Lessons Learned From a Mini Emergency

I've done several posts recently about being ready for emergencies.  Saturday we experienced a mini emergency. 

I was happily working on a coffee cake.  The oven was preheated.

Folding in the beaten and stiff egg whites.

The lights started flickering and kept flickering.  It was pouring rain outside.  I looked out the  kitchen window and saw that the light pole down the road was leaning and there were sparks of fire at the top of it.

The power completely went out and the picture out the kitchen window escalated into this:

 

Someone crashed into the power pole and it was a major operation to get the pole straightened and the power restored.  The power was off for 5 hours.

Like most people, without power everything comes to a standstill at our house.  What started out as an enjoyable day, staying inside while it rained, turned into a test of our patience!

I wasn't sure what to do with the pan of cake batter ready to go into the oven.   Oven wouldn't work, and the refrigerator door needed to be kept closed .  I had put off finishing a baby quilt that I needed for a baby shower the next day until the afternoon.  hmmm.... sewing machine won't work without power.

Oh, well, nothing to do except make the best of it.  At least we weren't involved in the wreck and didn't have to stand outside in the rain directing traffic, or be the repairmen working on restoring the power.

I didn't get lunch made before the power went out, so we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips.

We couldn't watch TV, so we got out the battery operated radio and listened to some beach music.

We sat on the front porch and watched all the commotion going on, traffic backing up and the rain.  No cars were allowed to go by our house and the view directly in front of the house was a peaceful one.

The power being off for 5 hours is just an inconvenience.  But, it reminded me how much we depend on electricity.  I was so glad to have plenty of bottled water and food that could be eaten without a stove.  But, in this mini emergency, we could have just gotten in the car and driven somewhere until the power came back on.  Would have been a good time to go see a movie, go shopping, or visiting.

I considered this to be a trial run for an extended power outage.  It really made me think.

The coffee cake survived the power outage too!  I put the pan of batter in the refrigerator and then kept the refrigerator door closed until the power came back on.  Then I threw it in the oven.  My crumbly topping sank to the bottom, but it tasted good anyway.

Emergency Preparedness in the Car

Good Morning!

Today I am going to tell you about my continuing efforts to be ready for emergencies.  I have been doing a little bit here and there in the areas of home, car, purse, and work. 

These are the things I have in place in my car now:

5 bottles of water
A tube of snack crackers
2 rolls of toilet paper
1 roll of paper towels
2 old cloth towels
2 wash cloths
1 complete set of clothes
1 pair of sturdy shoes and socks
1 package of baby wipes
A list of phone numbers
2 garbage bags and some plastic grocery bags
Flashlight with extra batteries
Gloves

Some very basic first aid supplies:  (still adding to this)

Bandaids of different sizes
Gauze
Tape for bandages that tears easily
Tweezers
Antiseptic wipes

Need:

New cell phone car charger
Gallon jug of water

I already had this, but there is also a car emergency kit that contains things like jumper cables, gloves, flashlight, flat tire fixer, and more.  My son gave me this a few years ago and it is very nice to have in case of a car breakdown or other problems.

I think the most important thing to have in your car for emergencies is a fully charged cell phone.   I try to get in the habit of charging my phone every day at home.  The car charger that I have doesn't work.  That's a bad thing.  I really need to take care of getting a new one.

If there is a major emergency like a car wreck, either you or somebody else, being able to call for help is the main thing that would be needed.  I don't have the training to start helping somebody who is injured and wouldn't know where to begin.  Visions of pulling someone out of a burning car come to mind, but lets hope and PRAY that this never happens!

We need to make sure that everything is there and in working order in case of a flat tire!  My car has a bag of tools in the glove compartment that would be necessary.  I don't know how to change a tire, but I need to know where everything is!  I'm afraid I would be no help in this area.  Luckily, there are guys who know all about this. 

Keep gas in your car!  Wouldn't it be terrible to have an emergency in the middle of the night and discover that you are almost out of gas.  Enough said!

I also think having a pair of sturdy shoes is important.  What if you had to get out of the car and walk.  Those flip flops, sandals or heels wouldn't be too good for walking through the tall grass on the side of a highway.

The old towels could really come in handy in either a major emergency or just when something has been spilled or a person gets sick to their stomach.  I can think of all kinds of ways that an old towel would come in handy.

