The Blue Collar Kitchen

In order to make the most out of weekly sales and items purchased at warehouse stores, you will need to setup a place to store extra grocery items. There are two things to consider when planning for extra storage. The first you will need is a place to store your dry goods. Items like canned goods, flour, sugar, and condiments can usually be store in a cool, dry place for up to several years. The second item you need to consider investing in is a freezer. A freezer can help save money on perishable items like meat, fish, bread, and milk.

Make plans and schedule 3 to 4 hours one weekend to set up your storage space. Before the weekend arrives, write out a plan that includes the location of your dry storage space and a freezer. These can be in separate parts of the home. For me, I have both places in my garage. In your plan, also include a list of items you will need to complete your storage area. The main item you will need is shelving. There are many types of shelving that can be used, just make sure the ones you use can hold the weight of heavy dry goods. You can find heavy duty plastic shelving at most discount and home building material stores. If you are tight on money, see my upcoming article on ways to make storage shelving for free. All you will need is a hammer, a saw, and a few nails.

For dry storage, you do not need a very large space to store a large amount of groceries. I utilized the space under the staircase in my garage. You need enough space to setup four or five shelving units. A free closet, a corner in the garage, or floor attic space will do well for this.

If you do not own a freezer, consider investing in one. It will pay for itself in just a few months. Over half of the average household's grocery budget is spent on meat. However, most grocery stores will rotate sales on different types of meat every month. If you have a freezer, you can purchase large quantities of meat while they are on sale and freeze them for use later.

When buying a freezer, you need to determine how much space you have available to setup a freezer. This will give you an idea on what size and type you will need to buy. Next determine how much money you can afford to invest. Currently, places like Sears, Lowes, and Home Depot are running no interest and/or no payments for most appliances. If you are able to take advantage of these deals, you can pay for your freezer with the savings you have from sales items over the next few months. I prefer to buy a chest

Another thing to consider when buying a freezer is the size. You do not need a large 21 cubic feet freezer to freeze a large amount of food. For example, a 14 cubic foot chest freezer can hold around 800 pounds of food. That is a years worth of meat and perishables for the average family.

Once your space is complete, you are ready to move to the next step. See the upcoming blog for Part 3 of Taking Control of the Grocery Budget.