to forego a weekly shopping trip once a month.

Read More

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5 Tips to Save on Groceries This Year

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: budget, Frugality, Saving Tagged With: food, food costs, frugal grocery, pantry

What to Keep in Your Pantry?

October 25, 2021 By MelissaB Leave a Comment

What to Keep in Your Pantry

Since the pandemic, many of us now realize that having a full pantry is a necessity. Of course, this is different than hoarding and having so many items in your pantry that you’ll never be able to use them. Instead, your pantry should have enough to be able to feed you and your family for a month to three months. How much you need depends on a variety of variables.


Why Keep a Fully Stocked Pantry?

Keeping a fully stocked pantry is necessary for a few reasons:

You May Get Sick

If you get sick, you may not want to or be able to go to the grocery store. In such a situation, you can find items in your pantry to prepare for meals.

You May Have a Weather Event

In many parts of the country, having a fully stocked pantry is essential because weather events may prevent you from getting to the store. You may have hurricanes in the South. In the Midwest and East Coast, blizzards may keep you from the store.

You Want to Save Money

If you build your pantry slowly, you can stock up on items when they go on sale. For instance, maybe canned beans are $1.29 a can, but you buy them on sale for $0.99 a can. If you buy 20 cans, you have saved $6.

In addition, if you have a fully stocked pantry, preparing meals is a snap because you likely have all of the ingredients you need. If you decide one night that you’d like to make chicken noodle soup, you probably have everything in the pantry, so you can easily make the meal. When everything is at your fingertips, cooking can be quicker than ordering take-out and waiting for the meal to arrive.

Supply Chains May Be Interrupted

In the United States, we are spoiled. Before the pandemic, most people never had experienced empty store shelves. If you, like me, thought that after 2020, empty store shelves were a thing of the past, you likely now know that thanks to supply chain issues, our days of items being unavailable are not over. We may be facing this situation through next year. If you keep a fully stocked pantry, you’ll be less affected by the market turmoil.

What to Keep in Your Pantry?

So, you’ve decided having a fully stocked pantry is necessary, but what does that mean exactly? What should you include in your pantry? Here are some ideas.

Baking & Cooking Supplies

You’ll want to include ingredients for basic baking and cooking recipes:

  • Baking soda,
  • Baking powder,
  • Flour,
  • Sugar,
  • Cocoa
  • Salt,
  • Pepper,
  • Onion,
  • Garlic,
  • Seasonings

Ingredients for Simple Meals

You’ll also want to include ingredients for simple meals you can make fully from the pantry. If you like spaghetti, include noodles and spaghetti sauce. If you like taco soup, make sure to have taco seasoning, beans, tomatoes, and nacho chips. You may also want to have some canned soups. Just open, heat, and eat.

Vegetables and Fruits

If you don’t mind eating canned vegetables and fruits, make sure to have those. If you’re without power due to a hurricane, for instance, you could always eat those without needing a stovetop.

Toiletries

Before 2020, I don’t think most of us realized just how much we take having toilet paper for granted! Toilet paper is just one of the toiletries you’ll want to have stocked in your pantry. You’ll also benefit from having the following:

  • Toothpaste,
  • Deodorant,
  • Dental floss,
  • Shampoo,
  • Soap,
  • Band-aids

What Should Be in the Freezer?

What to Keep in Your Pantry

If you can afford a freezer chest, I highly recommend buying one. My husband and I have had one for almost as long as we’ve been married, and it’s paid for itself over and over again. If you want to have a well-balanced diet even if you can’t get to the store, a freezer is essential. Consider stocking these items:

Meat

If you’re an omnivore, consider stocking a variety of meat. We usually have beef, pork, chicken, and a variety of fish. A deep freezer pays off if you can stock your freezer with meat you found on sale or if you can buy a quarter side of beef direct from the farmer.

Vegetables

Keep a variety of frozen vegetables. Once your fresh vegetables run out, you can turn to frozen for nutrition. You may want to include

  • Peas,
  • Corn,
  • Mixed vegetables,
  • Greens like spinach and kale,
  • Cauliflower,
  • Broccoli,
  • Lima beans

Fruit

You’ll also want to include frozen fruit for the same reason. We frequently make smoothies with our frozen fruit, but you can also eat it plain or mixed into items like yogurt. We keep the following in the freezer:

  • Blueberries,
  • Strawberries,
  • Mango,
  • Pineapple,
  • Bananas
  • Smoothie mixes (I bought a bag from Costco that has berries as well as some greens like spinach. The kids said it tasted less sweet than a regular smoothie, but they drank it down.)

How Should You Build a Pantry?

Most of us can’t afford to fully stock a pantry in one swoop. Instead, buy items little by little as they go on sale. For instance, spaghetti is a great pantry meal. Recently, there was a coupon for our preferred jars of spaghetti sauce. Instead of being $2.49 a jar, they were on sale for .99 a jar. I bought the maximum limit of 5. If you do this week after week, you’ll soon have a full pantry with items bought at a lower price than if you just went to the store weekly to pick up what you need.

How to Maintain a Pantry

Once your pantry is full, keep a running list of items that are low or that you’re out of. Then, buy those items again to refill your pantry.

Don’t forget to put the items that expire soonest at the front of the pantry so you’ll use them up first. Put the replenished items with a later expiration date in the back.

Final Thoughts

If you haven’t already, now is the time to create a fully stocked pantry. Hopefully, you now have some ideas of what to keep in your pantry and can start building it with items you find on sale each week at the grocery store. Even if you don’t have an emergency, you’ll be glad to have a fully stocked pantry because it makes meal prep so much easier!

Read More

Now Is the Perfect Time to Increase Your Pantry

Why I’ll Always Keep a Full Pantry Now

9 Ways to Get Your Child a Christmas Gift If You Can’t Afford One

MelissaB
MelissaB

Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in New York, where she loves the natural beauty of the area.

www.momsplans.com/

Filed Under: Emergency Fund, Frugality, Saving Tagged With: food costs, frugal food, pantry

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