The hardest part about frugal shopping is building the
initial food supply. Even with a limited
budget, this is possible, but you may need to be creative. Over the next few days I’ll post methods and
ideas that I use for storing food and building a supply without breaking the
budget.
HDPE Food Grade
Buckets and Lids:
| Bucket Opener |
The bottom of my panty is lined with 4 and 5 gallon
buckets. I use buckets because I
generally buy the food in a bulk 25 lb or 50 lb bag, and storing it in a large
bucket is just easier. Most buckets
don’t come with an easy, snap on lid. Generally,
you have to open the bucket with a special bucket opener and pound the lid back
on with a rubber mallet, which can be a pain to get in and out of. I have purchased wheat from Lehi Roller
Mills, and their bucket lids are easy to close without the mallet, but you
still need a bucket opener to open them.
Bucket openers are good to have on hand regardless what lid you want to
use. They are typically found in a heavy
duty plastic/composite material for around $3-4, but I have also seen them in
metal for around $8-10. The easiest
thing for me was to buy a few Gamma Lids.
They have a wide ring that attaches to the bucket, then a gasket lid
that screws on air tight.
Some people have told me that they would never waste their
money on the Gamma Lids, but I consider them to be an investment. They can be pricey, but they work extremely
well and the convenience is worth it to me.
The regular sized Gamma Lids fit 4, 5, and 6 gallon buckets. They are also in the 2 gallon size, but those
are harder to find. I have seen the lids
sell for as much as $12 each, but my local Wal-Mart sells them for $4.95 each
quite frequently. We also have a couple
other stores like Maceys and Emergency Essentials that sell the Gamma Lids for
around $6.00 each during their food storage sales. Many online retailers sell the lids for under
$7.00 each, so shop around and compare prices with the shipping charges. I have seen the lids priced under $4.00 each
if purchased in bulk.
Buckets are easy to find.
In Utah,
you can find them just about anywhere. Our
WinCo sells them for a decent price and I would assume that other locations in
other states would sell them as well. A
few times a year, my Wal-Mart will sell food grade buckets for $3.25. Many bakeries and orchards are willing to
sell or give away the already used buckets if you ask. Bakeries sometimes have dry goods delivered
to them in 5 gallon buckets like grains or flour, which would be preferable over
things like frosting or glaze. Just ask
and they can tell you what the bucket was originally used for.
For storing food, buckets need to be food grade with the
HDPE recyclable 2 label on the bottom. I
have also seen food grade buckets at Home Depot and Lowe’s as well, but don’t buy
the yellow or orange buckets. They must
be food grade, and the price sign will say food grade or food safe.
I use the large 4 and 5 gallon buckets for:
- Unbleached, all-purpose flour
- Wheat Berries
- Sugar
- Rice
- Oats
PET or PETE Plastics:
PETE, sometimes
labeled as PET, stands for
polyethylene terephthalate. These are globally
recognized as food safe containers. If you look on the bottom of the container,
it will have the recycle symbol with 1 in the middle and PETE or PET
underneath.
PETE Plastics are
Reusable:
If you are someone who needs to have coordinating
containers, WinCo sells ½ gallon and 1 gallon square PETE containers for
cheaper than anywhere else I have found.
My WinCo sells the gallon size for around $2.48 each and the ½ gallon
for around $1.98 each. If you are up for
reusing containers, most juice and peanut butter containers are recyclable 1
PETE containers. As long as the PETE
containers were only used for food, they can be reused. You can wash them and
reuse them for your dried goods. Many
plastic containers found at Costco that contain cookies, nuts, chocolates,
popcorn, juice, and spices/herbs are PETE.
These can all be reused. Simply
wash them, dry completely and reuse.
There are so many food products that come in PETE containers. I think you’ll be surprised as to how many
you’ll find.
There has been so much going around about plastics and BPA
as well as other chemicals. I have done
some research about this because I too want to keep my family safe. Factsonpet.com is a good website for summing up everything I’ve researched. If you have any other information on PETE
plastics or better storage container ideas, please email me. I am still learning and would love to be
updated on new findings and research. I
have a dear friend who has decided to stop using plastic altogether. I am not sure as to why, but I am assuming it
is somehow related to the chemicals in the plastic. I am very interested as to what she has learned,
and what she is replacing her plastic with.
Items I store in PETE containers:
- Rice Blends
- Flour, whole wheat, rye
- Sugar, easier container to manage than the bucket
- Sea Salt
- Corn Meal
- Dry Beans, all varieties
- Farina (Cream of Wheat)
- Steel Cut Oats
- Multi-Grain Cereal (steel cut and rolled)
- Durum Wheat
- Bulk Corn Starch
- Bulk Herbs and Spices
- Millet
- Split Peas
- Lentils
- Barley
- Rye
- Triticale
- Chick Peas
- Dehydrated Vegetables
- Pasta
Label Containers with
Helpful Information:
