My grandparents used to store their food supplies in the basement. The shelves were filled with lots of homemade jams, jellies, and a lot of ‘canned goods’. There was also a potato cellar where you could find beets as well. Moreover, my grandma and grandpa had their own garden where they grew their own fruits and vegetables. What was a common practice for my grandparents back then is now very much in vogue again. Unfortunately, not all of us have the luxury of owning a garden plus a large cellar to become self-sufficient. Therefore, modern stockpiling is mostly limited to the ‘must-haves’, but even those don’t have to cost a fortune. Social media is now full of so-called ‘Pantry Porn’, where influencers and those aspiring to be one showcase their stylized pantry cabinets. However, I can reassure you that for most people, real life doesn’t look like that.
If you want to stock up and save money at the same time, you should take advantage of special offers. Of course, this requires a bit of research, which can be done either online or by flipping through flyers the old-fashioned way (which I personally find very relaxing). Another way to save is by buying in bulk. However, I recommend only buying ‘dry’ food and maybe toilet paper in bulk - unless you have a large family that’s always hungry. Otherwise, there’s just too great a risk that the supplies will spoil. Opting for store brands instead of expensive name brands can also save you extra money. After shopping, you can log your products in the Smantry App where you can always keep an eye on the best before date. By the way, stocking up is always a personal matter. It makes no sense at all to stock up on food items that may be trendy - but you don’t eat at all.
Pasta has an almost indefinite shelf life, so if you or your family are pasta enthusiasts, definitely stock up during special offers. Flour and rice also have a long shelf life, but they tend to attract pests. Therefore, you should transfer these foods into storage jars.
A good stockpile also needs to be well planned. The ultimate tool for this is the shopping list, on which you note down everything you want to buy that day, or have to buy. This helps you avoid impulsive and pointless purchases. Nowadays, there are also apps that can replace the good old paper list. By the way: In the Smantry App, you can also always see exactly how much you have left of any food or product in the house.
In addition to canning, food can be preserved by freezing. Ground meat lasts about one to three months in the freezer or deep freeze. Bread also lasts just as long when sliced. If needed, you can also toast the slices. Yeast and yeast dough last about 6 months, and cooked potatoes about a year. Leftover food can also be frozen, so you don’t have to cook when time is short.
Keep track of supplies, groceries and durable products before small price increases turn into unnecessary extra costs.
Or try it right in your browser — no install neededI admit, the pantry cabinets you find on Pinterest and the like look fantastic. But you shouldn’t forget that this is social media - not real life. Honestly, my cabinets rarely look like that and my storage jars are not color-coordinated either. I always try to use what I already have at home. To me, this is also about sustainability because it’s not just the mountains of wasted food that are growing every day. The piles of trash and plastic are increasing as well. Besides, it saves money when you first use what you already have.
I’ll admit it openly at this point: I’m a shopping slacker. That means I often only go shopping when there’s no other choice. Having a certain stock of groceries really helps me. This way, I don’t have to go to the supermarket or discount store every day (I have the ‘luxury problem’ of having both around the corner) and it saves me time.
We are not building our own chatbot. Instead you connect Claude to your pantry, your shopping list and your recipes.
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