Top 4 Hacks to a Wise Stock Pantry

A pantry is one of the must-haves in the home nowadays. Especially as of late when families no longer want to go out frequently, it follows that you’ll want to have at least two weeks to a month’s worth of your food supplies at home. It's time-consuming to have to go to the grocery all the time. And, for busy families, having all they need for the month, right at home, is very convenient.

The contents of a ‘stock pantry’ differs from one family to another, as each family will have their respective food needs, family size, favorites, and even personal preferences of each member of the family. But there are failproof tips you can apply when stocking your pantry, where it’s up to you then to tweak here and there on the various food staples your family needs.

You can start your journey towards having your own stock pantry with these top hacks.

Shop the Bulk Bags

What’s a pantry if you were still buying the smaller packets of products? A pantry is called a stock pantry for that very reason: you’re stocking up. The best way you can go about with this is to shop in bulk. The bigger, the better. For as long as the expiration date is still years away, the product doesn’t go bad right away, and you know for sure you’re going to consume that product, then there’s no harm in stocking up.

Pantry must-haves that are favorites to buy in bulk are beans, rice, whole grain, pasta, and even laundry staples like your detergent.

Don’t Buy Everything at Once

Unless you’re like one of the few privileged who can shop without a budget, it can be quite overwhelming and way beyond your budget to shop for your pantry staples all at once. For the bulk items and those you know won’t go bad right away, you can buy a few items on this shopping trip and then add a few more on the next. 

You don’t have to buy everything at once, just so you can finally have that Instagrammable pantry. Another strategy you can do is to slowly start purchasing bigger sizes. For instance, on your grocery list now, you need ketchup and sugar. Rather than buying your usual half kilo packets of sugar and just one bottle of ketchup, why not make it to two 1-kilo packs of sugar and 3 bottles of ketchup?

Not buying everything at once also enables you to take advantage of sale seasons and discounts. As you shop for your pantry, it’s also a good practice to check out websites first like I Like Sales to know the local offers and discounts that you may be able to use for your food shop.

Pay Attention to the Expiration Dates

A pantry’s purpose is to give you enough stock of food items so all you have to do is reach out to your pantry whenever you need to whip something up. You have to store food that’ll last, so be sure to make it a habit to check the expiration dates. Don't let food go bad on you. 

Especially if you’re going to decant some of your pantry items to transfer them to more presentable containers, be sure that you still have a tracking system in place, as regards the expiration dates.

A good practice you can do is to stick the expiration date on the back of the bottle, so when it runs out, it’s easy for you to remove that date and change it to the new one from the new batch of pantry items you’re using.

Always Have the Basic Pantry Essentials

The inclusions of your pantry will differ according to what your family loves to eat. But there are certain pantry essentials that are must-haves. Those are the pantry items that are always consumed regularly and fast. In starting your own stock pantry, you should also make it a point to include all of the basic pantry essentials.

Some of these are:

• Oils and vinegar, like canola oil, olive oil, white vinegar, and apple cider vinegar;
• Grains and starches, like white rice, canned beans, dry pasta, and bread crumbs;
• Nuts and nut butter, like walnuts, roasted peanuts, and peanut butter;
• Spices and dried herbs, like salt in all the forms you use at home, dried thyme, pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, and other staple spices in your household;
• Condiments and sauces, like ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise

Foundations of a Good Pantry

As you can see, the foundation of a good pantry is stocking up on those food items which you’re certain your family will need and love. Even the basics can go a long way, and there’s so much that can be done with it.

A good rule of thumb is to stock your pantry with those essentials you’re confident that you’ll use in your home. That way, you’re certain that your stock of food items in your pantry won’t go to waste. Keep in mind the tips above as you shop for your own stock pantry to have at home.