Deb, You are my hero. I love the idea that you are able to contain so much in so little space. I have a large house but its difficult to maintain a cool even temperature for the food items so I'm forced to keep them in on shelves in, plastic bins in an unfinished basement. Plus the basement is off the kitchen so its convenient. All of you are such an inspiration. I've been on the computer using EXCEL to compile my lists. This thread revealed big holes in my inventory and now I have to catch-up.

Toni B.:

Do you replenish what you use as you go? Do you ever let your stash get low? Where do you store all this.

It depends on the store I buy it from if it's a store that has sales I watch the ad and stock up when I see what I consider a buy price.

The shampoo I have on had was $.99 for a 22.5 oz bottle, I know from the lists I've kept in the past that we go through about 26 bottles a year some years less. I grabbed 28 knowing that some will go to church for the personal needs closet for those who can't afford to buy soap, shampoo, toothpaste ect (as one woman I knew put it "Food stamps will let me buy nothing but pepsi if I chose to but won't give me a cent to keep clean.").

If it's something that I buy from a store that I know the price won't typically go up at (Aldi's) I just replenish as I need to; if I use a box I grab one more the next time I'm in the store. If I'm trying to stock up I'll grab two or three of something while I'm shopping.

As to does my stash get low...ds#1 will be 18 this month ds#2 is 13 and ds#3 is 12 half the time I have to fight with them to lay off the food so it will last. Thankfully all three of them have jobs (ds#1 in retail with dd#1 &ds#2&3 paper routes) so they are encouraged to buy their own food especially since most the time I buy what they don't consider food.

I have a large basement with shelves, two freezers 1 sm (5cu) 1 lg (30 cu) where I store most of the stuff. I do have to keep an eye on where in the basement I store stuff one wall leaks when it rains so that's not a good spot to store my rice, mac&cheese or flour.

Toni B.:

Sorry if I'm being nosey, but I'm looking for ideas to get it right the first time.

You're not being nosey. Alot of this is hit or miss especially if you buy meat buy the 1/2 animal like I do it took me years to figure out how much of what cut my family would eat over the next year I'd tell the butcher that we wanted mostly steaks and not a lot of GB then we'd go through the GB in no time and get sick of steaks pretty quick.

Keep track of what you buy each week for a few months then look over the list and ask yourself why you buy what you do. You might find that somethings you buy cause you love it (mac& cheese & PB here) while other things you buy cause it's on sale. At one time I was buying 2 2ltrs of soda each week cause Wegmans had it for $.50 a bottle. The soda was something that we enjoyed and before I started buying it on sale it was something that we had for special occasions only. Even tough we enjoyed drinking the soda we were starting to go through more each week and I decied to drop it back to a special occasion thing. Nobody noticed when I stopped buying it so I've left it off the pantry list for good  (execpt the case of gingerale cans that I keep on hand for upset stomachs). 

Shucks, Toni, t'aint nuttin'.  Necessity is the mother of invention, as all know!  But it's true that G-d has graced me with that large kitchen, as well as a full-sized bed & now the bookcase shelf for storing food....  Tens of thousands of homeless people would give their eyeteeth to have 20% of the space that I have ... & I praise the L-rd for His bounteous grace to me, every day.  Yours in Him, Deb

 I have a fridge, side by side, I bought an upright freezer, I have a pantry in the basement under the stairs-three shelves that use that odd space well and has a light that I can turn on, and some extra shampoo and toothpaste in the linen closet.  Last summer I bought a metal shelf for extra canned items in the basement, and I put extra noodles and cereals on top of the freezer, out of the way of the mice that get in!

I have extra cereal, rice, canned fruits and vegetables, juice, and assorted items- right now I have dry baby food, oatmeal and rice, baby bananas, dry beans, noodles, spaghetti, a pack of dried cherries, three boxes of baking mix, 10 dish soap that I got for free at Walgreens, shampoo and body wash-several I got free at a free food site, 25 lbs ofgraham cracker crumbs, about 10 cans each of tomatoes, beans, pineapple, soup, about 15 jars pb-a four month supply here, a spare bag of sugar, a few extra jars of spices-cinnamon and vanilla, and home canned applesauce, salsa, pickled peppers, and apple jelly.  I try to keep a 12 pack of tp down there.

I also have about 20 spare spiral boud notebooks.  I had 5 extra notebook paper packs but we have gone through those.  We have 20 extra simple folders, and a few bottles of glue and glue sticks.  

In the linen closet I have a spare bag of diapers, extra baby powder, 2 boxes of Kleenex, several bags of assorted femine hygiene products, 2 packs of razors, and three different size travel bags with first aid supplies and travel size toiletries, as well as disposable toothbrushes which we use on vacation.   

In the kitchen junk drawer I have birthday candles and rubber bands, pens and a few pen refills.  In the tool drawer I used to have batteries, we have converted to rechargeables!  Uder the sink there are a few boxes of light bulbs, the compact kind. And still a few of the cheap kind.  

Downstairs in the laundry there is usually a few bottles of detergent, borax, and fabric softener.  There is special baby detergent.  

