Comments on Want What You Have: The Frugal Pantry

Heather, I've been reading your blog for over 6 m...

2009-04-15T02:52:00.000-05:00

Heather,

I've been reading your blog for over 6 months now & have left several comments too!

During a bout of insomnia tonight, I decided that I was going to take the ads from the paper & start (FINALLY) a price book.

All I can say is THANK YOU for listing your pantry items here so I have a "cheat sheet" to start with! I was seriously thinking of going to bed until I found a link to this post.

You are truly an inspiration to anyone that wants to live frugal! I'm not a mom & I'm not "stay at home" but your theories & ideas work for anyone.

Thanks again for deciding to stick around to blog more & best of luck with your Lupron. I'll have my fingers crossed & will pray for you everyday until I hear good news after the transfer!

Thank you so much for this wonderful blog. This is...

2008-11-09T18:58:00.000-06:00

Thank you so much for this wonderful blog. This is the first post I stumbled on and I have read so many since then! I am a new wife and mother who is trying so hard to learn the ropes. I love all your ideas. I don't know if I have the discipline to apply them but I am working on it.
I started my own blog to document the journey I am on right now. God is doing crazy things in my life. I would love it if you would come visit! http://lifeofatater.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the pantry info! I really get recharge...

2008-10-13T15:09:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the pantry info! I really get recharged reading your blog every day. Before I trusted the Lord to lead my life I spent money (lots that I didn't have) to feel better about myself. If I wanted it...I bought it. I was filling a huge hole inside of me that could only be filled by the gracious love of God. I find so much more joy by being a good steward of the money God has provided and entrusted me with. I want my son to learn that things don't make you happy. It is so encouraging to read your view on this and your tips really keep me focused!!!

I have a pantry list as well - it helps when I nee...

2008-10-10T17:30:00.000-05:00

I have a pantry list as well - it helps when I need to make shopping lists.
I alternate between butter & marg (although since moving, I've been buying more marg as butter (well everything really) is so much more expensive out here)!
I'm going to look at your link for your price book - sounds like an excellent idea!

Becky,It seemed like a lot to me too, at first. S...

2008-10-10T11:46:00.000-05:00

Becky,

It seemed like a lot to me too, at first. Start small, build from there. Find what works for you. I use to buy what was on sale and try to build a menu from that. Didn't work. Now, I make a menu based off the sales for the week and stock up on other sales items. This works best for me.

I did start off making a price book. It was a huge eye opener. When I had time, I would hit a few stores, buying what I knew was cheapest just at that store. I had a list for each store. (guess I am more organized than I thought!) I don't have that kinda time anymore, so now I do all my shopping in one place, but I stock up when there are sales. You make mistakes, you learn. Soon you will be able to say, "They call THAT a sale??" It may look like a good sale, but by knowing your rock bottom prices you can quickly tell.

That happened recently with toilet paper. Store had it on sale. Wow! Then I noticed I have a coupon in my binder.. did the math.. my coupon made that brand cheaper. And we needed some :)

Prices have risen so much that I know my pricebook needs updating. I use to get ground chuck at 99 cents a pound.. the lowest it has gone is 1.28 a pound.

I'm like Heather, I love knowing that kinda stuff :)

The Pantry is inspiring. I'm going to have to arm ...

2008-10-10T11:38:00.000-05:00

The Pantry is inspiring. I'm going to have to arm wrestle Mr. Clairol for some shelf space, since our shelves are currently filled with old VW parts.

You've mentioned the price book. Can you talk more about this or email me a link to the entry where you explained this?

Thanks, Heather. I have a lot of that kinda stuff...

2008-10-10T11:20:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Heather. I have a lot of that kinda stuff in my head too, but thought it would be nice to have it on paper as a backup.

My husband and I are about to tackle our stash of foods, organize it and rotate foods out. He took the day off to spend wiht me and we both LOVE this kinda stuff :)

Gotta love it!!!

I hope your feeling better. Im gonna take that ra...

2008-10-10T11:10:00.000-05:00

I hope your feeling better. Im gonna take that rating test when I have a minute

Sometimes you overwhelm me.Baby steps Becky. I th...

