To Market, To Market We Go!

How many of you had ‘Saving more money’ as a resolution? I’ll admit I didn’t, but it's not too late to get down to business! There are other ways of saving money besides sticking it in our underwear drawer or under the mattress, or even directly into the bank. One of the most flexible areas to save is - food!  Anyone that has shopped for groceries the past few months has probably noticed that the register total is higher. I hate to repeat bad news- but it's going to get worse. All signs point to higher prices on corn based products, sugar, wheat, milk, and meats.  So what can we do now, knowing that time is running out for us to really rethink our food purchases? What is an obvious way to save on food?                                                          

 Eat at home!

 

But it doesn’t save money if you’re buying prepacked, prepared foods. To save the most you need to… it’s hard to say it, you need to… cook from scratch! There! It’s not so hard! Everyone can cook from scratch, but you have to be set up and have supplies ready-
Here are some ideas to get you started!

• Cook from scratch - It’s a lot cheaper to store basic ingredients than to keep prepacked, processed foods on the shelf. Boxes of mac and cheese? Rice-a-Roni? Or, please say you don't...Hamburger Helper? Ok- a few won't hurt, remember though, these seem cheap when you’re buying them, but in the long run, taste- wise, nutrition-wise, and penny-wise, they aren’t that great of a value.  

• Stock your pantry - Make sure your pantry includes the ingredients you need to make quick, simple meals or baked treats- you’ll be less tempted to run out for fast food or go shopping for something chocolately and gooey! Keep an assortment of foods, but always keep the basics you will turn to often. Decide what you use regularly, what you seem to run out of fastest, and make a list of what you already have. Then make your pantry shopping list accordingly. A good rule of thumb is to always have another of whatever you have open. Strive to have at least a three day supply of food for each family member, and maybe one extra!  Here are a few websites with more information and checklists on stocking your pantry: myrecipes list, mealtime.org list, and an informative article at the Organized Home.
• Do I really need this? - Many people like to cook and eat gourmet, but that isn’t always cheap. Try to figure out ways to be creative and ‘gourmet’ with the staples you have in your pantry and some seasonings. You may decide to keep a few non-typical staples that you use less frequently; in my pantry I found pomegranate vinegar, capers, and Thai fish sauce! Don’t give up trying new foods altogether, there are always store specials and coupons, but it’s a good time to get over being a food "snob".
 
Plan meals – This is huge! Besides allowing you to buy foods when they are on sale or in season, it also lets you make the most of left-overs and saves time and money.

• Plan your shopping – Yes, it’s true- never shop on an empty stomach! Also, shop on the outside edges of the market- that’s usually where the fresh items are and you avoid the prepackaged stuff. And most important- make and use a shopping list; try this Ultimate Grocery List - and stick to it!                             

We can't control the prices of food in the stores, but we can 

control how much we need of it and how best to use it.

Take charge of your kitchen - and save money!

Food Storage and Changing Resolutions!

So is it too late- I mean, to change my New Year resolutions?! I'm hoping that if I change or add any before the end of January that will be okay- right? I want to change 'learn a new skill' to 'improving or mastering a skill I already have.' That's an acceptable swap I think! 
Speaking of resolutions- I just read an awesome post about one couples food storage. It was for a six month's supply of dry bulk goods for two people. Their approach was ingenuous, yet practical. I've been trying to analyze and look at how other people do their storage, and then I found this blog! It's so simple and it makes sense! I just like everything about his approach.
Don't get me wrong- all the cool food storage that other people do is great- but something about how this couple did theirs really works for me. So click here to go to the post on his "Living Prepared" blog and read how he did it. There are also some really good recipes he has developed to use his stored foods. 
Speaking of food storage...it doesn't do any good unless you learn how to use it and use it regularly. Make sure now that you can live on what you have stored. So take stock of what you do have and start making weekly menus to include it. Check out this blog, "My Year Living on Food Storage"" She also has lots of great recipes and ideas!   
(P.S. - I am not affiliated with either of the blogs mentioned above and have only reviewed their food storage and recipe posts.) 
As for my own attempts at food storage- last week I canned Chicken! I'll share how to can meats in another post- but I'm excited to say - It's not as hard as you think!

New Year- Same Goals!

Do you try to come up with inspired New Year resolutions year after year? Sometimes I think I should try to come up with unique ideas each year, but the realist in me always falls back on the same handful of goals: work on my food storage, get organized, complete unfinished projects, lose weight, and learn a new skill. Doesn’t sound very exciting does it?

The difference is this year I’m going to start off by double-dipping! In order to work on my food storage I need to do some organizing, which is a project I have started several times- so three goals are getting check marks! All of my goals are important to me, but to stay functional I need to focus on only a few at a time. So the weight loss and new skill will probably be on next year’s list- again!

Food storage is first on the list because it looks like hard times are not going away anytime soon. According to magazines from the Christian Science Monitor to Successful Farming, global competition for commodities will cause cost increases to food in the United States. Flooding has devastated much of Pakistan and Australia, where we import beef from. Droughts in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Russia wiped out wheat and barley crops. Romania and Poland had too much rain and France, Germany, and the UK were too dry.

So what does that have to do with us? The United States grows enough for it's own use, right? Umm, not exactly. We heavily export and import grains so any global shortages affect us also. Asia imports soybeans and corn from the U.S. The price of corn is skyrocketing and cattle raised here eat that corn, so the price of domestic beef will go up. Australia also exports the world's wool. The sheep were lost in the floods so wool prices will be higher- meaning people will look for cheaper fibers, like cotton. That means everything from clothing to upholstery and cotton balls. (If you use cotton balls- store them!) There are also shortages of corn, sugar, rice, and wheat. The United States Department of Agriculture has announced that harvest will be short for the next two seasons.

Sorry for the discouraging words- but these are the days and times we have been warned about. Whatever we can store now will save money and give peace of mind.

To finish off our new start- besides food, other basic needs are water, water, and water. Also, paper goods such as toilet paper.

Water has been discussed here before, but the importance needs to be stressed again. Many of us have dehydrated foods in our food storage which must be re-hydrated to safely use; to re-hydrate requires water. So at the top of your food storage list put WATER- at least one gallon per person per day.

I like using toilet paper better than newspaper- I’ve never used newspaper, but I’m pretty sure I don’t like it! I imagine most of you feel the same way- So whenever TP is on sale- buy it. You can figure out how much you need by figuring one roll per person per week. Or, write the date on the side of the package when you open it and see how long it takes you to use it. Do this for at least 3 months, get the average and then calculate for a year. Paper doesn’t go bad, and you can never have too much. Store it under beds, in closets, in car trunks, etc.
Another option is to stock up on bleach and cut up washable material, like from old t-shirts. Use and treat in the same way as cloth baby diapers. It’s softer, economical and environmentally friendly. You can make a complete switch or you can use traditional toilet paper in some instances, such as for guests!

These are just some things to be thinking about and acting upon. Follow along with me as I work on my resolutions! I’ll share what I learn and do - please share your ideas and achievements also!