Planning to Shop, Shopping the Pantry First

Grocery prices seem to always be going up. And one the most requested help from readers is how to save money on groceries. One method I use to keep our food cost down is to shop my pantry before I shop the store.

This might sound a little odd but it’s easy to forget about items you’ve purchased, they sit in your pantry on the shelf.

By shopping what you already have on hand before you even leave to go to the store, you can reduce the amount you are purchasing and use it those items hanging around in your pantry too.

Shopping Your Pantry

So how do you shop your pantry before you go out to the store? This is how to get started, you will want to have a pen or pencil and paper in hand or some way of recording what you have.

Go through each cupboard listing any bulk or canned foods onto my list. You might be surprised at how much food you already have in your kitchen.

Don’t worry if you don’t have much on hand, that just means you are really good at using what you have, which is  great or that you haven’t become a hoarder, stockpiler yet. 🙂

Shopping the Freezer

Next we’ll look through the freezer and add any meat you have on hand to my list. Be sure to add any other items like frozen vegetables, broth or soup starter kits to your list too.

You’ll want to list any ready-made freezer meals you have prepared but may have forgotten about too. I also like to add to my list any bread, tortillas or rolls I have tucked away so I can use them in my meal planning.

Once you have a good idea of what you have in your cupboards and freezer, take a look in the refrigerator.

How much cheese do you have, how many eggs and milk do you have on hand? Are there items that need to be thrown away? Are there items that need to be eaten in the next few days before they go bad?

Add these items to your list. If there is an item that needs to be used within the next few days make sure to note it as a perishable item on your list,  so you can menu plan to use it early in the week.

Review Your Pantry List

Now you want to look over your list to see if there are any meals you can make with what you have on hand.

Do you have meatballs in the freezer and spaghetti sauce and pasta in the pantry?

Did you find a freezer meal you tucked away and then forgot it was in the freezer, like I do so often?

You might be surprised at how many meals you have tucked away in the cupboards and freezer. So before you even head out to the store be sure to shop your pantry.

To keep going take a peek at how I combine what I have on hand with the items on sale at the store to complete my meal plan and to save money each week.

Do you usually shop your pantry before you head out to the store?