Restocking the spices

While cleaning out the spice cabinet I checked the expiration dates on everything, I was pumped to see that nothing was expired!!! Think that's odd? Have you checked around in you spice cabinets, pantry or the dark corners of the refrigerate lately? You might be surprised or even grossed out by what you find!! I try really hard to make sure and rotate our food so I don't have that happen, if I see something is close to expiring it gets moved to the better eat me now to do list, nothing is worse than having to throw food you spent money on in the trash, except maybe paying full price for that food.

So here is the deal on restocking spices, they are high as a cats A...., and it never fails we always run out in the middle of a recipe normally right around the holidays, right? When we are all spending more money than we planned on spending stretching our budgets to the limit and the stores are packed; every Tom, Dick and Harry that has a cold or flu seems to be at the store and in the same line as we are. That my dear ladies is one of the many reasons I keep back up spices in the pantry.

I needed to run by BJ's on my way home from babysetting with Kara to pick up flour (we use a lot), I decided to check out the prices on spices while I was in the store.... It blew my flip flops off, where have I been, why didn't I know the deal they have on spices, maybe the size of the bottles intimidated me so I didn't even check the prices, figured they would be over the top expensive.

OK so here is the rundown on the price. A 20 once jar of Chili powder is only $4.99, the little jars I have been buying at the grocery store are 0.05 ounces for about the same price. That can't be right, how can that be? Who the heck knows but I am telling you it is correct. So that means that if I bought the same amount of chili powder at the grocery store in the little jars I have been buying, same brand and all it would have cost me basically $80.00.

I am still stunned by the whole deal, even if I throw out half of the large bottle I purchased I will still have saved myself $40.00, but I assure you I won't be throwing it out. If I get to the point I know I won't use it all I will have our girls and my girlfriends come over and fill their little jars. Bottom line from yesterdays discovery that left me feeling like a total loser from past spending on spices at the grocery store is this I picked up 5 super large 20 ounce jars for $25.00, if I would have bought the same amount at the grocery store it would have run $400.00. I was so excited about my savings I even picked up a tiny winy funnel to transfer the spices into my small jars while at Walmart picking up school supplies, and that's a whole different post of corporate rip off's