A Reflection on Pantry Living Take 2

Pantry Living ended 2 weeks ago. I've been grocery shopping twice since and I'm surprised by a few things I learned this year.

Pantry Living at the start

Pantry Living at the end

•  We really had a ton of food left at the end of the summer. I love my pictures tracking my shelves so I can visually compare week to week. At the end of last year I had pretty bare shelves. This year was a different story. This brings me so much joy because if this wasn't a choice and I was forced to live off our food storage I know that we could do it! And we could do it for quite a bit longer. 
• I am in control of what goes into our bellies. Before the summer began I bought a few packs of cookies and goodies. At the end of the summer we had so much of those left because I rarely would bust open a pack. My family knew no different either. I guess it is another reason I love my pantry that is separate from our kitchen, out of sight out of mind (and belly).
• I was a baking maniac this summer. You probably already noticed how many treats I baked cause I had to use up my zucchini (I still have 2 sitting on my counter). Next year I need WAY MORE flour, sugar, and brown sugar. Those are the items I went through faster than I could count. 

• I should check out my basement freezer more often. I typically only went there to get meat and maybe a bag of french fries, or a box of butter. I totally forgot about all the frozen veggies and other items I'd stashed away. 
• Canned fruit is something I need to store more of, Katy adores it! She can eat an entire can of mandarin oranges and still want more. 
• We use a lot of salad dressing. Obviously for salads, but I cook with it more than I'd realized. Ranch and Italian are great, especially combined over chicken.
• We still eat lots of 
• cereal: 44 at the start, 5 at the end
• peanut butter: 1 large jar a month
• jam: 1 large jar every 6 weeks 
• mayo: 1 large jar a month
• Our garden was wonderful and I will definitely grow one next year! The plan is for 1 zucchini, 3 green beans, 2 tomatoes, and a cucumber.

 I love my experiment and I'm looking forward to next year. Beforehand I created a master inventory list of items we keep on hand and recorded the start amount and the end amount. Those figures will definitely help in preparation for Pantry Living Take 3. I made a master list for the fridge and freezer as well but I never filled in those amounts. Next year I want to focus more attention on how much of those cold items we use.

Thank you for following my summer journey! I hope it inspires you to be prepared. If ye are prepared ye shall not fear!

Happy Autumn!