Empty, date, toss (one bin at a time)
One shelf per evening, not the whole kitchen. Toss what’s truly expired, pull soon-to-expire items forward, note real gaps.
Duplicates (three open tomato sauces) are money already spent. Finish them before rebuying even on special.
Eight staples that unlock meals
Pasta or rice, canned tomato, a legume, oil, a stock, flour or oats, basic salt/spices, one long-life dairy if you use it.
Everything else is nice-to-have. Flyers should fill these 8 lines first.
Pack size: stock only true low prices
Warehouse packs only pay if you’ll use them before the date and have space. Otherwise a small format on deal wins.
Note a “reference price” for 4 items (pasta, rice, tuna, tomatoes). Below: stock. Above: skip.
Back-to-school ≠ one giant restock
Spread restocking over 2–3 flyer weeks. A single “reset” cart is more expensive and more impulsive.
On SimpleICI, keep a small “pantry” list separate from the fresh list so the till doesn’t mix them.
Tie the pantry to actual menus
Rushed nights should come from the pantry (pasta + can + freezer), not a fourth store. That’s the point of stock.
If you never cook legumes, don’t buy them “because they’re on special”.
Inventory, 8 staples, reference prices, spread-out restock. SimpleICI shows this week’s deals; the pantry is your safety net—not a second supermarket at home.
Ready to compare this week’s deals?