Save with Bulk Food Buying and Pantry Organization

In this video we talk about how to drop your grocery budget when you buy in bulk and organize your pantry. We show you our latest bulk and salvage food haul from the Amish store and then reorganize my totally out of control pantry. I give you a tour of the pantry complete with helpful tips to help you organize your pantry so you can find anything - in 30 seconds or less.
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[@angelawade1445]

Great video. I dont have a pantry and live in an 800 sq ft house. I have bookcases as pantrys. Works great. You have to work with what you have.

[@getoffmydarnlawn]

Love it! I live in a 550 sq ft apartment without a pantry, so I know what it's like to have to get creative.

[@ohmcintyre2067]

About the jam - I would put it into canning jars and do a water bath canning process. The jars should seal up just fine and you wouldn’t need to use freezer space.

[@truthseeker6370]

I Do organize my pantry this way too! My cupboard OCD however, requires my every can be front facing and in perfect alignment 😅

[@UndertheMedian]

LOL! That's the first comment Larry made when I was done. He thought all the cans should all be facing front.

[@alysoncocking1236]

Watching the video reminded me that I had to put yeast on my shopping list.

[@heathergoodwin-methven6158]

The Thai Chili Sauce is so good if you mix it almost equal parts peanut butter. If you blend it well and add a dash of soy sauce, it tastes just like the peanut satay sauce from a thai restaurant!

[@robertadunaway7030]

I date my food with the expiration dates when I found out that some food I had just bought had a shorter date than what I had bought the month before at a different store. Now it is easier to put food in order by date not when we bought it.

[@aurorasanchez7922]

Is too much. I prefer fresh Vegetals or frozen

[@DawnieRotten]

You're SO LUCKY!!! NO Amish stores in CT. Ever since I'd learned about Amish stores, been dying to shop at one!!

[@staceydunklin2186]

I would love to go to a Amish store myself.

[@dabneydee9109]

Regarding the bag of apricot preserves - good idea to divide and freeze in smaller containers. A couple of years ago I bought a bag like that of tomato paste for $2.00. I divided it into several small freezer bags and flattened each bag so the paste formed a fairly thin layer. That way, it would be easy to break off only as much as needed.

[@nenebops7744]

Looking forward to this! I have a very small kitchen, so i write all the dates on cans/packets etc. Then box up anything with a date more than 6 months away. I base my menu on what has to be used up, to minimise food waste

[@jacquelinehenry3211]

Wow! Never thought of that. Tks for sharing 🎉

[@ParkDari]

Honestly, if you have a pressure canner and some leftover jars, I would just can apricot preserves

[@goalsveganlife]

I use oxygen absorbers an jars for storing bulk seasoning, powdered milk, noodles, flour, beans, oats, ect... that way i know they wont go stale an will last alot longer😊

[@laurieyalanty9781]

Make sure to use any dented cans first😊

[@UndertheMedian]

You are absolutely right about that.

[@jonnaborosky8836]

I do organize my pantry like yours. I don't keep as much on hand, but I also don't have a husband or children to feed. I've added one more layer of organization into the pantry. About 1/2 the year I'm vegetarian and the other 1/2, I'm vegan. So, in each category of food, 1/2 the shelf is vegan and the other half is vegetarian. That way, I don't have to stop and read ingredients on every box or can of food before I pull it out of the cabinet. I look to the right or I look to the left, to know if I'm getting a vegan or vegetarian food. It makes life so much easier...😊

[@bellen4329]

My pantry has always been organized since first married in 1967 - of course, my mother's pantry was too so I grew up with it. I keep my herbs/spices on a 2 tiered turntable in alphabetically order, larger containers are on a 2 tiered shelf next to it. Organization makes shopping a breeze - never have to dig around to see what I'm out of. Beautiful presentation!!

[@juliemoore6957]

Love your front porch! So charming!

[@UndertheMedian]

Thank you so much!

[@jenniferwang3489]

Sweet chili sauce is good for dipping egg rolls, spring rolls, etc. we cook Asian food often and my kids handle this better than then the spicy stuff. It’s not the healthiest hung, usually has some not so great sweeteners, but it’s an interesting ingredient and when you get it cheap like that you can experiment. If it’s night you thing, you didn’t waste too much on it, so no harm, no foul.

[@myhorse52]

The Thai sweet red chilli sauce is a favorite of mine.

