My pantry savings account

the pantry, but it doesn't include the closet under the stairs,
where I have baking items and the 16 jars of peanut butter stashed

My pantry is simply bursting at the seams these days. It may even cause a minimalist to break out into hives. But as I was looking through everything, this past week, I surmised that I had about 4-month supply of food, between my pantry, freezer and fridge, if I bought nothing else for that time period.

Yes, I think we could eat well-enough for about 4 months. Sure, we'd run out of milk and eggs, but we would have enough to eat, otherwise. I currently budget $185 per month for food-only groceries. So, at $185/month for 4 months, my "pantry savings account" contains about $740 worth of food that I could draw on in a very lean time.

freezer no.1

Lean times could happen to any of us, at any time. Job loss, medical emergency, unexpected repairs -- keeping a well-stocked kitchen gives me a safety net, should we need to feed ourselves in an extended financial crunch.

freezer no. 2

So, while the neat-nick in me would prefer a streamlined-appearing pantry and freezer, the one who looks after the finances in this family can appreciate the value of having a good stock of groceries. After all, I wouldn't keep my bank account balance hovering at a low dollar figure, simply because I didn't want the mess of all of those 0000s in there.

freezer no. 3

I've seen this mentioned in articles about frugal living -- for some folks, their pantry IS their only "savings account". In the most dire circumstances it's something not to be overlooked, when calculating what you have and can rely on if your income came to an abrupt halt. The contents of that pantry could feed a family a couple of weeks, at least. And any needed spending during that time could be diverted to absolute necessities, giving a family a week or two to begin on a plan out of their financial difficulties.


Twenty-something years ago, my husband was relatively new in a job when on a Thursday afternoon, rumors began flying that the company where he was employed was about to institute widespread layoffs. He was told to sit by the phone on Saturday, and wait for a call. Sure enough, he was one of the ones to lose his job. We'd only been married for a year and a half, had a baby and hadn't really accumulated much in the way of savings. He received a two-week severance pay, and then we had to rely on unemployment comp. There's a gap in receiving unemployment benefits. If I recall, we had to go 2 weeks without any pay at all, before receiving a UE check. And even when the UE checks began arriving regularly, the amount was significantly smaller than our previous, first job, post-student years, pay. (Those first jobs pay practically nothing, for many of us.)

I had been stocking my pantry (as opposed to just buying one week's worth of food at a time) for about 4 months, at that point. I remember that Saturday afternoon vividly. I let my once-per-week Mother's helper go. We turned down the heat in every room, except one, where the baby and I stayed most of each day. We let our landlord know of our circumstances (he was a jolly man, right next door, and very helpful with finding resources). And, I inventoried our kitchen's stock. With what I had right then, I figured that my husband and I could live on what we had, and only buy what we needed for the baby. And it appeared that we had enough in the way of groceries to last us about 4 to 6 weeks. Some of our meals were unusual in combinations of foods used. Some were repetitive. But as I had been stocking up on healthy items, all meals were relatively good for us (I wasn't much of a cook, at that point, so it was definitely "eat at your own risk").

We eventually got back on our feet. But those early days were managed with the knowledge that we had enough to eat for several weeks. At that time, I had been spending about $30 per week on groceries. So I estimate the value of that pantry savings account was about $180 to $240. For a young couple, just barely out of school, with a baby in tow, all those years ago, that $180-240 was a significant amount.


Now, every once and again, I survey my pantry, fridge and freezer and make guesses at how long we could go without buying anything at all. We're pretty well-stocked right now. This isn't the most stocked-up we've ever been, but it's awfully close.

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Do you ever think about how long you could go without shopping, given what you have on hand right now? Do you calculate the value of the food you have stored up? Or am I just a crazy lady, who loves math, and has a few minutes to spare for the calculation?

Just for fun -- if anyone cares to make a guess at the value of their pantry savings account, feel free to share in the comments below! Just make an estimate of how many weeks or months what you have in stock could last, and multiply by how much you spend per week or month. I bet there are some really amazing pantry savings accounts out there!

I roasted my last turkey this past week and used these in the cavity, for our favorite Lemon-Herb Roasted Turkey

I had about 6 of these already-zested and juiced lemon "shells" kept in freezer (a couple of years ago, I posted on using every last bit of the lemon, by saving the shells after zesting and juicing). I didn't even thaw the "shells", but tucked them inside the turkey, still a bit frosty.

With the  herbs in the garden abundant right now, I included a large bunch of rosemary, sage, and thyme sprigs.

To enhance the lemon and herb flavors, I brushed the skin of the turkey with a mixture of about 1/4 cup melted butter, 3 tablespoons bottled lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme.

Using the lemon "shells" and garden herbs was a delicious way to bring flavor to the turkey, at zero extra cost.

You know I like to make use of every little scrap of goodness. I only buy about a dozen fresh lemons per year (using bottled lemon juice for most cooking). So, I try to not waste any part of those precious, few, sunshiny jewels.

Using the whole lemon

For most cooking, I use bottled lemon juice. It's more convenient and less expensive than using whole lemons, for me. But when I have a recipe that I'd like to include some of the zest of the lemon, then I make sure I use every last bit of that lemon -- the juice, the zest and the pithy shell.

Often times, I only need one or two components of the lemon for a particular recipe, usually the juice and/or zest. With the remaining part, I simply freeze it. The zest can be frozen in a small container or zip loc bag. The juice can be frozen in a small container to be used within 6 months to a year. And the pithy portion freezes well for about 6 months (picks up freezer odors after about 6 months), and then used inside whole poultry to be roasted.

Keeping fresh-squeezed lemon juice

If you are keeping freshly-squeezed lemon juice in the refrigerator, it should remain fresh-tasting for about 3 days.  Likewise, if you thaw a container of home-squeezed lemon juice, and can't use it all immediately, use the remaining amount within 3 days. In contrast, commercially bottled lemon juice is pasteurized and contains preservatives, to kill bacteria and extend the refrigerated life of the product, for up to one year. If you have a lot of fresh-squeezed lemon juice to freeze, it may be advantageous to freeze in ice cube trays, then transfer cubes to a zip loc bag once frozen.

Storing whole lemons

I seem to have incredible luck with keeping fresh lemons, as mine can keep refrigerated for several months. This last batch of lemons I bought in May, and I just recently used the very last of the bag. I keep them in the produce drawer in an open, and very loose-fitting, plastic bag. The plastic bag holds in a bit of the moisture, but by remaining open and loose, mold doesn't seem to develop. By the time I used the last of this purchase, the last lemon was not as firm as when newly purchased, but it was still in decent-enough shape to zest, juice and cook with.

Once a fresh lemon is cut, place the cut side down, into a glass dish or container and cover. Use within 3 days.

Freezing lemon slices to use in drinks later

While raw lemons will lose some their original texture in freezing, they can be added to drinks, both hot and cold, even after freezing. Slice whole lemons thinly, and place on a sheet of parchment or plastic wrap on a baking sheet, then freeze. Once frozen, transfer to a zip loc bag. One or two slices of frozen lemon adds both flavor and visual interest to beverages. Surprisingly, they do not come out of the freezer all mushy, as you might expect.



I have one more recipe to make this summer, using a couple of fresh lemons, Lemon-Rosemary Finishing salt. I posted about making the Lemon-Rosemary salt late in 2013. This is such a favorite, here. With an abundance of rosemary this year, I can't think of a single reason to not make another batch. Yum! I can taste it in my mind, already!