Reorganizing My Pantry & LTFS

 

I am constantly tweaking my spaces to make them function better and my pantry and long term food storage (LTFS) is one of those areas I’ve enjoyed messing with.  Anything I get to do in the kitchen makes me happy.

 

This bin no longer resides here 😁

Last month I really went to town taking advantage of sales, promos, special offers and digital coupons to shave off the overall cost of my grocery expenses recreating my kitchen working pantry and my LTFS.  I even added a new tiny freezer and a brand new refrigerator with a top fridge freezer on the bottom.  Plenty of space for me to store fresh and frozen items.

 

Before

After 💗

The pantry in my tiny house is anything but.  It is slightly narrower than the pantry I had in my old house and has fewer shelves, but more than adequate to meet my needs.  Early on I added two larger hanging baskets to hold smaller items like spice and gravy packets, a Jiffy cornbread mix or two, small snacks, that sort of thing.  They have been working out really well.

 

I feel this pantry setup is adequate to meet my needs

I thought I might need to add shelves, but that doesn’t seem to be the case right now.  I was able to move things around and stack my canned goods in a way that it very workable.  I can easily see and access what I have and nothing topples over, which is very important.  The pantry primarily holds the items I regularly use.  Once I open something and use it I move a replacement from the LTFS and then add that item to my next shopping list for replacement.  Once I have purchased that item I put it back into the LTFS.  I call it the “pull and replace method” and it works very well for me to maintain inventory without over buying.

 

Costco bacon crumbles

When I do buy in bulk I like to portion out what I know I will use and vacuum seal packets or packages for the LTFS or deep freezer.  When I purchased bacon crumbles I placed half a cup into a half pint jar for the fridge and then vacuum sealed the rest in half cup packets.  The packets were placed into a Ziploc bag for storage just to organize them so they wouldn’t get lost in the bottom of the freezer.

 

I like to fill my food storage jars, which are simply quart and pint Mason jars, with items I am using like flours, sugar, dried fruit, rice, dry beans, etc.  If I have a partial package leftover after I’ve filled my jars I will place them into a Ziploc or vacuum seal bag and store them back in the LTFS until I need it again.  I find it really helps me to keep things fresh for longer periods of time.

 

Jack has his own pantry space 😻

and LTFS 😸

Jack’s canned food and dry food canister sit on the top shelf next to my overabundance of coffees and that is working well.  He does have his own LTFS bin which I keep under my bed right now.  He’s fine with it as he tends to spend quite a bit of time under there as well.

 

I'm storing my water reserves here on the floor of the pantry

On the floor of the pantry I placed my vacuum food sealer and bags, my potatoes and cleared out an area for water storage.  I have a flat of bottled water that I got for FREE on promo from my local supermarket and I have plans to expand this area with more stored water.  We’ve already had one water outage that fortunately only lasted a few hours, but if you need a drink of water, you need a drink of water.  At the time I was definitely not prepared.

 

The bulk of the LTFS, both food and non food resides in the cabinet over my refrigerator.  I soon realized I was able to store all three cloth bins on top of the cabinet to hold lighter weight items like pasta, baking mixes, rice mixes, dehydrated potatoes as well as my stockpile of toiletries and cleaning supplies.  Since I don’t need to get in there very often this is working out really well.

 

Other than the fridge, freezers, pantry, cabinet over the fridge and those three bins I do not have anything stored anywhere else with the exception of a few bulkier items – TP, tissues and paper towels.  I do store those in my bedroom closet.  As far as food goes however, I have no plans to expand my food and nonfood storage any further.  What I currently have set up for that purpose is more than enough.

 

The tiny deep freezer holds quite a bit 😎

I was really surprised at how quickly I was able to put this together and how little it ended up costing me to do this once I was done.  Moving forward I will be operating in the “pull and replace method” mode and the only addition that is planned is my next Butcher Box order coming in mid November.  After that I will be putting my subscription on hold because it is an amazing quantity of meat and I can’t eat it all in two months, not by a long shot.  I’m curious now to see how long I actually go before I need to place another order for beef.

 

That is it.  That is my pantry and LTFS all neat and organized.  What do you think?  Have I missed anything?

 

My Tireless Retirement - Week 240

 

Hello my lovelies!  How are you doing?  Did you all have a good week?  By the previous Friday I was feeling much better and by Saturday my head cold was completely gone.  Three days start to finish?  I am not complaining a bit!

