Counting Your Resources

This month marks my 4^th year of being home.  I have had a few little jobs along the way, the last was working at the local library for a few hours a week.  I quit that job to devote my time to being a grandma. 

Now my husband and I are facing our biggest financial challenge since I’ve been home – paying for the next 18 months of our youngest son’s college education.  We had enough money saved up to pay for his first two years of college and then we knew we would have to get creative.  We would prefer not to take out any student loans, but we may have to take out a small one.  In the meantime, we have to tighten our belts if we are going to avoid borrowing more money for his education.

The biggest way to save money, is not to spend money.  Sounds simple doesn’t it?  Well, honestly that is the best way to save money by not spending money.  So in an effort to not spend money, I have taken the time to inventory our resources.  You have to know what you have in your home (your resources) otherwise you end up spending money on food items you already have on hand (as an example). 

Beginning 4 years ago I became a person who stocks up on sales.  The summertime is the best time in our area to find meat prices at their lowest of the year.  I know that I can count on frozen vegetables to be at their rock bottom price in January or February.  When I have the money, I keep stocking up on sale items until I feel that enough is enough.

There are some decisions to be made when you are stocking up.  When is enough, enough?  Well my freezer was pretty stocked when they had an in store sale on 85% lean ground beef last week for only $1.99 lb.  Even though I already had plenty on hand, this was too great of a deal to miss out on.  I bought 40 lbs.  By reorganizing my freezer I was able to find space for it.  I know that I will not see that price on meat for a long time, if ever again.

It has taken a few weeks to inventory all the food in my freezer and pantry, toiletries, paper products, cleaning and laundry products.  Yes, it was time consuming BUT I now know all of the resources that we have on hand and I now have an idea as to how long I can make these resources last.  When I say make these items last, I am not going to sacrifice nutrition by only eating what I have on hand.  I will supplement our food resources with perishables as I go along.  I am also back to baking all of our bread products.

I will share over the next few days what I have in each category and the challenge will be on to see how long I can make everything last. 

The following is a list of items that I have in my large freezer and the freezer above the fridge in our kitchen.  Yes, it is quite a bit for two people but we do have family over to eat a couple times a week.  I enjoy cooking for my family. 

I was able to get everything on sale at rock bottom prices.  The only thing that I would like to add is some chicken hind quarters if I find a good sale.  There has not been a sale on chicken hindquarters for over 9 months.  By the way, I have never had a problem with freezer burn as I am very careful about double wrapping my meat. 

Beef:

Beef Roasts – 3 roasts at 3 to 4 lbs.

Italian Meatballs – 1 lb.

Hamburger – 80% lean – 3 lbs.

Hamburger – 85% lean – 72 lbs.

Hamburger – 93% lean – 3 lbs.

Sloppy Joes – 2 pkgs – enough for 2 meals

Pork:

Shredded Cooked Pork – 1 lb.

Pork Loin Roasts – 2 roasts at 3 lbs. each

Pork Cushion Roasts – 2 roasts at 3 to 4 lbs.

Iowa Chops – 6 chops

Pork Loin Slices – 12 slices

Pork Broth – 1 cup

Boneless Ham – 2 lbs.

Bacon – 5 – 1 lb. pkgs.

Bratwursts – 17 brats

Ground Pork – 11 lbs..

Smoked Polish Sausage – 3 ½ lbs.

Little Smokeys – 1 ½ lbs.

Ham Loaf – 5 lbs.

Ham Deli Meat – 1 lb.

Canadian Bacon – 2 pkgs.

Hot Dogs – 13 pkgs.

Shaved Ham – 4 lbs.

Chicken:

Bone in Chicken Breasts – 2

Breaded Chicken Patties – 3

Chicken Thighs – 10 thighs

Split Chicken Breasts – 2 packages

Boneless Chicken Breasts – 4 breasts

Ground Chicken – 3 lbs.

Turkey:

Ground Turkey – 2 lbs.

Turkey Patties – 12

Turkey Deli Sandwich Meat – 2 lbs.

Cooked Turkey Breast Slices (From a turkey I cooked last month)

Cut up cooked turkey meat – 3 lbs. (From a turkey I cooked last month)

Turkey Broth – 8 cups

Cheese:

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese – 20 – 8 oz. packages

Shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese – 8 – 8 oz. packages

Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese – 2 – 8 oz. packages

Shredded Swiss Cheese – 1 ½ cups

String Cheese – 4 – 12 oz. packages

Fruits and Vegetables:

Mixed Vegetables – 7 – 1 lb. pkgs.

Corn – 10 - 1 lb. pkgs.

Peas & Carrots – 1 – 1 lb. pkg.

Peas – 3 – 1 lb. pkgs.

Broccoli – 2 – 1 lb. pkgs.

California Blend – 1 – 1 lb. pkg.

Green Beans -1 – 1 lb. pkg.

Hash Browns – 2 lbs.

Small assortment of vegetables – 1 ½ pkgs.

Tomato Paste – 11 – 6 oz. plastic containers

Strawberry Freezer Jam – 9 – 1 ½ cup containers

Whole Strawberries – 3 – 2 cup containers

Cranberries – 4 – 10 oz. packages

Raspberries – 1 cup

Bananas - 7

Orange Juice – 7 Containers

Other:

Unsalted Butter – 3 sticks

Oyster Crackers – 5 – 12 oz. packages

Instant Yeast – 1 lb. 

Tomorrow's post:  My list of what I have in my pantry.

November is Stock Up Month

By this time most years I have stocked my pantry with enough baking supplies for an entire year.  This year has been pretty much the same except that I have had to be really savvy when it came to sales.  Over the past few years, beginning at the end of October and through the second week in December, we were flooded with all sorts of sales on chocolate chips and other types of baking chips.  This year there were two weeks of sales on these items and that was it.  I'm glad I went ahead and  bought plenty during that time frame.  

Not only have baking items been on sale but there have been the sales on canned and frozen vegetables, canned fruits, canned broths, soups and of course turkey.  I have also been fortunate to snag some good deals on beef roasts and hamburger.  My freezer is stocked, my pantry is stocked and I have plenty of paper products too.  I have enough laundry products to last a year.  I even have two hams in the freezer for Christmas.  

So what's the big deal?  In three weeks we will be "empty nesters."  In other words, it will be just me and my husband.  My goal is to buy very few groceries over the next 3 months.  The only groceries I will be purchasing will be perishables.  The rest I have on hand and will make meals from these ingredients.

I need to do a complete inventory of what is in my freezer and pantry and I will post that inventory.  Then I will post what we are eating and what groceries I purchase.  I'm excited about doing this because I have saved money on buying items on sale and stocking up, and I will be saving time by not having to buy a lot of groceries each week.  Planning and actually buying groceries can take up some time if you are using coupons, searching the ads and then planning a trip.  I'm also looking forward to the convenience of having the majority of what I need right here in my own home.

Preparing for the "Immediate" Future

The presidential election is over.  Thank God.  No matter if your candidate won or lost, it is at least over.  Enough said. 

I feel as if the last two weeks I have been caught up in so much activity and I am tired of it.  I’m tired of being pulled every which way, but it is only for a season.  Next week is busy, but then the busyness will settle down just in time for the holidays.

So what have I been up to beyond the busyness?  Stocking up.  I have been clipping coupons and searching for coupon on line to match up with grocery deals.  Last week I was able to get some really good buys on granulated sugar, brown sugar and confectioner sugar.  Chocolate chips were on sale and I know that this has nothing to do with baking, but so was toilet paper.  I always stock up on baking supplies at this time of year and I try to buy 6 months to a 1 year supply.  This year I have noticed a significant price increase in those items.  Let’s take chocolate chips for example.  Last year at this time I was able to get Hershey’s baking chips of nearly every flavor for only 98 cents a bag.  This year’s sale price is $1.48 which is good by this year’s prices.  (BTW – I never use a full bag to make chocolate chips – 1 cup of chocolate chips is enough as far as I am concerned for a recipe of cookies.)

