Self-Reliant Saturday-- Don't Forget The Flavor In Your Food Storage!

Summer is here and that means BBQ's, picnics, and outdoor fun!  This is also the perfect time to stock up on all the foods that go along with those cook-outs.  Watch the grocery ads for ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, bbq sauce, relish, mayo, and spices.  These types of foods add flavor to your cooking.  Basic food storage will only be tolerated for so long by a hungry family.  Don't forget to stock up on the condiments and spices that add flavor to your food storage!  Paper products like plates, bowls, napkins, cups, plastic utensils, and paper towels are also on sale.  Who wants to do dishes in an emergency?!  Your challenge is to stock up now while the prices are LOW!

 And don't forget about all the camping deals out there. Take advantage of the great prices on tents, camp stoves, sleeping bags, and all the gear that goes along with camping.  Restock your 72-hour kits and car kits with camping tools, gloves, collapsible shovels, tarps, etc.  Father's Day and Fourth of July sales are the best time to purchase larger items for a great price.  Sometimes you can find great deals at the end of the summer season, but if you really need a tent and find a great price, buy it!

Paper Goods

Today is the last day of July. How did you all do on gathering water, oils/fats, paper goods, and charcoal? If you read this entry early enough you could still run to the store and purchase some of these items. I found some great facts on paper goods:

-Paper goods store indefinitely. You can store them in hot places like garages, attics,etc.

-In an emergency paper goods will become a necessity.

-You can barter with paper goods.

-Paper goods are easily disposed off if trash collection halts. Just toss them in the fire.

-Coffee filters are cheap and can be used for sandwich holders or small bowls to hold snacks. (the Dollar Store and Big Lots carry these)

There are 273 meals in 3 months. If one person uses one bowl a day that equals 91 bowls. There are 182 meals left after breakfast and that means you will need 182 plates per person if you are only using paper goods. That is a lot of paper goods. It really adds up when you do the math. I know it isn't the most "green" thing to do, but in an emergency I don't think too many people are going to be thinking about recycling.


July Goals:

WATER: Store 14 gallons per person for a 2 week supply. This is the bare minimum for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. I would recommend storing water everywhere you can think of, under stairs, in the car, storage rooms, under beds,etc. Use soda bottles, laundry detergent bottles (for cleaning water) and any other container with the word "PETE" on the bottom of it. That means is will hold up over time and is safe to store water in.

OILS/FATS: Store 25lbs of oils and fats per person for a year storage. This includes mayonnaise,butter, oils, peanut butter, salad dressings, and shortening. Stock up this month while the prices are lower, watch for sales on ketchup and mustard as well.

NON-FOOD STORAGE: This month we are storing paper goods, which includes: paper plates, bowls, cups, utensils & napkins. I priced these items this week and found some great deals.
Big Lots:
paper plates 60ct $1.00
plastic cups 54ct $1.50
napkins 100ct $1.00
spoons 48ct $1.00

Dollar Store
forks 48ct $1.00
bowls 36ct $1.00

Both stores have great prices, make sure to watch the size of the product you are buying. Big Lots has a 36ct forks package for $1.30 and you get 48 forks for $1.00 at the Dollar Store.

CHARCOAL is our other non-food storage item this month. Store charcoal in 5 gallon buckets to keep it dry, and it will last indefinitely. Watch for charcoal to go on sale throughout the summer months. You will need charcoal to cook meals with especially if you don't have other ways of cooking with out electricity.
To cook 1 hour a day for a year you will need 24 #15 bags of charcoal.

Enjoy the journey!
Enjoy the blessings!
Feel the Peace!