 

I spent my Halloween getting caught up on household administrative tasks.  I updated spreadsheets, planned ahead for November expenses, collected the mail, weeded out the junk, did my filing and purged a few things I no longer needed to keep, and then shredded a small pile of papers I had collected.  I even went through my purse and got rid of old receipts.  It felt good to be all caught up on that.

 

Sunday I awoke and was early to another power outage after a long night of thunder, lightning and torrential downpours.  It continued to storm all day and again that night until the following morning.  I pulled out the VTOMAN to use until the power came back on and once it did I just puttered about the house.

 

Monday morning it was bright, sunny and very soggy outside.  I decided to run into town and get some errands done.  After I got home I gathered up all of the Halloween décor and got it ready to go back in the bin in my shed.  The items on the porch needed a good twenty four hours to dry out before going into storage.

 

Tuesday I headed outside once it had warmed up a bit and managed to get a huge pile of leaves raked up.  After the weekend storm there were a lot of leaves on the ground.  I filled up a large leaf bag and set it at the curb for collection and then put away my Halloween decorations and pulled out a couple more Fall items to decorate the porch.  I headed back inside and ended up making a couple sausage and black olive pizzas, most of which went into the freezer for future meals.  I then spent the evening watching the election returns.

 

Wednesday was another amazing and beautiful day.  I began by going through the kitchen cabinets, purged a couple bowls and reorganized everything once again.  I also pulled out my Christmas vintage Corelle coffee cups and salad plates which I will use from now until probably mid January.

 

I found these three items on the FREE table

I spent Thursday puttering, planning for 2027, cooking and cleaning.  It was just another ordinary day, boring by most people’s standards, but absolutely perfect for me.  I have lots of simple and basic things planned for my life in the days ahead and it thrills me to no end.

 

Thank you so much for all of the well wishes because they helped me to feel better and get back on my feet in no time at all.  You guys are awesome!  Take care and have a fabulous weekend.

 

I Gave Up So Much

Despite the many years of going through my home and decluttering when it came time to make the move to my new tiny house in the mountains I still had so much more to get rid of and let go.  I was able through Facebook Marketplace, an estate sale, my friends, a FREE pile at the end of my driveway and three car loads to the neighborhood thrift store to eliminate 75% of my remaining possessions.

 

I had to say good bye to my chickens, my oldest daughter’s kitty cat and my youngest daughter’s bunny.  Sadly, the bunny succumbed to old age, which would have happened regardless to what I was doing, and I cried a lot of tears over that.  The chickens are doing very well with their new farm life and Stella is very happy because she is living with the person she chose.

 

Stella napping with her person 😻

Stella did not handle my oldest daughter leaving home well at all.  I was not her person, I was simply the one that was there and I’ve always known that, so when my daughter’s good friend from high school stayed with me last year and I saw how happy Stella was with her and then how unhappy she was when she left and moved into her own apartment it was for me an easy decision, when she offered to take Stella.  I still cried over it because I knew I’d miss her, even if she didn’t miss me.  I get regular updates and she is doing very well and that makes me very happy.

 

It has been a long, complicated process to figure everything out.
Initially, I blamed myself fully for what had happened until it was properly explained to me.

You may wonder why my daughters remained absent while I was getting ready to move and why didn’t they take care of these animals they left behind?  The truth is that just over four years ago, they left home and never looked back.  Together, they chose to leave permanently and to ghost me.  My youngest told me it wasn’t anything I had done, but this is what they were choosing to do.  Since then they have remained silent and gone.  It has been devastating for me, but despite all of that I am once again thriving and doing well.

 

It was hard for me to give up so many of my possessions, the animals as well as any hope my children would return to the fold.  Every once in a while I get a twinge about something I let go of, but it rapidly goes away because I’ll remind myself why I let it go and that I didn’t have room in the U-haul or the car for it.  Amazingly, although I am acquiring quite a bit, I’ve also let go of quite a bit more since I arrived setting items out on the FREE table at the clubhouse or tossing stuff in the trash.

 

Midway through my move I completed and graduated from therapy.  I no longer have regular sessions or any therapy homework to do.  I am done with all of that and it feels really good.  One would think that in the midst of a HUGE life changing event it would be a terrible time to stop therapy, but that is how well I was doing at the time.  I do have access to a therapy bot, but I haven’t really felt the need to use it.  I am doing really, really well and this move has only made things better.  It is important to know that I did not run away from anything.  I faced it all head on (it was a lot) and I dealt with it.  I did what I needed to do and I saved myself.

 

I've been through a lot and I am a survivor!