The trick to my stocking up this year is that come January 1^st my husband and I will be empty nesters.  Our college boarders will be moving back into the dorm and our youngest son has moved into his own apartment.  There is no need to stock up to the level that I did when there were a total of 5 of us living in our home.  So I am finding my way because if I stocked up on anything and didn’t use it or if the food expired or spoiled, that would be a great waste of money.

I have posted many different posts about being prepared for the future.  Now I don’t want to get into a political dialog as I try very hard to keep my political views out of this blog.  However, our country is on the brink of a second financial crisis in 4 years – the Fiscal Cliff.  Let’s not go into the details of what this means as let’s face it, what can you and I do about it anyway?  It is up to Congress and the President to get this resolved before January 1^st.  But let’s not bury our heads in the sand either.  While we may not be able to make hands on decisions that affect our country, we can make hands on decisions that affect ourselves and our families.

Four years ago there were people who wished they would have been prepared for what was coming as they weren’t prepared for the economic crisis.  Here is what I recommend to be prepared now.

If you don’t have money in savings and if you don’t have extra food on hand such as in a pantry or freezer, you need to start today.  I don’t care if it is only a few dollars a week, set it aside and don’t touch it for any frivolous purchase.  Make a list of what basic foods you use and what foods you can us to make a lot of meals and stock up on those items.  You can eat cheap, nutritious meals – just take some time to plan.   

Rice, cornmeal, oatmeal, flour, sugar, yeast, baking powder, baking soda, salt, dried beans, canned vegetables, soups, broths are good places to begin.  These are the basis to many meals.  As to meat, you will be able to find turkey on sale at this time of year and other types of poultry.  Look for other possible sales on meat to see what value you can get for the protein that you will need. 

Now, I’m not saying that you need to go out and purchase 40 lbs. of meat as many people don’t have that extra money around nor am I saying you need to go out and purchase 50 lbs. of flour right now.  I’m saying that when you go to buy that 5 lb. bag of flour that is on sale, you may consider buying 1 or 2 extra bags to set aside.  The same is true with canned vegetables and soup.  At this time of year you will find these items on sale at good prices.  If you normally would buy 4 cans, buy 8 and set 4 aside. 

Make it a goal to, at a minimum, keep 2 to 4 weeks supply of food on hand for a “rainy day.” 

Don’t forget your pets.  If there is a sale on the pet food that you normally buy, pick up an extra bag to set aside (take note of the expiration date). 

Set aside a few dollars for gap food money.  Gap food money is money you have set aside to fill in the gaps for your emergency meals.  This money, for example, pays for the meat that you may need to make a meal out of what you have in your pantry.  

photo credit: la fattina via photopin cc

Hamburger Update

For those of you interested in my hamburger dilemma I posted here, here is an update. 

I decided that $1.99 for 85% lean hamburger was too big of a deal to pass up. So a week ago today on the very last day of the sale I went to the store and they were totally out. I was given a rain check good for two weeks. This was even better. It gave me two weeks to figure out how exactly I was going to fit this additional amount of meat in my freezer. 

Here is what I plan to do. Cooked hamburger takes up less space so I am going to take about 15 lbs. of the 80% lean hamburger I already have in the freezer and cook it up and package it in 15 portions and freeze it. This will be wonderful to have ready to go for pizza toppings, sloppy joes, spaghetti and other casseroles. 

A few days after I received the rain check I noted that the same hamburger was now $3.99 a lb. I'm glad I got the rain check and will be purchasing the sale hamburger in the next week.

Pie Crust, Face Wash and Corn

First of all, it is raining! It is absolutely pouring and after a heat wave that has had a heat index of up to 128 degrees here in Iowa, it is so wonderful to see rain fall from the sky. I sat on the back porch for a while and I watched the birds flying through the rain. It is such a wonderful sight.

Today I am going to share three recipes for pie crust. The first is my mom’s no fail recipe.

Never Fail Pie Crust

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
5 ½ tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon white vinegar

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. Mix together egg, water and vinegar. Pour into flour all at once and blend with a fork until dough forms a ball. Do not over mix. Wrap with plastic and chill in refrigerator. Use as directed in recipe.

Pie Crust Recipe 2

3 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
About ½ cup ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add water. (When adding water to any recipe I don’t just dump it in. I pour it in slowly while I am stirring the dough with the fork. Sometimes you don’t need as much as you think.) Stir til mixed and form a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator.  Use as directed in recipe.  The key to a good pie crust is not to work the dough too much as this will toughen the crust.  

If you have never made a pie crust, you need to try it.  It may take a few attempts, but once you have mastered this, you will be able to turn out all kinds of pies.  Pie making is becoming a lost art these days.

No Roll Pie Crust

1 cup flour
½ cup margarine, softened
1 tablespoon sugar

Cut ingredients together. Pat into a 9 inch pie plate. Fill with filling and bake.

Now on to my face wash or soft soap recipe. As I get older I have taken on a more basic regimen as to my skin. Over the past few months I have become more and more disappointed with face washes. My skin never felt good. So I thought it was time to make my own.

I decided to use what grandma used and that was “Kirk’s Original CoCo Castile Soap.” It is a pure coconut oil soap and it doesn’t leave residue on the skin. Coconut oil is very moisturizing too. I am able to purchase it at a local grocery store for 99 cents a bar.  Dove bar soap is a great option also.

So I made a soft soap out of the bar and I had so much of it that I had to put the bulk of it in an old spaghetti sauce jar and the other is on a small dish detergent bottle.

Here is the “recipe” and my modifications.

Grate some soap bars and add 3 cups soap flakes to a bowl. Set it aside. Boil a pot of water and pour 3 cups over the soap flakes. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flakes are dissolved in the water. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and continue to mix all of the ingredients with a wooden spoon. Pour into containers and soap is ready to use after it has cooled.

I modified the recipe by using a stick blender to the melted concoction (after the olive oil has been added) and I emulsified it as the soap flakes didn’t totally melt and mix with the water. It turned out very, very creamy but still a little too thick for my personal preference so I added a little more boiling hot water until it was the perfect consistency.

I made this at the end of June and I can’t remember how many soap flakes I got from the one bar of soap. I think it was 1 ½ cups of flakes came from 1 bar of soap so I simply halved the recipe.

I use this for my face wash and I love it. I hate using a bar of soap to wash my hands or face as the bar gets a little messy over time. This recipe, especially when emulsified, makes a lot of “face wash” or “soft soap” and it will last a much longer time than simply using a bar of soap.

Using this also as a hand soap keeps your hands soft than a harsher store bought soft soap.

Now as to corn.

Corn is in a lot of food products and most of this is in the ingredient high fructose corn syrup. However, other corn products that we use quite a bit are cornmeal, grits, frozen corn and canned corn and, especially here in Iowa, gasoline with an ethanol blend. Here’s the problem, due to the floods and droughts, the corn crops have not been very good. This means higher prices for corn products for us and feed products for animals. Higher feed prices once again means higher prices for meat.

Perhaps to offset this is that many farmers have been selling off their animals early due to the severe heat. So, it may be that meat prices may or may not go up. It’s hard to say. But for now, let’s look at corn.

Cornmeal is something that I love to have as part of my pantry. Aside from cornbread it is good for breakfast as fried cornmeal mush and I also use it in some multi grain bread recipes. Cornmeal is a good food. I’m not sure how much we will be paying for cornmeal in the future, but I am not willing to take that gamble.

I purchased cornmeal on sale at Wal-mart recently and I froze it for 24 hours and then I have it in a container with bay leaves to keep any bugs away.

I was able to purchase about 18 cans of corn a couple of weeks ago for only 29 cents each. I like having canned or frozen corn on hand for casseroles and soups and I know that 29 cents is an incredibly low price that I may never see again.

