Couponing

Since I will probably do several coupons posts, mainly for my benefit of being able to look back and see progress or not, etc. there will just be several posts with the title of "couponing." I mean, I could try to think of names to call the posts, but I just don't want to think that hard.

Tonight I did late night shopping. The store closed at midnight. I turned on the car just a few minutes before the hour. I would have gone earlier but my husband worked late and I would have gone tomorrow or early next week but there is a bad weather forecast and I really don't want to go out in bad weather, not to mention it is great to shop without kids, no matter what the hour.

It was double/triple coupon week again. I think they do this at least every month or two so it is easy to take advantage. I got a lot of cereal and could have waited for the cereal to be on sale but I was satisfied with the price, and it got me pretty low anyway. I even got meat, which I normally wouldn't have done, but we needed some.

My main haul for the day ended up being tons of breakfast foods. I don't mind though. Sure, I could've waited for some things, but I haven't been shopping in a long time and we kind of need some food. Not to mention, I am in a rut right now and can't think of anything to make, so I went for a few easy fixers. All in all, I was pleased. I had people at the checkout behind me asking me if I was going to get it all free and how many papers I get or if I get the coupons from my neighbors. Everyone was impressed as was I and since I really don't want to make it a career to get all my food cheap, although if it happens I'll take it, I will continue to be pleased.

The total before coupons was $137.65
I spent a total of $60.96
Which saved me $76.69

I don't even have to figure this all out because the cash register does it for me and my receipt tells me I saved 56%

Safetly Room Make Over

OK, so it's not an entirely great makeover or a complete one, but it is a start. Since money is tight I have had to do it in a few segments. Yesterday I worked on the safety room (My daughter named it. It started out as the 72-hour room) putting up the shelves. Sure, it would be nice to buy the shelves from Shelf-Reliance that are built to hold cans and use the FIFO method but I don't quite have that much money rolling around. I have plans for building my own can shelf but it has to wait at least a few years or until I have the means. There are lots of ways to build your own shelves and be creative.

I decided to be creative by going to Lowes. They have wide boards that cost around $6 each. I also bought some weight blocks which cost less than a dollar each. They may not look fancy, but they do and it works much better than stacking everything.





Of course, I'm not done with the room yet. I have to clear out junk I don't need and put a few things away (I ran out of blocks, could ya tell?) When I expand my storage area next I will use the same wood boards and blocks and I will make a shelf in the middle of the room of which I will be able to have access from all sides. Which is pretty much like the shelves my parents had in our food room growing up. I sure miss that room. It was a great example of how food storage is to be.

Couponing

I decided to try couponing, or at least attempt it. I have been quite surprised. The only thing I need to do is learn to wait. That's pretty hard. I've gone out twice on 'couponing' trips and have saved more than half each time. My second trip even resulted in items I got for free which totally got me excited because they were instant potatoes and they have come in handy.

I don't want to make couponing a 'job' but enjoy the challenge and being able to get out of the house on an evening when the kids are in bed and my husband is home. Couponing is quite difficult with kids. What I am talking about, shopping is difficult with kids.

Anyhow, I enjoyed the challenge. I will keep it up and have been surprised to see how many coupons exist for foods and things other than refrigerated dough. I even have some for yeast and can't wait to use my chocolate chip coupons.





So, these were my two trips. Sure, there are things in there I didn't normally buy but I am trying to branch out and my couponing trips happened at a time where I was just not motivated to make stuff from scratch. So, I have realized that I will need things in my storage that require little effort even if they don't taste nearly as great as home made.

So, if you want to try it out do it. Just be patient though and some things really aren't worth buying. Just because you have a coupon for it doesn't mean you have to buy it.

Canning

I've been keeping busy. I have not forgotten to update, I just have been busy. I've practiced my canning and hope I am getting better. I've canned strawberry jam, peach jam, peaches, green beans, and tomatoes. Of course, I am almost out of cans now and I did not have many to begin with nor could I afford many. I have also frozen some items as well as dehydrated some things. My next project is to do apples.



