What do I mean when I say shop the pantry as a meal plan tip?
Well, you need to know what is in your house already to be able to shop and plan successfully. This will save you time and money at the grocery store.
You will find that you will not second guess what is already in the cupboard after sorting through yours. Second guessing is something I used to do all of the time when I didn’t know what was on the shelves at home. I would pick up a can of black beans and wonder if we had them. I didn’t want to be out, so I would put it in my cart. When I would get home I would already have 5-6 cans of beans :). Have you ever done this?
One of the things I have done to help with this step is organize the pantry. This was a little bit of an undertaking the first time, but it was well worth it!
I bought some baskets at Target that were on sale, ($1 or under per bin!) and then I pulled everything out of the cupboard.
I sorted the expired food out. Then I found like items and put them into a basket together. Then I ran out of bins and decided not everything needed one! I put the kids snacks in one and put that on a shelf they can easily reach. Then I put baking items in another, sauces, syrups, and dressings in another, and loose items like taco shells, tortilla shells, etc. in another. These items went on the middle shelf so I could grab and see them easily. Finally cereals and grains went into containers that are airtight.
I also bought a canned food organizer so the cans are more vertical. The cans also slide down so they can easily be reached and the first in first out method can quickly be practiced, this organizer is linked in my Amazon Storefront if you are interested!
After organizing the pantry, I am able to quickly shop it. I can look through the food we have already purchased and find key ingredients to our family’s favorite meals. This helps me plan out what to make. Sometimes I even get lucky and find enough around the house that we can skip going to the store for a week!
I sit down with my planner and begin writing down meals we would like to make using the food we already have. Then I flip to the back pages and write out the grocery list. Now I have successfully saved time and money at the store!
Happy prepping!