
8 Tips to Help You Eat From Your Pantry
Every year around this time I go into total organization, budgeting, planning and goal-setting mode.
After the frenzy of the holidays, Iโm more than ready to settle into a routine and get back on track with my spending, simplifying and health goals. I know Iโm not alone when I say I overdid it again this year in every way. But thatโs why January exists, amiright??
One of the first things I love to get organized is my home food storage and meal planning. I am blessed to be able to maintain a pretty full larder stocked with both store-bought items and home-grown and preserved ones as well.
I regularly โshop from my pantryโ and plan our familyโs meals according to what we already have on hand. I then either make a meal work out of just what we have or add the fresh ingredients necessary to make something yummy out of it.
I rarely (if ever) buy all the ingredients I need to make a meal at once.
In January, I tend to take things one step further and challenge myself to eat ONLY from the pantry (and fridge/freezer) for the entire month.
Okay, I’ll admit, I do tend to budget a little money for a few items like a few fresh fruits and veggies (since we don’t preserve quite enough) and dairy, specifically cream for coffee (because coffee and cream = life). But otherwise we try to make do with what we have on hand.
In the end, we save money, eat better, get our pantry organized AND sharpen our self-sufficiency skills (and gain insight into where we need to do better when it comes to our food storage which helps us with our planting and preserving later in the year).
Whether you’re ready to embark on your own pantry challenge or you just want to cut down your grocery bill or test your own self-sufficiency (not to mention your creativity in the kitchen!), here are my top 8 tips to help you eat from your pantry and plan meals around what you’ve already got on hand.
My 8-Step Plan to Help You Eat From Your Pantry (Like a Pro!)
Step 1: Overhaul your pantry, fridge and freezer
First, take everything out of your pantry.
Second, get rid of items you’ll never use and (either put them in a box to go to the food bank or toss them if theyโre expired or otherwise not consumable).
If youโre not sure whether youโll eventually eat something, consider how long itโs already been in your pantry. If itโs more than a year, probably time to toss it.
Next, put everything back in an organized manner. Be sure to put foods with faster-approaching expiry dates in front of foods with longer ones. Otherwise, how you organize your pantry will depend on your own needs, style and space. I organize mine into categories and sub-categories.
For example, on one side I have all of my dry goods, sweet condiments and treats organized into the following subcategories: dried fruit, nuts, seeds, cereals, spreads, baking ingredients, sweets and snacks.
On the other side I have mostly sauces, condiments, spices and grains organized into the following subcategories: oils, vinegars, herbs & spices, Asian foods, Mexican and spicy foods, Mediterranean food, Italian-style sauces, pasta and rice and other grains.
Once your pantry is organized it will be much easier to see what you have and take an accurate inventory.
If your pantry is deeper than it is wide or food is hard to see for any reason, you may want to do your pantry inventory as you put things back. Again, this depends on personal preference and needs.
I also like to store many of my bulk and dried goods in large glass containers so I can see what I have and how much of it I have at all times. I buy my storage containers from the dollar store for a buck or two a piece and just keep adding one or two to my collection every time I shop there. Mason jars work great too!
Once youโve completely overhauled and organized your pantry, do the exact same to your fridge, and then your freezer. (I organize my fridge by putting all of my leftovers and most perishable items on the top shelf in plain view so they have a higher likelihood of being eaten).
Step 2: Write out a complete inventory
Go through everything in your pantry, fridge and freezer and mark every item on an inventory list so you know exactly what you have and how much.
Check bottles to see how much is left in each one. Open boxes of cereal to determine whether you actually have a whole box or just a few crumbs hiding in the bottom. Count every onion in your cold storage and take note of all of the leftovers that need to be consumed before they perish.
Prioritize which foods need to get used up before others. Leave no potato unturned!
You can download my free Pantry, Fridge and Freezer Inventory Checklist by clicking the link and then finding them under the โKitchen & Pantryโ section of my free resource library. I’ve created categorized templates for each one as well as blank templates for you to fill in as you wish.

Here’s an example of my pantry, fridge and freezer inventory checklists.
I like to record everything I have and how much of each item I have left, so I write the item (ie. white flour) and then I estimate how much I have left and fill in the amount.
So I might estimate I have about 2 quarts of flour left, or half a bag. Or 1.25 large bottles of olive oil if I have one full one and another with a little bit left. Thatโs just the system that works for me and my brain.
After I write out my list, I decide if thereโs anything I need to use up first. This mostly applies to items in my fridge that are perishable. I put one checkmark under โUse Firstโ if itโs something I should use in the next few days or week and I put two checkmarks if itโs something that needs to be used right away (like the next day or two at the most).
Finally, I decide what needs to be replaced when I do finally hit the supermarket again. I put a checkmark under โReplaceโ for any item Iโm running low on that I use a lot of and/or use frequently. This makes writing out a shopping list a breeze!