These peaches I canned with my friend but I did have a bushel before that I froze almost the entire thing and suffice it to say my freezer is now full, but I will have peaches to can later.

Because of the lack of time and the lateness of the hour I put the peaches in regular ziplock bags. I wanted to wait until the neighbor above was gone before using the foodsaver.





On the left you can see what happens to peaches in a regular ziplock and to the right is what they look like in the foodsaver bag. They will last much longer and hold up much better in the freezer this way.

Shelves

I've decided there isn't enough room on our one shelf to accommodate all the things I keep adding to the storage are, or rather it now is referred to as the 'safety' room by my daughter. I do not have shelves though and for the time being I have had to makeshift some extra shelves with some sturdy boxes. Those will shortly be replaced by real shelves, or at least something more sturdy. In the mean time, I have been using more of my stuff. Those 25 pound bags are coming in handy and I am even trying to make some baked beans today, although I am doing it on the stove not in the oven.

I read an article today about people trying to do things the way their grandparents did to get food to last longer. They mentioned that many people simply will not want to make the effort to switch to food from scratch over convenience foods. I don't blame them, it does take more time to make food from scratch but boy it sure tastes so much better and isn't full of other things. You don't have to add corn or soy to every thing you make. The article also mentioned how many people don't even know how to make food from scratch, and you know what, it's true. Many don't. It's a knowledge that has been all but thrown out for many people as all they need is to add water. I have had to learn a lot about making food from scratch and have a long way to go, but it sure is helping on the food budget and will hopefully help us healthwise as well.

My mother makes everything from scratch. She always has. She is one of 6 girls in her family and her father, my grandfather, would mention how out of all 6 she was the only one who could make anything from scratch. That included cooking pumpkin. Did you know, you can do more with a pumpkin than carve a face in it? It is possible and several years back I wanted to learn that same thing, so I asked and have been cooking real pumpkin ever since. But, it takes time. Some things I will buy convenience as it isn't going to save me much money making from scratch because I don't eat it that often or the ingredients are just as cheap or expensive as the product itself. I will buy pasta and ketchup, mustard, and things of the like, but I will make my pies, crackers, bread, rice dishes and maybe baked beans.

25 pound bags

I am taking on somewhat of an experiment. I bought (pictures to come at a later date when I can find the USB cord) a 25lb bag of white beans, a 25 lb bag of powdered milk, two 25lb bags of wheat and flour. I plan on using these extensively for the next two months. It will hopefully give me an idea of how much I really need to store compared to what all the food storage calculators say.

Since I have already been making several of my own things from scratch using these products should not be too difficult. The only new product is the wheat and beans. I have a grinder now and I have used wheat flour before so that shouldn't be a problem. (As a note to all those who haven't used wheat flour or other wheat products and are storing the wheat. Please use your wheat now. Begin learning how to use it and getting you body used to it. )

The beans are the new thing. I bought the beans to make some Boston Baked Beans. We go through an extremely large amount of Busch's baked beans and frankly, we can't afford to buy them that often or buy the amount we use. So, this will be the only new item I have to learn about. As far as the milk goes....well, we stopped buying milk a few weeks or so ago so we don't have a problem with using it. I just think I should get a bigger picture.

Paper

I do not focus entirely on food storage. I do take the time to store non-food items, especially things that I may need in an emergency. However, some things are just OK to have because there is a good sale. Of course, good sale is a bit over the top. I saw my 'bargain' for half the price after I bought my stuff. Oh well. I guess you can't win them all, but with school sales and all it I decided to stock up on some paper and other items I may use throughout the year and that are usually overpriced. So, I now have a bunch of paper in my daughter's closet.

