I started writing this blog post way before covid19 became a household word. Why did I start writing it? Because this is a subject near and dear to my heart. I truly believe that having what we call a “deep pantry” is one of the things that helped us win with money. Just like having an emergency fund set aside in case of a true need, a pantry helps provide stability and peace of mind in case of an emergency.
First, let me start out by listing the top 10 reasons we believe that having a pantry is so darn important.
- Saves money
- Job loss
- Illness
- Natural disaster
- Food shortages – floods, disasters
- Assist others in need
- Since you have foods on hand, less eating out
- Less stress
- You physically can’t get to the store
- You have a huge bill to pay and need to focus on paying it off
1. Saves money – How does having extra food in your home save you money…….oh let me list the ways!
- You purchase extra food only when it is on sale. So if that salsa you enjoy is half price this week, you purchase an extra one.
- You make fewer trips to the grocery store as you have another pantry to go to if you run out of what you need.
- You can buy in bulk, saving you money in the long run — always be mindful of the per unit price.
- Protection from rising food prices
2. Job loss – We never know when we are going to loss our income and having food to feed your family takes a bit of stress out of the situation.
3. Illness – This could be either acute or chronic illness, and we have lived with both. Several times over the course of raising children, the entire family has come down with the dreaded flu when everyone is so ill they can barely move. We were so thankful that we already had food in the house allowing us to eliminate concerns over having to go to the store when feeling horrible and risking spreading whatever we had more broadly.
Then there are the chronic illnesses. Let me tell you, these diagnoses and treatments take a HUGE chunk of money and they can shake your family to the core. Having food in the house while you are trying to pay off medical bills is a huge blessing.
4. Natural disasters – There are times when roads are shut down due to mother nature and having extra food at home makes life so much easier.
5. Food shortages – This is not something that we have experienced until recently here in the US, but we now see it can happen so being prepared is helpful.
6. Assist others in need – Having extra food on hand allows you to help out others that you may not otherwise be able to do. Nothing feels better than to lift up the life of another!
7. Less eating out – Since you will always have food at home with a deep pantry, there can be less eating out which saves you both money and time. Eating out isn’t just the cost of each meal, it is also the time, energy and gas to drive there and back, wait for your food, and a tip if expected. Eating home is usually much healthier too.
8. Less stress – And who doesn’t need less stress in their lives. Knowing you have food at home and can feed your family provides a true peace of mind.
9. You physically cannot get to the store – I have been there done that! I injured my ankle after a fall and could not walk on it for a week. I dislocated my knee cap and couldn’t drive let alone walk. I had spinal surgery and I couldn’t drive. I physically couldn’t get to the store. Yes, I could have sent Mr. SF to go get food, as he does grocery shopping too, but with 4 small kiddos at home, I really just needed him at home to take care of them when he wasn’t at work. We have also had a cars break down and been without a vehicle for a few days…….thank goodness for the extra food.
10. You have a huge bill and need to focus on paying it off – We have had HUGE medical bills and large moving expenses. Having food in the house so you don’t have to spend much on groceries allows you to focus on your bills.
Having a deep pantry, or food that you store away from the food you eat or use on a daily basis absolutely gives you an extra sense of peace when the unexpected happens. Especially now, with grocery shopping being a much more complicated endeavor, having extras is such a blessing.
~ Our next post will be on How to Set-up a Pantry