It's at this time of the year that our business starts to slow down, so my husband and I are putting things in place for leaner financial times.
I've been following Annabels pantry posts, as well as a blog called Organised Home, which has some great info on setting up a pantry for lean times, and have been slowly building up some stores of canned goods and toiletries to fall back on. These are things that I buy when on special, so that it doesn't impact too significantly on our budget, and I only buy the things that we already use.
So no smoked oysters even if they're on special, but a yes to canned salmon. No to Tresemme shampoo even if it's really cheap as we hate it and using it will make us feel 'poor' because our hair will look blah, but yes to stocking up on Dove shampoo and conditioner, even if it means buying it at full price when we have a little surplus in the grocery budget.
More expensive items like dishwasher tablets, decent loo paper, good dog food, and nice soap are great things for us to stock up on as well, as they're the first to be eliminated from the list in a frugal week. This allows us to retain a feeling of living well, even when money is tight.
What items would you consider essential in a 'tough times' pantry?
