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Keeping It Simple | What To Keep On Hand

Over the summer I have been on my usual holiday cull and simplify binge. Each holiday I sort through a few shelves and cupboards, and get rid of anything we don’t use or love. I truly believe that keeping a lot of things “just in case” is a waste of space and resources. Keeping something for 10 years on the slight chance you might use it, is crazy.

This does not mean that we don’t keep extras of things that we do need. We always have spare toiletries, dish detergent, cleaning products, non perishable foods, and stationary on hand. Realistically, without having at least a small stash of consumables, you will be at the shops most days. Once you go to the shops, you always pick up a few extra bits that you don’t need. Suddenly the budget is blown, and your house is filled with things you don’t need.

How much should you keep on hand?

How much you keep on hand really will depend on how often you get to the shops. For us, we get to a large shopping centre every 6 weeks, so we need to keep enough of all the basic essentials on hand to last that long. Most people live closer to the shops and go there more frequently, in which case you will need less. The idea though, is to have enough on hand to avoid needing to go to the shops between the weekly or fortnightly shop at the very least.

The second thing that will what you store is the space you have. We store spare toiletries in the bathroom vanity, cleaning products and spare food in the laundry, and stationary in a cupboard.

The last (and probably most important) thing that will determine how much you store, is how much you will use. There is no point storing enough shampoo for a year if you go shopping regularly. Keep just enough to get you through to your next shop. Here on the farm, we typically have 6-8 bottles of dishwashing detergent, a spare set of toothbrushes, several toothpastes, and a spare bottle of shampoo and conditioner. I also keep a range of stationary on hand because the kids will often come home and announce they ran out of glue a week ago, and they need a new one now. Clearly having spares ready is helpful.

How ever much you do have the following will help keep your supplies organised:

– Use a First In First Out system where you put newer items to the back or bottom of the pile so that older stuff is used first. This helps prevent random bits and pieces lurking at the back of the cupboard.

– Do a regular sort and check what exactly you do have on hand. Even if it is only once a year, check what you have so that you don’t go buying things you still have plenty of. If your kids are like mine, they have probably rummaged through the box or cupboard and moved things around.

– Make sure you have a designated spot to keep all your supplies. Keep the places labelled and use boxes or containers to help keep the supplies sorted and in order.

 

Over to you: What supplies do you keep on hand? How do you make sure you have enough without going crazy?

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Fashionista says

    January 27, 2015 at 10:10 pm

    I detest grocery shopping. With all my heart. So, despite having five supermarkets within 5klm, I pantry shop with Coles Online roughly every 6 weeks and fruit/veg/meat from our local markets and butcher weekly. Meaning I rarely darken the door of a supermarket. And like Louise, if it is not on the list, it is not bought!

    Growing up in NW Qld Mum used to get the pantry shopping on pallets every few months (we produced our own meat/veg/milk/eggs). That's why I think I don't like shopping 😉

    Reply
  2. Jo@Countrylifeexperiment says

    January 22, 2015 at 12:12 pm

    It takes a few goes before you get the hang of grocery shopping once a month, but it really is easy once you do.

    Reply
  3. Jo@Countrylifeexperiment says

    January 22, 2015 at 12:11 pm

    I have to confess that there is an old shed on the farm that is full of spare furniture from the last 100 years or so. There are some great pieces in there, and I'm not prepared to chuck them in case they are useful once we have extended the house.

    Reply
  4. flickitydoodah says

    January 22, 2015 at 7:41 am

    Out here in kinda-sorta woop woop North Queensland, I try to have 3-4 of most items, some more and some less.

    Reply
  5. katepickle says

    January 22, 2015 at 2:19 am

    I do a big monthly shop at Aldi (have to drive a fair way to do it) and so we designed our new kitchen to have a big walk in pantry full of shelves so that I can store lots and staples! So now I am able to store, and easily access a month's worth of staples and it is awesome! LOL

    Reply
  6. Louise says

    January 21, 2015 at 7:20 am

    We are only a few minutes from the shopping centre but I absolutely detest shopping. I have one item in use and a spare as well as spare stationery for school. As soon as the one in use is finished it goes on the shopping list, if they don't put it on the list they go without until the next shop. I only shop fortnightly. We try to plan meals for the fortnight so I get everything we need for recipes. If I do have to venture to the shops I try not to take our daughter (17) because we always get more than just what I was going for. We grow some of our veggies but normally go to a local fruit shop to get fresh produce and milk.