I really was able to use the extra set of clothes recently!  On my job, I walk back and forth to the courthouse in the small town I work in.  On this particular day, the bottom fell out (southern expression for a sudden downpour of rain) and even though I had an umbrella, the blowing rain completely soaked me from the knees down.  I literally would have had to go home, if I had not had the extra clothes.  Now mind you, they weren't my normal work attire, but I was able to get through the rest of the day in them.

My point with all this is that a little thought and preparation can make our life easier in small and big emergencies.

The peak part of hurricane season is almost here for our area, so I need to make sure we are up to date on batteries, flashlights, candles, matches.... and all that kind of stuff.

This is a work in progress for me.   I'm still adding to our emergency food, first aid supplies and more, in all areas of our life.

What's in your pocketbook? Purse Size Emergency Supplies

Mine's a mess!  Sometimes that happens.... things get busy and I keep putting things in and never taking anything out.  Stuff going in gets put where ever it will fit.

How could it be so full and still did not contain any emergency toilet paper when I went into the CVS bathroom last week and there wasn't even a TP holder, much less any actually TP?  Well, I did at least have three McDonald's napkins......

Time to organize it a little bit and put in a few emergency items.  I'm not talking about a major emergency, but those small emergencies that us ladies run into from time to time, like there not being any TP in a public restroom.  I also like to have things my hubby, a friend or family member might need.  Its so nice to say, "I've got one of those right here!".

Here are a few things that I like to have in my pocketbook for those occasions:

1.  Enough toilet paper for an emergency.... or two, and of course some regular tissues.

2.  Having an emotional day?  A little bit of makeup will save the day.

3.  Extra deposit and/or withdrawal slips for the bank.

4.  I know we live in a debit/credit card world, but always have some cash on you.

5.  Phone numbers written down on paper.  Nobody knows any phone numbers, even their own, these days.  If my phone isn't working, I wouldn't have a clue what anybody's phone number is.

6.  Pocket size bottles of ibuprofen, Tylenol or other medicine that you sometimes need.  (antacid, anti-diarrhea, etc.)

7.  Breath mints, gum, cough drops, etc.

8.  Some bandaids.  The small first aid kit in a plastic case is also a good place to put my back up pair of contacts since they are protected inside the hard plastic.

9. Extra contact lens, solution, and case.  If you wear contacts, you MUST have a back up pair of glasses with you. 

10.  Nail file and nail clipper.

11.  A few wipes in a small zip lock bag.

12.  Extra car and house key.

13.  Extra Pens and note paper.  I have a small notebook that contains my "lists".

14.  Small sewing kit, safety pins

15.  Hair brush

16.  Feminine supplies, (to suit what ever stage of life you are in), extra pair of undies.

17.  Small flashlight, like a pen light or one of those that hangs on your key chain.

After a little organizing, it looks better!  I made an inventory of what is in there and added some of the things on my list.  I need to pick up few items, such as cough drops and pocket size wipes.

Things I don't have in my purse, but would be nice to have:

1.  Mini umbrella

2.  Spare phone charger

3. Small bottle of water and a small snack of some kind

I would need a bigger bag if I add anything else!

This is a long list, but most of these items don't take up much room.  Some of these items could just be kept in my car.  Usually, wherever the car is, I am... except in the CVS bathroom....

Each person's list would be different based on their own needs.  A mom of a baby would certainly need other things.  If a person has diabetes, their list would contain other necessary items.

But, I know I've forgotten something.  What do you have in your purse that you consider essential?

Re-visiting Emergency Preparedness

I've kept the "Would you be ready for an emergency" post from last week in the back of my mind ever since, and am slowly working on improving our emergency preparedness status.

I bought several of these pocket size first aid kits a few years ago when they were almost free with coupons and extrabucks at CVS.  These are a good start on a first aid kit, but not for a big emergency.  At any rate, I handed one to hubby this morning for his vehicle and I will put one in my vehicle and one in my pocketbook.    Each one contains 2 cleansing wipes, 2 gauzes, and several sizes of bandaids.  That could really come in handy for small cuts or scrapes, etc.  I checked the prices of first aid supplies at CVS and:  number one, they were expensive; number two, I didn't really know what to buy.  I do realize that in an emergency, the correct first aid supplies would be priceless!  So I am going to pursue this until I am satisfied that I have what we need.

I've never been one to purchase much water, because it comes free out of the spigot.  But, I bought one of these last week at CVS, using my 20% off coupon.  Just the Basics Water.... how much more basic can you get than water?  A name brand water, or store brand water.  Is there a difference?  Anyway, a 24 pack of these are on sale this week at CVS for $2.77  So I intend to pick up 1 or 2 more to have on hand.  I also checked the prices of gallon size jugs of water and will be stocking up on some of these as well.

