Guest post from Jessica of Manna on My Path
When I first learned about buying in bulk and all of its money-saving potential, my Type-A, overachiever nature kicked into overdrive.
I researched every blog, website, book, and frazzled-homemaker tutorial to find out how I could have a miniature grocery store in my very own basement or garage, full of items that were free or mostly-free. I was pumped!
There was just one little problem — I don’t have a garage… or a basement. And while we’re at it, I don’t have a pantry, a place to put a deep-freezer, or even shelves in my freezer! I live in a glorified town home that looks as if someone sliced it off from its neighbors as an afterthought to technically make it a “house.”
My personal grocery store dreams were dashed. No space = no savings, right?
For awhile I persisted with this negative mentality and gave up on bulk buying, knowing I was missing out on some serious long-term savings. But then I was surfing and salivating through Crystal’s pointers and tips one day and came across her vlog on keeping a positive attitude.
I realized I had literally been moping and whining for months, blaming something I could not change (my house) to excuse something I could (my spending). I resolved to suck my lip back in, roll up my sleeves, and take up Crystal’s challenge to create space for inventory even if it doesn’t naturally offer itself up to you on a silver platter.
I tackled my shelve-less freezer first (and really, NO shelves?? I really do not understand that design idea. But I digress…)
We took on the mentality that we would need to invest a little money in order to save money in the long run. So we made room in the household budget for some inexpensive organizational tools like freezer-friendly baskets, over-the-door pantry organizers, and plastic shelving.
For the freezer, the following tips were major space-savers:
- Freezer-friendly baskets
- Freeze bagged items flat first, then turn them upright once frozen to make a file-folder system of sorts
- Use matching plastic containers so that they stack easily
- Break down larger items into small containers or bags whenever possible.
- Instead of freezing raw meat, which takes up a LOT of space, cook it first (like shredded chicken), then freeze it.
- Do bi-weekly or monthly freezer clean-outs. Consistent re-organization is crucial to small spaces.
I now can fit several pounds of different meats, veggies, and pre-made soups and sauces; several pounds of butter, cheese, and milk/creamer; and, of course, the ever-important ice cream collection.
I then moved on to creating a pantry for bulk items.
We transformed our coat closet for this purpose, using an over-the-door organizer and a simple wire shelf. With just 30 minutes of my time, my dream was partially realized: a mini-store right in my closet!
I still dream of the day when we will be able to afford a house with a garage, basement, and walk-in pantry. But until that day comes, it is my responsibility to take what I do have and transform it into a thrifty haven of savings.
Jessica is a full-time stay-at-home, money-saving mom of two little preschoolers. She loves to write, cook, read, and enlarge her ever-growing collection of coffee mugs. She appreciates finding the Divine in the mundane, the spiritual in the ordinary, finding God’s Path filled with grace, peace, and strength for her calling. She writes a momentary blog Manna on My Path.
Linda p says
the biggest wasted space is your walls. Put up shelves and display your dishes. Then use your cabinets for storage. Put your couch on risers, voila more storage! do you use all sides of your dining room table? push it against a wall and stack boxes under it against the wall, no one will see it. just scampi g around with ideas of the strangest places.
Barb says
One thing that I love is to use over the door shoe holders, the ones with the soft mesh pockets, on our coat closet (aka “The pantry”). I use two and then stuff those pockets with all my baking supplies, odds and ends, and little things that get otherwise get buried. It’s amazing and you can actually see/categorize items.
Candace says
My family of 3 live in a 1.5 bedroom apartment and we use our master closet and coat closet for extra storage.We also bought under the bed storage containers and store all of our little girls clothes we find on clearance or cosignment sales under the bed in our room, we also store anything else under there that will fit. Another space saving idea is using a behind the door clear plastic shoe holder ( it’s long and has tons of clear pockets, we put this up in our laundry room/pantry for spices or anything little! It seems like you have a great start and will find many more ways to save money for your family. God Bless
Karen says
Put risers under ALL of your bed frames. You can fit new or bigger under the bed boxes with the extra space and store TONS under your beds!
Ashley Kelso says
Thanks for sharing! Your post reminded me that I’m not the only one in a small home. I’m encouraged! We did the same thing to our coat closet- only we put shelves in and store our coats in our bedroom closets.