Surviving

Well, my husband noticed how much our food storage has grown. That made me happy. It is growing, but things are tight so it is not growing as nearly as fast as I would like. That is OK though, any growth is good. So, I say we are surviving, day by day. I keep trying to learn more things and buy more to have stored, but at this moment it looks like we might be using the food storage quicker than we expected to.

'Pantry' Space

Our 'pantry' is different than before. It isn't really a pantry, but it will be for now. I'm just happy there is a shelf. I have a place to put thing, however, since it is also serving as a sort of storage room right now for things I haven't unpacked from the move, I have to squish everything together. That doesn't matter though, I have a food storage room, or as my daughter calls it, "the 72-hour room." Each time I take something in there I feel I am doing good for my family. I feel I am actually building my food storage. Maybe soon I will even be able to add more shelves for all the extra space I will need.

Depressing!

If you have been reading this blog and noticed I haven't been quick on the updates, I do apologize. I have been in a rut. I still enjoy doing this, no problem, but it sure is hard when food prices have been so depressing as prices of everything have skyrocketed. I try to keep that from getting in the way of my building up the food storage and learning to become self-reliant, but sometimes it just doesn't give me anything positive to say. Oh well, I suppose there is always something to say, so I will get back into the swing of things and post more often. If I don't give me a nudge and get me going.

With food prices being depressing and probably leading many to do illegal things or at least contemplate them there are still ways to build a food storage. One is that you just have to get pickier on what you eat and what you buy. Cut back on the meat eating. If you like meat with every meal, chop it up and put it in a casserole, or make something else with it. Use meat as a filler not the main course, this will extend your meat budget and your meat.

Shop sales. I know I know, everyone says that, but it is true. However, do more than shop sales, be picky about the sales you are choosing. Just because it is on sale doesn't mean you have to buy it.

Create a budget that allows you to buy one or two extra items. So what if it takes 6 months to go through one thing of ketchup (not in my house though), buy the second one and put it in storage.

Consider what kind of quality you want your food to be in. I am in the process of switching many of the brands I buy and eat. I used to always buy the cheapest brand, but have found myself being thoroughly disgusted with the ingredients of the cheaper products. It seems I am only shelling out money for some sort of corn by-product and very little for the actual product itself. In one area I have done this is with baked beans. I love pork and beans, always have, but recently switched to a higher priced brand because, well, they have better ingredients and I am actually getting what I pay for. It even tastes superior. With that switch I have to give my self a budget of how much I am willing to pay, max, for this brand. Is $1 worth it on sale or should I go lower? Some things are worth switching, some things not.

Decide what you can make yourself and make it! To give myself the extra money to buy the higher priced brand with better ingredients I save money by making other items. The last time I went to the store my daughter kept begging for items off the shelf. With everything I said, "we can make that at home." One customer nearby even commented, "it tastes a lot better home made too." So, learn how to make cookies, you might as well since you are planning on storing all that extra food and I doubt packaged cookies will taste even remotely as good as home made in case of using food storage. How about crackers, or rice and pasta meals you see in boxes. There are many ways to save, but the food manufacturers have you believe that you can't, that it is impossible. How about crackers. I make my own, and boy do they taste much better.

Be creative. Did you know if you bought smaller plates the chances of eating less food is much higher? I got rid of the huge plates we were eating off of and even though I cover most of my plate like I always have, I am actually getting less food because the surface to cover is far less.

There are so many ways to do things and save money to help with the rise of food costs. Perhaps you don't want to cut back on your food budget, well, find another area to cut back on. You can do it! Don't get depressed and don't do anything illegal either.

Back to Basics

I used to get sick whenever I ate sandwiches. When I found out I had an high intolerance to soy I cut out mayonaise from m diet. I couldn't figure out what was causing me to still get sick. the cheese wasn't processed and either was the meat. I never thought to check the bread. Low and behold, I checked it, eventually (try today) and there is soy in it. Not only soy, but high fructose corn syrup.

