Time to Pad The Pantry

Fall has always been my time for refilling the pantry with gusto. I might buy this or that throughout the year, but it's the fall, or more accurately, the pre-holidays, that merit getting the bulk of my goods for the year.

Just before Thanksgiving and Christmas, you can count on dairy, butter, baking, turkeys and hams to go on sale at some point.

Alas, they're not the sales of years gone by, but it's better than nothing. 

Another thing to keep an eagle eye for are clearance items, especially at the beginning of the new year. Grocery and big box stores are anxious to unload any damaged or older stock so they can restock with fresh stuff.

At my local store, pet food was the most widely clearanced item of all. My particular store nearest me revamped two aisles to get rid of older stock. We got everything from canned goods to cleaners, and they marked them to go, unlike the piddly discounts they'd given the rest of the year. Name brand pumpkin puree was going for 25 cents as opposed to the regular price of $2.19.

I buy pumpkin by the case, not just for my baking, but for when the dogs have tummy troubles. It's a handy staple.

Here are a few rules to remember before you shop.

Inventory your pantry. I clean out my pantry twice a year so I have a good idea what's in storage and what needs to be used up. I know my supply of flour will run out by spring, so if flour goes on special, I stock up now, and make sure I use up my old stock first for holiday baking.

Plan seasonally. In-season fruits and vegetables are critical staples. We love apples, but I only buy them this time of year. If I can grow it, I find a way to preserve it for use throughout the year. (Sad to say, my trees are too young to bear apples.) 

Meal Plan. This year, for the first time ever, I finally printed and stored in vinyl sleeves, all my favorite recipes. These are tried and true recipes that I make regularly. They all fit neatly in a binder. I also listed every Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Side Dish, Appetizer, and Dessert that I have ever made. It's 7 pages of ideas. 

I know it sounds crazy, but it's really made it easy for me to decide what I'm going to fix for dinner. I go through my list and if it's something I haven't made in a while, I put it into rotation for the week. 

To be honest, many of these pages were scattered loosely in a cabinet. It's been only recently that I decided to create a binder.  It's been a game changer. Even if you're not a recipe collector like me, all it takes is one afternoon to think up all the meals you make throughout the year. I made a starter list and kept adding to it for days afterward as new ideas came to mind.

Buy only what your family will eat. That sounds like a no-brainer, but I've made the mistake of asking Greg if he'll eat something new I've found. He always says yes, but it almost always ends up languishing in the pantry. I don't ask anymore. I know what he'll eat.

Buy in bulk. Along the same lines, by now you know what items you use up most. Focus your bulk buying on them. Speaking of bulk buying, always buy your non perishables in bulk. This includes, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, paper towels, garbage bags, toilet paper, etc. You get the idea.

 

Do you do extra grocery shopping before the holidays? What do you like to stock up on? Are you hosting any big dinners for the holidays?

*****

In other news: Nana gave us quite a scare a couple of weeks ago. It took her a while to recover, but she finally feels better. We now have to give her Librela every 3 weeks. Once it stops working at the three week mark, we'll make the final painful decision.  We're nearing the end. Just a little further to go. For now, she's happy.

 

 

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