How do you keep track of your pantry?

[disneysteve]

How do you all keep track of your grocery pantry so that you don't end up buying stuff you've already got in stock? I went shopping today and bought a few items (staples and non-perishable) only to come home and discover I had a couple of them already, so really didn't need to buy them yet. That seems to happen fairly often. Any good simple systems out there?

[JanH]

I'm going to try a pantry book. This week I am going to pull the things out of the pantry and make a list--and try to put in a system to keep track. I have already bought one notebook to try it out. I need to keep track also of the hurricane supplies. Right now, I "think" I know what's in there, but.....I also want to do this for the freezer so I won't let things die in there.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I eat out of it as much as possible. Strangely since I threw away a ton of stuff my parents sent, it's a lot better and we just buy as we need it. It's probably more expensive in some cases, but we save a lot of storage and waste. I typically plan menus by the week so Thurs nights I check and make a list then we shop either Fri night or Sat for what we need. And before we go I just run through the pantry and freezer.

[getforfree]

I keep a piece of paper taped to the inside door of the cabinet, and I write down what staple items we are low on. When I buy them, I cross it out and put a date next to it . So If I see the item recently crossed out, that means we are most likely to have it.

Also when I buy cans, and its kinda hard to see the expiration date on it, I write the date I purchased it, so if I have it for almost a year, I will need to use it right away.

[JanH]

I write the year on spices. Putting it on cans is a great idea and also putting down the date bought for other staples is a good idea. I am going to add that to my pantry and freezer list system.

[pearlieq]

I usually have an idea of what I want to make that week before I head to the grocery store, so I just do a quick check of the pantry to make sure all of the essentials are there.

I will only buy staples/non-perishables if A.) I have a specific need for them (in which case I've already checked the pantry) or B.) they're on sale at a stock-up price (in which I case I wouldn't care if I bought something I already had).

[cschin4]

I try to only buy what I am going to use. So, if I don't plan to use it that day or week, then I just don't buy it. I don't really want alot of stuff in the pantry because I usually just forget about it or don't get around to using it.

[Ima saver]

Everytime I use something, I write it down to replace on my grocery list. I try and keep two of everything. But, we eat out a lot, so I don't have too much food on hand.

[lgslgs]

We know what minimum stocking levels we like to keep on hand. Since we cook everything from scratch, we always keep two five lb bags of unbleached flour, two whole wheat, one unopened container of parmesan cheese, and certain amounts of all of the other ingredients we use.

Whenever we use an item, if it drops us below our normal stock quantity we just jot it on a 3x5 card that we keep on the fridge.

We keep separate 3x5 cards on the fridge for each place we shop (Walmart grocery, bulk food store, specialty Asian market, hardware store, Big Lots, animal feed store, etc.). On Sundays I pull up all of the local grocery ads online and record any sale prices that I'll want to price match at Walmart. (I put them on the back of the Walmart card, and highlight the item on the front to remember to ask for the price match.)

On shopping day we just grab the cards for whichever places we will go to that week and leave behind the cards for the places that we aren't shopping. Since the bulk food store and Asian store are 40 miles away, we can see when the cards are starting to fill up and plan ahead so we only need to make that run every 3 months or so.

Lynda

[threebeansalad]

I used to want DH to help me with grocery shopping, but soon soon realized that it was more economical for me to do it on my own. Since we try to buy things on sale and all teh sale items aren't in the circular making a list isn't a fool-proof method to send with shopping with, either. I do 90% of the cooking and 100% of the coupon clipping, I can pretty much tell by memory what we have and what we need and what we have coupons for. It probably helps that there are just 2 of us and no ravenous teenagers consuming food in mass quantities. I usually take a look at the shelves in basement (where we keep our food) before shopping to double check canned goods.

[scfr]

Caveat: It's just the 2 of us, so it's probably easier to do this than in a household with children but .....

2 Keys to avoiding overbuying:

1. Shop off of a list

2. Have a well-organized pantry - this is more important, IMHO. Our shelves are labelled by food type (cereal, pasta & sauces, canned fruits, etc. --- use whatever works for you) and a 10-second scan of the pantry before heading to the store gives me a good sense of what we already have in case I come across a real bargain on something that's not on the list. [Check out Julie Morgenstern's book "Organizing from the Inside Out" for wonderful suggestions on organizing a kitchen.]

[tinapbeana]

well, how detailed do you want to be?

make a list of items you want to keep on hand and the corresponding 'restock' amount. next to that, a blank where you can write in the amount you actually have. next to that, a tally box.

tomato paste (2) ____ ____
pasta (3) ____ ____

put this in a page protector and tape to the inside of the cabinate/pantry door. keep a fine tipped dry erase marker in there too.

inventory your pantry, and enter the quantity on hand in the first blank. every time you use an item, tally it up in the second blank.

tomato paste (2) _5__ |||
pasta (3) _6__ |||

you should be able to tell at a glance when you need to restock an item (like tomato paste in the example). once you replenish, wipe the dry erase notes off for that item and correct them (hence keeping the list in the page protector).

[fairy74]

lots of good ideas, I fall down in this department a lot.

[PrincessPerky]

Manily I can see at a glance what is in there, cause it is small, and we are boring, we eat the same stuff all the time, so I prolly used it at least once this week, plus I normally go by the frugal theory that 'when in doubt, go without' which means I have to come up with creative ways to deal if I am out, but I would rather that than risk cramming more in the tiny pantry, or worse tossing un-used food.

I do have my shelves labled, but that is for my husband, if he wants somehting and I recently tried to reorganize to fit stuff better he will want to know where to look.

[LuxLiving]

Visually.

I have a big pantry room with a place for all of the normal things staked out. The pork n' beans always go next to the pinto beans, etc. Since I have so much room in there I do buy by the case when I can. At any rate I keep the case boxes in place and restock the box when it gets to looking emptyish. New cases are stacked to the bottom of the pile, new cans are placed to the back of the case. I do mark the top of each can w/a permanent marker. How much I paid and when I bought it, ex. 01/07 .29

I generally make up my menu plans then go thru the cabinets in the kitchen to double check that I've got all the ingredients. If it isn't upstairs, then I go shop the basement pantry room. If it isn't in there then it goes on the grocery list to be purchased.

I tried the inventory system on paper and computer, etc. and could never make it work as my kids were always taking something to eat such as a can of fruit and not marking it off the manifest. The way I do it now works for us.

Hope this helps.

[Broken Arrow]

If I was that motivated, there is a software out there just for such a task.

Unfortunately, I am not.

[fairy74]

wow ba, that is some system, I don't think I'm quite that motivated either, hee hee. Perhaps a 2008 New Years Resolution? (or maybe not!)

[Daylily]

Determining what is in the pantry is not a problem because it is open and visible. The freezer, however, is another story. Things can get lost in the freezer!

About once a month I take stock of what is in each. When I make my menu for the week, I double check to make sure I have all the required ingredients either in the pantry or on the grocery list.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Daylily

Determining what is in the pantry is not a problem because it is open and visible. The freezer, however, is another story. Things can get lost in the freezer!

Same problem here. Part of our problem is both our pantry and our spare freezer are in the basement. Some day when I clean up the garage (see my blog), we want to get a new freezer and keep it in there. Being able to get to it easier will make keeping track of what's in there a lot easier we hope.

[rob62521]

I've enjoyed reading these great organizational ideas. Now, if I could only get my act together! :-)