I first heard about The Pantry Principle as a young mom trying to save money on absolutely everything to stay home with my kids. I even subscribed to The Tightwad Gazette written by the now legendary Amy Dacyczyn, which allowed me to hone my frugalness to the high level that I maintain today even 28 years later. I believe she first heard about this principle from the book Cut Your Food Bills In Half by Barbara Salsbury and Cheri Loveless.
I have currently been reading that The Pantry Principle is the opposite of Meal Planning but I disagree. I use both principles together. Using both Meal Planning and The Pantry Principle together will save you even more money!
So, what is The Pantry Principle?
The basic premise is that you stockpile your pantry (and/or kitchen, freezer, basement, closet, and/or the space under your bed) with food purchased at the lowest possible price. The sole purpose of grocery shopping becomes replenishing your pantry, not buying ingredients to prepare specific meals. This is a subtle but important distinction. – Amy Dacyczyn
How does it work?
- To put The Pantry Principle into action, start by saving your grocery store receipts and make a price list on your computer/phone to get an idea of what the items that you purchase cost. Just knowing your prices will save you a ton of money alone.
- Weekly scan your local grocery store flyers and check to see if there are any rock-bottom sales going on. Loss leaders are also good to tune into. Check your pantry to see if you need the product. Check your price book to see if the advertised price is the lowest price and if it is, stock up! I generally purchase enough product for six months. This will be dependent on your storage space and at what rate your family will eat the food. Remember to always check the expiration dates.
- Some of the best deals around can be had by shopping local. Go late to your farmers market, see what produce is left and barter. Home can or freeze your bulk farmer’s market purchases. Look at your local wholesale club and shop their sales as well! Scratch and dent store…there too!
- If you miscalculate how much your family will eat and don’t have enough frozen peas for the recipe you want to make, don’t go purchase more, just do without until another sale comes along. You can replenish your rock bottom priced supply of peas soon enough or solve the problem by getting creative. Substitute asparagus or green beans in the recipe!
How to combine Meal Planning and The Pantry Principle
It’s easy! When you sit down to plan your meals for the week, pick recipes for food that you have in your freezer, pantry, or storage space. Here is a FREE Printable Meal Planning Sheet to get you started! Did I mention that both these methods will save you time too? Meal Planning will save you money and The Pantry Principle will save you money, so, why not combine the two for double the savings!?!
YOUR TURN…
Comment below, how do you save money at the grocery store?
Blessings,
*This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you for supporting The Peaceful Haven!
Good job. Always good to be frugal but also to plan what to buy before you go to the store and stick to that list.
Great advice! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I didn’t know this had a name! I’ve been doing this to varying degrees for years. We just moved and our new place has much more storage space, but we’ve already filled it. So the Pantry Principle is now in play. I may still need to occasionally buy fresh produce because I need to eat a specialized diet, but I also purchased some vegetable plants today. So we’re on our way.
So glad to hear that you are already using the pantry principle and didn’t even know it, Melanie!
Best wishes in your new home!
I don’t even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post was good. Cheers!
Thanks, Lindy, I’m so glad you found your way to The Peaceful Haven!
Love it!
I’m so thankful you found the post helpful!
I do believe all the ideas you have offered for your post are great and they can certainly work. Thanks for the post.
Thank you Tina!