My Grocery Method: The Pantry Prinicple and Know The Store

My favorite grocery store just pulled a fast one! They actually had the nerve to move to a bigger place with a new and improved(?) store layout. Whether the layout is improved or not remains to be seen. However, no amount of whining on my part will, I'm sure, convince them to revert to the old arrangement. As a result, I find myself needing to update my Pantry List.

My Pantry List is a Word Document that lists all of the groceries I normally use to prepare our family's favorite meals. It's a list of staples and other necessaries that my pantry never wants to be without. When I sit down to plan my once-a-month "Big Shop",  I use one of these lists to help jog my memory. I simply go down the list, decide whether I need to stock up on each item and, if so, I circle the bullet mark in front of it. If I need more than one, I write a number next to the circle. I make sure to evaluate the status of everything on the list so nothing is forgotten. Then I'm set to shop with a list that I can rely on to be complete. I really have no patience for lazy, unreliable lists. 

The best part, though, is that I have taken the time to organize my Pantry List to match the aisles of my favorite store which always gets my Big Shop business (hence the need to also re-arrange the list). The products from each department are listed together so I only visit each part of the store one time. Even better, my pathway through the store follows my pathway down the list.  I start with produce, move to shelf stable and non-food items, saving cold, frozen and light, squish-able bakery items for last (they go on top of the pile in the cart).  I save time because I rarely need to backtrack; and, I save money because I can walk right to the items I need without hunting through tempting displays of things I don't need. The only drawback is that I can never plan on my grocery shopping to count as a workout.  This method just doesn't elevate my heart rate that much.

I always keep my pantry stocked with the ingredients to make plenty of our favorite meals.  So if I decide to change my mind about what's for dinner at 3:00 p.m. I don't have to run to the store, I just go shopping in the pantry.

Each week I still need to stock up on milk, bread, eggs, some produce and anything for a special occasion coming up, but I limit my staples purchases to once a month if possible. 

The most effective way to save money is to just not go to the store. Having a well-stocked pantry and an efficient list from which to work will keep your time in the store to a minimum.

You can take a look at my Pantry List below. It includes lists for both of the stores where I shop on Big Shop Day. Of course, you will want to build your own Pantry List based on the best stores in your town and your personal eating habits. So get to know your store.  Make note of where things are placed in it. Plan your shopping trip, shop your plan and get out of there as fast as you can.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/cuna3br0j6u2j48/Pantry_List.pdf

Kids CAN Help In The Garden!

Newbie garden parents might be wary of trying to include their children in their new gardening adventure. If you are one of those, don't fret. Children have been helping their parents with this kind of work for longer than recorded history. They ARE capable, and they CAN learn to work (even if it seems hard) no matter what sob story they use to convince you otherwise. So what can children do to help in the garden? It all depends on their age:

What Can Kids Do To Help In The Garden?

Age 1-3: Their Help is Like No Help At All. They are really too young to be much help and they might actually be a hinder. These kids are sure to get very dirty, and are somewhat at risk of getting hurt. They need constant supervision if they are out in the garden. At this age, it's usually better to bring out a play tent and some toys or send them to an appropriate play area in your yard that you can see and monitor while you work.

If they are in the garden with you, these children can:

• pick things up off the ground
• eat a little dirt and build up antibodies (harmless in an organic garden. If a child eats a lot of dirt and will not stop, they probably are lacking in an essential nutrient in their diet.)
• dump water from a tiny watering can
• chase cats and birds away :)
• "thin" seedlings either by trampling on them or pulling them up whether you wanted them pulled or not (such great helpers)

Seriously, my advice is find something else for them to do, or garden during nap time. While my youngest children were in this age group, I sometimes used 1 older child as a babysitter. Their whole gardening job that day was to keep the baby out of the dirt.

Age 4-7: The Passive Resistant Helper: works s-l-o-w-l-y or pretends it's just too hard for them. Whines. At this age, you are in training mode with your kids. Don't count on their help to be very productive. The point of having a child this young in the garden is to teach them how to do the work and teach them that they are expected to do it, that the yard work is not going away, that they have a job which nobody else is going to do for them and they must do it. Nip the lazy entitlement attitude in the bud. Plan for these kids to max out at about 20 minutes of work. Acknowledge their good effort and reward them with freedom.

These kids can:

• rake
• trowel
• plant large seeds
• weed with supervision
• use a watering can
• harvest by picking
• snap beans
• pod peas
• get excited about bean teepees, raised bed mazes, eating fresh peas straight from the pod, hunting strawberries, riding in a wheelbarrow
• get a ride in a wheelbarrow
• roll pumpkins out of the garden

Age 8 to 15: really becoming a True Helper: starts out grumbling, but as he/she matures, accepts the work and just gets to it. Sometimes a kid this age even has fun with it. You can expect 30-60 minutes from these kids several times a week.

These kids can:

• shovel
• hoe
• rake
• trowel
• plant all seeds
• weed with instruction
• drag a hose
• use a watering can
• harvest by picking or digging
• snap beans
• pod peas
• stem strawberries
• top carrots
• corn "Chuck and Shuck"
• give a little kid a ride in a wheelbarrow
• help design the garden layout 
• plant seedlings
• tend their own planting bed from seed to harvest

Adult Jobs -16 and up and only after training: The Helpful Leader: knows how it's done, does a decent job and can help direct younger kids.

These people can:

• Perform and supervise all of the above jobs
  Ferlilize
  Rototill
  Prune
  Use chemicals if necessary
  Use power equipment
  Drive a tractor

Congratulations, Mom and Dad! You have raised a competent gardener and passed this skill to a new generation.