Grocery Deals & Food Storage Excuses

It's Wednesday and that means new deals for us to find. The prices listed are the great sale prices for this week and are stock up prices. Find what items are on your meal list and stock up. Try to get a 3 month supply for at least one ingredient. I abbreviate some terms, here is the guide:

PP=how many you need per person per year
PF=how many you need per family per year
PP/Month=how many you need per person per month
WF=western family brand


**These deals are from 2009
Smiths

• Campbells Chicken Noodle, Tomato soup 2/$1
• 7-up products Buy 4 get 1 Free = .80 each (great to have on hand for sickness)
• Colgate toothbrush/toothpaste .94
• Kroger butter $1.66
• Kroger Ketchup 36oz. $1.09 (25 bottles PF)
• Large eggs 18ct $1.50
• Kroger apple juice 64oz. 4/$5
• Kraft Mac' n Cheese 2/$1 (40lbs of grains PP)
• Kroger instant oatmeal 4/$5 (20lbs of oats PP)
• Kroger assorted cereals up to 14oz. .99 (10 boxes PP)
• John Morrell spiral cut half ham $1.99lb (freeze up to 1 year- 1lb PP/Month)
• Tyson Boneless, skinless chicken breasts $1.79lb. (1lb. PP/Month)
• La Banderita flour tortillas 8ct. $1
• Smiths buttertop white or wheat bread 4/$5
• Cottonelle bath tissue 24 rolls $5.99
• Kroger peanut butter 18oz. 4/$5 (4 jars PP)
• Red/Green Seedless grapes .89lb
• Tomatoes on the vine .99lb

Albertsons

• Propel fitness water .47 (great to have on hand for sickness)
• Lean fround beef 96% lean 1lb. chub buy 1 get 1 free 2/$4.79 (freeze up to 1 yr)
• Keebler snack crackers up to 16oz. 2/$4 (1st 2)
• Nabisco Crackers up to 16oz. $1.75 each when you buy 4

Reams

• WF cottage cheese 16oz .88
• Boneless, skinless chicken breats $1.39lb (sold in family packs) (freeze up to 1 yr)
• Colgate toothpaste .99
• Mennen speedstick deodarant .99
• Apples, red/goldes/gala/washington .69lb
• Avocados .50
• Celery .69 each
• Green peppers .50
• Yellow onion .39lb

Harmons

• WF Cake mix .79 (10-15 PP)
• Sour Cream 16oz. $1
• 7-up products 2 liter .79 (great to have on hand for sickness)
• V05 shampoo/conditioner 15oz. .69
• Fresh broccoli/cauliflower .58lb
• Green bell peppers 2/.98

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses............
One of the excuses that people have for not having their food storage is that they can't afford it. I am here to tell you that you CAN afford it.

• Eat out less
• Take advantage of sales
• No impulse buying
• Cook from scratch (anything a manufacturer can make, so can you)
• Plan menus!!
• Entertainment: stay home, use the library, buy second hand
• Keep your car longer
• Have a money jar for spare change (cash in the change and use for your 72-hour kit or to buy food storage items)
• Be Thankful: if you are constantly thinking of things you have to have you won't appreciate what you are blessed with.

Most of us DO have money we could channel into food storage but without focus it is all too easy for the money to slip through our fingers. Keep this in mind: (all the cans are #10 cans size)

• magazine subscriptons for a year can be around $40=1 year supply of canned spaghetti
• Wii games are $49.99=6 cans of sugar, 6 cans of pinto beans & 3 cans of oats
• Movie tickets for 1 child and 1 adult (no snacks) $17.50= 6 cans of potato flakes
• DVD's cost $19.99=7 cans of white rice
• CD's cost $14.99 (average)=8 cans Hard Red Wheat
• Red Lobster dinner for 2 $50= 9 cans of apple slices
• New hardcover books $17-$25= 6 cans macaroni

Just keep in mind where the money spent is going and think of some alternative ways to find the items that you feel you have to have. Renting dvd's and borrowing movies and cd's from the library are some options. If you make your food storage a priority you will find ways to finance it. I love this quote: "The money slips through our fingers as we munch our way through life's countless Burger-McWendy's or avert out attention from the fact that PayPal really isn't always our pal". All we have to do is to decide, commit to it, and then keep the commandment. Blessings and miracles will happen!

Water & Wheat-Week 2

Welcome to week 2 of the preparedness blog. To review, last weeks challenge was to gather water containers and collect 2 gallons per person. (Click HERE to view the post on water) This week you need to keep up the water storage and collect 2 more gallons per person.