Step 3: Write a list of meals your family eats regularly
Itโs funny how you can take a full inventory of all of the food you have and still not have any idea what to make with it. This is why I love to write out a list of all the meals we cook and eat regularly so that I can get some inspiration for using up the ingredients we have on hand.
Our list includes pasta, stir fry, rice bowls, sandwiches, soups, salads, tacos, โmeat and potatoes,โ breakfast foods and casseroles. Once we made this list it was much easier to plug in the ingredients we have to make these types of dishes. For example, this week weโre doing a turkey rice bowl, spaghetti squash lasagna, pasta with pantry ingredients from our โMediterraneanโ section, bangers and mash and egg and potato hash.
You can also get my 31 Days of Dinner Ideas cheat sheet from the Kitchen & Pantry Resources section of my Free Resource Library.
Step 4: Write a list of meals you can make using the ingredients you have on hand
If you’ve completed the other steps until now, this part should be pretty easy. What do you have on your pantry, fridge and freezer lists that can be made into dishes your family loves to eat regularly?
If you have a lot of turkey leftover from Christmas, for example, try substituting it for chicken in a dish that you usually use chicken in. Or use the bones to make bone broth and use that as a base to create a soup with other ingredients you have to use up. Or make turkey tacos. Or turkey shepherdโs pie with leftover gravy, veggies and mashed potatoes.
Got some pasta and some sauce? Throw in any meat or veggies you have and make it a meal. Or bake it with cheese and make some super easy and frugal homemade bread to go with it. Or just eat the pasta and the sauce if thatโs what it comes down to (at least throw in some of your own herbs and spices).
Step 5: Write out a weekly meal plan
Once youโve got a list of meals you can make, plan out your meals for the next week by plugging them into the different days of the week. I like to assign simpler meals like pasta and stir fries to weeknights when life is busier and keep meals that require longer cook times and/or more prep work for the weekends.
Write out all of your meals for the next week and plan to do so again the following week with whateverโs left. Plan leftovers for most lunches (if possible) and donโt waste a crumb!
For more help getting organized, you can also find my Weekly Meal Planning Template under the โMeal Planningโ section of my resource library.
Step 6: Buy only what you need
Do your best to use up what you have on hand and get creative with your ingredients. Omit ingredients that arenโt necessary or find clever substitutes on your inventory lists. Only replace what you canโt live without (for us thatโs things like eggs and cream for coffeeโฆ We drink a lot of coffee around here).
We also replace some fresh produce items like bananas, lettuce and other fresh fruits and veggies so that weโre sure to incorporate the nutrients from these items in our daily meals. But we try to use up the produce we already have first so that nothing goes to waste.
Step 7: Create a running shopping list and keep an eye out for deals
As you go through your inventory lists, put a checkmark under the โReplaceโ column for each item that is running low, out-of-stock or otherwise needs to be replaced soon. Then write out all of those items on one big running shopping list.
While I haven’t actually implemented this yet, I like the idea of using a white board in our kitchen like Iโve seen many cooks do in restaurants Iโve worked in. Items get added to and erased from the whiteboard as they get used up and replaced. Itโs super functional and having it up on the wall makes it visible and accessible to use on a regular basis.
Check flyers for deals to stock up on essentials when they go on sale. As you find deals, stock up on those items if your budget allows so you never run out.
Related: 10 Tips to Help You Save Money at the Grocery Store
For items that you know youโre going to have to pay regular price for because they don’t tend to go on sale, decide what store you think will have the best deal and put those items on your shopping list for that store with an estimated price instead of a sale price. For example, I buy my milk and cream at Costco because their regular price is better than the other supermarkets around here. But I buy my cheese elsewhere because I donโt need as much of it and can get a smaller amount for much less money somewhere else.
Step 8: Stock up and cut down your grocery bill as you are able to
Build up that pantry! Set a little money aside each month to buy a little extra of the foods your family loves most when theyโre on sale.
- Buy in bulk to save money.
- Stock basic and versatile ingredients like flour, sugar, salt, spices, rice, oatmeal, oils, etc. that can be made into or used in many different meals.
- Stock up on fresh produce when itโs in season and preserve it for later use by freezing, canning or drying it.
Cut down your regular grocery bill by choosing at least one thing to stop buying and start making at home. And consider growing some of your own food to eat and preserve (if you donโt already).
And last but not least, budget, budget, budget. Decide on a comfortable weekly or monthly budget for food items and plan your meals to fit within that budget by making use of ingredients you already have at home.
Soon enough January will be over and youโll be able to afford a nice dinner out with all of that money youโve saved! And thatโs what Valentineโs Day is for;)
Bonus Step 9: Join the Homestead Pantry Challenge!
It’s currently almost January 2023, which means it’s time for our annual Homestead Pantry Challenge!