Keeping my pantry stocked with basic foods that I can use in numerous ways is a priority for me. Storing them properly is equally important so no matter what, only buy what you can use in a reasonable amount of time. I have plenty of flour on hand – probably around 100 lbs. Yes, I know that is a lot of flour, but I do a lot of baking and I give a lot of my baked goods away. 50 lbs. of that flour was found on clearance at Wal-mart when they were having a clearance sale on their huge containers of food. I was able to buy 25 lb. bags of flour for only $5.00.

For some individuals having and maintaining a large stockpile of food is overwhelming. I understand that. If that is true for you I highly recommend at least maintaining a good quantity of basic baking items such as flour, sugars, cornmeal, oatmeal and other grains. You will save money and you will only concentrate on this area of your pantry.

Tomorrow we will look at some more tips from the Tightwad Gazette III.

Wraps, Laundry, Personal Supplies Inventory

The "non-food" items can really put a dent in your grocery budget.  I have found that I get the most savings in this area from using coupons combined with sales.  I pay an average of 20 cents per box of ziploc bags.  As to the 25 bottles of bathroom spray, I got most of those for 10 to 15 cents or free.  Most of the deoderant cost me from 25 to 50 cents or I got some free. 

PAPER PRODUCTS:

21 Rolls – Paper Towels
16 Pkgs. - Toilet Paper - 12 double rolls
16 Pkgs. - Toilet Paper - 4 roll pkgs.
3 Pkgs. - Napkins - 250 ct. packages
9 Boxes - Kleenexes

BAGS, WRAPS, CONTAINERS:

16 Boxes - Ziploc Bags - Gallon Size
21 Boxes - Ziploc Bags - Quart Size
2 Boxes - Ziploc Bags - Sandwich
40 - Ziploc Containers
10 Boxes – Hefty Extend Bags
1 Box - Plastic Wrap
1 Box – Kitchen Garbage Bags – 80 count

BAR SOAPS:

26 Bars - Bath Soap
6 Bars – Face Soap

BODYWASH:

7 Bottles - Men's Bodywash

TOOTHPASTE:

5 Tubes - Crest

DEODERANT:

14 Containers - Mens
6 Containers - Ladies

SHAMPOO:

20 Bottles – Assorted Shampoo

SHAVING PRODUCTS:

7 Containers - Shaving Cream

LAUNDRY SUPPLIES:

Softener:

3 Boxes - Fabric Softener sheets - 80 count
1 Jug - Gain Softener - 60 load size
1 Jug - Snuggle Softener - 40 load
1 Jug - Snuggle Softener - 60 load
1 Jug - Downy Softener - 60 load

Stains:

1 Bottle - Tide Stain Release
1 Box - Tide Stain Release - Powder
1 Bottle - Shout Laundry Pre-treatment
7 Bars - Octagon Laundry Bar Soap

Store bought Detergent:

2 Jugs - Wisk - 32 load size
8 Jugs - Extra - 48 load size
2 Jugs - Era - 96 load size
1 Jug Era - 32 load size
2 Jugs - Oxydol - 33 load size
2 Jugs - Purex - 33 load size
3 Jugs - Purex - 32 load size
8 Bars - Fels Naptha Soap

Other Laundry:

1/2 Box - Washing Soda
1 Box - Borax
3 Jugs - Bleach

DISH SOAPS:

11 Bottles - Assorted dish soap

OTHER:

25 Bottles – Bathroom Spray
Miscellaneous cleaning Supplies

Grocery Expense and Coupon Savings for 2010

Last night I tallied up my monthly grocery expense along with my coupon savings to get my yearly total.  For the year 2010 I spent a total of $4,026.43, after coupons, on groceries.  This comes out to $77.43 a week spent on groceries for our family of three.  I saved a total of $863.86 using coupons or a weekly coupon savings of $16.61. 

I didn't use a lot of coupons in November and December as I was cutting back on what I was buying and frankly, although there were coupons for things I normally would buy, I didn't need to add to my pantry.

So, for a family of three I feel I did pretty good.  Not only did I average $77 a week on groceries, this $77 includes money spent to contribute to stockpiling food in my freezer and pantry. 

When I worked full time, I used to go to the grocery store with a short list that I would add to as I went throughout the store throwing things into my cart.  I rarely used coupons and I never had a plan.  I would have some things in my pantry, perhaps a few cans of tomatoes or tomato sauce, but that was about it.  I just bought food and came home and put together whatever I could with what I had bought.  And I spent a lot more - close to $500 to $600 a month. 

What have I learned?  I'll never go back to the old way.

I know my prices, so I know when a sale is a sale and how to match coupons with sales' items.  I have learned something else.  Groceries in Iowa are cheaper than many places in the United States and in the world.  I have access to good prices on fresh produce and on meat.  Perhaps it is due to living in a primarily agricultural area of the country, I'm not sure.  I just know that I am getting better prices on food than a lot of people and that is why I can stretch my food dollar and feed my family and stockpile on $77 a week. 

I have tracked my grocery prices and coupon savings since November 2009 and I am glad that I have been disciplined to do it.

Today I will be going through my freezer and pantry inventory lists making note of expiration dates and will make up a list of possible meals to make from what I have on hand.  I never like making a weekly or monthly menu plan posting what we will have to eat on a specific day.  Instead I prefer to make up a list of meals and then I can pick and choose what I want to cook for my family that night. 

I have always preferred to make up a "meal plan" this way than the traditional calendar out what we are going to have to eat for each day of the week or month.  When doing this I also come up with the side dishes or salads and note what I will  need to purchase from the grocery store to add to that menu, keeping in mind what can be substituted with sales' items.  Then when I go over the weekly grocery sale flyers, I look at the list and pick out a few menus noting anything else that I will need to purchase.   This works well with our schedule, and especially, my personality.  I think it's just the creative side of me not liking to be boxed into a particular schedule.

If you are interested in stockpiling food for your freezer and pantry, go to my label section of the blog, to the left and click on Pantry Challenge and Pantry Principle to see more information on how I did this.  If you are just beginning to develop a stockpile of food and have never done it before, I would suggest starting out small so as you don't become overwhelmed with storing the food and keeping track of what you have on hand.  I started out with stockpiling canned goods, then I started to stockpile baking supplies and then meat for my freezer.  Now I buy whatever is on sale at a good price and add to my pantry and freezer as needed.

Meals from the Pantry

Maureen left a comment on my pantry post as to if I would be posting some of our meals during this time.  I thought I would get a head start as I started eating out of the pantry and freezer last weekend.

I made some potato soup on Saturday night and after it cooled I put it in the fridge to warm up after church for Sunday lunch. I took half a bag of hash browns from the freezer and used them to replace the 6 cooked diced potatoes in my recipe.  I shredded some carrots and cooked them in a small amount of water and drained the water.  I put some additional water in the pot and cooked the hash browns.  I drained the potatoes in a colander and kept the potato water.  In the meantime I melted some butter and added flour, salt and pepper and cooked til bubbly.  To this I added some onion powder, salt, pepper, a pinch of the nutmeg and 2 cups of milk and the potato water.  After this mixture was slightly thickened I added three slices of american cheese, the carrots and the potatoes.  I had some little smokie sausages in the freezer and I took 1/2 a package and diced them and added them to the soup and it simmered for a while.  Then I cooled it and stuck it in the fridge for the next day.

On Sunday I warmed up the soup and then I made some Apple Salad.  I took 3 large apples from my stash of bargain apples and I diced them and added a few raisins. I then made a dressing from Miracle Whip with a little sugar and thinned with milk and poured over the apples.  I had some Italian bead in the freezer and sliced it length wise and spread with some butter on both sides.  One side I sprinkled with a little garlic and the other side I took some grated cojack cheese and sprinkled over it.  I sprinkled both sides with Italian seasoning and I put the  bread in the oven to warm and brown while the soup was simmering.

For dessert I had baked a homemade yellow cake with an almond icing.  Hey, it's Sunday so I always make sure there is dessert for Sunday. 

On Monday night we had pancakes and sausage with some fresh pineapple.

