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Original poster

Kitchen Storage not in the kitchen

38 replies

KoalaChaos · 28/09/2023 17:34

So. If you shop around there are some great deals for some things. Currently on maternity leave so I have plenty of time with DS to go to multiple supermarkets for my shopping in order to get the best deals and offers.

I.e. right now asda is selling a cardboard sleeve of 3 heinz beans for £2.25, or a sleeve of 6 for £2.60. Seems like a no brainer for me and a significant saving. We get through about 6 tins of beans a month so it's not too bad. They have good dates on them as beans often do. I want to buy 3 x 6 packs. But I only realistically have room in my cupboard for 3 tins.

This happened in August too. Sainsbury's did 3 days where all heinz products were 50% off if you have a nectar card. So I restocked all of the ones we use weather the old one was out or not. We would open a new ketchup in no time anyway so why wait for it to run out if I can get it now for half the price?

The problem once again is storage. I don't have any more cupboards to spare! DH knew I'd done the heinz shop so when we finished the old bottle asked me where to find the new one I had bought but otherwise its just a guess on how well my brain was functioning when I put the shopping away or if we have it in at all.

I'm considering getting us a cupboard for in the dining room / living room for kitchen overflow items. The debate we are having is, how weird is this? To have food storage in a room that you normally don't find it in?

We obviously don't have a pantry / larder, we also don't have a garage or cellar which I think are also more obvious storage locations.

What do you do in your house when you want to stock up on something?

OP posts:
BoardTopChair · 01/10/2023 13:57

We shop at Costco so regularly bulk buy, we converted our garage into a room but kept a section at the back separately that houses a larder freezer and Ikea Ivar shelving because when we buy chopped tomatoes they come in a tray of 12 and tuna is a pack of 8 etc.

pacificoceanwhale · 01/10/2023 16:39

Not weird at all. We store dry foods and things like kitchen towels under the stairs.

A cabinet in the living room would be absolutely fine

Original poster
KoalaChaos · 01/10/2023 16:55

TheLurpackYears · 01/10/2023 13:37

I used to bulk buy but decided that the room it took up in the home wasn't worth the value of having the space to use for other things. Or nothing.i feel uch better in myself if I'm not in a cluttered environment. A larger house with more storage would cost more than the money I've on multi buys.
I'm also self employed, so there is a easy to see value to whether I am making money from my time or not (almost always better money in doing extra time working).
How do the savings you make stack up against the fuel getting between supermarkets OP?

Right now I'm trying to get out with the baby every day (minimum every other day) so I'm already out and using fuel anyway.
I just make them work together, so our Friday baby group is on the other side of town next to the tesco, visiting the grandparents send us past the sainsbury's and asda is in walking distance so it's not too bad. Also, even if there is a specific trip to the shop for something, the furthest one to get to is a 4 min drive so a tank of fuel is lasting me over 2 months right now.

OP posts:
Original poster
KoalaChaos · 01/10/2023 17:00

IsThisNameTaken · 28/09/2023 17:46

Not weird at all, but the trick is remembering what you have and where it is!

This is a slight concern. And it would be all on me to remember since DH is useless in remembering anything that might be helpful in day to day life. (He genuinely doesn't know his own shoe size so I have to send it to him every time he has to buy more)

OP posts:
Original poster
KoalaChaos · 01/10/2023 17:02

sarsaparillatree · 28/09/2023 23:48

Have you got any outdoor space? My neighbours have a store for food in their shed. If you only have a little outside space how about one of the plastic storage boxes for garden stuff - preferably in a shady spot? https://www.argos.co.uk/browse/garden-and-diy/sheds-and-garden-storage/garden-storage-boxes-and-cupboards/c:29485/

We do have a garden but it's been overtaken by some rather aggressive squirrels lately. Don't know how I feel about braving the squirrel run (probably in the rain) every time I want some beans.

OP posts:
Original poster
KoalaChaos · 01/10/2023 17:04

OnTheTuftedWilton · 01/10/2023 11:41

Use plastic underbed storage, have 5 under the bed, storing cans, rice, pasta, coffee etc. Also large cupboard in my office. See a good deal and buy plenty. Always keep a good stock of things though, been known to say we are running low on baked beans meaning less than 15 tins and there are only 2 of us 🤣🤣

🤣 I would absolutely say the same. As soon as we drop below 20 tins we are running low and need to replace.

As for underbed storage, unfortunately we don't have an airing cupboard either so bedding and towels live there.

OP posts:
DisforDarkChocolate · 01/10/2023 17:07

I'd get some sort of sideboard from Ikea and use that.

LuluBlakey1 · 01/10/2023 17:09

We have a very large double larder cupboard in the utility off the kitchen that I use one to store cake tins, casserole dishes/lasagne dishes and extra shopping- just the kind of things you've said plus pasta/rice/flour and homemade jam and the other side to store cleaning stuff and boxes of Christmas lights.
It is an attractive cupboard and I think wouldn't look out of place in a dining room.
This isn't it but it is very like this but deeper.

Kitchen Storage not in the kitchen
Original poster
KoalaChaos · 01/10/2023 17:09

TwigTheWonderKid · 01/10/2023 12:42

We have a pantry but also keep extra stuff on the top of our kitchen cupboards.

But how much money would you have to save on baked beans on special offer to recover the expense of buying a dedicated cupboard to store them in?

We have only just moved into the house so we aren't fully unpacked and settled yet so our dining room is completely unfurnished and just has boxes, bags and a baby changing unit in right now.
Sorting and furnishing that room is next on my list and I've got a budget of about £0. There's some lovely dining tables, chairs, cupboards, shelves and welsh dressers and things along those lines for free on FB marketplace so I plan on looking there. New to me doesn't have to mean new from a shop.

We were already considering a welsh dresser for the room when one we liked got posted, just wondering how weird it would be to keep food in it away from the kitchen.

OP posts:
Gassylady · 01/10/2023 17:17

Go for it a dresser can have both pretty bits out on display and useful bits behind closed doors - best of both worlds

SadCelticBunny · 01/10/2023 18:05

We have a Welsh dresser in the dining room and store tins and packets in there as we have very little space in our tiny kitchen.
It works very well and we stock up on offers too.

The top has the beautiful things we have collected over 25 years together so I am really happy to have a more utilitarian purpose for the cupboards.

BuffaloCauliflower · 01/10/2023 18:20

Our under stairs cupboard is overflow food storage here. I’ve got lots of shelves under there, and boxes for things like potatoes and onions

KatyMac · 02/10/2023 18:24

If you take photos of where you have put stuff you can send those photos to a separate whatsapp group chat with just yourself or you/DP in

Then you cant forget

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