Starting a Pantry Stockpile
Regardless of where you live or your economic status, facing adversity is inevitable. I have heard it said that it is how we handle adversity that makes us or breaks us.
In this post, I am sharing how I am helping my family through all the unrest and uncertainty happening right now in the United States. I wouldn't say that my answer to adversity is a new revelation, but it has brought my family peace and blessings.
A FAMILY PANTRY STOCKPILE
My "secret weapon"? I stockpile household items my family needs.
When I was first married, I had little knowledge of how to run a household or be a godly wife. I had a teachable heart but no one in my life I was comfortable asking to teach me. So, my boys and I went to the library every week and checked out stacks of books.
I have never forgotten the joy I felt when I discovered a vast collection of books from older Christian women! These women freely shared tips they had learned raising their own families and maintaining their households. Years ago, it was common (and expected) that older women pass on wisdom to younger women. Many of those ladies went through things we have no concept of such as the Great Depression and war. Understanding what it meant to struggle in the lean years, they learned to use everyday items in multiple ways as well as to carefully stock up on items their family needed.
I was hooked and couldn’t get enough of these types of books. I took extensive notes and read everything available. I implemented what made sense to me. But for a few years, I couldn't afford to start a full-on household stockpile. So I began small with a few extra products added each week. As God provided, I slowly added to our pantry, and our little stockpile took on a life of its own.
WHAT IS PANTRY STOCKPILING?
First of all, if you are not familiar with it, stockpiling your pantry is a bit different than simply filling your pantry. When you fill your pantry, you are putting your weekly groceries in and calling it good.
When you stockpile your pantry, you are creating a system of taking a list of items your family consumes regularly and multiplying them so that your family's storehouse is full. This allows for daily food consumption as well as emergency supplies should you need them. When not used for emergencies, the stockpile can easily be rotated in for weekly consumption then replenished as needed.
IS THAT HOARDING?
I don't believe so, no. When you stockpile your pantry, you do it with a purpose in mind (say, a 3-month supply of products your family uses). Hoarders are the extreme. They seem to have a hard time stopping once they start accumulating. Hoarders also seem to panic a bit if they feel their supply isn't full to overflowing.
I don't believe anyone starts as a hoarder, but if we aren't careful, it can become our god, and we will work for it instead of it working for our family.
WHY SHOULD WE STOCKPILE?
As a Christian woman, I am responsible for my home and my family. No matter what else I do, it is my job to provide for my family to the best of my ability.
Everyone's reasons vary, but for us, I first began stocking our household goods because my husband had gone through a series of jobs that either closed their doors or laid off a significant amount of workers. We had little ones to provide for and knowing that we had a full storehouse gave us peace. The ability to skip the grocery store gave us breathing room with our other bills. Since the beginning, our pantry stock has blessed us during power outages, family emergencies, natural disasters, and times that I was just so crazy busy I didn't have time to get groceries that week.
Recently, the pandemic hit, and we were suddenly ordered to shelter in place. Paper products disappeared like magic, and many bare shelves quickly followed. But I didn't panic. God had given me the wisdom and financial means to provide for my little family and be a blessing to my children and my church.
I have found that when I have slacked off of regularly stocking up, I tend to run to the drive-thru for something quick (and unhealthy). If an emergency (big or small) happens, I would be left vulnerable and so would my family. With a fully stocked pantry, I can provide meals that will bless my family and possibly even friends and neighbors.
IS HAVING A PANTRY STOCKPILE BIBLICAL?
I would say it is, yes. God gave Jacob the wisdom to stockpile one-fifth of the provisions so that when the bad times came (for them it was a famine), the people were provided for. Joseph stockpiled for 7 years. Read Genesis chapter 41 to hear how it played out.
And then we read in Proverbs 31 about a capable wife. This godly woman looks well to her household and makes sure that her family’s needs are met to the best of her ability.
CAN I HAVE A STOCKPILE WITHOUT BLOWING MY BIDGET?
Yes, you can. How much money you devote to creating your stockpile is up to you and your husband. There are many ways you can go about it. You don't have to take hundreds of dollars each week to build up your stock. Of course, it would depend on your budget but how much would you save if you cut out one extra?
Could you cut out your morning specialty coffee?
Fix one more meal a week and set aside the money from the drive-thru you would have spent?
Fix your lunch instead of buying each day?
Buy slightly less snack food each week and set that money aside?
These are just a few ideas to get you thinking. When we started our stockpile, we had just under $5 extra a week to devote to this. It wasn't much, but I knew my seed of faith had to start somewhere. I took that five dollars and carefully purchased the cheapest extra's I could afford. If I remember right, I bought extra cans of kidney beans, rice, and tomato sauce. It wasn't much but it was a beginning. The following week I moved on and stocked up on $5.00 worth of extra pasta noodles. The week after, I moved on to soups.
You have to remember, this was over 25 years ago, and prices were a lot different then. But that doesn't mean it is impossible now. Keep reading and I will show you how.
DO I HAVE TO BUY SPECIALTY ITEMS?
No. It is wise to purchase only what your family will eat. You’ve probably seen advertised “stockpile kits” you can get that are prepackaged and ready for you to order. Stockpiling is so popular now that you can find them online in many stores such as Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Amazon, etc.
There is no need (unless you like them) to buy a case of MRE's that will sit there and rot. That is wasteful of resources God has blessed you with. Just filling an empty spot on your shelves isn't the purpose of having a pantry stockpile.
WHERE CAN I BUY ITEMS FOR MY STOCKPILE?
Anywhere. You can shop online, at a chain store, or do a combination of both. Whatever way you shop for your regular groceries works just fine to build your stockpile.
This may surprise you, but one of my regular stops while out shopping is the Dollar Tree. Since it is just my husband and me now, I appreciate the smaller sizes I can find there. They have many name brand items. If you do not have a Dollar Tree near you, you can order large quantities from them online (sometimes as a discount!) and have your order sent to your home.
Dollar General is another stop I make, particularly what I call the dollar aisle. Like Dollar Tree, Dollar General has name brand items, usually for a dollar or less, and in smaller sized packages.
Yet another thing we do to build our stockpile is use rebates from our local hardware store. When we use the rebates to purchase items from their grocery section, we aren't out anything financially, and it is like "free" money to build our stock. We also buy many things from Aldi, Walmart, and Kroger (Kroger is awesome at putting on clearance non-food items at amazing prices!). Some of our items we can no longer find in stores but we can still buy on Amazon or Walmart.
As far a health and beauty products, I have been blessed more than once at chain drug stores (particularly CVS). Periodically, they move their departments around and clearance (up to 75% off!) the products. The items remain on the shelves like normal so you have to really look carefully at the tags and not be in a rush.
IN CONCLUSION
Stockpiling your household pantry is a tool that God has given us the wisdom to use. It isn't necessary to have a pantry stockpile, but it sure does bring peace of mind knowing that should adversity happen, this is one area your family doesn't need to stress about.
In our next post, we will go into the actual planning detail such as what and how much we should stockpile, where we should put it, etc.
YOUR TURN
Do you have a pantry stockpile that you have been building? What type of items did you start with? Any words of advice you'd care to share with others who are praying about starting a pantry stockpile? Comment below and let us know!