This is my personal list that I work off every year to determine what I have used and need when I go do my stock up shopping trips.
This list is pretty personal as it shows the items we use. So be kind. I also feel the need to explain how we eat. We actually don’t purchase items that come in boxes. Example, brownie mixes we make from scratch. We make our own Pasta from grinding our wheat berries. We make our own cookies and so on. We also can most of our own food annually. So we can tomatoes, and marinara sauce. However, we purchase Tomato Sauce and paste from Costco. For us, the amount of tomatoes needed to make these items is greater then the cost to purchase them.
That doesn’t mean we don’t ever make tomato sauce. On occasion when we have an abundance of tomatoes, we make our own sauces. It just means we have a supply on hand for those times we don’t have them.
We also are phasing out having pre-ground flours on hand. Meaning we will be carrying a selection of whole grains that we can mill into flour as we are baking. This is probably not something others would want to do. So those columns could be deleted. Or replaced with something you do stock, that isn’t already on the list.
The idea is that you make the list your own. You save a copy of it to your own computer and you tweak it throughout the years to work for you!
With that said, let’s talk about how I use the list:
The list is made into categories like a grocery store. And I have also stored the items in this same way so when I go to do my inventory, it takes less then 30 minutes to make my list and head to the store.
I have listed the ‘buy’ prices which are 2019 prices. I intentionally haven’t changed them because they were actually 2016 prices that never changed. This way when I see a price that is close to the one listed, I know it’s a great deal!
The Store/Price is the store I have found to consistently have the best price on that item.
On my personal list I have everything filled out in the “On hand” column for our family and the amounts we have on hand. Which will be different for each family.
The list is simple to use…
Print it out.
Here is the links to the List:
This is the excel spreadsheet you can download and manipulate in excel or you can use straight in google drive…. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Nk8btzWWKLa8OvupEu7TKg3SlRXd-xeO/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105840082908432996010&rtpof=true&sd=true
Or for those that want a straight PDF file here you go:
Attach it to the coolest clip board you can find.
- Print it out.
- Attach it to the coolest clip board you can find.
- Run around the house looking in all cupboards and rooms.
- count each item and right how many you see in the ‘Have’ column
- Subtract the the ‘Have’ from the ‘On Hand’ Column and write it in the Used.
- Subtract the “Used” Column from the “On Hand” and put that in the “Need” column.
- Dress in the cutest outfit and head to the store to meet new people.
Be prepared for people to look at you funny while you walk through the store’s with clipboard in hand. They will make comments…. I just roll with it. Loudly exclaiming I am shopping for a large camping trip… Or commune.. or one I have retired… I am stocking up for when the world collapses and I need to hunker down. (That one doesn’t get laughs as it used to anymore.)
I like to have the separate columns so that I can see how many each year we have used and adjust my on hand column as needed. But as I said before, each family is different and how often you do inventory is up to you.
I do recommend not waiting too long these days. I used to shop twice a year and in 2020 it took me 3 months to get the items we used the last 6 months. I now shop off the list every time I go in to town.
Which is usually every other month. Remember, I live pretty rural, and while we have a grocery store in out tiny area, I use it for emergency items. The savings on purchasing the items in the big town more then pay for the trip inland in gas when I do go shopping.
The best thing about using this list is I don’t run out of things and find myself in the kitchen trying to find an emergency substitute for an item so I can finish dinner. Couple the list with my shopping lists I have created on my Alexa, and I simply have her add it to my shopping list when I grab and item off the shelf. Then It keeps a running grocery list for me at all times.
Let me know over on tiktok if you have any questions. I would love to answer them for you.
The Bettencourt's 