Now, you don't need to have soy or high fructose corn syrup in your food storage. I think a person would be hard-pressed to be able to find a recipe for one of their favorite store-bought items that contains those items. Most store-bought foods that contain high fructose corn syrup are the cheaper brands or versions of things. Do you buy applesauce? It is apples, mashed up apples, sometimes with sugar or cinnamon. Who would have thought that they you were paying for high fructose corn syrup as well. I stopped buying the cheapest applesauce. I want my money buying applesauce, not something different.

Many, try a lot, of store-bought foods, no matter how basic they seem, contain soy or high-fructose corn syrup. Unless you want or have the money to spend on higher priced food that does not contain those ingredients you either have to settle for them or even learn to make your own. However, there is a problem with making your own if you are used to store-bought versions.

If a person makes bread and compares it to the fluffy white stuff from the store there will be huge difference. They not only taste different, but the texture is different as well. If you have to use your food storage and can't get bread from the store, I doubt anyone is going to eat the bread you make if they have only been eating store-bought bread.

I've been working on improving my bread-making skills. They aren't there yet, but when I first started I was hard-pressed to get my husband to eat the stuff. He wanted the bread from the store. It has taken a while to get him used to eating home-made bread, but he loves the stuff now, and so does my daughter. We go through a lot more home-made bread then any amount of store-bought I ever brought home. Not only does it taste better and the ingredients are much simpler, but it is healthier.

If you plan on storing things to make bread, please learn how to make bread and get used to the way it tastes. It is different than store-bought becuase it is 'real' bread.

Bread is not the only food item that tastes different if you make it at home.
I make crackers, wheat thins and graham crackers. I finally figured out how to do them right, but it took some practice, and I almost gave up too.

I can't eat the store-bought wheat thins. They contain soy. So, I learned to make my own. At first I was the only one in the family eating them. My husband complained they weren't as good as the ones in the box, so I ate them all. I could tell the difference. I could taste the added stuff in the store-bought ones.

I want to be a determined person, and want my family to like what I make. I also don't have the money to spend on buying crackers especially if I can make them at home. I want some healthy snacks for my family so I have to learn to make them better so my family will eat them. I practiced on the wheat thin recipe and I finally succeeded. Not only will my husband and daughter eat them, but they will snack on them all day. Now, if there is an emergency and food storage is needed I will be able to make some comfort foods without giving a shock to my family.

If you like something at the store, look at the ingredients, see if you can make it at home with basic ingredients found in your cupboard. You don't need high fructose corn syrup or soy products of sorts. You just need the basics. Sure, you will taste and see the difference, but it will taste much better. I no longer have a filmy after-taste in my mouth from eating a wheat thin from the store. So, challenge yourself, and get back to basics with what you have. Remember, if you store food you want to use it. Store what you eat and eat what you store. If you don't learn now how to use the stuff or make things from basic ingredients, or even get used to the real taste of food, you and your family will be in for a shock and everyone is going to be longing for the fluffy white stuff off the shelf from the store.

Food Prices

So, food prices just keep going up. The last time I went shopping for groceries I picked up a loaf of bread. Ten seconds later I put it back on the shelf. The next day I made bread. I've made bread every few days since. Needless to say, I have been having a lot of fun experimenting and eating my own bread. It tastes so good, and especially wonderful when it is fresh out of the oven. It is enough to force myself to stop eating it. If you put me in a kitchen with fresh warm bread and a jar of jam the two would disappear.

The amount of food prices has definitely put a damper on my efforts to acquire a good food storage. My food budget has decreased while my gas budget has increased. Each time the gas goes up the only place to take money from is the food budget, everything else is set in stone. Thus, I am forced, out of necessity, to find ways to make good use of every bit of food I have along with finding more ways to make my own foods. The same day I put the bread back I looked at so many foods in which I really wanted to buy but instead walked past them knowing I could make them myself. Yesterday I made wheat thins. Tomorrow I make graham crackers.