Tuesday was vegetable soup night.  I took the container of leftover broth, meat and vegetables that I keep in the freezer and I warmed it on the stove.  I added a handful of frozen mixed vegetables, 1 can of beef broth and two bay leafs and we had some great soup.  I made some grilled cheese sandwiches to go with the soup.

Wednesday night was spaghetti and garlic bread night.  I had some fresh fruit available also.  It was a quick meal as I was gone for the majority of the day.

Tonight I made salisbury steak and gravey. I took 1 lb. of hamburger and 1 lb. of ground turkey and mixed them together. I added some onion flavored crackers that had gone stale, some ketchup, onion powder, a little mustard, 1 egg and a little milk.  I formed them into patties and fried them on the stove.  When they were done I removed them from the pan and added 1 can of cream of mushroom soup to the broth in the skillet and 1/2 an envelope of onion soup mix and a little milk.  I heated this to a low boil and returned the meat patties to the skillet.  In the meantime I made homemade mashed potatoes and cooked some frozen broccoli. 

I was interrupted half way through cooking this meal by about 45 minutes and by the time I got back to cooking, I forgot to open a can of peaches to serve with our meal.

We have enough leftovers tonight for tomorrow night's meal.

So we had simple meals from items from our freezer along with some fresh produce.  These are the kind of meals that our family will eat and enjoy.

Working towards a 6 Month Food Supply






The past 3 years have been hard on a lot of people as we have all felt the effects of a recession. I read newspapers and I watch news programs. I even listen to the farm report every morning. From listening to all of this information it was easy to come to the conclusion that we will not be out of the woods for a long time. The economy is recovering, but slowly. In our area we are hearing of new lay offs and cut backs in hours for workers. These are businesses related to the housing industry.

There is one thing I learned from my dad when his company would go on strike or he would be laid off for a period of time and that is not to give in to your circumstances and there was always something you could do. A lot of what you could do was tied to what you had already done – planned ahead to prepare for the lean times. My parents would buy a side of beef or hog and stock the freezer with meat. They had a garden and everything was canned or frozen for the winter.

I have taken that philosophy of preparing for lean times and adapted it to my own life. I don’t buy a side of beef or a hog, but I do purchase meat in bulk when it goes on sale. I don’t have a garden, but I do purchase frozen fruits and vegetables along with their canned variety when the prices are very low. I purchase fresh fruits and process them into jams and jellies.

I began seriously stockpiling about 9 months ago and I have been conscientious about using the food from my freezer and pantry. It has been a goal of mine to have a 4 month supply of food on hand and to maintain it. I have done that. In August I decided to change that goal to a 6 month supply of food and to maintain that. I use what I have on hand and replenish those items when the sales roll around. In working up to having a minimum 6 month supply on hand at all times, I have to be sure to rotate the food so nothing expires before I can use it. For example, I like to keep on hand about 20 cans of tomato soup at a time. Right now I have 15 cans. I use this to make my own salad dressings and I use it in recipes. 20 cans is usually a 6 month supply. However, tomato soup is always on sale now through Christmas, so if I can continue to get it for 25 cents or less, I will work towards a 6 month as long as the expiration dates go beyond that.

Since most canned goods do not expire for two years or more, I have been able to maintain an 18 month supply of certain items.

In the past two months our grocery stores have had a lot of loss leader sales on meat and cheese that have enticed people into their stores. I was able to purchase chicken hind quarters for 39 cents a lb. which I would cut into thigh and drumstick pieces that would normally sell for 99 cents a lb. on sale. Shredded cheese went on sale for $1.00 for an 8 oz. package. Hamburger ranged in price from $1.38 lb. to $1.73 lb. depending on the amount of fat. Good quality ground turkey was on sale for 99 cents a lb, and sirloin tip steak was at the low price of $1.50 a lb. Chuck roast went on sale for $2.25 a lb., boneless ham was 99 cents lb. and cuts of boneless pork were $1.50 lb. and sometimes even less. Yes, there were grocery price wars in our little community and because I knew my prices, I snagged some great deals and stocked up.

One other item went on sale in August and September that totally blew me away. It was spaghetti sauce. I was able to get name brand spaghetti sauce for between 50 cents and 60 cents a jar. Pasta was on sale also for as low as 50 cents a lb. Since I cook meals for people in our church, I usually make a pasta casserole and these are the key ingredients along with mozzarella cheese.

As far as non food items, I hit upon some deals on name brand laundry detergent that brought the price down to about $1.50 for a 32 load size. I use this when I don’t have time to make my own. I have plenty of dish soap and dishwasher detergent along with laundry items also.

And then the sale of all sales – Ziploc plastic food bags and containers. I was able to get ziploc bags anywhere from 7 cents a box to 25 cents a box depending on the sales and the coupons I had. I use these bags along with the Ziploc containers to transport food that I prepare for people in our church who are sick or recovering from surgery.

Over the past few months there were lost leader sales on deodorant for $1.00 or less and I usually had 50 cent or $1.00 off coupons and I found some great sales on 12 double rolls of toilet paper for $4.75.

In maintaining a large supply of food, it takes a small amount of work to organize and label cans with expiration dates so that food is used up before it expires. I keep ongoing lists of what is in my pantry and freezer and I post these lists so that I can simply mark off what I have used and I can add to this list when I make purchases. As long as I keep this up as I go, it doesn’t take a lot of time.

Right now I am low on items such as vegetable oil, vinegar and whole wheat flour. At this time of year I always stock up on baking supplies and I will continue to purchase flour and sugar over the next several weeks when they are at their lowest prices for the year. The only other two items I stock up on in November and December are turkeys and hams.

Now is the time for me to reap the benefit of my home food supply. Even though I am not quite at a 6 months' food supply, we are in need of some extra cash.  Christmas is coming, we purchased a shed, we have had car repair bills and Senior pictures were expensive. I am certain that our furnace may need some work on it also.

We will be eating from what I have on hand for the next few months and it will be interesting to see how quickly items get used up. Many items that I have in my pantry such as canned tomato products and vegetables have expiration dates of 2012 and 2013. When you look at my list (I will be posting it very soon) and see 30 or more cans of something, keep in mind that they will not expire for a few years and the reason I have a considerable sum of one item is that I purchased those cans at an absolute bargain price.

This week we will begin to eat from the freezer and pantry and while I don’t have a rigid goal of how long to do this, I want to get my freezer down to half of what is in it now. After all you can’t just toss stuff into a freezer and freeze it for eternity. The same is true for the pantry. You can’t just buy stuff, label it and put it on a shelf and never use it. I will need to purchase dairy products and fresh produce each week.

When my freezer is at least half empty, I will evaluate the money that we saved and will start to look at any sales and determine if the sales are good enough to start rebuilding my supply or I will get it down lower before I stock up again.

It has taken several months for me to build up my pantry and freezer to where it is now. In the beginning I would buy 5 cans of something when there was a sale and then when the next sale came along I would increase to buying 10 cans. I have entered all of my grocery receipts into an Excel spreadsheet and I not only know how much I paid for an item such as hamburger, I know when some items such as flour and sugar are on sale at their lowest price of the year (during the holidays).

So this has been my journey. It is definitely not for everyone and it can be overwhelming for some. I do it because I enjoy tracking prices and finding good deals. I also enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that if anything should happen, we have plenty of food on hand to feed us while directing money not being spent on groceries towards an emergency money need.

I have posted the contents of my food supply as of today, October 27, 2010.