72-Hour Kits
If you look on the right side of the blog I have listed many items for your 72-hour kits. Check it out and compare the list to what you have already. In the last Newsletter handed out in Church everyone who didn't have a container for their kits were to aquire one. If you had a container already then a set of scriptures were to be added to your kit. This week add:

• An extra set of house keys. If you can't find them on a daily basis, it will give you peace of mind to know you have a set of keys in an emergency.


• A can of soup for every person. Progresso soups, and Campbells Soup at Hand are on sale at Albertson's for $1.00 until Tuesday the 29th.

3 Month Supply

• You should have made your menu plan of 1 (or more) weeks worth of meals, and the ingredients should be listed so now all you have to do is go to the store. (Click HERE to review the 3 month supply ideas) and Click HERE to view an example of a menu and ingredient list.

• This week you will need to watch the sales and purchase enough of one item for your 3 month supply.  Purchase large amounts only if your budget allows, do what works for you.


• If your budget allows and the items that you use are a really great price, stock up on a few items.
• Don't forget non-food items. Watch for your favorite items to go on sale.

Long Term Storage- WHEAT

• Every adult needs 100lbs of wheat for a year long storage. Wheat lasts forever(30+ years) if stored properly, #10 cans kept in a cool, dry place.
 

• Sometime in the month of October find the wheat that works for you and your budget and purchase at least 50lbs.


• I keep my wheat in 5 gallon buckets with gamma lids. I can easily unscrew the lids and get the wheat out. No prying off lids. I also prefer hard white wheat for making bread.

This weeks challenge in review:

1. 2 gallons of water per person
2. Extra set of house keys (72- hour kit)
3. Can of soup for each person (72-hour kit)
4. Find 50lbs of wheat in October

Cooking With Food Storage
Once you have all your wheat, what do you do besides make bread? Here are a few ideas.

Crazy Whole Wheat Muffins (The Essential Food Storage Cookbook)

• We love these and they freeze very well . They are so easy and require all food storage ingredients.
  
  1/2 C Oil
  1 C. brown sugar
  1 t baking soda
  1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
  1 t cinnamon
  
  
  Preheat oven to 375. Mix ingredients together and pour into muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes (8 min. for mini muffins)

Sprouted Wheat (Increases vitamin, mineral and nutritional value of wheat)

• Place 3T of hard wheat in a jar
• Cover with water and let soak 6 hours
• Place nylon or light screen on top of bottle and tighten down with ring
• Pour water off, rinse, and pour off again
• Place bottle in dark warm cupboard on its side
• The wheat should sprout in 2-3 days (rinse and drain each day)
• When small sprout begins to show: rinse, drain, and store in fridge in closed plastic container.
• Wheat sprouts should be harvested before the first leaves are fully developed and the root is only as long as the seed. Otherwise, they will become tough.

Note: The sprouting process continues a little even while stored in the fridge.

::Even if your food storage does not contain a lot of vegetables, the sprouted wheat will give you essential vitamins and minerals. After the wheat is sprouted it is considered a fresh vegetable. When sprouted, wheat also contains vitamins A & C!

Water Storage-Week 1

We all know we need water and lots of it. The Church recommends 14 gallons per person in your home. It is best to have 2-3 sources of water in your home. I have everything from a 55 gallon to small water bottles and they are in different storage places. If we needed to evacuate I don't think any of us could carry a 55 gallon water container. The Dollar Store sells 1 gallon bottles of water and they even have a little handle attatched to the top. I have some of these for our 72 hour kits. We could grab them and take them with us. 
 
Remember that you will need water for cleaning and bathing. I use old juice and soda bottles to store water. Here are some guidelines for storing water:

CONTAINERS

Use only food grade containers. Check the bottom of the bottles to see if it says PETE (or PET). That means the bottle is safe for water storage and won't break down.

• Don't use milk cartons to store water. They degrade over time and no one wants to clean up water that has escaped its container.


• Clean and sanitize your bottles. 1 teaspoon of bleach to 1 quart water will clean out those juice bottles.


• Do not use bottles previously used as NON-food containers.


• Use only clear soda bottles for drinking. Use the colored bottles for cleaning water as the colored bottles may leak dye into your water.

WATER PRETREATMENT

• Water from our chlorinated supply does not need further treatment when stored in clean, food grade (PETE) containers.

