Cleaning out the Pantry

I should have taken a photo of the before and after.  But I didn't and I am sorry.  Yesterday I cleaned out my pantry.  I originally started doing it specifically because I have been tossing stuff in there and not sorting it out.  So by yesterday morning I could no longer close the door.  Something had to be done.  So I started cleaning it out.

I learned many things:

1.  If you keep it neat and organized you can fit a ton of food in there.
2.  I really need a rubbermaid tub for my flour.
3.  Only two items were out of date and needed to be tossed.
4.  I have a TON of dessert items.  So if we have a SHTF situation right now, we don't have to worry about running out of cake and frosting.
5.  I am low on pasta sauce, canned meats, and water.
6.  I think I have actually succeeded in storing a month's worth of food, plus some.

I have:

• 6 months worth of desserts and sweets.
• 3+ months worth of pasta (but need to stock up on some sauce)
• 2+ months worth of canned veggies
• 2-3 weeks worth of canned meats
• 2 months worth of peanut butter
• 3 months worth of flour
• 3+ months worth of oatmeal
• 3+ months worth of rice
• 3-4 weeks worth of canned fruits
• 2+ months worth of cooking oil (veggie and olive oil)
• 3+ months worth of yeast
• 1+ month worth of honey
• 3+ months worth of baking powder, baking soda, salt, spices

I need:

• water
• canned meats (although my freezer is stocked with meats, enough for at least a month)
• pasta sauce
• powdered milk (I have none at this point and feel like I need it)
• shelf stable milk

Now, If we lose power for a long period of time, in my freezer I have a variety of meats.  In my refrigerator I have 6 lbs of butter.  I am wondering if I could can my meats over an open flame and can my butter to make it last.  As we are going into winter I know that I could keep my meats and butter and other refrigerated items outside for a while and they would keep.  We also have a generator on our travel trailer that could help keep our frozen items for a longer period of time until we could eat them.

This was an awesome lesson in what we have and what more we need.  Now that I am more focused on my "holes" in my pantry, I know what I need to purchase.  In fact after I finished cleaning out my pantry I went to Sam's Club for paper towels and toilet paper and I was able to pick up another 5 cans of canned chicken, some more frozen chicken breasts, oatmeal, and a few other items that will go into the pantry.  My focus now is on powdered milk and shelf stable milk.  Oh and we need water.