Self-Reliance and Dressing For Less

So far on this blog I have focused solely on gathering food for our families. Today I want to focus on another area of self-reliance, and that is the managing of money and using our resources wisely. In the January visiting teaching message Sister Beck says,

"Self-Reliance means using all of our blessings from Heavenly Father to care for ourselves and our families and to find solutions for our own problems. Each of us has a responsibility to try to avoid problems before they happen and to learn to over come challenges when they occur.....

"How do we become self-reliant? We become self-reliant through obtaining sufficient knowledge, education, and literacy; by managing money and resources wisely, being spiritually strong, preparing for emergencies and eventualities; and by having physical health and social and emotional well being"

After reading that quote I realized that there is much more to self-reliance than just having food and supplies stored away. There are other areas that we need to focus on as well, money and budgeting being one area.

One way to save a lot of money is to shop smart when you buy clothing. In the April's Ensign I found a great article by Jane Choate called "Dress For Less". I think next to clipping coupons this is my next favorite obsession. Jane lists 8 great ways to save money and providing clothing for your family on a budget.

1. Learn to sew and mend.
2. Swap
3. Put the word out (Let family and friends know that you would love clothing they aren't using anymore.
4. Sell used clothing (Consignment Shops, Online)
5. Be thrifty (shop thrift stores and garage sales)
6. Cyber-shop (there are many online deals and sales)
7. Shop outlet malls and discount stores.
8. Get on the mailing lists of your favorite store.

As you can see there are many ways to save on clothing. We are lucky here in Utah in that we have great thrift stores. Deseret Industries is like a treasure hunt and I have found many items of clothing for my children and myself there. I also utilize consignment stores. A wonderful children's store "Kid To Kid" allows you to make some money by selling your gently used items. I also sell clothing that I don't use to a consignment store. It is really easy and I can rotate my wardrobe without spending a ton of money.

Number 8 on the list above is probably your best money saving idea. Save all store coupons that you get in the mail or online. Wait for an end of season sale and combine that with your coupon and you have a recipe for amazing savings. Old Navy is notorious for their clearance sales and combing the clearance with a store coupon allows me to buy a year ahead for my children without spending retail prices. That is just one example and many stores have great sales. Keep your eyes open and a lot of times patience really pays off!

MARCH GOALS: IT IS THE LAST WEEK OF MARCH. HAVE YOU COMPLETED THIS MONTHS GOALS?

STORAGE GOALS: MEATS AND FROZEN FOODS. We are in luck this month because there is a lot of meat on sale and also some frozen veggies on sale. Look at your 3 month menu plan and purchase the amount of meat that you will use. Keep in mind freezer space and your budget. Meat will stay good in the freezer for up to 1 year if it is frozen properly. Using a Food Saver machine will help in keeping your meat fresh while in the freezer. It sucks all the air out to lessen the chance of freezer burn. Look over the grocery list as there a few frozen deals.

NON-FOOD GOAL: TOILET PAPER AND PAPER TOWEL. These are 2 items that I personally do not want to be out of. If you don't know how much your family uses try this. For 1 week put all toilet paper tubes in a container and add it up, multiply by 4 to get a rough monthly estimate and then you'll know about how much your family uses. I also want to include napkins in this months goal. I buy our napkins at Big Lots for $1.00 a package.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY!
ENJOY THE BLESSINGS!
FEEL THE PEACE!

Storing Non-Food Essentials

How is everyone doing with their food storage? We are almost complete with our 3rd month and I hope you are able to see the benefits of having a full pantry. I was thinking this week about our goal of paper towel, napkins, and toilet paper and it made me think of all the non-food items that we need to store. I found a great list and thought I would share. I am not sure of the origin of this paper so I apologize to the author.