The toilet paper supply is growing.  I'll pick up a Northern TP at CVS this week, on sale, with coupon and extra bucks.

No, I'm not going to stock pile soda for an emergency!  But we are going to store water in the empty 2 liter bottles.  I read the Federal Government's emergency preparedness site and storing water in clean and sanitized soda bottles is ok, but using empty milk jugs is a no no.  I have the perfect spot in the outside storage building for these.

It seems to me that expiration dates of emergency foods is important.  I noticed that the dates on Chex Mix is pretty long.  This bag is good until February 2014.  So, Chex Mix would be a good item to store.  I could just replace them as the expiration date nears.

Another good emergency food, if you like them, is Vienna Sausage.  The expiration date of this pack is about 3 years away. 

I plan to put my emergency foods in a plastic tote of some kind, in an out of the way place like the bottom of my side of the closet, because if they are mixed in with the regular food in the pantry, they will be eaten.

I will be updating this subject more as I go along!   Some topics will be emergency preparedness in the car and in the pocketbook or purse.

Would you be ready in an emergency?

You may have noticed that I've been posting some good deals that I've gotten at CVS and Food Lion lately.  After reading THIS POST  at Backwoods Home Magazine, called "Common Sense Preparedness", I realized I was well on the way to growing an emergency preparedness stockpile. 

But would we really be ready for a major emergency, or even a small one?  Probably not.

Stormy Sky

Reading this article really made me think about being prepared for big emergencies and small ones.  I hadn't thought about having some emergency supplies in the car.  At the very least a couple bottles of water and a snack in the glove compartment would come in handy sometimes.  I need to think about this some more to figure out what would be appropriate to have on hand. 

No matter where you live in this world, there are certain types of emergencies that can happen.  While, it would be rare for us to have a Winter weather emergency as described in the article, it does happen, even here in the Mid-South.   Of more concern in this area would be hurricanes and tornadoes.  Don't even want to think about all the things that could happen like gas shortages, terrorist attacks and the like. 

But, not to make this post all gloom and doom, I thought I'd share some of what we have on hand and what we don't have, but should have.

Toilet Paper:  You can never have too much toilet paper.  At our house, if there isn't at least one unopened large pack of toilet paper on hand, we start to get nervous!  Right now there are 3 packages of Charmin Basic on hand, that I bought at CVS earlier this week.  I took advantage of the Extra Bucks deal where you spend $30.00 on certain items, you get back $10.00 Extra Bucks.  With this deal I bought 3 large packs of Charmin Basic, 2 bottles of Pantene shampoo, 2 bottles of Dawn dish liquid and 1 bottle of Crest ProHealth Rinse.  After coupons and last week's extra bucks, I spent $11.00 out of pocket and got $10.00 back for my next purchase.

At Food Lion this week, large packages of Scott Extra Soft are on sale for $6.99.  Not as cheap as I'd like, but hey, toilet paper isn't cheap any more.  I would never pay the regular price, which is over $10.00 a pack!   I have a Food Lion coupon for $3.00 off  3 packages, so I intend to purchase 3.  I plan to put one of these packages in storage some where and try to forget that I have it.  That way it will be there for an emergency.

Batteries:  My mother bought lots of batteries and had them stored in odd places around her home.  As I was cleaning in her house, I would often come across unopened packs, partially used packs and loose batteries.  I brought them all home, not being sure if they had any life left in them.  Hubby has a little gizmo that checks the strength of batteries.  So, he checked all the batteries and we ended up with a pretty good stash of all sizes of batteries.  It would have been easy to just toss those batteries and assume they weren't any good.  I feel good that we are going to make use of them.

But do we have enough of the correct sizes that fit our radios and flashlights?  Probably not.

 We use rechargeable size AA batteries in the camera and other things that use that size.  This is a real money saver!

Water:  We are very lacking in this area.  We have lots of empty milk jugs and soda bottles that we have filled with water, but those wouldn't be suitable for drinking in an emergency.  So, one of my missions this week is to get some bottled water.  I'll be looking for the best deal.

Canned and other nonperishable foods:  We have a small supply of all this, but I need to look at this some more and I'm sure we need to add to it.  I don't think salad dressing and BBQ sauce count toward emergency preparedness!

After taking a look in the pantry......

I need to make a list of what we would actually use in an emergency and make an effort to stock up on those things when on sale and/or with coupons or extra bucks!