This is my stash.

 

 

 

I have a simple stash but am gradually adding to it.

3 bottles of laundry detergent, 15 Spam singles, 12 instant potato pouches, 6 boxes scalloped potatoes, 6 cake mixes, 7 frosting tubs, 5 brownie mixes, 6 boxes various cereals, 2 lbs. pinto beans, 12 cans spinacj, 12 cans evap milk, 20 cans chili, 1/2 case veggie soup, 1/2 case chunky beef and potato soup, 1/2 case V-8 juice, some frozen veggies (although I'm getting low there).

I plan on doing a little more stocking up with the stimulus check--if it ever gets here!

re-tired 

6 months supply of TP, shampoo, bar soap, feminine products, shavers, deoderant, etc.

6 months supply of rice, beans, assorted legumes, salt, flour, baking soda, etc., coffee, asstd. canned goods such as diced tomatoes, veggies, evap. milk

6 months supply of laundry soap and dish soap 

I have in my basement freezer:

almost a 1/4 of beef in various cuts and grounds, three whole chickens, 6 frozen pizzas, 8 bags of frozen veggies, 6 bags of pasta (I keep it in the freezer); 10 lbs of flour, 10 lbs of sugar, flax seed, 2 boxes of chicken nuggets, 6 lbs of sausage, a bag of frozen fish filets; 4 six-packs of pork chops; one bone-in ham, one pork roast; 3 boxes of rice, 4 lbs of coffee beans (grind my own); 3 loaves of bread.

In my pantry: 20 packages of rice-a roni type rice dishes; 8 bottles of catsup; 4 bottles of mustard; 4 bottles of BBQ sauce; 20 cans of veggies; 20 cans of fruits (estimated); 10 cans of soups (cream types and tomato); 2 bottles of cooking oil; gallon of olive oil; 6 boxes of various crackers; 6 boxes of tea bags (various kinds); a couple pounds of peanuts and almonds; 4 jars of peanut butter.

Others: 3 jugs of laundry soap; 3 gallons of vinegar; 3 gallons of bleach; 2 gallons of ammonia; 1 refil box of fabric softener (don't use often) about 60 rolls of toilet paper; 10 boxes of kleenex; 6 rolls of paper towels (trying to wean off using); 2 boxes of trash bags.

I need to work on adding: bread to my stash (or more flour so I can make my own); fruit juices (frozen or jug); personal hygiene items (soap, shampoo, toothpaste, razors, deodorant, lotion, contact solution, cotton balls and swabs, diapers, tampons/pads). I think my next goal will to add 6 months of those items, buying one or two each shopping trip on sale.

I feel ok about my freezer (can't fit anymore in there) and some of the food and paper items. But I need to stock up on hygiene items like shampoo, soap and toothpaste. We are down to one or two of each of those.

I thought the "stash" you were referring to, was yarn or fabric! (hehe) I have plenty of insulation in my house, thank you. 

I cook out of the pantry and freezer. I also buy many items once a year or stock up during sales. I don't think of my food management as stash.

 

funny I don't think of some areas as part of my stash until someone else writes about it.  in the vanity normally 6 boxes of kleenex, whatever is left of the 24 pk of ivory soap (use about 1 bar a week) .  big jug of liquid soap on a shelf above the door.  3-4 boxes of toothpaste in the linen closet with extra shampoo when I have it.  I guess because it is my normal amount of product not extra I don't think of it. The big jug of liquid soap has lasted months.

In the freezer in the fridge, (downstairs freezer is the extra) I keep all the odds and ends, stuff on the go. ice cream, frozen juice, couple bags of frozen fish, halfs of meatloafs, a big ham slice, frozen veggies, stuff like extra cooked chicken, twice baked potatoes, highliner fish fillets etc. 

In my pantry I keep a few cans of soup, spaghetti sauce, canned meat/fruit/corn, baked beans etc. I just stock up from the basement. plus all the canned cat food is there.  normally 3-4 boxes of dry cereal on the go.

Actually I have been trying to use up all the stuff in the fridge freezer since it can become a mystery zone of food!

Gigi - You are too funny because I do have a "craft stash". I've done Cross Stitch for 20 years and have all kinds of floss and Aida cloth to use up. Now that I'm retired, I can do this for cheap entertainment. I justified 20 years of spending on cross stitch as a retirement investment. Works for me. MarthMFI - I was just wondering the other day if bars of soap are more economical than bottled soap. I get frustrated because I just know there are always a couple of ounces I can't access when I get to the bottom of the bottle or tubes. I hate waste and I find the same is true with bottles of conditioner and body lotion. I think I've become spoiled by choosing a particular brand of bottled soap and other things. We too are trying to wean ourselves off paper towels but some habits are hard to break. I recently started tracking how long my liquid laundry soap lasts. I have one of those large jugs that pours from a push spout. I put the date on the side of the jug and a hash mark every time I do a load of laundry. I started the current jug Feb 8 and have done 55 loads. They claim there was 95 loads but I think I used extra in some loads. You folks are great and have been a great help answering my questions. Toni