Non-Food Essentials Checklist

• PAPER PRODUCTS (TOILET PAPER, PAPER TOWELS, FACIAL TISSUE,ETC)
• PLASTIC BAGS RANGING FROM FOOD STORAGE SIZE TO TRASH SIZE
• SOAPS AND DETERGENTS (HAND SOAP, DISHWASHER DETERGENT, DISINFECTANT, LAUNDRY POWDER,ETC.)
• TOOTHPASTE AND TOOTHBRUSHES
• FEMININE HYGIENE SUPPLIES
• SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER, LOTION
• BABY DIAPERS AND WIPES
• FLASHLIGHTS AND EXTRA BATTERIES
• MATCHES
• CANDLES
• PAPER, PENS, PENCILS
• DUCT TAPE, STRING, CORD, ROPE
• ARMY KNIFE
• SCISSORS
• SUNSCREEN, ALOE VERA
• SIX MONTH SUPPLY OF PRESCRIPTION MEDS AND OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATION
• TOWELS, WASHCLOTHS, CLEANING RAGS
• BLANKETS AND OTHER BEDDING
• BANDAGES OF VARIOUS SIZES AND ANTIBACTERIAL OINTMENT
• FIRST AID SUPPLIES
• CLOTHING (Most of us could go a year without clothing, but make sure each family member has adequate cold weather clothing and sufficient socks and underwear)
• HAND CRANK WHEAT GRINDER

As we plan home storage for the security of our families the following areas need to be addressed:
Water for 2 weeks
Basic foods that would keep your family alive if there was nothing else to eat.
A financial reserve.
Additional food items that we are accustomed to eating.
Items for meeting specific and unusual emergency situations.
MARCH GOALS:

STORAGE GOALS: MEATS AND FROZEN FOODS. We are in luck this month because there is a lot of meat on sale and also some frozen veggies on sale. Look at your 3 month menu plan and purchase the amount of meat that you will use. Keep in mind freezer space and your budget. Meat will stay good in the freezer for up to 1 year if it is frozen properly. Using a Food Saver machine will help in keeping your meat fresh while in the freezer. It sucks all the air out to lessen the chance of freezer burn. Look over the grocery list as there a few frozen deals.

NON-FOOD GOAL: TOILET PAPER AND PAPER TOWEL. These are 2 items that I personally do not want to be out of. If you don't know how much your family uses try this. For 1 week put all toilet paper tubes in a container and add it up, multiply by 4 to get a rough monthly estimate and then you'll know about how much your family uses. I also want to include napkins in this months goal. I buy our napkins at Big Lots for $1.00 a package.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY!
ENJOY THE BLESSINGS!
FEEL THE PEACE!

Freezer Meals

Wouldn't it be nice to come home from work or from running kids around and have a warm dinner waiting for you? Freezing dinners gives you the convenience of being gone up to dinner time and still get a warm meal on the table. Most days I am so exhausted and don't have the energy to cook and pulling a thawed meal from the fridge and just cooking it makes my day.



Deanna Buxton is the author of "Dinner Is Ready" ( and she put together the World Wide Ward Cookbook) and she shares how to cook 30 meals in one day. That may sound really difficult but it can be done. All it takes is a little organization and preparation and freezer space. I am not asking any of you to do this, I just wanted to throw the idea out there and let you know of Deanna's book. I have done the 30 meals in a day a couple times and it is wonderful.

What is freezer worthy? Deanna lists several foods that do not freeze well or need special preparation. Potatoes, unless they are hash browns, should not be frozen. Vegetables do soften during freezing and if you are using fresh vegetables they need to be blanched first. If you are adding buttered crumbs or french fried onions add them at baking time or they will get soggy. Pasta can be frozen, but you need to undercook it by 2 minutes. Pasta continues to absorb moisture during freezing and thawing. Anything with gelatin should not be frozen.

I like to use the disposable foil baking pans and gallon size freezer zip lock bags to freeze my dinners. You will also need to use heavy freezer foil to cover the foil pans. And don't forget to label each meal before it goes into the freezer. I like to add the temperature and how long to cook the food. Thaw all food in the fridge. It may take up to 2 days to fully thaw some dinners, so plan ahead if you can. Don't mess with any pasta dish until it is fully thawed or you may get pasta mush.

Onto the recipes. These are a few of my favorites from Deanna's book "Dinner Is Ready".