If you’ve never done a pantry challenge before, the basic gist is that you try to eat only from the food you already have on hand and avoid spending money at the grocery store, on dining out/take out etc. for a specified period of time (in this case, one month).
But the beauty of this challenge is that itโs a personal challenge with flexible โrules,โ so anyone can join in, even if you donโt have a homestead or a pantry full of food!
Maybe your goal is to eat through the food in your pantry that always gets pushed to the back so that it doesn’t go to waste.
Or maybe it’s to push yourself to learn new recipes and cooking skills.
Or maybe it’s to put your self-sufficiency to the test and gain skills and confidence knowing that you and your family can rely on yourself to provide.
You can go all in or simply use this challenge as a way to get organized and know exactly where you need to focus your food storage efforts this coming year.
No matter your reasons for doing a pantry challenge or how far you want to take it, I encourage you to join me, along with hundreds of other challenge participants, by registering right here.
It’s totally free to participate and is a great way to kick off the new year.
What are you waiting for? Join the Homestead Pantry Challenge now!
Looking for some more inspiration??
Head over to Youtube to see a full tour of our pantry and what we typically eat in a week during a pantry challenge (it might surprise you!)
Are you participating in the Homestead Pantry Challenge this year? What are your biggest goals for your own pantry challenge, or what have been your biggest takeaways from past years? Let me know in the comments below!!
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Living a slow, simple life isnโt easy in this fast-paced world.
No matter how much I preach it to everyone else, I still struggle with the guilt, shame and โnot enough-nessโ that I feel every time I choose rest, relaxation, stillness, disconnectedness or being โunproductiveโ when I feel I SHOULD be working, hustling, moving, checking emails and being โproductiveโ (which is almost always).
We all know that our culture praises productivity and busy-ness, and most of us know itโs a scam that keeps us stressed, burnt out and focused on the wrong things in life. Ultimately many of us end up feeling unfulfilled even though weโre spinning our wheels every day working to keep up with the demands of the world and our never-ending to-do list. Most of us would rather be resting, relaxing, spending quality time with our loved ones and doing things that light us up rather than simply keep us busy. But itโs hard to break free from the societal pressure to do more, produce more, earn more, acquire more and ultimately BE more.
So while I still struggle with this daily, and I donโt have any easy answers for how to overcome this, I wanted to share that today Iโm choosing slow; Today Iโm choosing to be present in the here and now rather than worrying about yesterday or tomorrow; Today Iโm choosing snuggles with my baby boy over emails and deadlines, and while I still feel that guilt rising up inside me, Iโm making a conscious effort to remind myself that the world wonโt end because I chose to slow down today, and at the end of my life I wonโt regret taking this time with my son, but I might regret NOT slowing down to enjoy it.
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Signs of life abound, even in the dead of winter! โฃ
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Connect with nature and enjoy the little things to help beat the winter blues. Go for a walk in the woods or the park and really pay attention to the natural world around you. Watch the songbirds flitting back and forth, gathering winter berries. Look for signs of greenery and new growth; Maybe even some snowdrops or crocuses have begun to emerge from the ground where you live. โฃ
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If you're feeling the effects of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) right now, please check out my full list of Natural Ways to Combat SAD and additional resources to seek out help from various care providers here https://thehouseandhomestead.com/natural-ways-treat-seasonal-affective-disorder/ or visit the link my bio. โฃ
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Spring is coming!
While most people run to the store every time they need something, you and I are not most people. Oh no friendโฆ We are modern homesteaders.โฃ
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Weโre a special breed, and one thing that sets us apart is that we are always thinking about preparing for the future and about stocking up when the things are abundant (and cheap!) which they aren't so much right now. โฃ
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When it comes to citrus fruits, if you live in a place where you can grow them yourself, then youโll probably have more than you can handle fresh when theyโre in season. Knowing how to preserve them will help ensure nothing gets wasted.โฃ
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Whether you're a seasoned homesteader or this is your first season preserving, I've got a hearty list of ideas of how to get the most out of your citrus fruits for the year to come! Visit the full list here https://thehouseandhomestead.com/12-ways-use-preserve-citrus-fruits/ or check out the link in my bio. โฃ
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What do you usually do with your extra citrus fruits? Have you tried any of these preservation methods?โฃ
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Let me know in the comments below!
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During the pantry challenge I always find it pretty easy to make my way through the canned items. A side dish here, a breakfast there, but what about bulk items that we have on hand like bags of sugar and flour?โฃ
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This is a really nice bread to dip in olive oil and balsamic vinegar or as part of a spread or cheese board. For the full recipe click here https://thehouseandhomestead.com/easy-no-knead-homemade-bread/ or visit the link in my bio. โฃ
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Let me know how it turns out and if you decide to add any herbs or other toppings to spice it up, I want to hear about it!