[@sharynmuzik2368]

Me too! Our family ❤s to dip our Spring Rolls into this sauce 😊

[@UndertheMedian]

I made Bang Bang Broccoli tonight in the air fryer and drizzled the sweet chili sauce over the top. It was really good!

[@GGsGarden]

In the process of moving store-bought cans to a rack where they roll to the front. I take care to keep oldest at front.

[@SauerPatchGardening]

You can re- waterbath can that apricot preserve. Use half pint jars, put a towel in the bottle of a large pot or a grate if u have and water bath can for 10 mins. Your at the same elevation as me. So, i know it will be fine, and i know you can do it. I got a great deal on a gallon of salsa awhile back and i knew i couldn't use it that way, so, i recanned it. It turned out great. Its easy, you can do it. And it won't take up real estate in your freezer.

[@HomesteadTessie]

The Smucker's jelly you could actually even recan it I recan things all the time it's absolutely amazing you would never even know the difference just another thing that you could do with that

[@brg2743]

We have 140 tomatoes on the vine green. Woohoo! May be able to can some.

[@melissawright4040]

I love buying in bulk(even though it's just me)it saves me money in the long run. I am stocked up on some things. If you bake and cook things using milk you will go through it. In NC you have to have so many hours drive time while you have a learners permit. And that is new(within the last 10 or 14 years)

[@brg2743]

Good organization! We do organize ours . We date the front and top of each can, box of pasta etc. We use shelf risers for cans needed to use up first. Baking is in baskets in a cabinet. Pasta is labelled and put in a cabinet. We write the dates large so we can see at a glance what needs used first. We put the new in the back. We do categorize it. Saves a lot on food waste. So much better than how we used to just buy and throw stuff in the pantry. Live and learn.

[@TannaPhillips]

The apricot preserves you can put into canning jars and water bath can or steam can and make shelf stable!!!! Saves room in your freezer! But freezing should be fine if you have the room!

[@freefoodchef7939]

What a terrific resource you have in that Amish store! About 30 minutes from me there's a giant swap meet that runs from about October to April and one of the tents there houses an enormous selection of "scratch and dent" groceries, and I always have fun seeing what they have in stock when I go. Lots of very intriguing items, some of which seem to be discontinued items. At the regular grocery stores, I shop the stock up sales, clearance sections and produce that is normally pretty cheap and lasts a long time, like cabbage and carrots. Plus, I've started to grow my own sprouts and microgreens in my kitchen. Some chilled rice mixed with shredded cabbage and carrots, sprouts and microgreens and a few canned tomatoes make a great salad! I made it a mission this past spring to supplement my pantry, fridge and freezer stock to capacity so that I can avoid going to the grocery store more than once a month, if that, and I think I've done it. I'm in the desert west where our local summer temperatures are nearly those in Death Valley and they last into November, so if I don't have to leave my house, that's ideal. Also, I have gone plant-based, like you guys, and it's delicious, nutritious and affordable, so my monthly grocery outlay is probably no more than about $50 (it's just me), supplemented by the stock-up stash I already have.

[@lae32264]

I buy the same 50 lb bag of oats at a store near me.

[@kerrynwright]

Looks fantastic & great deals you got! Yes, we do organize in a very similar way. I just recently bought more shelves & reorganized the whole pantry. I have coloured stickers for each year.... this year is yellow, next year is orange & the following year is pink.... then I write the number of the month on the sticker. I also add "+" after the number of the month if it will last 6-12 months after the best by date; "++" means 1-2 years over its best by date & an infinity sign if it will last years longer. That really helps us spot foods that need using in a flash & those that will last.... also have newly bought items put at the back. 🥰Blessings from South Australia💕🐨

[@haou132]

Bravo for your strategy colours and signs !!!

[@KarinCole-bk2sd]

Thank you for reminding me to inventory! It really does get away from you if you let it slide!

[@juliemoore6957]

Great pantry inventory and organization!

[@NADIEsehaido]

I have an Amish store pretty close to me and it’s one of my favorite stops 😊

[@Brattyanne1231]

Great prices at the Amish store!

[@sharonparsons9804]

Wow! Your pantry is amazing. I applaud 👏 you, and am inspired.

[@JKNat9004]

I have nowhere near the amount of pantry space you do. But I have a few methods to my madness in terms of how I organize it. I use a sharpie pen to write the date I bought the item on the package/can whatever. Then I keep the older items up front, so they will be used first. I'm in the northern Midwest so I don't buy in bulk in the warmer months at all, but come October that changes. I used to buy in bulk in the summer, but found that in warmer months I don't want to use the oven or even the stove when it's too hot and humid. I live in a second floor apartment so in the summer I buy more microwavable meals.

