Cooking With Sale Items & A Stockpile (Pt. 2)

This series of posts is in response to Julie's request that I explain how I feed my family.  We eat a combination of the random fresh items that were on sale & non-perishable items from our stockpile.

In Cooking With Sale Items & A Stockpile (Pt. 1) we talked about how to begin stocking up.  Basically, if you buy the right stuff at the right time, the stockpile just kind of magically happens.  If you only buy things when they're dirt-cheap, you can automatically afford to buy lots more of them & poof!...you've got a stockpile!  That way, you'll never get stuck paying more than you absolutely have to.

So, what's in our stockpile? 

Canned
Black beans
Pinto beans
Chili beans
Green beans
Corn
Tomato paste
Petite diced tomatoes
Ro-Tel
Evaporated milk (for casseroles)
Tuna
Creamy soups for cooking
Chef Boyardee pastas
Black olives
Chunky (meal-type) soups
Peaches
Spaghetti sauce
Pineapple
Enchilada sauce
Refried beans
White beans
Chickpeas
Nacho cheese sauce

Bottled
Any type of sauce you can imagine
Brandy
Pickles
Relish
Pasta sauces
Salad dressings
Mustard
Ketchup
Salsa
Peanut Butter

Boxed/Bagged
Cereal (40-60 boxes)
All types of pasta
Mac 'n' Cheese
Crackers
Hamburger Helper
Granola bars
Fruit snacks
Rice
Ramen noodles
Cup o' Noodles
Stuffing
Spice mixes
Sea Salt

A 45-pound bucket of wheat

Whew!  Keep in mind, this does not include our pantry items that are in "normal" quantities.  These are the non-perishable items we try to maintain a large supply of.

Our fridges & freezers are full of the perishable stuff that we found at really good sale prices.

Important Note: Organization is key!  If you lose track of something & let it expire, that 75% savings becomes 100% waste.

This is embarrassing, but I literally cursed at my chicken wings last night.  I had lost track of them & they expired.  (How DARE they!?!) I looked into the bottom drawer of the garage fridge & there they were!  3 days past date.  I was livid!  Don't let that happen to you.  It just plain sucks.

Next in the series:  Cooking with the very random perishables we find on sale.

Comments

  1. ElizabethMarch 28, 2011 at 7:44 AM

    It sounds reminiscent of the time you honked at the electric gate at the front of your neighborhood. Tee hee. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Stretch Your SavingsMarch 28, 2011 at 11:01 AM

    Yes, except this time was much more profane. Much more. :/

    ReplyDelete

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