Contents of my Pantry

 

A portion of my pantry

 
Contents in my Pantry as of October 27, 2010

1 Bottle - Cocktail Sauce for Seafood
2 Bottles - Heinz 57 Steak Sauce
1 Bottle - Italian Salad Dressing
3 Jars - Pickle Relish
2 Bottles - Mustard
2 Bottles - Cookie’s Barbecue Sauce
15 Jars - Peanut Butter
1 Jar - Coconut Oil
3 cans - Non Stick Spray
½ gallon - Pure Maple Syrup

31 cans - Green Beans
2 cans - Yellow Wax Beans
5 cans - Peas
35 cans - Corn
5 cans - Pumpkin
41 cans - Pork n Beans
3 cans - Kidney Beans
11 cans - Chili Beans
13 cans - Sliced carrots
6 cans - Whole potatoes
4 cans - Mixed Vegetables
7 cans - Sliced beets
5 cans - Diced beets

7 cans - Tuna

1 jar - Chicken Gravey
1 jar - Beef Gravey

1 jar - Applesauce (50 oz. jar)
6 cans – 15 oz. - Mandarin Oranges
4 cans – 10 oz. - Mandarin Oranges
2 cans – 20 oz. - Crushed Pineapple
3 cans – 20 oz. - Pineapple Slices
2 cans – 20 oz. - Pineapple Chunks
2 cans – 20 oz. - Pineapple Tidbits
2 cans – 15 oz. - Pineapple Tidbits
2 cans - Tropical fruit
3 cans - Sliced Peaches
5 cans - Fruit Cocktail
2 cans - Pink Grapefruit
1 can - Pear Halves

56 jars - Spaghetti Sauce
4 cans - Pizza Sauce
18 cans – 8 oz. - Tomato Sauce
1 can – 6 oz. - Tomato Paste
15 cans – 15 oz. - Tomato Sauce
31 cans – - Diced Tomatoes
7 bottles – 40 oz. - Ketchup
7 bottles – 24 oz. - Ketchup

10 cans - Chicken Noodle soup

15 cans - Tomato Soup
1 jar – 25 count - Beef bouillon
1 can - Cream of Celery Soup
3 cans - Cream of Mushroom Soup
10 cans - Cream of Chicken Soup
10 cans - Progresso Ready to Eat soups
11 cans - Beef Broth
10 cans - Chicken Broth

3 cans - Sweetened condensed milk
2 jars - Butterscotch ice cream topping
4 cans - Whole cranberry sauce
3 cans - Jellied cranberry sauce
6 cans - Cherry Pie Filling

3 coffee canisters - Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (By coffee canisters, I use the large 33 oz. coffee canisters to store items in)
1 Mason Jar - Dark Chocolate Mint Baking Chips
½ coffee canister - White Baking Chips
1 coffee canister - Milk Chocolate Chips
1 coffee canister - Butterscotch Chips
¾ coffee canister - Cinnamon Baking Chips
1 Mason Jar - Peanut Butter Baking Chips
1 container - Cocoa
1 pkg. - Reese’s Pieces Candy – for baking
1 container – 9 oz. - Cashews
1 container – 11 oz. - Mixed Nuts
2 coffee canisters - Mini Hershey Kisses
1/2 coffee canister - Regular sized Hershey Kisses
3 Bags - Caramels
3 pkgs. - Toffee Bits
1 pkg. - Melting Chocolate
9 bars - Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
3 bars - Semi-sweet Baking Chocolate

6 canisters - Coffee

3 pkgs. - Chocolate Pudding Mixes
2 pkgs. - Vanilla Pudding Mixes
4 pkgs. - Assorted Jello

1 box - Graham Crackers
1 box - Flatbread Crackers
5 pkgs. – 12 oz. - Oyster crackers

5 boxes - Scalloped Potato Mixes
5 boxes - Macaroni and Cheese
6 pkgs. - Chicken Flavored Ramen Noodles
3 pkgs. - Oriental Flavored Ramen Noodles
4 pkgs. - Beef Flavored Ramen Noodles

2 – 1 lb. bags - Egg Noodles
9 – 1 lb. bags - Rigatoni pasta
2 – 1 lb. bags - Rotini pasta
1 – 1 lb. bag - Farfalle pasta
11 – 1 lb. bags - Mostaccioli pasta
6 – 1 lb. bags - Penne Rigate pasta
1 – 1 lb. bag - Shell Pasta
5 – 1 lb. bags - Elbow Macaroni
2 – 1 lb. boxes - Linguine Pasta
5 – 1 lb. boxes - Fettucine pasta
16 – 1 lb. boxes - Spaghetti

4 jars - Homemade Apple Pie Filling
3 jars - Homemade Blueberry Jam
11 jars - Homemade Strawberry jam
7 jars - Homemade Peach Jam
9 jars - Homemade Peach Pineapple Conserve

Some - Rice
Some - Dried Kidney Beans
Some - Dried Split Peas
Some - Dried Northern Beans

2 small canisters - Cornmeal
10 – 4 lb. bags - Granulated Sugar
3 small boxes - Corn muffin mix
9 boxes - Brownie Mix
16 – 5 lb. bags - All Purpose Flour
1 – 5 lb. bag - Whole Wheat Flour
3 – 2 lb. bags - Powdered Sugar
24 – 2 lb. bags - Brown Sugar

1 bag - Marshmallows
9 boxes – 10 ct. - Hot Chocolate Mix


2 large canisters - Oatmeal
77 boxes - Assorted Breakfast Cereal
7 boxes - Granola Bars

Contents of my Freezer

Contents in my Freezer as of October 27, 2010

51 lbs. - Hamburger
5 pkgs. – 2 ½ lbs. ea. - Chuck Roasts
4 – 1# pkgs. - Sirloin Tip Steaks
2 pkgs. of 2 each - Sirloin bacon wrapped fillets
1 pkg. - Split Chicken Breasts
1 - Whole Chicken
2 Breasts - Boneless Chicken
14 lbs. - Ground Turkey
12 - Chicken Thighs
7 - Chicken Drumsticks
1 – 3 lbs. - Rump Roast
10 pkgs. - Bacon
1 pkg. – about 2 lbs. - Spiral ham slices
6 lbs. - Ground Ham
3 pkgs. – 2 lbs. - Sirloin Pork Roasts
4 lbs. - Ground Pork
30 slices - Pork Loin
6 lbs. - Breakfast sausage

18 ½ pkgs. - Hot Dogs
1 pkg. of 4 - Bratwursts
3 pkgs. – 10 count - Chicken Breast Patties

1 lb. pkg. - Tater Tots
1 – 5 lb. pkg. - French Fries
1 small pkg. - Homestyle Noodles

6 pkgs. – 1 lb. ea - Corn
8 pkgs. – 1 lb. ea - Mixed Vegetables
11 pkgs. – 1 lb. - Broccoli
2 pkgs. – 1 lb. ea - Stir Fry Vegetables
1 pkg. – 1 lb. - Broccoli, Rice, Cheese combination
3 pkgs. – 1 lb. ea - Rice and Mixed Vegetable

1 individual pie - Chicken Pot Pie
3 individual pies - Turkey Pot Pies
15 pkgs. – 1 cup ea. - Blueberries
5 – 1/3 cup pkgs. - Swiss Cheese
2 containers - Parmesan
22 – 8 oz. pkgs. - Mozzarella Cheese

3 individual - Apple pies
3 individual - Berry pies
8 small containers - Peach, Pineapple conserve

Contents of the Freezer above my Refrigerator

Contents of the freezer compartment bove my refrigerator as of October 27, 2010

¾ pkg. - Miniature Marshmallows
3 pkgs. - 1 cup ea - Black Raspberries
2 pkgs. - Pizza Sauce
¾ of a 6 oz. can - Tomato Paste
½ can - Cream of Chicken Soup

1 quart pkg. - Spiral ham pieces
1 quart pkg. - Ham broth
2 – 1 gallon pkgs. - Ham Bits with broth
5 patties - Breaded Chicken Breast patties
1 ½ pkgs. - Smokie Links


½ cup each - Frozen corn, mixed vegetables, green beans, California mix
2 cups each - French fries, tater tots
3 – ½ cup pkgs. - Sliced celery
1 cup - Red Raspberries
2 pkgs. - Banana Puree (3 bananas each)

