‘What’s for dinner’ is probably the most asked question I get on a daily basis at home. I always have an answer, because I always meal plan.

Do you ever base your meal plan on whatever foodstuffs you have at home, rather than any random ingredients?This is a great way to ensure you use up all the food you have at home to avoid food waste, and of course save money.

Why we need to shop our pantry

When shopping at the supermarket, we always have the best intentions in mind.  Then it’s a little something extra here (that looked delicious!) and a little more extra there (I’m not quite sure if I need one or two of this), and all of a sudden, your cupboards are bursting at the seams.  And you’re not quite sure what’s in them.

You may be the type of person to go to the supermarket without meal planning first. In this case, overbuying or buying the wrong types of foods is almost guaranteed. Again, your intentions are great. You want to be prepared to be able to cook whatever dinner ideas you may come up with, but the downside is you end up buying things you do not need (while still missing vital ingredients).

One of the best ways to prevent food waste, minimise time spent looking for things, save money, and keep your kitchen organised is to shop your pantry.

The aim of this exercise is to come up with a list of meals you can make using the items you have on hand.

When to shop your pantry

I recommend to my students to ‘shop their pantry’ at least once a month on the last week of the month. This helps them to not forget to do it by actioning this simple skill when we are moving towards payday (and when we are most likely in need to budget because we may have overspent – or are edging towards our maximum allowance).

Another great signal that it’s time to shop your pantry is the moment you start getting a lot of ‘Mum, what’s for dinner?’ and you have no answer to that, yet your pantry is overflowing with food items and you just don’t know where to start. When you start to feel like you don’t know what inside your pantry any longer, you definitely need to get it done, pronto.

How to do it

1. If your larder has not been decluttered, tidied and cleaned for a while, you may need to start there. In a nutshell: assess, clear, and clean. Check each and every food item.  Is it expired? Toss.  Will you use it?  If that’s a no, put aside to give away.  Wipe down all of the items with a cloth.
   
2. You may need to have all your foodstuffs out for this one, so unless you don’t have everything out already, empty your cupboards. You will need to have a good look inside your fridge and freezer too.
   
3. Roll up your sleeves and get a piece of paper to list the following: ‘canned goods’, ‘grains’, ‘freezer items’, ‘fridge contents’, and ‘other’. I have a free printable you can print and use for this exercise if you’d like to download it.
   PS: If you have any freezer meals at hand, there is no need to list these. Our aim here is to list ingredients which can form part of a meal.
   
4. Once you’re done with your lists, come up with a few meals you can make using what’s on hand, and list any particular ingredients you need to buy to complete the dishes on your list.

THAT’S IT!

Before you go, if you’ve not already, go here to get your hands on my FREE ‘Shop your pantry printable’. You can print and laminate this and use it over and over!