By CHICKMELIONfreelance
You have your retirement plan in order, yet this economic environment made you re-think your strategy for those “just- in- case” situations. If you are one of the fortunate ones, you have managed to scrape a few dollars to put towards some sort of savings plan. You have your investment councilor talking you into “Dollar Cost Averaging” as an alternative strategy in these volatile investment markets. I get it, you have worked hard for your dollar, and you are worked hard to protect it and make sure it is there for you when you need it. So let me ask....how’s your pantry doing?” Have you invested in that too?
Have you thought of savings in a more tangible sense, translated into the pantry as an emergency food source for Lord Knows what? Because there might well be times and situations ahead of you that your saved dollar may not stretch far enough to meet your needs or even be accessible to you at all for a moment in time. You don’t want to be put in a situation where you might have to make a decision between paying a bill or feeding the family.
Unfortunately more and more families are facing such a tragedy. Hunger does persist in North America, and is on the rise. Currently according to statistics provided by Bread For The World, one in ten households in the US suffer from lack of enough food. And as the unemployment rate increases and food prices increase it is only gong to get worse. From an economical sense it is prudent to stock up while you have the resources to do so.
We have been pretty spoiled up to now and have gotten comfortable in the habit of “living day-to-day.” We have leaned heavily on credit to cover the lack of foresight and planning, which has lead to our current global credit crunch. Now we need to re-learn old habits. Habits our parents and grandparents practiced during the “Dirty Thirties” and the “War.” Habits these hard times taught them and what we need to re-introduce to our children.
And before you balk at the idea let me throw a few scenarios at you: you have an accident and you are in a tad bit of a dispute with your insurance provider so it might be a while before you see some support; or you have lost your job but there is a waiting period that goes in effect before you see your unemployment insurance; or it is a week before payday and your hot water tank spontaneously aborts on your floor... there may be a bit of money in the bank account, but that could well go towards some bills too. A well stocked pantry has you covered. While you are attempting to juggle finances to cover these unexpected headaches, putting food on the table is not added to your list of worries. You think better on a full stomach.
What does a well stocked cupboard mean? It means fore planning. It means thinking about certain scenarios and figuring what would be needed to keep on hand to cover for that length of time. Depending on the size of your family and their nutritional needs. It also means starting a new habit, one you will teach by demonstration to your children. You are going to practice every time you walk into a grocery store to grab something extra for the pantry. You can do this even if you are a college student , on a limited income, or even someone who walks to the grocery store. A small start and consistent practicing of storing up will build up a healthy cupboard in no time. If you are fortunate to have on occasion access to a little extra in cash flow, or transportation, by all means do some bulk shopping. It is the most cost effective means of getting value for your dollar.
Where do you start with organizing the pantry? Governing bodies like the USDA and Canada’s Food Guide agree on Nutritional Food Pyramids as daily dietary models. That is an excellent place to start. They suggest that your daily diet consist of the following sources n order to maintain optimum health. Get a hold of them online or on the phone to request in depth information regarding these models. But for now here is a brief description of the models to help you gain some insight to what you are looking at in order to stocking a healthy fully balanced pantry. Just remember NON PERISHABLE is the focus!
WHOLE GRAINS: cereal, rice, crackers, pasta...
VEGETABLES: both canned and dry, (include tomato paste, goes excellent with the pasta and is a good source of vitamin C)
FRUITS: Canned, dried, or juices...
CALCIUM: canned milk, lactose free products, almonds , dry beans...
PROTEIN: canned meats and fish, beans, peas, nuts, seeds...
Now this is not my idea but I came across it in my research and I think it is brilliant and worthy of mentioning. Family Education Network suggests that you Pyramid your pantry. Start by taping a copy inside of your pantry door. Then begin with the bottom shelf. place your whole grains and work your way up shelf by shelf. It is brilliant for two reasons: you can visually see which food group needs your shopping attention ; as well as when it come time to meal plan, you can reach for an item off of each shelf to ensure a balanced meal. Restocking is made easier by a well organized pantry.
In a final note, I would like to speak in terms of us all being responsible for each other in these stormy times, it is with this attitude that we will all survive together in our tight squeezes. If you can possibly remember to kick a can to the food bank as well, think of it as paying forwards. The old adage of what goes around comes around plays well into this current situation. Think of it as an investment as in any bank and be grateful you don’t have to draw from it. Understand a few things though: we all benefit from a healthy society and eating is very much a part of health; you get what you give so give good; and finally modeling paying forward starts a contagious chain reaction among those who live around you ensuring that such safety nets survive and are available just in case you need them somewhere down the road. I don’t know about where you get your groceries, but my store has a collection bin at the exit of the store for our local food bank. Look around, ask the management if they have one or even consider having one, and practice using it. Honestly this is not an empty investment, dividends will be returned just when you need them most.