Koree says
I love this! I just moved and left my walk-in closet for a shot-gun style place with teeny closets….The underbed storage system is hard to use because they don’t roll in/out easily….Is there any way to add risers that are stylish? My main problem is storing clothes I have a dresser, small closet, and a garment rack, but still not enough room!!
[email protected] says
Jessica! I totally know where your coming from! We live in a very tiny cape cod home with no basement,pantry etc etc. I have had to get creative to have a mini store. I do not even have a coat closet! I am now moving to a condo next month and I hope it has a coat closest cause I will sooooo use your idea! Way to go girl! Your making due with what you have to the max!!!!!! AWESOME! Thanks for inspiring me! Its actually a fun challenge I think to be creative in this!
angi says
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing. I do alot of canning and I also don’t have a real pantry. Last summer I put several cases of canned spaghetti sauce and grape juice in my clothes closet. This summer I decided to through each room and declutter and guess what I found? yep, those jars of spaghetti sauce and juice. I had totally forgotten I put them there – they were in brown boxes and we had moved just a few months before.
Linda says
We lived in Moscow for 9 years in a 700 square foot apartment. This included my husband and me, our 3 teenagers, a dog and 2 cats. We learned that under beds are great for storing TP, canned goods as well as off season clothes! We had to do bulk shopping a lot because food and supplies was often unavailable in the local stores. It was a great adventure and real evidence of God’s grace.
Elise says
As someone who lives in a mobile home which was NOT designed with storage in mind, I really appreciate this post. We’re in the process or stockpiling right now, and our latest storage space creator is raising our bed. It’s awesome! So much space under there! Lol!
Susan says
I suggest not using freezer space for butter, cheese, and cream cheese. Unopened, those items can last a LONG time in the fridge. Sales cycles repeat themselves often enough that you really don’t need a big stockpile, at least that’s been my experience.
Also, others may disagree with me, but I think the texture of cheese diminishes when it’s been frozen. I froze a bunch of (cheap!) cheese before I learned that, and ended up using it only in recipes because we did not like it otherwise.
Love the “freeze it flat then store upright” idea. I freeze things flat, then more than once toppled the pile trying to retrieve something at the bottom or middle of the pile.
CJ says
I love these tips! I have a small smace and I am always looking for more storage ideas. 🙂
Amanda says
Our family of four lives in a 2 bedroom condo with no garage, so I can relate. These are all great tips. Another thing I have learned is to cut back on the variety of items that I keep on hand. I only stockpile staple items that I use on a really consistent basis. I’ve given up chasing down every single deal because I no longer have the time or the space to store them. I now only buy large quantities of things like rice, pasta, canned tomatoes, broth, and a few other items. This way my precious storage space is dedicated to the things I really need room for.
Rachel says
Way to go! Attitude is such a huge part of the equation in so many of our problems. I need to remember that too!
Fern says
My freezer is tiny, and I like to keep things in it that won’t can well- peas from the garden, fresh fuits, etc….so I have one other way to save space.
I buy whole chickens, part them out and can the different pieces, then make chicken soup and can it, then one more stock for canned broth.
I can chopped chicken breasts in jam jars – they are the perfect size for 2 chicken sandwiches, or for chicken on a salad.
I can it all raw – it cooks in the pressure canner and comes out perfect!
Jessica says
There are a lot of ways to store things without having a basement, garage, or walk-in pantry. While I live in a 2054 sq ft house with a partial basement and an attached 2-car garage, there is no walk-in pantry, there are only six cabinets in the small kitchen, and our closets are 1970’s style small, shallow, not walk-in. You can store items under the bed. Use risers to make more room. You can get furniture with built-in storage like an ottoman or a trunk. Instead of storing linens in the linens closet, store them in the dresser in the appropriate bedroom and use the linen closet as a pantry. It might not be convenient to walk up a flight of stairs to get a can of soup, but it’s less inconvenient than having to go to the store all the time because you don’t have anywhere to store things.
As for me, I do currently keep most of my stored food in the basement. But when DH and I had a 500 sq ft apartment, I used the “linen closet” as a pantry. When I had a 300 sq ft studio apartment in Chicago as a single woman, I stored stuff in my lone closet along with my bike (so it wouldn’t get stolen) and my off-season clothes. In season clothes were kept in my dresser, on top of which was my small tv.