When the time was right, I simply and calmly walked away and left my former life behind.  It felt good to see Boise disappear in my rearview mirror as I headed down the interstate, even with an uncertain future up ahead.  It could’ve been really scary, but it wasn’t.  I had a good support system in place with friends that were there for me, no matter what happened.  My closest friend assured me that if I found myself stranded to call her and they would come and get me and let me stay with them until I figured things out.  With that kind of support how could I fail?

 

My faith in God is STRONG as is my faith in me and my own strength.  As I sit here in my tiny little home I find I am very content with what I have chosen to keep and where I have chosen to land.  For the first time ever in my life I am living for myself and myself only.  I simply take care of me now.  I gave up a lot in order to make this happen, but in the end I have gained so much more.  This sweet little place I call home is perfect for me and since I have been living here my stress and anxiety level is pretty much nil.  It is very peaceful here.  I am calm, content and basically worry free.  I have exactly what I need.  I am so happy.  I did this!

 

Should You Have A Stockpile?

 

A lot of things are going on in the world right now.  Many of these things aren’t new and have also happened in the past.  Because of this I choose to learn from past events and use that knowledge and information to shape my future.  I’ve talked about this before, my first experience with food and nonfood shortages, as well as people acting out as they panic shopped, was on the eve of the lockdown in 2020.  It left a lasting impression on me, to be sure, and heavily influenced how I stockpiled food and nonfood goods for me and my family.

 

As I was moving into my new home and settling in I listened to some of my favorite Youtubers from outside the U.S. talking about how their governments were recommending people start a stockpile in anticipation of future shortages due to rising fuel costs, potential job losses, as well as anticipated inclement winter weather.  I paid attention to what was being said.  No one was recommending an excessive stockpile or the hoarding of goods, but simply keeping enough food on hand to take care of your household’s needs for an extended period of time, just in case.  It their government is expressing concern and making those kinds of recommendations I think it is worth considering.

 

Everyone’s reasons for keeping and maintaining a stockpile can vary.  Right now my reason is to give myself a long term cushion so I am not required to grocery shop often.  I now live in a rural community and I’ve already experienced not being able to get what I wanted when I wanted it.  Sometimes deliveries here are delayed for reasons I’m unsure of, although I would assume it is in large part so trucking companies can make sure their trucks are full before they hit the road making these runs more efficient.

 

I have no idea what winters are truly like here.  I’ve been told by multiple people what to expect, but I’ve yet to experience it myself.  In the past I’ve relied on my stockpile so I wouldn’t need to grocery shop when the weather was bad and also to save money to put toward the higher heating bills.  I still want to do that.  I know that while living in the city inclement weather causes supply chain issues when trucks get stopped along the way until storms pass and the roads are cleared.  I’m sure this is even more the case where I live now.

 

Another reason I am glad to have a stockpile is because if I’m tired, busy or ill I don’t have to go to the grocery store in order to feed myself.  I’ve already experienced the tired and busy part when I was settling into my new house.  I am also prone to migraines.  The last thing I want to do in these instances is have to stop and head into town to go grocery shopping.  With a stockpile I can always find something suitable to eat.

 

Having a stockpile also allows me the ability to wait to grocery shop until the prices are right.  I can pick and choose what I am willing to purchase and at what price based on the sales cycles.  My stockpile allows me to be able to take my time and make sound decisions saving me from overspending and busting my budget.  Because of this my pantry is basically recession proof.

 

There are so many good reasons to keep a stockpile, something I have always done my entire adult life.  Since 2020 I have definitely expanded what I keep on hand and created a long term food storage system (LTFS) in my home that will keep me well fed for six to nine months, quite possible up to a year if I was really careful and not too picky.  Just that knowledge alone gives me great peace of mind.  Do you have a stockpile?

 

 

My Tireless Retirement - Week 239

 

Happy Halloween!  The last three months have gone by in a blink and October was no exception.  I am ready to transition into holiday mode with my eye looking ahead at my favorite holiday – Thanksgiving.  Needless to say I am feeling very thankful this year for so many things, but most importantly, I am most grateful for my new home and where I am sitting at this very moment.  I am so very blessed.

 

I made some green chile enchiladas

After a couple stormy days my little yard looked like I hadn’t raked it all month so I headed back outside last Friday and got it cleaned back up and scooped off all the leaves that were trapped in the wiper area of my car.  They like to collect there.  After yard work I gathered up all of the trash for the week and made a dumpster run along with a big bag of leaves.