2008-10-10T10:13:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you overwhelm me.
Baby steps Becky. I think it's great that this works for you. I don't think I ever could. Thanks for sharing though!!!!

Rachel, I see your dilemma with the dates. I've al...

2008-10-10T09:45:00.000-05:00

Rachel, I see your dilemma with the dates. I've always just used the dates to watch for sale trends. For example, the lowest price on chocolate chips is always around the holidays, so I estimate how much I will need for the year, and put them in my freezer. Also, chicken breasts go on sale about once every two months around here, so I only buy two months worth at a time.

By consistently recording the dates of the lowest sales, I was able to see how these trends occur. Also, the dates help me to judge when I need to update my price book. If the last time I got a price for cornmeal was in 2006, I know that it's time to get a current price.

I don't have the luxury of shopping big box stores...

2008-10-10T09:24:00.000-05:00

I don't have the luxury of shopping big box stores or going from store to store to get the deals. Our nearest large chain store is 2 hours and 15 minutes away, and with the price of fuel, that doesn't save money anyway. I do try to take advantage of our one local supermarket's sales.

I LOVE my pre-set meal plan. I subscibe to a "frugal" one, so there's nothing fancy about it, and it's very flexible - I can easily substitute cheaper items into it. With a large, young family there are many more things to think about than "what's for dinner?" It has saved me time and money, because I only buy what I know I'm going to cook, not extras "just in case". I also cook for the freezer by doubling up on freezable recipes. It sure works for me!

I really need your help on this one. I started a ...

2008-10-10T09:07:00.000-05:00

I really need your help on this one. I started a price book a few yrs back. I have the items we buy, the unit price, the store, and the date. This is where I get confused... what is the date gonna tell me? Shouldn't you have 2dates listed, to figure out how long between cycles? Or a number listed representing weeks or months between cycles? For me, I generally know if the item is a good price or not.. and I can pretty much average about how much we will need. But I don't have a definite cycle length. Is this making sense? LOL

Example:
Wolf Chili. I buy it when it goes 1.00 a can because it NEVER goes lower than that. We eat hotdogs about 2x a month, so I will get 10 cans. This will get me 4 - 5 months worth at 1.00 a can. By that time it should be on sale again. If it goes on sale before I run out, I buy more. So, basically I always buy it at 1.00 a can - the best possible deal.

Now the dates.. should I list the first date I buy it at 1.00 a can and then the second date I see it at 1.00 a can? Then put a number off to the side telling me how long between sales? If I list the first date.. that will only tell me the date it went on sale.. and nothing more. I would need to know how long before it goes on sale again to see if I could wait to catch it on sale again, or if it would be 4 more wks and I needed it I would know to buy just 2 cans now to get me thru until the sale comes again.

Does this make sense? LOL

I do have a list that I refer to. Like pay no more than .19 an ounce for peanut butter, no more than .25for a roll of toilet paper, etc. But to know when the sales are gonna come around again (because i know they cycle in and out) has remained a mystery to me.

Soo... can you explain how the date works in a price book and how do you keep track of the span between cycles. Surely not everything cycles at the same time?

I'm wanting to do whatever I can to cut corners :)

Thanks!!

I still use unsalted butter but I always keep Blue...

2008-10-10T09:02:00.000-05:00

I still use unsalted butter but I always keep Blue Bonnet margarine in our fridge. I love the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the box.
Instead of trying to decide what's healthier between the two I just use a little of whatever will taste best with what I'm making.

I love your pantry store! It's so organized. It must be nice to be able to easily go pick up what you need. I love the stickers and price markings on them too. I like being able to see what I paid for something when I'm cooking so I can give my husband a tally of how much our dinner cost to make. My husband is working on making one for me in our basement but it's slow going.
I can't/don't do a weekly menu either. Whenever I've tried I always seem to not be able to figure in leftovers or perishables that need to be eaten. It's better if I plan our menu in the morning and use up what we need to. We waste less money that way.

Thanks for the pantry breakdown Heather! I've bee...

2008-10-10T08:58:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the pantry breakdown Heather! I've been upset b/c of our grocery budget and trying to figure out more economical ways of doing things.