1 cup - Pumpkin Puree
3 ½ pkgs. - Cranberries

5 - Homemade biscuits

7 - Hot dog buns
3 - Hamburger buns
1 loaf - Sandwich bread
1 loaf - Italian bread
1 quart bag - Bread for croutons

5 ½ containers - Whipped Topping

2 Boxes - Frozen Waffles
1 pkg. - Deli Thin Sandwich buns

1 lb. - Pecan Halves
2 jars of yeast

Stockpiled items in my Refrigerator

Stockpiled items in my Refrigerator as of October 27, 2010

8 pkgs. – 8 oz. ea. - Sharp Cheddar Blocks
9 pkgs. - 8 oz. ea. - Shredded Mozzarella/Cheese Mix
7 pkgs. = 12 oz. - American Cheese slices

13 – 1 lb. pkgs. - Butter
12 – 1 lb. pkgs. - Margarine

40 lbs. - Apples (To be made into apple butter for our use and for Christmas gifts – purchased for $8.00)

Non Food Items in my Pantry

Non Food Items in my Pantry as of October 27, 2010

19 rolls - Paper Towels
16 pkgs. of 12 double rolls - Toilet Paper
4 pkgs. of 4 single rolls - Toilet Paper
4 ½ 250 count pkgs. - Paper Napkins

40 - Boxes of plastic Ziploc bags
Numerous - Ziploc storage containers

1 box – 80 count - Tall Kitchen Garbage Bags

36 Bars - Bath Soap
6 Bars - Face Soap
8 bottles - Men’s Bodywash

4 tubes - Crest Toothpaste

23 containers - Deoderant

6 bottles - Shampoo

7 containers - Shaving Cream

3 boxes – 80 count - Fabric Softener Sheets
2 - 60 load size bottles - Liquid Softener
1 - 40 load size bottle - Liquid Softener
8 – 32 load size bottles - Name brand laundry soap
11 bars - Fels Naptha Soap
1 box - Washing Soda
½ box - Borax
4 jugs - Bleach

25 bottles - Bathroom Spray - purchased for 25 cents or free with sales and coupons

Painting and the Pantry

Are we having fun yet??

As everyone knows, I have been working on painting projects outside.  The fence is almost finished.  I just have the three gates to paint, which is a little time consuming to paint around the hardware.  My husband made new pickets to replace the ones that were rotted and they have been painted.  So, why haven't I finished the fence?  I ran out of paint on Tuesday.  In the days of old when I was working, I would have rushed out and bought another gallon.  Not so now.  Sherwin Williams is having a sale starting tomorrow and I can certainly use the 30% off coupon I have on that gallon of paint.  It was worth waiting a few days. 

In the meantime I have been painting trim on two windows on the south side of the house.  There are 5 colors of paint on the window trim and I should have taken a picture.  Perhaps tomorrow.

I want to be done with the fence and those windows by Monday.  Then, if the weather holds I can finish the easiest of the outside painting projects which is to paint the the overhangs over the dining room window and the living room window.

It is looking pretty good out in the back yard.  It's amazing what a coat of paint will do.  Also amazing is the foot traffic by our house watching me work on these projects.  In the end it will have taken six gallons of paint to paint the fence at a cost of $32.00 per gallon.  It was expensive but far cheaper than replacing that wooden fence with vinyl fencing @ $100 per 6 feet. 

Yes, all of you have followed me on my painting journey.  While it has been work, it has also been very cathartic.  I have listened to pod casts on my MP3 radio and beautiful music.  I have at times just painted without the MP3 player and let my mind wander and think.  While my back has hurt most of the time, I have enjoyed the peace, quiet and alone time. 

When these outside projects are done, the painting continues inside but that will be a little different type of painting - faux painting. Also, while I have been working outside I have been pondering some different designs to paint on the ceiling of the living room.  Could be interesting and if I don't like it, I can paint over it. 

In the meantime I have also been working on putting a post together listing the contents of my freezer and pantry.  It is time to reap the rewards of stockpiling.  We have many expenses coming up over the next few months.  We have paid for 1/2 of our son's Senior pictures and tomorrow I pick them up and pay for the balance.  Then there is our 30th wedding anniversary in November and Christmas of course.  So, I will be making up the majority of our meals from the freezer and pantry and will see how many weeks of meals I can come up with and supplement with fresh produce and dairy products.  The only items I will stock up on over the next few months will be flour and sugar. I always stock up on those items at this time of year.  Oh and if I am able to clear a space in the freezer I also love to pick up two turkeys at Thanksgiving. 

Wednesdays are Grocery Planning Days

Wednesday is the day that I go through the grocery sales circulars and look at what is on sale, compare it to The Grocery Game's list and go through my coupons to match up with a sale.  I love to go through the circulars to see what deals I can get to add to whatever I already have on hand.  I also love when there aren't a lot of sales as it isn't a problem as I keep a stocked pantry and a stocked freezer. 

I am continually amazed that in my small town, population around 11,000, that our two grocery stores offer wonderful weekly specials that you think you would only find in a large metropolitan area.  Those stores are Fareway and Hy-Vee.  We also have a Super Wal-mart that sells groceries but I rarely buy groceries there. 

This week I wasn't planning on buying much as my freezer and pantry are full, until I saw the sales circulars.  2 lb. packages of brown sugar are on sale for $1.00.  Tones' spices in the small containers are on sale for 50 cents.  Time to change my grocery plan for the week.

At this time of year we start to see the beginning of sales on baking supplies.  I can always count that from now until Christmas I will be able to stock up on sugar, flour, chocolate chips and other baking items.  If you check the expiration dates on these baking essentials you will find that the majority of them have a date that is one year ahead so I always buy a year's worth of baking supplies from now until Christmas.  By January 1st I will have plenty of flour and sugar, all kinds of chocolate, white chocolate, butterscotch and cinnamon baking chips, and all different kinds of almond bark, nuts and cocoa that will last me until one year from now when the sales begin again.

I love to bake cookies for my family and to give away to friends, so buying these supplies at rock bottom prices is a necessity.  Storing these supplies properly is equally important because if, for example, I get bugs in the flour by not storing my flour properly then it didn't matter how much I saved when I purchased the flour, as it is now wasted.

I store all of my flour and sugar in big Rubbermaid Bins.  Before I put the flour in these bins I freeze the bags of flour for 24 hours.  I read somewhere that this will prevent the flour from getting bugs.  Then when I put the bags of flour and bags of sugar in their own separate Rubbermaid Bins, I also toss in several bay leaves to keep any bugs away.  Since doing this, I have never had any bugs in the flour or sugar.

I buy coffee in the large plastic canisters which are approximately 33 oz.  When the coffee is gone, I wash, rinse and thoroughly dry these canisters and I use them to store all of my chocolate chips and other flavors of baking chips.  I make a lot of chocolate chip cookies and a year's supply for me is about 5 coffee canisters.  So you can see why I buy these items in bulk when on sale.

I love being a homemaker.  Honestly I thought the thrill of it would wear off after a year and I would get bored, but I haven't.   I am very busy and I enjoy keeping a home and taking care of my family.  I also love taking the time to look through the grocery circulars each week for some great deals that help me keep my pantry and freezer well stocked and my grocery expense down.

You know what else I love?  A gift.  I received a $75.00 Hy-Vee gift card this week and I felt like I had won a sweepstakes. Some people get excited over receiving a gift card to a clothing store.  I am above excited at receiving a grocery gift card.

Grocery Shopping and the Charity Challenge

About once a month I hit upon a really great deal at the grocery store.  It's the kind of deal when you want to call people and tell them all about it. 

This week at Hy-Vee grocery stores, they have a great cereal sale going on.  Hy-Vee has a store coupon in their ad this week for $10.00 off when you buy 6 boxes of General Mills cereal.  In addition, at the check out you will also receive a coupon for $6.00 off your next grocery visit to Hy-Vee.  I looked through my coupons and found 3 coupons for $1.00 off two boxes of General Mills Cereal. 