In a few weeks after I get back from a family reunion I will try making my own yogurt. Every cent counts now. I've taken to making most of the baby food and will hopefully wean the little one off of store bought baby food shortly, until then I am forced to pay a lot of money for food that would really only cost me 10 cents to make (of course, that is just an estimate, I'm just saying...)

There are things I won't give up on, like buying good sales. That is how I am going to still work on my storage. I may only be able to get a few sale items vs. all of them, but some is better than none.

Despite all of the prices, I did get a new can-opener. I did not have a choice because I left the last ones in our old home. They did not make the move with us, so I bought a nicer one, not high end or anything like that, but nicer.

Sate Emergency Websites

There are many people who think that it is only the "Mormons" who care about food storage. There are those who think that only crazy people "hoard". I've met people and have read many blogs, forums, etc. where someone mentions how silly it is to 'prepare' and that it isn't the end of the world.

There are many who think it is ridiculous to prepare for an emergency. I don't see why. Yes, there are those who are over the top and act like it is the end of the world, but those aren't as many as one would think. However, it is better to prepare for the end of the world then not prepare at all. For many who prepare for emergencies they are preparing for localized disasters, money trouble, job loss, or death.

What I will never understand is the attitude non-preparers have. If one simply keeps up with the news they would see why. Each time I hear about people being evacuated for hurricanes or fires I wonder how many of them have an emergency pack filled with food and water, or even if they have a plan. How many people in the tent cities of Cal. during the fires had emergency kits? How many panic in the few minutes they have to gather what they need to survive only to find they they were thinking more about the family jewels than the food that they would need? Sure, food will be provided, I'm sure there won't be a long line of hungry people because everyone else prepared. I'm sure the food will be set up before anyone arrives and that there will be enough for everyone. I'm sure they will also have your medication and food you won't be allergic to. I'm sure nothing will go wrong and you will be back at home in a few minutes and everyone was just overreacting in the first place.

I try to imagine if I was one of the people who got stuck in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. How many of them were prepared? How many of them went hungry?

What about the people who were being evacuated from Houston and Galveston just shortly after Katrina. How many of them got stuck on the road, out of gas, out of food. I know that road they were stuck on, there aren't many places to stop and get food, or gas. My inlaws were on that drive. My mother-in-law got cold, her husband pulled out a wool blanket from their emergency kit and warmed her up. They had a kit, they had a plan, and because they were prepared they were allowed the time to think more clearly than spend energy and time worrying about what to do next.

I know many people may try to use an excuse that they don't have enough money. I've been one of those people. I still don't have enough money to buy everything right away, but I have enough spare change to build up slowly and having one band-aid is better than having none when you get a cut. Having one package of food in your kit is far better than having none when you get hungry after hours of evacuating.

One might think that people are crazy for preparing and that nothing will happen to them, but at some point in their life, in everyone's life, something will go wrong. The electricity will go out, a storm will happen, a fire, hurricane, illness, earthquake, tornado, drought and many others. It isn't just the "Mormons" or "crazy" people who are preparing or urging others to prepare, but the government as well. They know there are many who expect the gov't to save them in time of trouble, but they know it isn't always possible so not only is there the FEMA website that has emergency preparedness tips but each state has one. Well, at least I think every state does, or at least to some degree.

I checked out my new state's emergency website. What a cool website. They understand that emergencies will happen and not only do they provide resources for emergency responders but they provide information for schools, families, and even a separate area for children that includes a program they can 'graduate' from. How cool is that. Would the same person who makes fun of all the people preparing do the same to the state? I enjoy that the government, local and not, understand that being prepared is a good thing. So google your state's emergency preparedness site and you may be surprised with what they have to offer. I"ve bookmarked mine, why don't you bookmark yours.

