Build a 30-day starter pantry
At the bare minimum, aim for two weeks of food your family already eats. That's where I'd start before going to 30 days.
A starter pantry is a month of food your family already eats, bought a little at a time. It's the best first step because it costs almost nothing extra: you're just buying next month's groceries early.
Start with cheap, dense staples (rice, beans, oats, flour, oil), then add the canned goods and comfort foods that make it feel like normal meals.
YOU'LL NEED
- The food calculator above
- A shelf or closet away from heat and sunlight
- A marker and masking tape
- A monthly budget, even $20 a week
Instructions
- Run the numbers. Use the food calculator for your household and 30 days. Write down the totals for rice, beans, oats, flour and oil. That's your shopping target.
- Pick 7 meals you'll actually eat. Choose meals that use those staples, like rice and beans, oatmeal, pancakes and lentil soup. Repeating a week of meals four times is easier than planning 30.
- Buy one extra each trip. Every grocery trip, buy one extra of something on your list. Bulk bags of rice and beans are the cheapest calories in the store, so get those first.
- Add flavour and fats. Salt, bouillon, spices, sugar, oil and peanut butter make plain staples edible for a month. Don't skip them.
- Label and shelve. Write the purchase month on everything. Put new items at the back, old items at the front.
- Check your total. Once a month, compare what's on the shelf to your calculator numbers. When you hit 30 days, decide whether to push to 90.
TIPS
- Store what you eat and eat what you store.
- Kids are pickier under stress. Stock a few treats they love.
- Remember to store water too. Rice and beans need it to cook.
Products to consider
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