A Few Deal Cheapies At Weis & Building an Emergency Pantry

I got a few things at Weis(PMITA)Markets on Tuesday........

4 x DaVinci pasta on sale $1 each, used 4 x .50¢/1 IPQ which double to $1 making these free.
3 x RedPack tomatoes on sale $1 each, used $1/3 ManuQ which made these .67¢ a can.
8 x Hanover canned beans on sale for 1/2 price(.59¢), no Qs used.

The beans were a surprise find and they had the rare reduced sodium varieties on most.  I should have bought more than 2 of each at this price but the larder is pretty full right now.  Besides the "best" price I find Hanover beans on sale for around here otherwise is $1 a can.  A couple of pots of chili, a pot of pinto beans and rice and some hummus making and these will disappear fast! lol

This is how you build a larder/pantry/stockpile.
Pick up staples when they go rock bottom price(even better if they are free after Qs!)a little at a time.
This was $6.72 well spent in my estimation.  And that small amount doesn't take much out of your food budget, not such that you will miss it.

                    A neat stockpile-not mine! lolz

Preppers and some religious groups get a bad rap about "hoarding" food supplies as does anyone who goes to extremes like those "oddballs" on some reality tv shows(unless you are of the mind that our civilization as we know it is nearing an end).

But having a decent sized emergency supply of food is NEVER a bad idea.  I don't care if you live alone or you are a family of 15.  Having extra food is the only way to operate in this world.

Does it snow or does your area get hurricanes or tornadoes?  Have you seen what the daily food supply chain system is like with the approach of a weather related event?  Have you seen store shelves cleared of bread, milk, eggs, water, etc. after bad weather is predicted to hit in any area?

                Part of my stockpile taken August 2015

Most grocery stores operate on a 3 day supply of food, meaning most supplies are restocked every 3 days on average with new deliveries.
When a weather emergency or natural disaster interrupts the transportation system from getting your food from the growing source to a processor to a warehouse to a wholesaler to a method of delivery(planes/trucks)to your actual market a store can run out within 3-7 days if that chain remains broken.

So unless you want to be at the mercy of this short food supply chain it only makes sense to have a stash of self-stable items in your home for emergency situations.  And if you would experience power outages during an emergency don't rely on stockpiling items that need refrigeration or a freezer.  You could experience financial losses when you have to throw out a mass of spoiled items and then rebuild that stash.

If you are interested in building a stockpile/pantry(even a modest one)here's a plan----
* Make a list of items you use often that are shelf-stable and decide how many you need to keep in your pantry on a regular basis
* Put $5 out of your weekly grocery budget/spending aside in an envelope(if you use cash)or mentally put it aside on a paper to keep track(if you charge your food purchases).
* Every week when you peruse the grocery ads, if you see an item you wish to stockpile, put it onto your buying list and purchase it at the store.
* Keep track of what you bought/didn't buy yet on your pantry list by marking off or changing the quantity still needed on that list AND pay with cash from that pantry stock-up envelope and move that cash used physically to your wallet or another location(like a savings envelope)OR once items are put on credit card/debit card make a note on your list of available cash for stockpiling how much to deduct from your running total.

Easy Peasy.
And if you don't find any stockpilable items one week, roll that $5 over into the following week.
This system will only take $20 a month out of your normal food budget but by thinking this way it may help you build you a very inexpensive stockpile without any distress to your budget.

                  Donation from 2015

If you don't need to build a pantry/stockpile you can utilize this same method to put together a Food Bank/Pantry donation.

             Another donation from 2015

Direct $5 a week while grocery shopping to pick up inexpensive but nutritious items your local Food Bank always needs; items like peanut butter, tuna fish, soups, pasta, canned tomatoes, pasta sauce, canned veggies, condiments, etc., especially if you find an item(s) on rock bottom price and/or you have access to good coupons on said items.  And don't forget to also look for deals on toiletry items this way at the grocery and/or drug stores.  People on Snap benefits can NOT purchase paper goods, OTC medicines or personal care toiletries with government food benefits.  Most Food Banks will be more than happy to take your toilet paper, laundry detergent, deodorant, shampoo and toothpaste donations to hand out to their clients.

The beginning of the Great Gravy Caper Donation of November 2011

At the end of the month doing this will give you a right decent amount of food to donate or keep for your own emergency pantry.


Any questions on how to build an emergency pantry?   Leave a comment.
Sluggy