STORAGE

• Containers should be emptied and refilled about once a year if they have been in the sun or in areas where the temperatures fluctuate.


• Store the containers where leakage won't damage your home.
• Protect your stored water from light and heat. Some containers may burst if frozen.


• Mark the container with the date. If you want to refill and rotate them on a regular basis.  I only rotate the water that I have outside.


• If water tastes stale, pour it between two containers to get air into it.

If you do need to purify your water follow the amounts below.

Bleach Purification
1 quart of water 2 drops of bleach (1/8 t is equal to 8 drops of bleach)
1 gallon of water 8 drops of bleach
5 gallons of water 1/2 teaspoon of bleach
If your water is cloudy you will need to double the amount of bleach. One gallon of bleach per person is needed in your storage. (it does expire...rotate after 8-12 months. write the date on the bottle when you buy it)



Everyone has a goal this week to collect containers or purchase water containers. Have at least 2 gallons of water per person in your home. Even if you have a 55 gallon container you will need smaller containers. Every week you will need to add to this storage until you have 14 gallons per person. For my family we have 7 people and the 55 gallon container will only give everyone 7 gallons of water. Can one have too much water? I know I don't want to go thirsty. :)



The water container pictures are from emergencyessentials.com and shelfreliance.com You can order the containers from them as well.

3 Month Supply and Case Lot Deals

 The Church strongly encourages us to all have a 3 month supply of food. Take note that 3 months is the time frame of a quarantine. Hmmmm.....If we were to be quarantined in our homes for 6-8 weeks, and we were all prepared, then we could feed our families and have the necessary non-food items at our finger tips. When our 3 month supply is complete we are encouraged to keep adding to our food storage until it becomes a year supply. So....how exactly do we get a 3 month supply?

1. Start with meal planning. Plan a week's worth of breakfasts, lunches and dinners and write them all down. Make 2 columns, in the first column list the ingredient. The next column lists how much of that item is needed for each meal. (If 4 different meals contain rice, write down the amount for each meal and add them up)
2. Now you know how much food you need to make these meals one time. For a 3 month supply, multiply the amount by 13. Now you have the amounts needed for 7 days worth of food (repeated) for 3 months.
3. I personally have 5 weeks worth of meals planned out because a lot of dinners contain similar ingredients and can be switched around to seem different. Plan as many meals as you would like to have in rotation.
4. Now that you have your list of ingredients you also have your shopping list. When the items on your list go on sale you need to buy your 3 month supply amount, or as many as your budget allows. As time goes on and different sales happen, you will accumulate all the items on your list. (Sales rotate about every 3 months)
5. Once your list is complete and all the items are in your home you need to USE them. The meals that you planned should be meals that you already enjoy. And since you are using your storage and replenishing the items when they go on sale, nothing is wasted.
6. I took this one step further and keep enough food for a years worth of my meals. Once you get into the swing of things with your 3 month storage a years worth isn't so daunting.

One of the reasons I started this blog was to help you find the items that you need for your 3 month supply AT a great price. I will list sales and prices when I feel they are a great deal, so you can choose which items work for your menu. If planning many meals and calculating seems too daunting then some items such as canned soup, stews, chili, and other items that have a great shelf life need to be in your house.  I love this quote....."If you want to save money, then you're gonna have to learn how to cook". I believe in making a lot of my family's food from scratch and that also saves my family money. Having basic baking items is a big part of food storage and if your meals have side dishes of muffins or breads, I encourage you to know how to make them from scratch and not only from a mix.

September through December are the months to purchase food storage items. These months include the biggest holidays for baking and cooking and sales coincide with those ingredients, like sugar, flour, chocolate chips, and oil. September is case lot month in Utah, and October-December are baking item sales galore. For example, canned pumpkin goes on sale in November and you won't find it on sale for the rest of the year.  Stock up when food items are at their lowest price point!!  Come January your pantry will be ready for any situation and you will have the peace of mind that you have prepared and can handle a difficult situation.

WELCOME!

I am so excited to begin this journey of emergency preparedness and food storage. I believe so strongly in preparing for whatever may come. I want to be obedient and I believe this work is so important. I have so many thoughts and ideas that I thought a Ward blog may help those who are interested in creating or building their home storage.

I will post ideas, recipes, prepardness tips and I can link you to wonderful articles and ideas from others on the web.

We will "Begin in a small way,....and gradually 

build toward a reasonable objective."

Gordon B. Hinckley -Oct. 2002