First Aid:  NOT READY!  We only have a some bandaids and are woefully lacking in any real first aid supplies.  ARGH!

So, how do you stand in your emergency preparedness?

I will re-visit this topic next week after doing some more serious looking into what we need to do to have at least a minimum emergency supply.  Of course I need to make a list! 

My Pantry Plan

Question: If for some reason you weren't able to buy food, for what ever reason, how long could you survive?

Lately, I've been feeling the urge to stock our pantry so that we have plenty of food on hand in case of emergency and also to save money. I'm not going to take it to the extreme, but I think having a good supply of food is a smart idea. You never know when hard times will come or an emergency will happen.

I spent some time this week organizing my food storage shelves:

The steps I am taking to achieve a well stocked pantry:

1. Research on line and examine our eating habits to come up with a list of items to buy.

2. Organize the food storage areas that I already have so that the extra food can be stored properly.

3. Be vigilant about stocking up on staples during unbeatable sales, especially if the price can be reduced even further with coupons.

4. Keep an inventory of the pantry so that the oldest food will always be used first and so that I always know what is available for meals.

5. Plan menus and grocery lists around what is in the pantry.

6. Keep a list of recipes that use the pantry staples in many different ways.

7. Continue with my freezer cooking plans.

I don't have a walk in pantry or a basement to store food in, but I can use what I do have to the best of my ability, so that my family will be provided for.

Sorry I don't have any pictures. Camera problems this morning!

Happy Thursday!

Frugal Tip of the Week - One way to Stock the Pantry and Stop the Waste

One way to stock the pantry is to concentrate on one item at a time. Make the decision that each week or each shopping trip, you will buy one or two extras of an item you use all the time. If you aren't too brand loyal, you can buy which ever one is on sale or the least expensive. Finding a coupon for the item makes the process even sweeter.

We did this with coffee recently. I committed to buying one bag of coffee every week for a few weeks. We drink "half caffeine" or "lite" coffee. Food Lion brand is usually the least expensive, but Maxwell House was on sale at Food Lion last week and there was a coupon available. After checking the number of ounces in the containers, I was a little bummed to find that the Food Lion brand coffee only contained 11.5 ounces. So remember to check the size of your products when comparing prices! As you probably already know the manufacturers are reducing sizes of packages without our even realizing it!



This is our lowly coffee maker. It doesn't make the coffee as hot as we like. Especially after adding cold creamer to the cup, we need to heat it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.



One way to make the now stocked up coffee supply last is not to waste it! I noticed that every day I was pouring out old coffee, so now I have reduced the amount of coffee I make each morning. I have been guilty of always making a full pot even on mornings when I am the only one drinking coffee. Its ridiculous to make 10 cups of coffee when only 2 are needed.

After we have stocked up on as much coffee as we think is needed, we will then start stocking up on another item. Not sure which one yet, but will keep you updated on our progress.

Winter Planning

Today our weather will be very summer-like.... Almost 90 degrees! But don't let that fool you. Winter WILL come eventually, even to eastern North Carolina! While, I'll admit that being prepared for winter in our area isn't as important as it would be in .... Alaska, The Northeast or some other colder place, it is still a good idea.

A few ideas:

1. Stock the pantry and freezer. I do this year round, but its very nice on a cold day when I get off work and its already DARK to not have to go to the grocery store. I like to be able to say what my Mama always says, "I can always knock something up to eat from what I've got in the cabinets". Its also good to have canned foods that can be used if the power goes out. We already have manual can openers and most canned foods come with a pop top lid nowadays.

2. Plan cool weather meals like soup, stew, chili, beans, etc. We tend to avoid these foods during the warmer months, but now is the time to start utilizing these delicious, comfort foods. I like to have one of them in the crockpot or on the stove every Saturday during the Fall and Winter months.

3. Be ready in case the power goes out. We get our water from a well and if the electricity goes out, there's no water. Now is the time to store water and buy water so that we can at least get by until those wonderful linemen from the local electric co-op come by and fix it. If its apparent that the power is definitely going to go out, its nice to fill up the bathtubs with water so that can be used to help flush the toilets.

4. Of course, we will need flashlights, batteries, candles, matches, battery operated radios, etc.

5. A back up heat source is a great idea. We have a fireplace that has a wood burning insert in it. We don't use it too much, but we like to have enough wood on hand for emergency heat situations. You could also use a kerosene heater.

6. We need to make sure that we have plenty of blankets, quilts and warm clothing. Its time to go through our clothing to make sure we are ready for those frigid days!