A competitor grocery store, Fareway, had General Mills cereal on sale for $2.50 a box.  Hy-Vee matches their sales.  So the gross price was $15.00 for 6 boxes of cereal less $3.00 manufacturer's coupons, bringing the price down to $12.00.  I used the store coupon for $10.00 and the net purchase price of those 6 boxes of cereal was $2.00.  At the check out, I received the $6.00 catalina coupon for my next grocery visit to Hy-Vee.

Also at Hy-Vee this week spaghetti sauce was on sale for 68 cents a can.  It is a store brand, actually more like a generic, and I have purchased it several times as it tastes like the national brand.  It is really good.  Just goes to show that some times you have try out a generic just to see.  A year ago they had the same sale.  I wasn't sure if we would like it so I bought 1 can (26.5 oz) and tried it.  We loved it and I went back and purchased 20 cans.  This was a stock up sale for me today, so I purchased 10 cans and may go back for more next week.  I checked the expiration dates and the date on each can was November 2012. 

So the lesson here is try some of the store brands and generics.  I was pleasantly surprised with the spaghetti sauce.

Now on to the Charity Challenge.  It's the end of the month.  If you participated in this challenge, be sure to tally up your grocery receipts and give, if you are able, 10% to a charity.  My money will go to the local food pantry.  Yesterday I was with a group of ladies from our church and two of them had volunteered at the food pantry this week.  They need more help, so I will be volunteering at the food pantry as needed.  It may be quite an eye opener.

I have worked hard over the past months to take advantage of sales to fill my freezer with a wide selection of meats.  Fortunately the past two months the grocery stores have had phenomenal sales on meat in our area and I have quite the assortment of meat.  I never went over budget on groceries and many weeks I was way under budget.  This is due to the fact that I already had a lot of meat in the freezer and I have a stocked pantry.  I have been replenishing both as I purchase sales items.  When you have built up a stocked pantry and freezer it is easy to maintain it and then spend less on groceries in a week.  For example, if I have 10 - 5 lb. bags of flour in the pantry and there is a sale, I will probably purchase 2 or 3 bags of flour.  When I was starting out and there was a great sale on flour, I would have purchased 7 or 8 bags of flour.  Now it is easy to maintain the supply by purchasing less and rotating. 

For the month of September I had thought about only eating out of the pantry and freezer and just purchasing perishables.  Instead, I plan on purchasing perishables and then setting aside about $20.00 per week for any possible sales in order to add to whatever I am using up.  The goal I have in mind is to spend about $25.00 a week on perishables (this is a generous amount) and then I will also have $20.00 per week towards sales items and maintaining the pantry/freezer.  If the sales aren't good, I will throw the $20.00 in a jar and it will be there when there is a good sale.

I am not comfortable in totally depleting my freezer and pantry unless there is a financial emergency.  I always have that option though.  Instead, I am comfortable with maintaining the contents of the freezer and pantry, on less money, carefully using up all food prior to the expiration dates.

In the end I will be spending less money on groceries, I will be providing a variety of foods to my family, and if there is a financial emergency I have the option of using up food from the pantry and freezer. 

Pantry Principle and Stockpiling - Part 3

This is my last in a three part series on stockpiling and having and maintaining a large pantry. Today I will talk about where to put your pantry items and a system for tracking those items.

I live in a house that was built in the late 1800’s. My large pantry is in my basement and I take precautions to make sure everything is stored safely. All of my canned goods are stored on shelves, my flour and sugar are stored in Rubbermaid bins, boxes of crackers, cereals and snack items are also stored in plastic bins. Basically if it isn’t in a can or plastic container, I store it in a bin.

Bins of flour, sugar, pastas, cereals, some snacks

My freezer is located in the basement and I also store my paper products and toiletries on shelves in the basement also.

Paper towels, napkins - using them sparingly as I switch to rags and cloth napkins

Toilet paper purchased for $5.00 or less for 12 double rolls

Laundry soaps purchased for $1.50 or less

I have lived in small apartments and in houses and if I wanted to stockpile, I would have been able to do it in any place we lived. More than once I wish we would have bought a small chest freezer years ago when we were apartment dwellers as we could have saved a bundle on meat. Also, even in a tiny one bedroom apartment that we lived in, we could have stored items under the couch and under the bed. If I would have been in the mindset we could have found places in that apartment to “hide” pantry items. Why didn’t we? I have no idea. Perhaps it was feeling like I was newly married and we were both working “professionals” so we should be able to go to the grocery store and buy anything we wanted and not worry about watching the sales.

Freebie chinet cups and plates - sales matched with coupons

If I wanted to go to a level of hoarding or even to becoming a survivalist, I could store 20 times more pantry supplies in our present home, but I choose not to. When I started stockpiling, my goal was to have a 4 month supply of food on hand and I have reached that goal. For some items such as canned fruits and vegetables, soups, coffee and baking supplies, I have a year’s supply. What I am trying to say is that on hand at this moment I can supply us with 4 months of meals and will only have to add milk and some perishable items each week to what I have on hand. In addition I also have plenty of soap, toiletries and paper products on hand that go beyond a 4 month’s supply.

This brings me to a hoarding. I have stopped buying several items for my pantry as I am totally stocked up on canned vegetables and soups, for example. Even if they go on sale at a rock bottom price, I won’t buy them as I have plenty. I saw on t.v. recently a woman that stockpiled and then couldn’t stop and became a hoarder. She had gotten in the mindset of getting a thrill at getting great deals and she couldn’t stop. Perhaps some people will look at the pictures I have posted over the past few days and think that I am hoarding, but I am not. I have passed up deals because I have enough of an item.

The entire idea of stockpiling is reaping the benefits of buying at rock bottom prices and building your “inventory.” As time goes by and as you have built up your supply, you can cut back and direct that money into other areas of the budget.

It’s okay to stop buying. You have done your work by building up your pantry and the good news is, since you know when things go on sale you will be able to buy more when you need it.

Now that I have reached my goal of a 4 month supply of food, it is easy for me to keep that 4 month supply maintained each week by using up items and continuing to stockpile when those prices are low and add to what I have used up OR I can take a break from grocery buying and use the money for other purposes OR in case of a financial emergency, we are set with 4 months of food.

Stockpiling can completely go down the tubes if you don’t use the items you purchased prior to expiration dates. Here is the system that I use.

Before putting anything in my pantry, I take a marker and write the expiration date on the package so I can easily see when the item will expire. Then I write each item I have purchased on my pantry list. This list consists of the following headings: Item, Number of Items, Expiration Date OR Purchase date. 

As you buy items on different weeks you may end up having a few lines for one item to accomodate the different expiration dates.  For example you would write diced tomatoes - 5 cans - expiring 10/11 and underneath I would write - diced tomatoes - 3 cans - expiring 12/11.

I have a similar list posted on the outside of my freezer. When I take anything out of the pantry or the freezer I simply cross it off. Each month I update these lists in Excel. At that time I take note of any items that are going to expire within the next two months. If I don’t believe I will be using an item before it expires, I donate it. I am donating these items 2 months before they are due to expire which I feel is reasonable. I would never, never donate an item that is past expiration.

I keep track of all of my “inventory” this way. This is my system and it works for me.  It doesn’t take very long for me to empty the groceries from the bags, mark them, add them to a list and then put them on the shelf or in the freezer.

It is easy each week to menu plan or to shop from the information on these lists. I can identify what is going to expire and work those items into my menus. I see at a glance how much spaghetti sauce I have on hand, for example, and if I have plenty on hand, I skip the stockpile sale.

This is not for everyone and I realize it. For me this is a system that works and makes me feel like I am getting the most for my money for my family’s groceries, am prepared for an emergency, am able to make a bigger impact on giving to the local Food Pantry, and I have the ease of always being able to supply meals to someone who is sick or just got out of the hospital.

Pantry Principle and Stockpiling - Part 2

In continuing my story of how I got into stockpiling and why I do it, today I want to talk about how to know when a sale is a good deal – good enough to stock up.