Frozen Food

I finally found boxes for all of my #10 cans!
In the meantime I have been trying to figure out what to do with the food that I had stored in the freezer. Since we had decided to move not long ago I had stopped buying foods to go in the freezer. The one problem was that I wasn't put on the list to get new propane and so have limited how much I cook. This has meant a whole bunch of my freezer foods went to the neighbor. I was very sad to see the sugar snap peas from the Schwan man leave my house. Those things are good.

Despite being almost out of propane (the man doesn't come until after we actually leave) I decided that today will be the day I use up as much food as possible. I have made 4 cheesecakes. NO, I won't eat them all, but I feel better about giving a cheesecake away than a thing of cream cheese.

I currently have 6 mini loafs of pumpkin bread in the oven. I have so much frozen pumpkin I don't have enough indgredients to use it all. I plan on making two pumpkin pies next. If I still haven't run out of propane after making the pies I may just make some more pumpkin bread. The bread will prove very useful on our cross-country drive. I suppose I could make pumpkin cookies as well, maybe add a few chocolate chips in them...hmmm, that would be good.

Anyway, if I hadn't run low on propane I would've been able to utilize the freezer food storage much easier. My future plan will include a gas barbeque, a nice one that you can do lots of stuff with, including change the surface to a flat surface or use a frying pan. If I had had a BBQ this time I would've been able to use all the food. I even almost bought one, but really didn't want to put a BBQ together and then pack it up again on a truck, and at the time, I didn't know where we would live so I didn't know if I would be able to have a place for it in the new place.

Excuses, excuses......I'm going to enjoy the feast...or rather just dessert.

Stored Food on the Move.

There is nothing like finding a place in the cupboard for food storage. Not having a pantry or basement significantly reduces where to put food, but I still try to fill my cupboards and have surprisingly ended up with more than just a little bit of food.

One problem arises when storing food, and that is when it comes time to move to a new home the food must come along. I have enjoyed packing up what I have. It has been fun to go through it and see just how much or far I have come, however I don't have enough boxes for this stuff. Finding boxes for jars and small cans is much easier than finding boxes for #10 cans. (tip: if you get a box with your #10 can don't get rid of it if you plan to move any time soon)

I have almost all of the food packed at this point, but have run out of boxes, not just for the food storage, but for everything else. As much as my husband likes to tell me he told me so for not saving our boxes from the last move, I just can't bring myself to save boxes in a tiny home. I'll survive the hunt for boxes and maybe I'll even find a box or two to fit the last 8 #10 cans in.

24-72 Hour Kits

I have been trying to build up my kits. These kits are supposed to be used in case of an emergency where I need to evacuate my home temporarily. Of course, I don't really want to keep these sitting around waiting, so I have been practicing using them. No, I haven't been grabbing them and running out the door, I've been using them for minor emergencies. Why have something if you can't use it.




I understand the idea of a bug out vehicle (BOV) or a bug out box (BOB), but I simply don't have the resources for that sort of thing, and these are better than nothing. I also don't have everything I need yet, but figured something is better than nothing, and I can add to it as I get things.

Since we have been going out of town lately, and long distances at that, I have made sure to bring along at least one of the bag. The last thing I would want is to be stuck somewhere without the emergency bag I had prepared. I would feel really stupid.

Anyhow, the bags have proved useful. Both times we have needed at least one thing in them. Right now, even being at home, it is useful since I ran out of diapers and cannot get to a store until tonight or tomorrow. The only trick to using them is that the items used need to be replaced after the 'emergency'.

To help me keep track of what I have, and to make it easier to find what I need, I made a list of what was in each bag. I attached the list in a plastic bag to each bag. I have a Bag A and a Bag B. Right now Bag A is the dominant bag, but it is a start.

Food Saver

Costco may not always be good for me. I normally don't buy on the whim, but I couldn't help it after buying my canned chicken.



