Today is food stamp day. For me, that means I get to spend a couple hours to myself, at various grocery stores. It also means that sometime this week, or maybe this morning, I spent a couple hours online looking at stores’ circulars. I have this time to spend, because right now I’m jobless, and helping to support the household by cooking, cleaning, dishes, etc. I am the house mom, even though no one is really my child, and we’re all adults really. But I enjoy it, and it frees up time for the rest of the house to do what they need to do, namely, work, and have time to relax in between work.
Part of what I’m trying to do for myself is build up a working pantry. I’ve read time and again that you need to “shop your pantry” first. To some of you, this might not make any sense at all. First of all, what exactly is a pantry? Without quoting you the Webster’s definition, a pantry really is just a closet for your food. Now, when you need something to wear, do you go out and buy something new? Or do you see what’s in the closet?
The same should apply for your food closet. Of course, food cycles out much faster than clothes (or at least, it should) so you do need to refill it. But what needs to happen is that you will fill your food closet with food that you call your staples. Your basics, your little black dress or your good coat. Those things that you find yourself needing again and again. It’s different for everyone, but there are going to be some basic things suggested over and over.
Flour. Sugar. Some form of oil or shortening. Rice. Potatoes, whole or in flakey form. Vegetables, either canned or frozen. Pasta sauce. Various types of pasta. You see where I’m going? With these, you have the basics for your meals. A starch, a veggie or two. Then when you add in the proteins, you can look at meats, beans, meat substitutes.
Some people feel the need to question the fats, the calories, of food. I say there is no such thing as “going on a diet”. Your diet is what you eat every day, every meal. Your diet should have the widest variety of things you can stand to eat. For instance, I don’t personally like peanut butter. But I have a stash of those electric orange cheese and peanut butter crackers for a snack.
Why do I care? Peanut butter is a great source of folic acid, something a lot of people don’t get. Because where else is folic acid, also known as folate, found? Well, in dark leafy greens. Yes, those kinds of vegetables, the kind we hated as kids, the kind we can’t bring ourselves to eat as adults, even though we would probably like them now. Of course, being the good Southern girl I am, I can put away some form of mixed collards or turnip greens, but not all of you do. So peanut butter it is.
This is why it’s important to be more aware of the variety of your foods than it is the immediate singular amount of calories or fat they have. Not to say you should try and go for things that are lower in sodium, or packed more naturally. I myself have gone on a quest to cut out as much high fructose corn syrup as I can. Thankfully, more and more companies are eschewing this questionable sugar source. Because it is in some surprising things: pasta sauce, ketchup, and even bread! So when you are altering a diet like that, you have to make a decision: when you buy the more expensive bread because it has no HFCS, it’s got to come from somewhere else. Or perhaps you really like Nutella, but it’s so pricey.
That’s what being frugal is about. I don’t mean never buy name brand, or never let yourself splurge. Sure, budgeting is about keeping every little thing as low as possible. But don’t deny yourself! Just balance it.
When I am on food stamps, I have a very hard line where I can and cannot spend. In a way, this makes it easier to budget and not overspend. But in another way, it makes it very difficult to imagine an entire month’s worth of meals and incidentals along the way. This month, November, is always a challenge. I like to host a small Thanksgiving dinner for my friends, and since most of them are already my roommates, I should in theory be able to just ask for immediate help at the store for shopping expenses. Do I spend the food stamps on it, or do I depend on them being able to hand over cash, or use a card at the store? That’s the sort of planning you need to think about.
Each month you need to know in your head about how often you think you are going to want to cook. Every night? Half the week? Once or twice? How many meals a month does that make? And of those, how many will generate leftovers, or can be recycled?
There is an instance I like to use as an example. Let’s say the my Winn-Dixie has a very good sale on rump roasts. I like roast, but it’s much more frugal if I actually buy a bit more than I need. That rump roast can be cooked all at once one night. I can portion aside enough roast for dinner. And from what’s left, I can portion out enough for beef stew, roast beef sandwiches, and probably even a bit of homemade beef stroganoff.
If you don’t find that you have the time to pre-shop, shop, prep, freeze, prep, and cook, then your concerns are a little different. What you want to be looking for are deals that can help you make something really fast. Individually quick frozen chicken breasts. Premade hamburger patties. Family size hamburger meat that you can quickly portion out, freeze, and leave for that night you’ve got an extra hour to defrost. If you stick a foil wrapped chunk of hamburger in a bowl of water, you’ll get some pale meat that will otherwise do just fine in spaghetti or chili. Or you can even portion it and go ahead and brown it when you have the time. Browned meat freezes just fine, and can be tossed into that sauce when you need it.
Overall, while it takes a bit of prep, an extra hour if you’ve got it can make a big difference in whether or not your budget is successful for filling your pantry.
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