Eating up what's in the pantry
By Denise
@petatonicsca (7070)
Japan
March 22, 2019 4:21am CST
I have about a month's worth of canned, dried or packaged food on hand in case of emergencies (in our case, earthquakes would be the most likely-- our government tells us to have at least three days' but in 2011 we discovered that about three weeks is more like it because supply lines get cut). About once every six months I go through and eat up the food that is about to expire, although I have been known to eat expired canned or dried food with no problem. Usually I do it at the beginning of Christmas and summer break.
So this Christmas break I went away. I came back and sorted through and decided what to eat. Then, suddenly, I had a house guest for a month, who was a very nice guest and did a lot of cooking for me. So the result is that here at the end of March, most of that food is still sitting there.
Last week I bought fresh vegetables and fruit and used things in my pantry for everything else. I think I spent maybe $10 for my food last week and I still have several things to use up. I can probably do that for a couple more weeks. I feel like I'm saving money although of course at one time it was my money that bought the food!
How do you make sure that your pantry is up to date and that you are not wasting food? How do you prepare for emergency supplies, if you do?
5 people like this
5 responses
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
22 Mar 19
@petatonicsca
That is great how you saved because you had that food sitting there. It is good to have food ready for emergency purposes.
1 person likes this
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
25 Mar 19
Yes, and sometimes it comes in handy in a "I'm sick" or "It's too nasty weather to go shopping" type emergency.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
25 Mar 19
@petatonicsca
I see what you are saying and that is a good idea then to go into the panty and find something to eat.
@JudyEv (382467)
• Rockingham, Australia
23 Mar 19
We very rarely have emergencies (in our area) where we would need to stock up on food. Any emergency would be totally unexpected and so unlikely to occur that there seems little point in having too much stored away. Most things in our pantry get used little by little and there are very few items that get to their use-by date.
1 person likes this
@LovingMyBabies (85923)
• Valdosta, Georgia
22 Mar 19
It is good to be prepared! We have a pantry full of canned foods at the moment-also for emergencies because we never know. =)
1 person likes this
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
25 Mar 19
And you have lots of people to take care of!
1 person likes this
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
25 Mar 19
Nice to be able to earn a bit and do someone a favor. Nobody would ask me to cook for them!
1 person likes this
@SophiaMorros (5044)
• Belews Creek, North Carolina
22 Mar 19
I try to keep a significant amount of dried beans, rice and other shelf-stable foods on hand. We don't use much in the way of canned goods around here but I usually have a freezer full of meat and vegetables (and I have a generator to keep it running when the power goes out). The biggest thing that I need to keep on hand is water. We're on a well and to use the generator with the pump my husband needs to do some significant rewiring (the pump takes 220v while the generator is only designed for 110v).
On shelves under the stairs, I have about 40 recycled white vinegar bottles (much better plastic for water storage than the ones you buy at the store) that I try to empty and refill at least once a year (and I replace the bottles themselves as they age).
1 person likes this
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
25 Mar 19
I have one of those vinegar bottles filled with water, but most of my drinkable water is bottled. I can use other containers for water for other uses.
