Frugal Provisions: Pantry Preparedness
Stocking, organizing, and keeping a frugal pantry has quickly become one of my favorite hobbies this past year. I’ve shared throughout the summer various ways we preserved the harvest through canning, fermenting, drying, and freezing. I have also spent most of this year spending extra money on pantry provisions such as dried beans, rice, and flour, that can see us through hard times. Prudency and preparedness are values we see all throughout the book of Proverbs, and especially in the Proverbs 31 woman, who doesn’t fear for her family in the winter. They are fed and warm because of her prudent preparations. It’s also important to note that while the Proverbs 31 woman is prepared physically, the main reason she is able to face the days to come with a smile is because she fears the Lord. Preparing must always begin with a trust in the Lord and a reverence for His sovereignty—whether we are preparing for something as simple as dinner tomorrow, or preparing for a future disaster. Before diving into this post, I highly encourage you to read this post first about preparing your heart prior to preparing physically.
Stocking a pantry or keeping a family larder is not a common practice in our culture of convenience. Traditionally, our ancestors did not simply flit around from day to day with no preparations and no sense of time to come as many of us do now. They were prepared and well stocked. They did not have the luxury of simply “running to the store” if they ran out of sugar or cheese. Even now, most of us are so far removed from the era of the Great Depression that we can’t even fathom what it’s like to ration and make food stretch. After the recent (and most likely future coming) issues with the food supply when the pandemic hit, it is a good idea to consider changing our methods of shopping, storing, and cooking.
Even though we can easily feel quite secure and comfortable in our world of electricity, grocery stores, and speedy transportation, we know that these things are never guaranteed to us. At any moment, these securities we rely so heavily upon, can be taken away from us for a variety of reasons. Job loss, a political event, a pandemic, or natural disasters can easily strip convenience from our lives, as so many have unfortunately experienced this past year.
“the prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.”
Living a fully self-sufficient life is ideal, but not everyone is able to do so. Being prepared is the next best thing. While there are other areas of preparedness that are certainly important, I feel that stocking a frugal pantry is a great place to start. Food is an everyday necessity, and the great thing about having a prepared pantry is that you’re going to use it! Even if disaster doesn’t strike, all that happens is you’re left with is a stocked pantry that will hold your family well into the next few months, and you won’t have to go to the grocery store.
Preparing a pantry does not mean hoarding. When it comes to this topic, many may envision stockpiling, or the basement of an extreme couponer, with more tubes of toothpaste than one can ever use in a lifetime. This is poor stewardship of resources and not what I am advocating for. The goal of preparing your pantry is to stock things your family is actually going to eat, plus maybe a few items for emergency use only. For example, I have a few boxes of instant mashed potatoes in my emergency kit that I would never just cook up on any regular ole day. But all the flour, beans, rice, sugar, and canned goods I have stocked are everyday items that will be used up well before they go bad.
“and such a pantry! laura was so delighted with the pantry that she stood in the doorway for several minutes, admiring it.”
The amount you need to prepare is going to depend on the size of your family and how long you want to stock for. The recommended time frame to start with is enough food for 3 months. If this is overwhelming or unaffordable, start with stocking 2 weeks of provisions and adding more as time and budget allows.
This is simply a non-exhaustive list of items you can consider adding to your pantry. Again, if you won’t eat it, don’t stock it.
Dry Goods
Flour
Sugar
Salt
Rice
Oats
Beans and legumes
Baking powder
Baking soda
Cacao powder
Milk powder
Dried fruit
Grass-fed jerky
Spices and herbs
Coffee and tea
Pasta
Nuts and seeds
Corn starch
Canned goods
Tomatoes
Tomato sauce
Boxed broth
Jams and jellies
Pickles
Meat or fish
Beans
Freezer
Cheese
Butter
Whole or half a hog
Whole or half a cow
Whole chickens
Mixed veggies
Leftover freezer meals (soups, stews, chili)
Bone broth
Eggs
cold storage
Fermented food (lasts for months on end when refrigerated)
Eggs
Apples
Cabbage
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic
Carrots
Other
Maple syrup
Honey
Vinegar
Lard
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Condiments
Peanut butter
Vanilla extract
Where to buy from:
Azure Standard
Azure Standard is a company that offers natural and organic foods. They value good stewardship of God’s earth and regenerative agriculture. You can purchase items in bulk as well as name brand goods, produce, dairy, and even frozen goods! Depending on what you order, you can have it shipped to your door, or for a much cheaper price, pickup your order at a monthly drop-off location. Their house-brand bulk items are fairly priced and come in brown paper bags. I have been using Azure for almost a year and I love them! If you purchase through my link, I do earn a small commission, and I so appreciate it! The support I receive through affiliate links allows me to continue sharing information like this through my blog at no cost to you.
Country Life Natural Foods
Country Life Natural Foods offers natural and organic bulk as well as name brand foods. I have yet to order anything from them but I’ve heard great things.
Jovial Foods
Ah yes, I have become a Jovial Foods foodie. I love that their canned tomatoes are in glass rather than aluminum, and their pastas are amazing as well. They properly soak their beans before canning them which is rare to find, and their crackers are properly fermented which means I can actually tolerate them despite my gluten intolerance! Shopping from Jovial is more of a splurge than buying in bulk but to me the quality is superior and worth the price.
Other
Thrive Market- Not ideal for buying in bulk but good for smaller orders and stocking basics. I’m personally not a fan of the monthly membership but I have used them in the past and have had a good experience.
Frontier Co-Op for teas, herbs, and spices
Mountain Rose Herbs for teas, herbs, and spices (this is where I get mine!)
Costco- I’m not the biggest fan of Costco but I do have luck finding things like organic sprouted oats, organic flour for super cheap, and I also like their organic tomato sauce, and large bags of organic rice.
lOcal
One of the best things you can do is find local sources for your food rather than be dependent on big chain grocers. This doesn’t happen overnight, but it is possible and really important to pursue! Not only do we need small farmers, but they need us. This is their livelihood and they are constantly being choked out by globalized companies that could care less about their customers or quality of product. Look for local Co-Ops, local bulk food stores, local farms and butchers to support. These directories can help you find trustworthy sources in your area:
I always encourage sourcing as much as you can locally and from small family-owned farms and co-ops before branching out to commercial stores. If you have pets, remember to stock up on their foods as well! I didn’t cover water in this post, but it is recommended to keep one gallon of water, per person, per day on hand, so this is an area of pantry-preparedness to consider as well. Keep in mind that if a large part of your preparations are reliant on electric cold storage (such as a refrigerator or freezer) you will need to consider a form of backup like a generator so as to not lose all your food if the power goes out. If this is not something you want to deal with, keep your focus on shelf-stable and dry goods.
There is very little that compares to the satisfaction of grocery shopping from your own larder! I partake in modern conveniences with joy. I love the fact that I can simply run to the store for a pint of ice cream when I desire, but I also enjoy knowing that my family is prepared if that modern comfort is compromised for whatever reason.
“take a lesson from the ants...learn from their ways and become wise! they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.”
In what ways do you stock a frugal pantry? What are some of your favorite basics to keep on hand? I’d love to start a conversation in the comments. Until next time, happy pantrying!
With care,
Kaetlyn