[@ThatsGoldJerry575]

Wow you guys have so much awesome storage in your house! I want all those cupboards haha

[@UndertheMedian]

When we looked at the house and saw those cupboards I told Larry, "This is the house I want."

[@amyweseloh1412]

Just found your channel! Love it. I've been to that bulk food store a few times !

[@juliemoore6957]

Wow! Great prices! 10 tortillas at my store are $2 59!

[@Xtrakefortnite]

I just went to my discount store today (2 hours from my house) and noticed that any of the vegan mayos must not sell very well, because they were marked at .50. Odd things like borscht in glass jars were 4 for $1. The same size of tortillas in my store were .50.

[@DebraMorris-q6r]

The Thai chili sauce is awesome, I add it into my chile on veggies in stir fry it’s all pending on your spice level

[@terryhenderson424]

For us, big bag (25/1b) oats (quick and old fashioned) have inched DOWN in price 3 or 4 times since Mar-Apr 2020. We can find them at Winco, a smaller 8 state grocery chain. They are put of a mill in Montana.

[@darlamanke3078]

For the best by date, I write the month and year on the front of the product. So at a glance I can use the oldest product first.

[@angieprice7206]

Try that apricot sauce on pancakes. Yum! Also don’t overfill those jars for freezing. Not sure how much it will swell.

[@UndertheMedian]

I froze it in smaller containers and it seems to have done okay. I'm interested to see the consistency when it thaws. I'm going to be looking up recipes to use it in.

[@libbysworld7649]

You're a good Mama, Hope! Kids love chips! :-)

[@UndertheMedian]

The chips were very well received at the party. They even thought the dill popcorn was quite interesting.

[@lizadivine3785]

Amazing haul!!! Woot! Woot!!

[@UndertheMedian]

Thank you!! 😁

[@victorwadsworth821]

​​Bought 8 twenty pound bags of wild bird seed at Ace Hardware for $10.00 a bag, or .50 a pound, will keep my yardbirds happy for awhile.

[@readyornot316]

Great inspiration and tips! Just an observation, buying any type of plant-based milk is not really necessary. You can make your own in a high speed blender, just add water and one of the following: grains like rice, oats, or quinoa; nuts like cashews which don’t require straining; coconut; bananas; seeds like hemp or flax; and even peas or peanut butter. The benefits include no thickeners or additives/preservatives which can cause stomach upset and huge cost savings over store bought. We purchased a couple of 1/2 gallon mason jar pitchers with lids and have been doing this for 10 years.

[@CentsibleLivingWithMoneyMom]

The chili sauce looks so yummy. You did a great job on your organization!!!!

[@UndertheMedian]

Thank you so much 🤗 The hardest part was the canned goods. I pretty much had to empty some of the sections and put everything on the floor to sort through it. I've threatened anyone who takes anything out without noting it on the inventory sheet. LOL!

[@dawncierelli1510]

Hope... You can take that apricot preserve and can it water bath can it and have it on your shelf for a long time.... That way you have it on your shelf and you're not taking freezer space.. I have done that many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many many times

[@UndertheMedian]

I love your "many many". It made me smile. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@gardengal5000]

I put the expiration date on the front with a sharpie so i can easily keep my food rotated.

[@sharenread8677]

If milk is close to expiring,you can freeze it and it still taste good after the expiration date. Sharen

[@jocelynsertich2686]

I air pop my own popcorn most of the time, one of my favorite sesasonings on it is the dill stuff from Trader Joe's. I also like their green goddess seasoning on it too. And popcorn and oats are two things I buy in bulk.

[@gwenpendragon1678]

Thai sweet chilli sauce - it is a dipping sauce. We use it to dip our spring rolls after they are baked or fried. It is also a great dipping sauce for toufu. Bake and lightly season the toufu. It will get dryer and have a firmer texture( hint: get extra firm toufu to begin with)

[@margiesoapyhairbillian4754]

The morcian ( can't spell!!) Is amazing

[@deborahanthony3401]

Thai sweet chilli sauce is very good. I always keep some in stock. Great for chicken fingers or breasts etc. That price is amazing. I pay about $12 for a bottle.

[@AliciasKitchen7]

👋 excited for this one

[@olliecooper4232]

Great organisation Hope and Larry, I like how you monitor the pricing too, to monitor inflation

[@Curious-Lass]

My pantry and food storage look nearly exactly the same as yours!❤

[@BekahP.]

