A Peak in the Pantry

Strange as this posting may be for some, for others it is a rare view into the life of our little family of five.  Recently during a shopping trip to Wal-Mart, I was making bulk purchases on back-to-school type items . . . crayons, paper, pens, glue, lunchbox snacks, and yes, I have to admit, I even had 10 boxes of lean pockets in my cart.  That's right, TEN boxes of lean pockets.  I didn't think much of these purchases as I only make bulk purchases about once a month or when I see a really stellar stock-up price. I most certainly didn't think much of the lean pockets purchase as this is rare that I purchase these, but my kiddos love these little pockets of oooeeeyyy goooey yumminess as an afternoon snack.

As I stood in line waiting to put my items on the conveyor, I noticed the man behind me surveying my cart curiously.  I proceeded to methodically load my groceries onto the conveyor, making sure I had like items together and my little ad match stickers on each item.  I carefully double-checked all my coupons and made sure all was in order for my turn with the cashier.  The man behind me started tapping his foot and puffing a little bit.  Please note that it wasn't my turn yet, I was also waiting on the person ahead of me to finish their purchases.  As always, I turned to the person behind me, which happened to be Mr. Foot Tapper and let him know that my transaction might take a few minutes as I was going to be ad-matching my products followed by coupon scans.  He smiled and said, "No problem, I am curious to see what your grand total is." I assumed he must have extra time on his hands as there were other available cashiers.

My cashier that day was really nice and pretty quick too.  She didn't have to ask any questions, as I had everything clearly labeled and organized.  It took her about 20 minutes to hand ring everything, bag it up, and she was even kind enough to help me load my two carts full of groceries and school supplies.  I noticed the man behind me kind of smirking (foot tapping still), but didn't say anything.  The cashier then began ringing up my coupons.  I like to hand these to the cashier in groups of like coupons so I can make sure each one is counted and rings up properly.  I swear that with each scan of a coupon, the man behind me began huffing and puffing even louder, it was almost like heavy breathing by this point.  I was afraid he was having an anxiety attack, so I asked him if he was alright.  I am not sure I was surprised by his next words, but thought them to be odd "I just want to see your total!".

The cashier continued to scan each coupon, Mr. Foot Tapper continued to breathe hard, and then came the total . . .. can't quite remember the exact amount, but it was under $50 for my weekly groceries, tons of stock-up items and back-to-school supplies.  I wasn't feeling overly-accomplished, but felt good that I was able to keep the total under $50.  Total time of checkout was around 25 minutes.  I glanced at the man behind me who now appeared to be severely agitated, face turning red and looking almost angry.  I thanked him for his patience in waiting and gathered my purse to leave.  All of a sudden I hear the man spit out "People like that shouldn't be allowed to shop."  Of course I could have let it slide and walk away, but the next comment he threw out kind of ticked me off a bit.  "I bet all she feeds her kids is crap, she probably has a whole pantry full of crap. I've watched that show about coupon hoarding fools and it looks like she is one of them.  Her family probably lives off of soda, an overstock of deodorant and hot pockets."

At this moment it was like an old western movie . . . I slowly turned on my heel, drew out my pen with paper, wrote down my facebook address and handed it to the man.  He kind of flinched a bit when I handed him my information, but he took it like a man.  The cashier stood there with her jaw dropped a bit, as she knows me and my regular purchases.  I simply stated to the man, "I appreciate your comments, but they aren't true, and you shouldn't talk unless you know what you are talking about.  Watch for my posting and make sure to become a member of my page. I think you will like what you see."  I then promised him I would post pictures of my pantry and freezers so he could see "the crap" I feed my family on a regular basis.

So, here it is.  The good, the bad, the ugly.  This first photo is of my pantry.  The top shelf which is cut off in the picture contains crackers, croutons, popcorn and lunchbox snacks and is referred to as the "no-no" shelf as the kids don't  remove any item from that shelf without permission.  The next shelf contains items used for my baked goods.  Third shelf down - rice, whole grain pastas, tomato sauces and potato side fixings.  Fourth shelf down - cereal, muffins, sauces, dressings, marinades. Fifth shelf down - spices, seasonings, canned fruit, peanut butter, kool-aid mix, canned veggies.  Bottom shelf - chips for lunch boxes, canned soup, canning supplies.  Yes, there are plenty of home canned products such as cucumber relish, pickles, salsa, jams, jellies, etc.  And of course on the left hand side we have body wash, shampoo, conditioner, razors, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, storage containers and bags, plastic cups, plates, etc. and give-a-way items.

Our refrigerator contains the basic items we use on an everyday basis. Juice, milk, soy milk, creamer, butter, cheese, (leftovers), eggs, hummus & french onion dip, yogurt, fruit, veggies, sandwich meat, bread, condiments.  The freezer to the left which didn't end up in the picture contains some quick fix items like prepared meatballs, chicken wings, small selection of pizza & pockets, shredded cheese, ice cream, pepperoni, Kraft fresh takes, frozen potatoes, french bread and extra bread.






We have two freezers, not because we just have soooo much food, but because I like to keep things really organized, easy to find and easy to rotate.  In our upright, that's where I store veggies, fruit, extra juice, prepared dinners, baking items, spices, butter, margarine, etc.  In our deep freeze we store deer sausage, roasts, ground meat, chicken, pork, fish, bacon.

So Mr. Tap Foot, here is what you asked for and here is what you get . . . an insight into our home and all "the crap" we feed our kids every day.  "Crap" like homegrown veggies frozen at peak, seasonal fruit, whole grain pastas & cereal, dairy products, lean meats and yes, on Friday Night Family Night I do let my kids pick from our little stash of "no no" foods.  So Mr. Tap Foot, hope you enjoyed a little Peak in the Pantry :-)