Planning for the Pantry-Saving Money!
July 7, 2009
He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
Proverbs 10:5
Whether you’re harvesting your own fruits and vegetables, buying from the local farmer’s market or buying straight from the grocery store, summer is the best time to stock up on groceries at good prices!
Of course the best way to save money on food and to stock up your pantry is to can, freeze or dry as much as possible.
It’s All in the Planning
First, try to calculate how much of your usual food you need to last your family 6-12 months.
Some Examples:
We eat green beans once a week on average, which is 1 or 2 jars to feed 6 of us. Some weeks we may not eat green beans and some weeks we may have company and need extra, so this is an average.
Green Beans- 40 weeks x 2 jars = 80 quart jars (we eat the beans fresh for about 12 weeks of the year).
I canned 28 jars from one bushel last week, so 1 – 1 1/2 more bushel will give me enough for the fall through the spring.
This amount applies to sweet corn too.
Jeff is a huge pasta lover and I make my own sauce. I need 4 quarts of tomatoes a month for sauce and 2 more quarts a month for soup, chili, etc…
Tomatoes- I plan 6 quarts a month x 12 months = 72 quarts to last me a year. I usually do about 100.
Jam- 1 -1/2 pint a month for us, plus I make 10-15 to give away, they make great hostess gifts = 25 -1/2 pints.
Sweet Pepper Relish- 12 pints for us, 10-12 to give away = 25 pints
Apples- 2 jars per pie. I make pies for us occasionally, but I mostly make them for fellowship meals and desserts to take other places. Plan on 20-30 quart jars.
Berries- for pies, pancakes, waffels, muffins, I can as many as I can, at least 20 quarts.
Having a list of what you need helps you to be alert to good sales while items are at their peak season.
Other items I hope to get canned this year:
squash
potatoes
apple sauce
vegetable soup
tomato soup
pickles
It does take some extra work, but it is SO WORTH IT!
Watch for great prices and buy in bulk. Keep your canning supplies stocked and ready to be used. Even if you are only canning one canner at a time (7 quarts for mine) it is better than canning nothing.
Stock your pantry, plan for winter or hard times. Teach your kids to always be planning for the future. It’s not just about living for the day, but about thinking ahead, to provide for your own and to meet the needs of others.
More post about resourcefulness.
Topics: Canning, Family Economics, From Seeds to Harvest/Gardening Challenge, Frugal Choices, Homemaking, Resourcefulness | 10 Comments »
Comments (10)
You have been busy..
What about the honeymoon?
love,
Rob
lol! These pictures are from last year’s canning, this is just my Pantry Plan for this year!
Dear Kathy,
I am so inspired by your emails and I read each one eagerly. It’s winter here in Australia, so there’s not quite so much excitement in the gardening department here! I had my first try at preserving my home grown cabbages, but didn’t seal them properly and lost the lot!! Talk about heart broken. Can you give some advice for first- timers?
Thanks so much for blessing others,
Mrs.Lian Peet
Here’s our weekly garden update!
http://houseofpyles.blogspot.com/2009/07/our-garden-waiting00000.html
Here is our garden update for this week. Loved this post. I really need to sit down and figure all these things up over the winter so I can plant more purposefully next year.
Hey Kathy,
We lost ALL of our squash with our crazy Arkansas weather, but the replant has been fine. My four year-old’s row of corn (that she didn’t plant in the corn patch) has made a great yield. We have been pickling cukes like crazy. We are also blessed with four varieties of tomatoes and the two year-old decide to cull a gallon of green ones. Needless to say we are pickling those today, too. We have gathered about a bushel of mixed green beans. We have been blessed with a cool and cloudy day, great for canning!
Blessings,
Matilie
[...] using the internet, using some of the best money saving sites. I explained how we save money by planning for our pantry and the importance of planning ahead. I also share about ways to make money online and how a blog [...]
[...] Planning for the Pantry [...]
[...] still working on canning at our house. Right now we are getting tomatoes and peppers at great prices! Jeff and Emma picked tomatoes for [...]
[...] canned anything yet, but that is soon to change! I thought this would be a good time to link to my check list from last [...]