Recession Proofing My Pantry

 

As a single person forty years ago my total monthly grocery budget was $65 for food and non food items.  At that time I was able to feed myself while slowly establishing and building a pantry.  Over time, as my finances allowed, I was able to add funds, which was especially helpful when my household size increased and eventually lead to active and “starving” teenagers… with friends.

 

With a little tweaking over the years I was able to raise my monthly grocery budget to $125 and I felt like I was on top of the world with “so much money” to spend just on food.  I then added a separate monthly budget of $25 for nonfood items like toiletries, cleaning and laundry supplies, paper products and whatever else I felt I needed to run my household.

 

Recently I sat down and reviewed my grocery spending over the last twenty years and was pleasantly surprised to see that despite inflation and other challenges that came my way during this time not much has changed.  With prices steadily rising on goods and services I found I was still paying about the same price for, well, pretty much everything.

 

Careful planning, strategic shopping and keeping things really basic and simple have allowed me to keep my family, friends and now just myself well fed and my freezer, pantry and LTFS well stocked without busting the budget.

 

Being resourceful and creative as well as willing to put in a little bit of extra work helps me to save money while still having the things I want without feeling deprived.  I make most everything from scratch including most of my salad dressings and condiments.  I rotate items, making sure things are used up in a timely manner, and I meal plan with the idea of using what I already have on hand so nothing has an opportunity to sit around and go bad.

 

I’m resourceful with adding to my food stores with simple things like re-growing green onions so I’m able to triple the amount I originally purchased.  I happily accept veggie bombings in the summertime and my friend’s extra zucchini to grate and freeze for recipes or grind up along with other veggies to make sweet pickle relish.  I grow what I can in my raised garden beds.  I make sure to utilize leftovers and often use them to make my own reheat and eat frozen meals.

 

Because I work hard to limit any potential food waste I need to purchase far less at the grocery store.  And because I buy basic ingredients and make my own food rather than purchase overly processed “food” or convenience items I save a lot of money.  Basic fresh or frozen produce, meats and dairy items plus a few basic pantry staples allows me to create so many things at a fraction of the cost of premade items like breads, cereals and frozen entrees.  In review of my grocery spending over the years I can confidently say my strategy is pretty much recession proof.  For that, I am truly grateful.