    Reply
  7. Teresa Knitbakecultivate says

    January 21, 2015 at 6:34 am

    You are very organised. I am a lot like you and will throw out anything I don't need or use anymore without a hint of conscience. However, I have been hanging onto an old dining room table for 5 years, knowing it would come in handy as either a desk, craft table or coffee table. Now we have moved we have space for a craft area for me, so I will revamp that table to become my craft desk.

    Reply
  8. molly says

    January 21, 2015 at 2:56 am

    i always try to keep some tinned goods and flours etc in pantry, yeast in the freezer, try and keep bathroom products stocked up, at least one extra of everything and we buy loo paper in bulk, usually have 2 packets of it in laundry. we do live in a small town, 1 hr drive from bigger towns either way. we have a small supermarket but its really expensive. i have started to try and keep organised and take note of what we have and how long it lasts etc as we are planning on moving out to our farm in near future so shops will be even further away.

    Reply
  9. Lisa says

    January 21, 2015 at 1:48 pm

    I recently did a clean out and usually have supplies of up to 2/3 max of tinned items like tomatoes, corn etc but have tubs for flour, sugar etc. We shop once a week but will have to go back to meal planning, I am always running back to the shops for extra ingredients x

    Reply
  10. Jan says

    January 20, 2015 at 11:52 pm

    Here in inner west, I have one opened and one spare of most things. However, that is for me and I have a walk in pantry. If something is a really good buy I may get another one. I have staples like tinned goods but can get them if really pushed at service station downstairs. I would pay extra, but it is a minute away and no transport costs. I avoid having to do this.

    When we had a place at Wollombi we kept more. We were the best part of an hour from shops, out in bush and being flooded in for a few days was a definite possibility. Matches, tinned goods, peanut butter, other spreads, toilet paper. Light bulbs as electricity supply had surges and often blew bulbs. Adequate first aid as medical help was also an hour away. Flour etc in mouse proof containers and packets of yeast.

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Jo

I'm a city girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a A lovely, easy Christmas with family, good food, a few presents, an afternoon swim and dinner on the veranda as the sun set. Time to stop and be thankful for the many blessings of the year. I hope you had a lovely Christmas too!
We have been mulling over how to fix up the drivew We have been mulling over how to fix up the driveway and lead up to our house for a while. Currently it’s just a dumping ground for old bits of metal and a big pile of mulch, but C would like to create a turning area and put in a garden. First up though, there’s a huge old stump that needs to go. What better excuse is there to have a fire on Sunday afternoon? C and the kids jumped on the quad bike and trailer, and hauled back a big pile of sticks and logs to help the stump burn. Once the fire was going, marshmallows were found and roasted. No better way to spend time together.
Team work makes the dream work. We were asked rec Team work makes the dream work. 
We were asked recently whether we “make” our kids work on the farm. The answer is of course not. Having said that, all three love to help out whenever they can. They all work hard because they want to; because they take pride in working hard and contributing in a meaningful way to our family life; because they love living on our farm and don’t remember life before we moved here. Whether it be planting trees or doing sheep work or feeding animals, they all want to be involved. As a parent, nothing is better than watching them grow in skill and confidence as they work along side you. We’re so glad that we get to spend time with our three, working together.
We’ve had an unexpected addition to the family ☘️🐑. She is a lot easier to look after than the other family members but she does try to escape her yard and head butt people. Poddy lambs are super cute but they tend to think they are a human. Clover the lamb is sure that Meg is her mum. Can’t think why… 🤔🤣
The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: toge The perfect way to end a long winter weekend: together, cooking damper around the remains of the bonfire.
It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got It’s been a tough few weeks on the farm. We got through shearing without a hitch (thankfully 🙏) but we’ve had a run of the flu followed by Covid run through the family since then. The kids and I have tested positive (this is my second time getting it 🦠) though so far C has managed to avoid it. There has been a lot of lying on the couch feeling pretty ordinary. Han had to reschedule her driving test for a 4th time due to Covid, which is disappointing for her because she wants her freedom and for us because it would be so much more convenient if she could drive herself places. Just to add in to the mix, our hot water system has chosen now as a good time to die so we’re on cold showers until we’re all out of iso. This is not meant to be a whinging post but sometimes life just sucks a bit and it’s good to be real. Fortunately, the sight of the fire going with a stack of wood next to it cheers us up. Things will improve soon. Onwards we go…

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City girl turned farmer's wife, school teacher, ideas woman, and mum to three country kids. Country Life Experiment is all about simple country living, growing and making our own food, and life on our family farm in rural Australia. Join me as I give country living a try. Read more...
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