Why Bare Cupboard are a Good Thing
The cupboards are pretty bare, as you can see here, and I'm happy about it. Why would I be happy about it?
1. They are a lot easier to wipe out. I took the opportunity tonight to wipe this one out. Of course, this had nothing to do with the fact that I wanted to take a picture for my blog.
2. Less things for Vivian(1) to take out and me to pick up, and
3. Tomorrow is grocery day, and nearly empty cupboards mean my grocery budget is about right, and being used efficiently.
I love to stockpile a good sale item as much as the next person, but I have to be sure to actually use that stockpile. It is easy to just keep piling the cupboards or freezer with sale items. It can soon become so full, I forget what is actually in there, and forget to use it in our meals.
When the cupboards, get this low I find myself making meals with things we like, but that I have forgotten to make. I don't menu plan. Did that make you gasp? Most of my meals are off the cuff, yet, I think, they are still pretty good, and they are frugal. My lack of meal planning is a subject for a different post, I guess. As I was saying, when the cupboards are low, I make meals like last night's, Salmon Patties. We like salmon patties, but I sometimes forget about making them, until there isn't much else to make.
Empty cupboards are also inspiring. I get pretty creative when the cupboards are bare. It is fun, and I haven't heard any complaints so far. Occasionally, I come up with something really good too! If I'm not feeling very creative, I can always make pancakes for dinner. Then, I am the best mom in the world.
Empty cupboards show that the grocery budget is about right. What I bought two weeks ago was about what we needed for our meals. (We did get more milk since the last grocery trip.) If the cupboards and freezer are always full, that is a sign that I am spending too much money; we have more food than we need.
My cupboards don't always get quite this empty before a shopping trip, and I am not saying that yours need to. I do hope to encourage you though, to use what you have. If you find a great sale, stock up, but make sure you use what you buy. It is not a bargain if you don't use it! If the cupboards get a little bare, be assured that it is a good sign. A sign of frugal management of your resources.
4 comments:
That's good. I lived alone for several years and still have not mastered the art of grocery shopping for two. I would eat lentil soup and carrot souffle for days straight. James won't.
We don't meal plan either. We tend to cook from scratch a lot, so keep a lot of basics on hand...makes for emptish cupboards which I love. So easy to find things!
Our problem is the freezer...way too small for us. We need to buy an extra floor freezer.
Stephanie,
I like this post. Yes! I grew up with hoarde mentality. Now I'm not so much a hoarder. No room to hoard. And a lifestyle of constant moving has changed me. I also think that the need to hoarde is based in fear (in me anyway). I want to live by faith not fear.
I also tend to have not-so-stocked cupboards. (Although there's usually a glut of old bread.) I've never understood the logic behind the jam-packed cupboard. In addition to being motivated by fear, maybe it helps people feel prosperous.
A friend of mine from New Zealand who lived in the U.S. always wondered why Americans kept so much food in their homes. She also wondered why the fridge on Seinfeld was so big (for a single man). They're both great questions.
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