Our New Home: Chapter One

Stocking the Pantry

Last year I picked up fresh produce from Spicer Brothers about once a week. I got eggs and meat from United Grocers once a month. And I went to Winco a total of four times. Of course there were a few trips to Fred Meyers and Costco mixed in, but I like to go grocery shopping as little as possible.

I have a limited number of recipes which use ingredients that I keep stocked. I don't keep much in the fridge, but if the freezer and the pantry start looking empty it means it's time to go shopping again. When I knew we were moving, I just kept using stuff out of my cupboards, not wanting to move a bunch of food if we didn't have to. Once we were settled in our new home I ventured out, list in hand and money in the bank. When you stock up for the next three or four months it definitely adds up.

My pantry here is a good sized closet under the stairs. (We thought about putting Joshua's room in there, but I have to have some place to put 200 pounds of flour, oats and sugar.) While there's a lot of floor space, it's very long and narrow and since the ceiling slants, you can stack less and less the further back you go. Fitting in the product of a big trip to United Grocers and a huge trip to Winco was a bit of a challenge, but eventually it all fit. The good news is (I guess it's good news) every meal I make leaves a little more room.

At the rate our kids are growing and eating, I'll look back on these pictures (and our budget records) in five or ten years and I'll be amazed at how small these amounts are!

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