 

This is the old light fixture I removed

Saturday morning I gave myself a much needed haircut.  I took two inches off of the length and then trimmed up my bangs.  When I was done I got to vacuum the bathroom.  After a shower I finished cleaning the bathroom and moved on to a project I’d set on the back burner for a couple weeks while I took care of other things.  I finally took down the ugly contractor grade light fixture and replaced it with something more my style.  I love it!

 

The new one!

Monday I was feeling crafty.  I worked on making some more greeting cards and made a couple Halloween cards which I got out in the mail right away.  I was then able to get all of my paper crafting supplies put away and regained quite a bit of precious real estate.

 

I will take care of you Mom 😻

My plans suddenly shifted as I spent the rest of the week dealing with a head cold.  It has been a while since I’ve been sick, but it was really nice to just hunker down in my sweet little home and take care of myself.  Hot soup, soft tissues, a warm throw blanket and Tylenol to the rescue, while I curled up in the recliner and just watched TV all day.  I made it through.

 

Take care & be well

I hope you all enjoyed a good week and are staying healthy.  Take care and have a great weekend.

 

This Month's 2026 Grocery Spending – October

 

This month my goal was simply to fill in pantry and refrigerator gaps, eat well and add some things to my LTFS.  I feel like I accomplished that goal rather well.  I have a LTFS wish list and I managed to get quite a few of those items crossed off my list by taking advantage of some sales, digital coupons and loss leaders I found.  Getting boneless skinless chicken breasts for only $1.27 a pound felt like a HUGE win.

 

I have reorganized the pantry since these pictures were taken

I’ve been using my pantry list to help me restock the kitchen and it has worked out really well.  Every time I buy something I simply check it off the list and little by little I’ve managed to fully restock my kitchen with enough things that I can pretty much make anything I like.  I began with the necessities and moved onto the “nice to haves”.  I’m now in the “nice to have” stage of the process.

 

Canned goods on the left, dry & freeze dried items on the right

The BFF has got to stop buying me coffee 😂

The two cans of Don Francisco are a housewarming gift

The cupboard over the refrigerator plus one cloth bin is what I am using to store my LTFS food.  The other bin up there holds non food items like light bulbs and extra cleaning supplies.  It is proving to be exactly enough space to meet my needs and I’m glad I chose that area.  I’m also really happy that I chose to streamline my LTFS.

 

Costco haul

Bonus item 😹

Based on all of the really good deals I found at local stores plus the ability to order online and have things delivered I have scrapped my plans for a winter stock up trip to Costco and Winco in the “big city”.  At this time I don’t feel it necessary and in order for that trip to feel worth it, especially with the jump again in fuel prices, I’d feel compelled to purchase far more than I actually need.  I definitely do not want to over purchase food or nonfood items.

 

Fish & Chips

Homemade tartar sauce

Adding the toaster oven with the air fryer function has been a bonus in my kitchen.  This month I purchased items I normally haven’t purchased often in the past like the fish fillets, corn dogs, onion rings and tater tots.  With the high cost of eating out I decided to add these things so I can dine-in instead.  I make my own tartar sauce and fry sauce too.  The air fryer gives me that crispiness without deep frying so I also feel my own renditions are probably healthier.

 

They blend in well and I hardly ever notice them

This month I added another cloth bin to store non food items, particularly extra cleaning supplies and toiletries from under the kitchen and bathroom sink.  It was too jam-packed in those spaces and made it difficult to get out what I needed without making a mess.  Adding that bin has made it so much nicer.  Speaking of nonfood items the only things I bought were a box of pint sized bags and a box of gallon sized bags for the vacuum sealer.

 

Small grocery hauls of sales items really do add up quickly

I feel as we head into winter that I am well stocked in both my daily working pantry, the refrigerator/freezer as well as my LTFS pantry and the new tiny deep freezer.  Next month I plan to add one more Butcher Box order to the deep freezer and that should be all I need as far as stocking up on meat for quite a while.  Needless to say I am feeling rather blessed to be able to restock a brand new home practically from scratch without over spending or needing to go into debt to do so.  Moving forward my goal is to re-adopt my pull and replace protocol so that I can easily maintain my inventory within a set budget.

 

All of the orange items are for my LTFS - How did I do?

My total food spend this month was another impressive one, I think, given everything I was able to acquire.  My total food spend for the month of October is $191.22 and that includes a nice Costco haul.  I am feeling really good about the state of things right now.  Having a well stocked kitchen gives me so much peace of mind, as you all know.  I am so thankful.  What do you think?  Did I buy too much?  Not enough?  Is there anything you can think of that I should add?