This fall some serious holes appeared and I ended up having to pay more than I would like for staple items, and it got me thinking about our pantry situation (and back to serious coupon shopping and CVS!). I was fairly well prepared for Baby's arrival, but not so much for economy's impact on our family. I could have been doing a better job all around, and living in Southern California we should be better prepared, so while some things are not possible to do right now (like invest in a Berkey water filtration unit), some things are, like having a more well rounded pantry.
So here is what I have in the garage now:
This is the book case by the freezer
(that Christian Books Box is canning lids)
(that Christian Books Box is canning lids)
This is the shelf and a half of cleaning supplies...
...mostly laundry, dish soap, and toilet bowl cleaner
...mostly laundry, dish soap, and toilet bowl cleaner
Actually the cleaning supplies look pretty good still.
I keep paper goods like kleenex and toilet paper somewhere else and the toiletries are under our bathroom sink.
Now that the fruit seasons are coming to and end my goal is to start stocking the pantry with canned and dried goods, as well as some baking supplies. And last night I made a trip to Target for a few odds and ends and Ronzoni pasta was on for $1 a box, and I had $1 off 2 coupons so I picked some up. That with some other purchases already have the book shelf looking better.
Oh, and if you are wondering where cereal and stuff like that is??? It is on top of my top cabinets in the kitchen after the first winter when we had mice in the garage.....
How are you creative with storing your pantry supplies? How do you think you could do a better job of being prepared for life's eventualities? What do you consider a must have in your pantry? What tips do you have for me?
![[the-library.jpg]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZlgbkzq4RFoBQc3lUKiqnqmqJKJ_OvF8tsg4xUtv3A6fDdV2iaYc-f2GJHGXNypj1LPHuqZ8UPUpK7aA0NY7wN5lyaEYmIfFqYSDIxPYzg_rBBouE60A0LABiXUbdI73MhHN24Xb7-nc/s1600/the-library.jpg)
2 comments:
Last year I bought a large amount of wheat in bulk, and a mill. Now we grind all our own flour (it's easy!) and have a ton of wheat around in case of emergency. It's not the only thing we keep around, of course, there's just more of it than anything else. :)
We've had to live from our pantry and garden for 2 years, and I'm restocking now.
For anything in the garage, you need to keep it cool. I grew up in Southern Cal, and I live in Las Vegas now. We have a pantry (full room) in the garage, and it is insulated and has a window a/c unit in one inner wall.
Having lived through the 1994 Northridge quake, I would add water to your storage. I would also have an alternate cooking method, and some things that can be eaten straight out of the can after earthquakes.
I have a pantry list on my site, along with photos of my pantry and lots of meals.
I've come to learn what my gaps are, and I've been working on filling those in.
Because of your climate (which is like ours here) you can also continue to grow things in your garden all winter. Lettuce, swiss chard, turnips, carrots, parsnips, broccoli, bok choi, etc can be planted now and harvested during the winter and early spring.
Also, if you have a pomegranate tree or some citrus trees, fruit season would not be over yet for you. Right now our pomegranates are ripening, and the lemons will be ready soon, as well as our Algerian Tangerines. Some varieties of apples will continue to ripen until February, depending on what you plant. (I have a link on my gardening page to a Southern California apple grower and he talks about when each kind ripens).
Post a Comment