Concerning the apricot preserves, I would probably take a few pint jars, and just seal them.

[@traceydufault297]

You did a great job look at all the delicious meals you'll make looking good guys

[@KathleenSnellenberger]

Great Video and I am not a fan of fancy coffee either. I am a maxwell house girl!

[@Noname-v4o]

Thank you I will have go to our amish town to see what I can buy. Thank you.

[@Nicole-zv7ee]

Those prices are impressive. I am going to try to find an Amish store near me. Thank you for sharing another great video, Hope and Larry!

[@lesliemckinley9615]

Nice haul! I organize my canned goods in my garage. My dry goods are in my pantry in one gallon & 2 quart jars with labels. So nice! And I got the jars free from a local restaurant.

[@jomar9024]

I just went through my pantry, usually good about FIFO, but I did overlook canned purees so I took them off my stock up shop list

[@stacyb6278]

Sweet chili sauce will be delicious on your stirfry. I use it with Braggs aminos when making a quick bowl of noodles with veggies.

[@georgevavoulis4758]

In Toronto Canada I spen $100-$150/ week just for mom and me . Just for 2 people .

[@sueharrison7940]

I live in England so we don’t have Amish stores. Also, although I keep a small store of items, our houses are nowhere big enough to have large storage cupboards. Plus within 15 minute walk we have a large supermarket (Tescos) and on the end of virtually every street there will be a corner shop. I would loved to have had a large pantry when my children lived a home and I was at work

[@kallistoindrani5689]

Food in bulk is only good for large families and when you have enough space. So for me I can't really used this technique to save money.

[@davidpoultney4080]

Moroccan food is delicious, I hope you enjoyed the sauce.

[@victoriajankowski1197]

I need to do this, my disability has been acting up and between multiple food bank hauls this week, and the very nice neighbor donating a bunch of stuff (we are the 'they know what to do with 'weird' undesirable stuff' house) and sending some fun snack food for the 5 year old who was kind enough to put it all away with just enough oversite to make sure refrigerator and freezer stuff didn't end up on a pantry shelf..... Needless to say now that I'm at least a bit back on my feet I need to get all the cereal out of the vegi shelf etc... and get a bunch of stuff decanted! We move most everything into glass because even with cats we get visitors on our shelves and I find they tend to move on faster when no food offers itself up!

[@GGsGarden]

Great Video! Haven’t seen 16 oz cans of veggies in years. 😊

[@UndertheMedian]

I think they are actually 15.5 oz. We rounded up.

[@marybartlett6290]

Thai Sweet Chili Sauce is SO good! I use it on lots of yummy veggie rice dishes.

[@debraherring2427]

Keep your yeast in your freezer for it to last longer.

[@getoffmydarnlawn]

Split peas + mirepoix + liquid smoke = the most delicious split pea soup that just happens to be plant based, I don't miss the ham. (I add diced potatoes to mine). So, yes, I need a 25 lb. bag of split peas in my pantry.

[@dawncierelli1510]

Hope that liquid smoke was a steal!! Good for you wow😊

[@victorwadsworth821]

Great low sodium spice I use instead of salt tastes great, BADA pepper & garlic.

[@terryhenderson424]

Currently, we are more targeted or list driven with our grocery purchases between inflation and stocking money into our 2024 Bigger Ticket Item Fund. But on and off in our history of grocery buying and larder building lives, we have purchased clearance items to try them out, add some variety to menu plan, and buy what we want but won't at regular price. Sometimes we like what we bought well enough to beat feet back to the store to buy as much as possible. My golden rule for interesting clearance is that if it is the same or less price than what I would elsewise buy of similar at a pretty good price, ill buy and consider buying at quantity. One example of this were some higher protien, whole wheat type pasta products many years ago. Some of these didnt even disintegrate in in-the-ground composting so we tried one. They were good enough and kiss less than the cheapest pasta on the regular grocery shelf so we went back and bought all we could afford for the pantry.

[@victorwadsworth821]

Tried a great new pepper grilled at Farmers Market Festival called Shishito.

[@Sunshine_State]

Fantastic!!

