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Save Money By Using The “Pantry Principle”

By Manuela Williams

One of the key ways to save money and stay within your budget is to control the dollars spent on your groceries. How do you do that? You need to cook from your pantry and that means having a stocked pantry. I use “the pantry principle” which I learned about in Amy Dacyczyn’s book “The Tightwad Gazette” to stock my pantry without spending a ton of money!

Save money by using the "Pantry Principle"- One of the key ways to save money is to control the dollars spent on your groceries. I use "the pantry principle." Here's how it works! Money saving tip, frugal living, how to save on groceries, The Tightwad Gazette, personal finance, living on a budget

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to Amazon and/or Etsy, which means that I may earn a small commission from some of the links in this post. Please see our Disclosure Page for more information.

This concept may feel a little overwhelming if you’re used to just “shopping for the week.” But stay with me and I’ll explain how this method works.

What is The Pantry Principle

To quote from The Tightwad Gazette:

“The basic premise (of “The Pantry Principle”) is that you stockpile your pantry (and/or kitchen, freezer, basement, closet and/or the space under your bed) with food purchased at the lowest possible price. The sole purpose of grocery shopping becomes replenishing your pantry, not buying ingredients to prepare specific meals.”

So basically you start buying things in quantity only when they are on sale. If you don’t have a good memory for prices you can use a price book. That’s what I do. Here’s how to make a price book of your own.

You can start small and start with the one to use and one for backup method. You can also decide that you want to set aside a certain amount of money weekly to build up your pantry (planning your spending). Or use something like a tax refund or other windfall to get you started. Here are some Side Hustle Ideas For Extra Money. You could also sell some stuff to get a nice chunk of money to use towards building your pantry.

However you do it, the ultimate goal is to have a stocked pantry and be able to cook from your pantry.

There are lots of lists out there for what a well stocked pantry should have. But I think it all really depends on what your family eats. No use buying bags and bags of flour at dirt cheap prices, when you don’t bake. If your family eats lots of canned fruit, then you should stock up on canned fruit when it’s at its lowest price. I buy lots of packages of different cuts of chicken when they go on sale and freeze them because we eat a lot of chicken. That way I never run out and I never have to pay full price!

So the goal is to stock up by rarely paying full price for the groceries you normally buy. This doesn’t include perishables unless you purchase fresh produce to preserve by canning, freezing or dehydrating.

Benefits of The Pantry Principle

  1. By taking advantage of buying food at the best price and stocking up, you are getting the best deal for your money.
  2. By having a full pantry you are reducing your trips to the store and this will save you time and money in the long run.
  3. You’ll be able to come up with a variety of tasty meals because you’ll have lots of ingredients on hand, reducing your meals out.
  4. You never know what’s going to happen to the economy or your job. Having a stocked pantry will help you survive challenging times!

Give this method a try. You can save plenty of time and money by using the pantry principle!

Books You Might Enjoy:

The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making

My Perfect Pantry: 150 Easy Recipes From 50 Essential Ingredients

This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. Please see our Disclosure Page for more information, and thanks for supporting this site!

Save money by using the "Pantry Principle"- One of the key ways to save money is to control the dollars spent on your groceries. I use "the pantry principle." Here's how it works! Money saving tip, frugal living, how to save on groceries, The Tightwad Gazette, personal finance, living on a budget

You May Also Be Interested In:  Quick Meals To Make Instead Of Eating Out

Quick Meals To Make Instead of Eating Out

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Filed Under: Frugal Living, Money Saving Tips Tagged With: Frugal Living, How To Build A Stockpile, Money Saving Tips, Pantry Principle Basics

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A Cultivated Nest makes no claims of “expert status” and the owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the use of the information found on this website. Posts may contain affiliate links. A Cultivated Nest is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. A Cultivated Nest is also a participant in the Etsy affiliate program via Awin. This means that I may earn a small commission from some of the links in my posts. Please see our Disclosure Page for more information.

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