Spaghetti sauce, canned tomatoes, ketchup, beans

The coffee containers hold a variety of chocolate chips and other baking extras.

I started with the Grocery Game and this site helped me in the beginning to see when items were on sale at a stock up price. I keep track of the prices of everything I purchase in a spreadsheet program. Each week I enter my receipts into this spreadsheet and thereby I have a month by month accounting.

Try as I did I couldn’t important a pdf file into this post. Perhaps someone out there can help me. So, I will try to describe what this spreadsheet looks like.  I have these captions at the top of several columns:

1.  Item Description
2.  Store
3.  Date Purchased
4.  Item Price
5.  # of Items purchased
6.  Gross Amount
7.  Sale?
8.  Less Coupon savings
9.  Net Purchase Amount

I enter the Item Description such as frozen orange juice, then I enter the store name, the date purchased, the item price, the number of items I purchased and due to the magic of a spreadsheet it calculates the gross amount. I always enter whether it was a sale or not, enter any coupons I used and then voila, it gives me the net amount spent. After entering each item line by line, it is very easy to have the spreadsheet add up the total net amount along with any tax that I have added in. Then as the month goes along I can easily see my running tally of how much I have spent. Every month I start a new spreadsheet and keep each subsequent months stored in my computer.

This system works for me as I can easily see what I have spent so I can stay on track with my budget, it acts as a price book as I have a listing of all items I have purchased and what they cost.

Canisters of coffee, soups, broths, canned vegetables

home canned jams

With this spreadsheet, I can also track cycles of sales. For example, boneless chicken breasts go on sale every 6 weeks and so does string cheese. Shredded mozzarella goes on sale at 99 cents for an 8 oz. package about every 6 months. I buy what I need to get by to the next sale, which may be an annual event in some cases. In general I buy all my baking supplies at the holiday time and I have enough chocolate chips, nuts, sugar and flour for the year. I buy a year’s supply of canned cream soups and canned broth at holiday time when they are at their cheapest. In the summer time I stock up on canned pork n beans when they go on sale for as low as 20 cents a can.

When stocking up on any canned item, or for that matter any item, I always check the expiration dates. Depending on the product, most canned items do not expire for a year. Canned vegetables and fruits can have expiration dates that are longer than a year – closer to two years most of the time. Again, always check the expiration dates and with some careful planning you will end up with pantry items that are shelf stable for more than a year.

As to food for your freezer, you can find on the internet information for how long you can store meats, vegetables and fruits and other foods in the freezer. I follow those guideslines and keep that in mind when I am adding food to my freezer.

Again, don’t buy so much food at a great sale price and then let it expire or spoil. That isn’t saving you any money at all.

Meats, vegetables, fruit, bread, ice cream and more. 

(Yes those are a lot of hot dogs, but I got the majority for free or 25 cents and

I wasn't going to pass it up.  Hot dogs on the grill once a week is a summertime treat.)

Next post: A place to put your pantry items.

Pantry Principle and Stockpiling - Part 1

Today's post will be part 1 of 3 in which I discuss how I stockpile and keep a pantry.  I will also discuss how I got started.  There will be pictures of my pantry interspersed throughout these posts

In my prior post of July 2nd, I posted that my grocery spending averaged $353.00 a month. In our household there are 3 people:  myself, my husband and our 17 year old son. For some people $353.00 a month for grocery spending even with using coupons or stockpiling may seem high, and perhaps it is. Part of my grocery budget and planning involves taking meals to people who are sick and cookies or desserts to people as part of my ministry of hospitality. Also, I give food to our local Food Pantry to help those that need additional help in providing food to their families.

There are many reasons that I stockpile but I have narrowed it down to three.

1. Stockpiling and keeping a full pantry and freezer has helped me in my providing food to others and to my own family. It feels good to know that when I get a call from my pastor asking if I could provide a meal to someone, I can go to my pantry and freezer and provide a complete meal, along with disposable containers to put the meal in. (Yes disposable containers. I regularly get ziploc containers and bags for 25 cents each on sale and with a coupon.)  In essence I shop in my pantry and freezer for everything I need. I always have plenty of ingredients on hand to cook meals for others and my family. For me, this is the ultimate in convenience.

Here are the toiletries, canning supplies, ziploc bags.

Next to the board games are the 25 cent boxes of ziploc containers

2. By taking advantage of buying food at the best price and stocking up, you truly are getting the most for your money. There is a great sense of accomplishment when you know that you are buying food for your family, and others, at the best possible deal on the market at that time.

I never make up a menu plan ahead of time. My menus come from what is on sale and what I have in my pantry and freezer.

3. Lastly, in case of any financial emergency, you can divert any money budgeted to groceries to that financial emergency and still feed your family. If the worst happened, I could get by with $15 a week for perishable grocery items and the rest would be made up with what I have on hand. I have plenty of baking supplies, meat, canned vegetables, canned fruits, cereals, soups, peanut butter, frozen meats, frozen vegetables, frozen fruits and more.

I would say that 90% of the groceries I purchase are purchased at rock bottom prices and most with coupons. I do buy things that are on sale with coupons that my family won’t eat. Why? If I can get a box of Hamburger Helper for 25 cents, I buy it for the Food Pantry. If I can get Colgate toothpaste at 50 cents or less, I buy it for the Food Pantry (my family prefers Crest). Often I am able to get deodorant for 25 cents and again, it is donated. I am always on the hunt for bargains that can translate into donations to those in need.

Click on the coupon label on my blog and you will see my posts on how I coupon and organize my coupons.

When I was growing up, my mom had a substantial pantry. She would always keep replenishing her pantry as she used things up. A month’s supply of bread was purchased at a day old bread outlet and stored in the freezer. My dad loved to garden and he grew all our vegetables. We went to farms to pick our own strawberries, blueberries, cherries and apples for mom to can or freeze for later use. My mom also made all of our jams and preserves.

My cousin was a farmer and we were able to purchase a pig and side of beef from him each year.

Why did my parents do this? My dad was a union factory worker. Many times in my childhood he would get laid off or the union would vote to strike. It was the pantry and freezer that kept us fed during those lean weeks/months. One time he was on strike for 9 months and there was no income. They never fell behind in the mortgage and we always had food to eat.

They were prepared. I equate it to the story of Joseph in the Bible. My parents stored up in the times of plenty to be prepared for the times of famine. They knew that hard times could happen at any time.

When I was working full time, I never thought about stocking up on sale items. I was too busy to think about it and frankly I felt it was easier to go to the store without a list and buy what I felt we needed.

In the months prior to becoming unemployed, I decided that I needed to put the pantry principle into action. At that time (February of 2009) I signed up for a membership in the Grocery Game. This site takes your local grocery store sales flyer and lets you know when the sale shows a rock bottom price and it also will show any coupon from the newspaper that you should use with that sale price. I easily recouped the $1.25 per week for the cost of the membership. I recently cancelled my membership as I no longer need this service. I now know when a sale price is the best price.

Canned fruits, vegetables, peanut butter, condiments and more

I had a freezer with some meat in it when I started out. I also had some canned goods (about 1 shelf) and some baking and cereal products. Because I knew I had about two weeks of groceries on hand already, I started out by buying only the deals that were on sale that week and worth stocking up. My grocery budget each week was $80 and I continued to use that amount of money to buy stockpiled items and whatever else I needed. Some weeks I spent less and when I did spend less, I saved the money for when I knew I would need more money – the holiday time. During the holidays there are some of the greatest sales of the year going on and I definitely wanted the extra money for stocking up at that time.

Many people that are starting out in stockpiling take some extra money and divert it to the grocery budget so that they can get a good start. My personal opinion is that you can start small – with an extra $10 a week and begin your stockpiling journey. You don’t have to take stockpiling to the level that I have taken it. Do what is comfortable and what you can manage.

In upcoming posts I will tackle the following:  Knowing when a sale is really a great stock up sale, a place to put your items and a system to keep track of your pantry and freezer items.