Cream Cheese Chicken
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1 stick of butter (or use 1/2 chicken broth)
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8oz cream cheese

Turn your crock pot on high and melt butter. Add salad dressing mix and stir. Cut chicken into 1" strips and place in crock pot and stir to coat. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. Remove the chicken to cool and add soup and cream cheese to crock pot. Stir to melt and mix until creamy. Remove sauce from crock pot and allow to cool. Place everything a freezer bag. Label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw and heat until piping hot and bubbly. Serve over mashed potatoes, rice or butter noodles.


Taco Pie
1 lb ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 package taco seasoning
1 4oz can sliced olives
1 8oz can tomato sauce
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
1 C refried beans
1 10 1/2oz package corn chips, crushed
1 C sour cream

Brown groudn beef with onion. Add taco seasoning, olives and tomato sauce. Flatten crescent roll dough and press onto bottom of foil baking pan. Heat refried beans and mix with 2 T of water to make spreadable. Spread over crust. Top with 1 C of cheese. Cover crust with half of the crushed corn chips. Spoon meat mixture over corn chips. Cover with sour cream. Sprinkle with remaining 1 C cheese. To with remaining corn chips. Cover with heavy foil. Label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw and bake uncovered 45 minutes at 375.

This week I challenge you to double one of your dinners and put the extra dinner in the freezer for another meal down the road. Don't forget to add some meat and frozen food to your 3-month supply.
MARCH GOALS:

STORAGE GOALS: MEATS AND FROZEN FOODS. We are in luck this month because there is a lot of meat on sale and also some frozen veggies on sale. Look at your 3 month menu plan and purchase the amount of meat that you will use. Keep in mind freezer space and your budget. Meat will stay good in the freezer for up to 1 year if it is frozen properly. Using a Food Saver machine will help in keeping your meat fresh while in the freezer. It sucks all the air out to lessen the chance of freezer burn. Look over the grocery list as there a few frozen deals.

NON-FOOD GOAL: TOILET PAPER AND PAPER TOWEL. These are 2 items that I personally do not want to be out of. If you don't know how much your family uses try this. For 1 week put all toilet paper tubes in a container and add it up, multiply by 4 to get a rough monthly estimate and then you'll know about how much your family uses. I also want to include napkins in this months goal. I buy our napkins at Big Lots for $1.00 a package.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY!
ENJOY THE BLESSINGS!
FEEL THE PEACE!

March-Frozen Food Month

Welcome to March! I can't believe how fast this year is going already. It's a new month and time for a new food storage goal. Did you know that March is National Frozen Food Month? So guess what we are going to stock up on this month? Look over your 3 month menu plan (click HERE to learn more) and see what foods you use that could be frozen.

If you looked in my freezer right now, which needs organized, you would find lot's of chicken, butter, yeast, vegetables, pureed beans (oil substitute for brownies), cheese, rolls, bread, tomato paste (I don't use the whole can at once), diced green chilies, pizza dough, a few freezer meals, sandwich meat, yogurt (to use as a starter for making yogurt), and many other foods. There are many items that you can store but remember to have an alternate storing method in case the electricity goes out. I also bottle my chicken and it stays shelf stable for years and having a can or two of dehydrated fruits and vegetables will be great if there was no power.

One way to keep the price down on frozen foods is to purchase produce when they are on sale and freeze them yourself. Chopped onions are a time saver and fruit for smoothies are so much cheaper than buying them fresh when you need them. I bought a Food Saver last year and have loved being able to preserve my food and know it won't get freezer burn.
Check Amazon.com and ebay.com for great deals on Food Savers.

MARCH GOALS:

STORAGE GOALS: MEATS AND FROZEN FOODS.  Look at your 3 month menu plan and purchase the amount of meat that you will use. Keep in mind freezer space and your budget. Meat will stay good in the freezer for up to 1 year if it is frozen properly. Using a Food Saver machine will help in keeping your meat fresh while in the freezer. It sucks all the air out to lessen the chance of freezer burn.

NON-FOOD GOAL: TOILET PAPER AND PAPER TOWEL. These are 2 items that I personally do not want to be out of. If you don't know how much your family uses try this. For 1 week put all toilet paper tubes in a container and add it up, multiply by 4 to get a rough monthly estimate and then you'll know about how much your family uses.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY!
ENJOY THE BLESSINGS!
FEEL THE PEACE!!