SENSIBLE STOCKING & STORING
(Page 5 of 5)
August/September 1997
By Jay P. Curry
Making Corrections to the Pantry Plan
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If your family is like ours, you may find that you will consume more of some stuff and less of other stuff than you had predicted. One big shock to us was the amount of beverages we drink. Our allowance for beverages had to be increased. We had figured on making one package of drink mix or one-half gallon per day. It uses one cup of sugar per package of drink mix That would require 365 packets a year and 182 pounds of sugar. What we really needed was one gallon a day, or 730 packets of drink mix and 365 pounds of sugar. We also found we used more powdered milk in baking as well. Keep notes and make corrections as you go. By increasing the scope of our pantry storage system, we have had to learn new skills for preparing food such as crepes, homemade pizza, and Chinese-style dishes like stir fry, soups, spring rolls, and wontons. As we make corrections to our pantry plan, our efficiency increases, we save more money, and have more fun. For the cost of a couple of take- out pizzas you can get what is needed to make pizza at home. Another benefit is that our two oldest boys have hosted many pizza parties for their friends. They have a great time making them "their way;" and it is much more economical than take out. Mom and Dad have also played "Burger Joint" short order chefs for our family and friends. We served up hot dogs, burgers, files, sodas, and shakes made-to-order with every item coming straight from the pantry.
When Is the Best Time to Start?
Today. Decide how long you want to prepare for, then plan with your family what they like to eat and how often they want to eat it. Write down this information. Keep your menus simple to prepare and plan for at first. You can plan for salmon stuffed manicotti when you get your feet wet. Once under way, you will notice the game slowly changing from "Guess what?" to "What can we make at home for less money, and have fun doing it?" It's all a process of developing your shopping list. Check it against what you have on hand. Emergencies are occasions that no family needs to worry over, but every family needs to prepare for. And even if you never need to use your pantry for an extended period, you gain the peace of mind that you can. At the very least you will dramatically reduce your food costs in the process. All measures of economic good sense and family safety aside, planning and working for a common purpose will simply bring your family closer together. We'll take all of those opportunities we can get.
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