One last note: There is an old wife's tale that I think originated in the mountains of North Carolina. The winter can be predicted by the shape of the seeds of a persimmon. My friend's mother has a persimmon tree and checked to see what our winter forecast will be. If the seed is shaped like a spoon it represents a shovel and there will be lots of snow. If the seed is shaped like a knife, it means we will have very cold weather that will cut through you. If the seed is shaped like a fork, it means there will be plenty to eat, so I guess that means the winter will be mild.

Well the verdict for our winter is: SNOW!!! The seeds are shaped like a shovel this year.

Planning For the Future

Lately I feel this urgency to make plans and get organized for the remainder of the year. Its already May 22nd and the year will be half over before you know it! Do you have New Year's resolutions you need to think about..... again.....? I do.

I think I am being led to prepare for the year(s) to come. Not in a panic or in a stressful way, but slowly and methodically. We need to trust God to take care of us, but as part of that care, we need to do the things he leads us to do.

I don't want to be a lazybones! LOL (Proverbs 6:6 - Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways, and be wise, Without having any chief or officer or ruler, it prepares its food in summer, and gathers its sustenance in harvest.)

My husband and I discussed the situation of the economy this morning. His job brings him face to face with the high price of gas daily and how it affects farmers and truck drivers. My friend, not only is gas going up, but there is no way around food prices going up dramatically or perhaps food shortages.

But as I stated, there is no need to panic, we just need to be wise.

I started cleaning out our freezer this morning and making a list of those foods that would be good for stocking up on. Also the need for rotating the food to use the oldest first. In the past I tended to just stock up on things, put them in a certain place and leave them there for the future.

I want to be a good steward of the food that is available by freezing it, BUT, knowing full well that the freezer depends solely on electricity to work... I'm going to put equal energy and money into non perishables, such as rice, pasta, and canned foods. I've heard many sad stories of freezers that stopped working and it was a week before the owner realized it and all the food was lost. Or in my own experience, a hurricane which knocked out the electricity for a week!

Speaking of hurricanes, hurricane season starts in a couple of weeks and we should all check to see if we have necessary supplies on hand to be prepared for that or other emergency, such as batteries, flashlights, canned food, bottled water, etc.

Luckily, I have not just started trying to be frugal and have acquired many frugal skills which will come in handy no matter what the future brings. I also have to say that this past two weeks, when I limited my grocery shopping dramatically and planned our menus, we cut our food bill dramatically! The new plan is a keeper.

I don't want to forget the needy either! If we are prepared for the future for our own families, we can much more easily help those less fortunate, or those who didn't plan for the future! :o)

I'm also thinking about Christmas. I haven't done the things I planned to prepare for Christmas 08 yet! Now's the time to be purchasing some gifts as we go along, or making them. I tend to wait to start making gifts when its too late or I'm too busy to get them done.

I'm starting two lists today: 1. Stocking up on Food; and 2. Christmas preparations.

Being Prepared Day 2

Yesterday I posted about how I had prepared as much of our supper as I could before I left for work and it was a great success. When I got home everything was ready to go and I had supper finished by 6:00 P.M. I get off work at 5:00 and have a 20 minute drive, so that's pretty good! It's especially nice this week with the change back to standard time. I would like to continue doing this especially during these shorter fall and winter days and while we are adjusting to the time change.

So this morning I have done as much toward tonight's meal as possible too!

Tonight I am making "Baked Pizza Mac" from the 2007 Fall Kraft's Food and Family magazine. We have plenty of salad fixins left over from last night's meal or I can open a can of green beans.

Here's the recipe:

Baked Pizza Mac

1 can (8oz) pizza sauce, divided
1 pkg (7 1/4 oz) macaroni and cheese dinner, prepared as directed on package
1 lb ground beef, cooked, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove and set aside 1/4 cup of the pizza sauce for later use. Combine prepared dinner, two-thirds of the meat, the remaining pizza sauce, egg and seasonings.

Spoon evenly into 9-inch pie plate. Top with the remaining meat and reserved 1/4 cup pizza sauce; sprinkle with cheese.

Bake 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each.

This morning's work:

I made my own pizza sauce using an 8 oz can of tomato sauce with seasonings. I stored this in the fridge in a covered plastic container. Its good that the seasonings get to know each other today anyway.
This is the pizza sauce recipe I use. I got this from Hillbilly Housewife:

Pizza sauce (for one pizza if you are making pizza)

1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Italian seasonings
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp olive oil

Just put in a bowl and mix well. It does not have to be cooked.

