WFMW-Simplicity and the Scientific Method

Remember the scientific method from grade school? Well, I like to apply to real-life situations. It's not about thought experiments or weird scientific hypotheticals; it's about problem solving. A great way to figure out what things you actually need is to use the scientific method. For example, what "staples" in your kitchen are actually important, can't-do-without items, and which are actually wants?

Right now, I'm grappling with that out of necessity, but the paring down of my kitchen options has been kind of refreshing. It's also been a good way to get back in touch with my roots, my heritage. Did my grandmother have a full spice rack or an endless list of dinner possibilities at her fingertips? No. She had a few items and a budget and had to come up with dinner by combining those effectively.

In my case, I'm learning that soy sauce and curry powder are the two primary flavors I need to season my food. Sure I'd like to buy chili powder to put in my spaghetti sauce, but honestly, the curry powder is close enough. I need food for the baby, which increasingly just means a little bit of whatever we're eating. I need rice. I need some sort of legume (split peas right now, lentils later). I need some fresh fruit. I need potatoes and some fresh vegetables. I need eggs.

I like having oatmeal and bread handy, along with milk, sugar, and salt, but they aren't necessities for me. I just miss them when they aren't around.

So my shelves are very simple, but I make variety by changing what vegetables we eat day to day and usually alternating which flavorings I use. It's very simple, it saves me time in the kitchen, and it works. Sometimes, while variety is the spice of life, too many options just bog us down in decision making. So I recommend experimenting with your pantry and finding out what you can't do without and rediscovering how much you appreciate everything else.

Works for me. Check out other great WFMW tips at We are THAT Family.