LOOKING FOR ME, TRY THE PANTRY

It’s where we’d roll out the play-doh and learn to make pie crusts. It’s where gingerbread cookies were made for the holidays. It’s where birthday parties and party cakes were sliced and celebrated. Thank you notes were written. There was a conversation for permission to marry and a pregnancy announced. It’s where gifts were wrapped, only to be unwrapped hours later. It’s where decisions were made on where to go to college and where dinners were eaten when children came home for visits. It’s where the Sunday newspaper was read, where coffee was consumed and coupons were clipped. Such are  the memories of the kitchen table.

And although many a coupon was clipped and sorted, the dinner menu was not planned there.

If you need me, I’m in the pantry.

That is where meal preparations begin in our home. A frugal meal plan consists of using what is on hand, or in this case, on the shelves. The shelves can be in a traditional pantry, or shelves in the freezer, or a hall closet or the laundry room cabinet.

The purpose of grocery shopping in our home is to replace ingredients used in previous meals. My grocery shopping list is a hodge-podge of sale items purchased with manufacturer coupons, and when possible, competitor or store coupons stacked with them.

My children may have grown up thinking the only way to buy food from the store was with a coupon. It did reduce the tantrums in the grocery aisle though!

SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: Using grocery ads to compare prices will help in reducing food/grocery costs. To reduce your travel from store to store, know your store’s policy on competitor pricing. If your favorite store will “price match”, bring the ad from the competitor store with you when shopping. There is nothing to lose but money to be gained by taking advantage of the price match policy.

                                                           Stacking coupons

 

                                                           Kitchen Table of savings

 

Restocking the pantry