Do You Have A Stockpile? You Need One!

 

Years ago my first stockpile began with a copy paper box and lid I brought home from work and evolved from there.  I squeaked out every extra penny I could from my existing grocery shopping budget to fill that box with items I used on a regular basis.  It evolved from there until I was able to fill another box and then another.  I stacked the boxes in my hall closet where they were safe and out of the way.  It didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen and that practice saved my bacon many times through any financial hardship I faced while raising my family as a single mom.

 

I still keep a stockpile of groceries and nonfood items in my home to this day.  It is a huge part of my financial success and why I am easily able to stay on budget with my expenses and spending.  I would buy one for now and one for later until I had an extra item for nearly everything I had listed on my basic pantry list.  Before long I had two of each item and then three.  Then I added additional numbers of the items I used more often like canned tomatoes, soup, green beans and peanut butter.

 

This is all you really need!

By creating a basic pantry list of items I keep in my home I know that as long as I have those items in the pantry, refrigerator or freezer I can pretty much make anything at any given time so I am not rushing out to the store to pick up an ingredient I don’t have to complete a meal.  If you are interested in receiving a workable Excel copy of this list you can tailor to your needs simply click here to email me.  I will happily send you one.

 

As time has gone on my boxes became tubs and eventually shelving I keep in a spare room for storing my long term food storage.  I added a freezer to our garage to stock with meats and vegetables I bought on sale or markdown.  I have a shelf to stock butter, flour and cornmeal in my freezer too.  Should I find myself facing a financial hardship I know I can now keep myself fed for a year or more.

 

The freezer we keep in our garage

Having a well stocked pantry, refrigerator and freezer gives great peace of mind that, if nothing else, we don’t have to worry about how we will be able to feed our family.  At the onset it may seem unachievable, but if you consistently chip away at it you will be surprised at how quickly you can make it happen.