I stood just staring at the food saver, trying to figure out if I could use it for my needs. Along comes a couple and they grab one. I was shocked at their perfect decision that required to standing and staring like me. I made a joke to them about it and they proceeded to tell me it is their replacement. Their last one they had for 10 years and they used it a lot. So, they talked me into it. I've used it a few times now. I have to get the hang of it and will hopefully gain confidence in my ability to melt plastic. I can't wait to try it on mylar bags, like they say you can. I think it was a good purchase for my food storage goals. I hope it pays off.

Chicken

I've seen the freeze-dried chicken and I've seen other kinds of canned meats. I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket so I want to get different kinds of things which are stored in different ways. I don't want all frozen chicken just as I don't want all freeze-dried chicken. I don't have freeze-dried chicken yet, but I bought some canned chicken.



I was in Costco and there is was, staring at me. I couldn't resist. One great thing about cetain canned items, is that they come in water. I know I've mentioned before about water with the vegetables, but there is water in these cans. Water that can be used for chicken soup or other liquid for cooking. I could even heat it up as a broth. I can't wait to use it and find ways to use the chicken and the water. In the meantime I may go buy some more.

Freeze-Dried Ice Cream

Last month I bought some freeze-dried ice cream (fdic). I bought it at the the Learning is Fun store in the space section. I thought it would be fun to try some and put some in our 72-hour kits. I bought three and opened the one. It was the one that had the best if used by date as the previous month. It was very different. I thought I was being very creative in adding these things to my food storage. A few weeks later I received my new catalog from Emergency Essentials. In it they had fdic by Mountain House. I couldn't believe, now everyone was going to have my idea. The feeling of being really cool and having thought of something awesome dissipated quite quickly. I was no longer the only one with the idea. Of course, I'm sure others had the idea too, but now I knew they did. Oh well, I thought, the prices were cheaper. So, I bought some yesterday from Wal-Mart. Did you know they sell some Mountain House products in the camping section? Yup, they do. They had the fdic and for less than a dollar. So, I bought two and as soon as I get the house clean I will try and review them on the Chocolate Parlor.

In the mean time I am still working on food storage. It is kind of difficult with the increasing food prices and the fact that we are getting paid any extra. Something has to give somewhere in our budget and so I must be careful just how much I purchase. I do not intend to stop buying food storage all-together. If I stop I may never get going again.

My goal is to get something each month from supplier of freeze-dried foods. I will also keep getting little extras as often as I can when I go shopping. For instance, yesterday I bought some more shampoo to restock what I had taken last week to use. My big goal is to replenish what I take, with the exception of freezer food. With a move coming up, date yet unknown, I don't want to have any food go to waste, so I will use it up as much as possible and hopefully we will have used all the food in our tiny freezer by the time we do move.

Can Opener

While trying to put these blogs together I sometimes reread some of my posts. I was reminded, while reading looking at the picture I took of the Roast Beef in its can, that I sure had a hard time opening that thing. I have two can openers. The first one I got after getting married, I think, and it just the metal one, no plastic or fancy stuff to it. Plain and simple, not to mention cheap. The second one has nice plastic handles and opens cans a little bit better then the other, I think. It at least takes less effort than the other. However, neither can opener could open the FDRB can. I switched between the two, banging at times, and using quite a lot of force.

Bottom line is that I need to quit being so cheap. If I want to store these bigs cans of food I will have to invest in a much better opening equipment. If I stick to the small cans I am spared the trouble. Cans now come with their own pull-top. Something that used to be reserved for little individual sized cans of fruit. No one can be stuck underground in their shelter, while bombs go off, with tons of food with no can opener anymore. It just isn't so. No more going hiking and forgetting, the can remembers for you. Thank you Cambell's for provided a superior product and helping us on our way to eliminating the ever-helpful can opener.

By the way, not all can openers are the same. Not all open cans the same. Some fail quite well at the job they were designed and born to do.