[@terryhenderson424]

We do a combination of bulk, great price quantity, and inflationary acceptable quantity buying. We also look upto a year ahead when doing this. For example, right now at Grocery Outlet, a franchise discount grocery chain, they have 15- 16 oz cans of Libby's organic, pumpkin puree for $1.49; $1.49 is about as good as it gets for any pumpkin puree including non-organic, off brand. They also have 16oz-ish bags of colored marshmallows in some sort of novelty shape for $.50/ bag. - This week we will be assessing our holiday needs/ wants then buying. I may even be buying a bag of those marshmallows for each of the Christmas stockings. My goal is to come up with some stocking stuffers with a $.50/ each max cost be they made or purchased. This year, I am putting an emphasis on using materials et al we already own for the made stocking stuffers and am only considering the pro-rated price of new purchases but I am dividing the cost out of the door by the number of items made. For example, I am diving the cost of the rubber cement I bought divided by the number of stockings rather than just the dab used. If I use that rubber cement to make 2 totally different stocking stuffer ideas, then I'll divide the cost by double the number of stockings. A $.50 bag of marshmallows meets the costing criteria but will also put a bigger item in the stocking.

[@geraldinegranger9186]

Thanks for the inspiration! This is disturbing though. I recently purchased several of these items - and I mean the exact items - at WholeFoods for 5x the cost. Seems like food does not need to cost as much as it does right now. Why? Where are the profits going? But still very much enjoying this video!

[@jessicajansson1203]

Wow. So many good prices!! That oatly milk is good after the best before date. It has a long shelflife and is perfect for baking, making pancakes etc. The best price I ever found in sweden is three times more 😂

[@TammyB-x2h]

Apricot Chicken is amazing!

[@jmcbain6075]

My roommate moved out...I have to screen shot my power bill.have window ac an oscillating fan...no bullshit it works

[@diversekakes]

I think you should can the jam!

[@terryhenderson424]

After re-working one hot pantry messes too much, I'm pretty pissy about pantry shelf organization. I'll let the stuff sit onnthe floor before the shelves rather than stuff it willy-nilly on the shelf. Being a bother and in the way provides, what do they call it, "organic"/ natural path of desire to rotate and organize as I put things on the pantry shelves. I like to know at a glance what I own, what I'm low on, and what im out of. I've tried the inventory thing twice and the time involved was counter productive for me. Since I've vowed no more hot messes, ive been pretty much been able to glance at a shelf, count how many high and deep, then arrive at an "inventory" number pretty quickly.

[@Midwestmomvolunteer365]

I'm the same way. I have created a waiting area for Pantry stuff that needs to be put away if I don't have time right away.

[@denarupp991]

Beautiful Hope n Larry!

[@rebahughes-orr5523]

So much good info! Thank you

[@lizadivine3785]

I like the chili sauce on fish tacos!

[@UndertheMedian]

What a great idea!

[@mysticmom616]

Hope- your hair looks so pretty today! Did you get it cut?

[@UndertheMedian]

I did! I got it cut in September for our oldest son's wedding and then I had a few more inches taken off in April for our second son's wedding.

[@elainemacpherson8407]

I’ve tried the meatball sauce and it’s really nice. Great video

[@dabneydee9109]

Omg, my local salvage store had those alfez Moroccan sauces last year for $1 a jar. I bought a couple of different flavours, but they were pretty mediocre, as I recall. I had to add some extra spices to give it some zing.

[@UndertheMedian]

Thanks for the heads up. I'll get some curry seasoning and garam masala ready to add when I open the jar.

[@gretelwhite8088]

How could I cut the cost of food while shopping for one? I do eat mostly plant based food, and don't know many others who do the same to share bulk buys with. Our UK kitchens don't have the sort of storage you do, mine has 2 small cupboards that I use for food, plus an under counter fridge and freezer,

[@tammiepowell2818]

That Moroccan sauce can be inconsistent. Got some at our local salvage store-one jar full of spice, another bland, all the same flavor. I think that might be part of the reason they were out there but overall a nice addition. Try it with garbanzo beans 😋 yummy.

[@UndertheMedian]

Good to know! Thanks for the tip.

[@sarahivilla9728]

Thank you 😊

[@teresitap5778]

Red chili sauce is our fave on fried tofu w/veggies.❤

[@UndertheMedian]

That sounds SO good! Thanks!

[@dianerajkowski1291]

Please tell ne which Amish store you visited. We will be visiting our son Illinois and would live to include this shopping trip as well

[@Mary-w7c4z]

Super Hope!!!! $$$$$$

[@nanatete4175]

Can you do a house tour please

[@patriciamuscat1049]

In a very warm country we cannot buy in bulk as most of the things like pasta and wheat we have to store a fridge

[@eyesup9542]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