Thrifty Thursday: Stocking up on Baking Supplies

The season is starting where baking supplies are going to be at there lowest prices.  Normally a 5 pound bag of flour (especially bread flour) goes for over $3 in Northern Virginia.  During the holiday season, they go for as low as $0.99.  I have already gotten a sale at Harris Teeter for $1.88 (got 6) and $1.77 (got 2).  The great part about this sale is that it was for the brand of flour and I used this to pick up bread flour.  I grabbed my $0.99 deal at Wegman's but they had a limit of 2 so I called my mom to get a few too!!

There are also sales to be found on sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and chocolate chips.  Look around your house now to figure out what you need to keep an eye on for sale this holiday season because it is always best to know what you are looking for when the sale comes so that you can jump on it!  It is always best to figure out what you need so that when you see it, you can put it in the shopping cart.


I took an inventory of my current baking supplies and here is what I have that is not opened:

8 Flour (5 lbs)
7 Sugars (4 lbs)
4 Brown Sugar (2 lb)
2 Oatmeal (42 oz)
4 Margarine (1 lb)
2 Baking Powder (8 oz)

It might seems like a lot to some people but it isn't that much for me.  I am out of pumpkin, baking soda, corn meal and butter.  I am going to have to get some flour, sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin and margarine/butter during the sales.

If you are planning on stocking up, this is great time to go through your pantry and freezer and clean out any items that you aren't using to make room for all of the things that you are going to get.  Many items that are commonly used are kept in the pantry but for longer term storage, you can keep in the refrigerator or freezer like flour, corn meal, oatmeal and more.  If you don't think that you are going to use it quickly, find a space in the freezer and then you will have the items at rock bottom prices to pull out whenever you do need them.  The items for the refrigerator that could go in the freezer to increase storage time, including butter and margarine.

I use at least one 5 pound bag of flour every month (if not two or more) so this is the season that I need to go shopping.  I get flour when it is on sale or I stock up at Aldi's but the prices there normally range from $1.39 to 1.99.  If I can get them at $0.99 then I will save about a $1 on each bag but now I need to figure out how to store all of this flour that I am planning on getting.  Do you have any storing ideas???  Please let me know because I am going to get at least 20 bags of flour and I am going to need some food safe container to seal it in so that I can keep it safe from bugs and pests in the basement.  It won't save me money if I can't properly preserve it (and I don't have any extra room in the freezer)!

I need to make sure that I find some bread flour too!!!  Those always go for above $3 a bag so hoping to find a bunch and fill the cupboards.

What do you need to stock up on during this holiday baking season??