Cannery

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has food canneries. There are several throughout the United States and I am unsure of where in other countries, if at all. I should check that part out.Anyhow, I have yet to go, but have ordered when others have gone. I only wish I could go. If they had daycare available on-site or if there was someone I knew in that same town I would go in a heart beat. Of course, I think if I lived in the same city as one I would be going at least twice a month. I could only imagine the possibilities. If only.

I only have one other problem with the LDS cannery. I don't have enough money. I would buy it all if I could. I would spend a few hundred a month on it, but cannot. I just have to do it a little at a time. So, I bought some, and now have a few more things for my food storage, especially the all important powdered milk.



Now I will have to eat more pancakes and waffles. I didn't know that the case of pancake mix I was purchasing was not packaged for long-term storage, which explains the nice price. Perhaps I will have to find some other recipes that use pancake mixes or, well, just eat lots and lots of waffles. Anyone want to come for breakfast?

Chocolate Storage

I remember reading about a person who ended up using their food storage. One of the things that came in handy was chocolate because you could barter with it and it was something valuable to others. I didn't need to think about that idea for long and so I have stored up a bit of chocolate. Even if I don't barter with it it will become something valuable to us since we will be able to make some comfort items and eat cookies in times of need.

I don't have a year supply of chocolate. I do have a bit though. Well, I guess you could say we have a year supply if we were other people, but we love chocolate so it goes fast, and that is the problem. I bought M&Ms on sale after Valentines and unless I hide it it will disappear before the end of the week. So, since we are planning on moving soon I packed the chocolate away. The temptation has been removed and it will end up to actually live for what I intended it...storage.

The New Purchase

I can't really fault the store for having a good sale. I can only fault myself and being weak. Abby talked me into getting the soda. I never buy soda but figured it would be ok for storage and then when we go somewhere or have someone over we have something to give them besides water.

I also got a few cans of things. The more I think about freeze-dried and dehydrated foods the more I realize that I cannot put all my eggs in one basket. Those foods require water. I can and will continue to store those foods and use them, but I also will get things in cans which come in their own water so I won't have to 'store' water to reconstitute those items. The water can also be used for other things as well and in times of need it will come in very handy to not have just freeze-dried and dehydrated.

So, I bought some things I don't typically buy but will use from time to time. I think it even gave me enough extra spaghetti sauce (it can be used for lots of stuff) to give me enough for at least 6-months or less if I choose to eat lots of it, but considering we never bought the stuff before and I have a lot already. This is good and I feel I actually got somewhere.

The Pantry

There are many reasons for me to want to blog about food storage. Part of it is that it has become more of a hobby than a chore. I enjoy finding sales. I enjoy feeling like I got a good deal, and I enjoy feeling the security of having extra food stored. Of course, it doesn't always work. I ran out of eggs and couldn't just run to the store to get eggs since the nearest store is at least an hour away. I thought I had powered eggs and so continued making my cookies. It turns out when I went to get my eggs I couldn't find them. I didn't have them and had to find an different alternative.

One of the other reasons for doing this blog is so that I can have a log of my progress, or lack thereof. I want to be able to see that I am getting somewhere, because at times it can feel like I am making no progress at all.

Another reason for this is to allow myself to think a bit and put things down. Kind of like thinking out loud. I have so many ideas and need somewhere to write them so they won't get lost or misplaced.

I begin this journey with a look at the pantry. I need to have some place to reference and see just how bad my organization is. I need to have something to compare to in future months as I try new things.

My pantry now is all the room I have. I live in a small place and have no other spot to store food. This is it, and it is not ideal. It may be OK size but someone decided that they would put the heat vent at the bottom of the cupboard, just outside it, but still it heats up a lot making it difficult to achieve and cool environment for my food.

My pantry is a mess. I've tried to keep it organized and do first in first out but that never lasts long. The shelves are deep, which is nice, and there is plenty of height, but it isn't ideal. Someday, I will acquire an ideal pantry and food room, as we used to call it when I was young.