My Pantry is Filling Up!

15 April 2010 8,390 views 13 Comments

I love the look of nice, clean, organized store shelves. Back when I was in college, I worked at Walgreens for one summer, and we had to reset the shelves before closing. I pulled everything forward to make it look nice and neat. During the school year, I worked in the college library, and spent a lot of time straightening the shelves and pulling the books forward to the edge. I still do that at home on my own bookshelves.

After reading The Krazy Coupon Lady‘s book, Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey, I realized that I needed to work on my stockpile. I’d been a bit lazy, and then I kinda-sorta did the “Eat From the Pantry” challenge, so my pantry was not lookin’ so good. I was totally inspired by the idea of having so much food in my pantry that I would have to ask my husband to build shelves in the garage. Not that I’m gonna do that, but I’d love to be like my friend Kristin H. who uses every spare inch of her home to stash food: the tops of her kids’ closets, the top shelf of her craft room, the top of her coat closet, etc.

WHY would I want to do that? So that when I want to make spaghetti for dinner, I don’t have to run to the store and purchase a box of pasta for 99¢ (along with any number of impulse purchases). Instead, I can just reach into my pantry and pull out the box of pasta that I paid .25¢ for back when it was on sale and I had a coupon. For the record, local ladies, I have been building this slowly over the last few days! I’m NOT the one who grabbed all of the coupons hanging in the isle. {sob!}

OR, when we are running late and we have to get on the road, I can dump a packet of instant oatmeal (Free to .25¢ for a box of 10) into a mug and hand my kids a spoon instead of running through the McDonald’s drive through on my way out of town. Get it? YES, it is convenience food, but when you are running late, you need convenience. Like, perhaps a (free/moneymaker to .25¢ for a box of 6) granola bar. Yes, we do reach for the fruit first, but the boys love granola bars and oatmeal, and I love that they will eat breakfast if that is what I’m serving up.

Because I have a stockpile, I can freely and without hesitation, fill up a bag of groceries when I hear about a family in need because I know that I have enough to feed my own family.

You know that I love couponing!! I love that I can feed my family on $50 (or less) per week. I love that I don’t have to run to the store at the last minute to grab something and end up paying full price. I love having a HUGE supply of fancy-schmancy bottom-friendly toilet paper. I love that I no longer pay for toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, hair stylers, make-up (!!), granola bars, cereal, brownies, soup, oatmeal, etc, because it frees me up to buy fresh fruit and produce, meat and dairy, and pretty much anything else I want! Plus, it’s SO much fun!!

I’ll leave you with a couple of recent scores. I haven’t been too good about taking pictures, lately, but here are a couple that I DID capture!

I paid a little less than $6.00 Out of Pocket. It kills me, because I SHOULD have paid less than $4.00, but I messed it up. Hee, hee!

THIS trip was a little less than $4.00 Out of Pocket. Man, milk is expensive!! LOL!

Oh, and I have TOTALLY been enjoying all of you wonderful ladies who link me up to your grocery score pictures!! It’s nice to know that I’m not the only weirdo who poses her food!!

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13 Comments »

Susan said:

Love it! I didn’t take all the coupons.

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# 15 April 2010 at 4:08 pm

Amy said:

How can one make their stock pile pretty like yours and spend so little? i am just getting into couponing, but i never see 1/2 those coupons that every one talks about where i live… Any suggestions on how a beginner (with 0 time to clip) can start saving mega money! i’d love to be more independent of a family then relying on the rest of the family to support us.

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Kelleigh Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 4:30 pm

Amy, where do you shop? What stores do you have around you? I bet there is an awesome local coupon blog that gives you all of the match-ups, complete with links to the good printable coupons. As for beginner advice, you NEED to read the 10 Days to Become a Krazy Coupon Lady series!!!

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/beginners

[Reply]

Amy Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 5:21 pm

I live in Clinton Township Michigan. All the great deals it seems everyone gets from stores we dont have here.. All i have really around me (with in 30 minutes) is a walmart, miejer, kroger, target kmart. we have fruit markets around - that have some nice sales on fruit every now and then, but… nothing like a fred meyer, or albertsons or vons…
i have read her 10 day thing, and im starting to collect the coupons i find online for things we do snack on and what few we get in the paper.. (like those all famous scrubbing bubble coupons, we didnt receive in our sunday papers)

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Kelleigh Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 5:44 pm

Well, Kroger is a good one!! It is comparable to our Fred Meyer, which is where I picked up all that free cheese a while back. My friend Pamela shops at Kroger, and she does a great job!! http://keepinglifecreative.com/

And, $5 Dinner Mom shops there! http://www.5dollardinners.com/

If you go to Krazy Coupon Lady, I’m pretty sure you can follow the Fred Meyer matchups, but I bet you have a local blog that will serve you better.

Just give yourself some time!

Pam Reply:
April 15th, 2010 at 8:17 pm

Sometimes I get bummed that I don’t have a Safeway or Albertsons nearby (especially when I see Kelleigh’s scores!!), but I get some pretty awesome deals at Kroger, and I’m pretty sure Meijer has some good deals as well.

# 15 April 2010 at 4:14 pm

Valerie G. said:

So I wondered as I looked at the pic of your little guy and your comment about posing food if he’ll come home from shopping with his new wife one day and say, “But wait honey, don’t put that away… we need to pose it and take a picture….” (and it’s a good thing.)

I appreciate your sentiment about buying your stockpile so that you can free up $ to buy the fruits/veggies, etc. I look at myself and wonder why I need 18+ boxes of cereal in the basement, but if I think of it in those terms, it makes a lot more sense! I am freeing up $ for other purchases! It’s also being a good steward with the money entrusted to us!

Thanks so much for sharing!

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# 15 April 2010 at 6:01 pm

Pam said:

Your pantry is amazing!! I just started reading KCL’s book too, and I’m wanting my hubby to go build me some shelves!

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# 15 April 2010 at 8:19 pm

Jeanne said:

Wow! This is amazing! Great job, Kelleigh. I, too, wondered why I would want to stockpile, (if I ever got crazy into couponing) and your reasoning makes perfect sense! Fantastic testimonial, Kelleigh. Thanks for sharing! (and if I had an official pantry…I’d want it to look just like yours) *Ü*

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# 16 April 2010 at 4:53 am

jayne said:

Yeah, I noticed Safeway was out of their pasta coupons too-I ended up needing to go to Salem for my husband and the South Salem one had a lot so I did get some there. Good blog post.

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# 16 April 2010 at 6:24 pm

Jen said:

Ooooh, very pretty! Where did you get a Sunchips coupon? We love those, especially now with the new bag that can go right into our compost bin.

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Kelleigh Reply:
April 24th, 2010 at 8:01 am

Jen, I can’t remember if the Sunchips coupon was from Vocalpoint or Facebook. I think it might have been Facebook. They mailed it to me rather than having me print it out. PLUS, I found a hanging tearpad in the store under the Sunchips, which made for an even better deal!

Oh, and the compost-able bag is the COOLEST thing!! It is loud, but so exciting!!

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# 23 April 2010 at 9:01 pm

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