Iโve tried my hand at many skills and tackled my share of adventurous projects over the years. Along my homesteading and journey Iโve tried everything from candle-making to cheesemaking, sourdough bread to fermented vegetables, canning and dehydrating to rendering lard and more. When it comes to home medicine, Iโve learned how to make may useful concoctions, from herbal teas, tinctures and syrups to poultices, salves, ciders and more. But encapsulating my own placenta after the birth of our son was definitely a first, and by far my most adventurous โkitchen projectโ and foray into home medicine so far.
I have to admit, I was a bit squeamish at first, but Iโm fascinated by this kind of stuff and love learning skills that allow me to take my health and well-being into my own hands. I also love challenging myself to try new things and pushing myself out of my comfort zone.
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So tell me, whatโs the most adventurous thing YOUโVE tried in the name of homesteading and/or natural health? Comment below and let me know!
Since the weather is often cold, dark and gloomy, there arenโt as many fun, free things to do outdoors, so itโs easy to blow your budget on other things that will help you beat cabin fever like eating out, going to the movies and even going shopping just for something to do.โฃ
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But the flip side to this is that, once January hits, many people are motivated by the fresh start the new year brings and are ready to hunker down for a while and get their finances on track after the holidays. So in many ways that makes winter the perfect time of year to adopt some frugal habits. โฃ
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Our#homesteadpantrychallenge is in full-swing and now that our little one has arrived, simple and frugal pantry meals are a necessity to ensure we are getting adequate rest and not overdoing it during these newborn days. โฃ
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When I'm staring at the pantry wondering what to make, I love referring back to this list for a little bit of inspiration for either bringing back an old recipe, or creating a new one. โฃ
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๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐'๐ ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฑ: โฃ
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So whether youโre trying to save a little extra money on your grocery bill, or prioritizing rest this season these 35 frugal recipes will help you get good, wholesome, delicious homemade food on the table every day, which means you have one less thing to stress about. โฃ
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Check out the full list at https://thehouseandhomestead.com/frugal-recipes-roundup/ or visit the link in my bio. โฃ
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Eat well friends:)
I hope you had a wonderful and restful end of holidays, and are also feeling ready to get back on track with your daily schedule here in the new year. It can sometimes feel like a lot to get going, but those "regular days" help us to regulate our rhythms, and in turn help us slowly, gear up for the Spring season ahead. โฃ
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In our Winter Issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine, my friend and fellow homesteader, Ashley Constance of @alittleselfreliant wrote "Breaking Your Cabin Fever" a list of ideas for staying productive over the winter months. โฃ
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If you're feeling a bit restless and up to it, this list of ideas is a perfect way to get back into a daily routine. โฃ
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From making and creating, to preparing, planning and organizing you'll be feeling ready for Spring in no time. โฃ
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To see the full list, subscribe to Modern Homesteading Magazine here at https://modernhomesteadingmagazine.com/subscribe/ or visit the link in my bio.
Homesteading is a year-round lifestyle, andโฃ
for whatever reason, homesteading is most often thought of as a three-season โactivity.โ โฃ
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1. ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ. โฃ
2. ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ณ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ.โฃ
3. ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ถ๐ด ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ญ. โฃ
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So much of homesteading centers around preparing for winter. But what happens when winter finally arrives?โฃ
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Sure, we could just hunker down and relax, enjoy the fruits of our labour and rest until spring returns and the really busy seasons begin again. But the very nature of most homesteaders is that we tend to enjoy keeping busy. In other words, we tend to go a bit stir crazy sitting around on the couch for too long.โฃ
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Now, let me just make this clear before we continue: I think itโs VERY important to take time to rest whenever possible so that you can feel rejuvenated and be more productive when you really need to be, but if youโre looking for some (mostly relaxing) homesteading activities that you can do throughout the winter months to help keep you occupied, Iโve got a few suggestions for you:) โฃ
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My full list of winter homesteading activities can be found here https://thehouseandhomestead.com/winter-homesteading-activities/ โฃ
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Happy homesteading!

Shopping from Sam’s Club really helped me buy things in bulk. Like bread flour. Considering how much I was paying for the normal size bag of flour, buying a 25lb bag for like $12 was amazing!
That sounds great! I’m in Canada and we don’t have Sam’s Club (at least where I live) but I shop at Costco for the bulk stuff. I can get a 44-lb bag of flour for under $15! You definitely need to know where to shop for different things though. Sometimes certain things aren’t the best deal at the big-box bulk stores. For example, I can get a whole, local, free-range chicken from our local country market and it costs the same or sometimes even a little less than the organic chickens at Costco. Or even some bulk items aren’t as good of a deal. You’ve gotta know your unit prices to figure out where you’ll get the most bang for your buck. Sam’s Club sounds great though. Wish we had that here!