Then I got out the macaroni and cheese box, the basil and garlic powder and placed on the counter. I got out the pot for making the macaroni and cheese, the frying pan for browning the ground beef and the pie plate. The magazine with the recipe is also open to the correct page on the counter.

I checked my milk to make sure it was still fresh and made sure I had plenty of margarine for the macaroni and cheese dinner. The milk I am using is the milk I bought on sale at Walgreens a couple of weeks ago and froze. It is working out great. I took it out of the freezer and placed it in the fridge to thaw out. The milk contained shivers of ice and was delicious. You do have to shake it after it thaws to mix it back up because it tends to separate when frozen. It is staying fresh just as many days after being thawed as it would have been when first purchased. (so far)

My hamburger was frozen so it is in the fridge thawing. It should be thawed by the time I get home. If not I can finish thawing it in the microwave.

I also want to note that the original recipe specifies all "Kraft" products. I didn't use Kraft products unless I had bought them on sale with coupons, etc. Cheese is cheese to me. My store brand mozzarella cheese will do just fine. The Kraft brand macaroni and cheese dinner is probably better than the store brand that I bought, but by the time I mix all this other good stuff into it, I don't think it will matter!

One last note: I use store brand spices. Most of mine were 2 for a dollar, and no more than a dollar. These can be purchased at Dollar General, Walmart and on sale at drug store chains.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

The time changed back to standard time this week, so you know what that means: Everybody's body is still on day light savings time. I was dog tired when I got home yesterday and it was already almost dark!

So my kitchen tip is to prepare everything for supper that can be done ahead of time before leaving in the morning. Even if you are staying at home all day, this would prevent those end of the day doldrums!

This morning I planned my supper which will be pan fried cubed steak, rice with gravy and salad.

Even though these might seem like simple things they will make a difference tonight.

Here's what I did:

1. Unwrap steaks, rinse off and place in a covered bowl in the fridge.
2. Put the flour for dipping the steaks in a covered bowl and set out on the counter.
3. Got out my frying pan, making sure it is clean and ready to go (not in the dishwasher)
4. Got out my vegetable oil.
5. Got out the rice. I could have measured this and the water for it, but didn't this time.
6. Got out the pot that I'll be making the rice in.
7. Got out the lettuce, prepared it for the salad by rinsing it and cutting it up and placed in a covered plastic bowl in the fridge.
8. I ran out of time, but wanted to prep the carrots, bell peppers, etc. for the salad. I did check to see what I have on hand for the salad and can now prep it while the steak and rice are cooking.

I hope this will make a difference when I get home today!

For more Kitchen Tips go to http://tammysrecipes.com/.

FRUGAL FRIDAY

The Pantry Principle, Part Two

I have continued to plan and organize the stocking of my pantry in preparation for Fall and Winter. This is the shelf located on the wall adjacent to the pie safe shown last week in The Pantry Principle, Part One, where my canned goods, etc. are being stored. This shelf is a work in progress. The bags hanging on the pegs will contain pastas, beans, and various other items. Its a great place to display home canned jars of pickles, jelly or tomatoes. I would like to place a bench on the floor underneath the shelf. I can think of so many ways to take advantage of this little pantry nook I have started!

My plan for this week’s pantry stocking was to purchase the following:

2 boxes lasagna
2 more 2 lb bags rice
2 ten lb bags sugar
2 five lb bags flour
2 large fat free creamers
2 bags navy beans
1 bag black eye peas
1 box of 100 tea bags
1 large canister of hot cocoa mix
2 boxes shells and cheese
3 boxes corn muffin mix
1 more large canister of coffee
1 box coffee filters
1 3lb box macaroni

These are some of the strategies I am using to continue stocking up:

I hope to buy extras every week for the next 2 or 3 weeks until I feel we have enough supplies on hand to make the fall and winter easier. One good way to stock your pantry is to set aside a small amount of money each week for this purpose. With only $5.00 or $10.00 a week you could make progress over time.

Any time I see a really good deal on a staple item I try to buy several . I recently bought 10 sixteen oz packages of spaghetti marked down to 25 cents at the grocery store with a year still left until its sell by date. Also not long ago Tetley teabags were on sale at my grocery store for $1.50 and right underneath the shelf was a coupon dispenser for $1.00 off the Tetley tea bags. I bought several .

Don't forget to use CVS's extra bucks or Walgreens or Rite Aid's rebate program. A drugstore is not the best place to buy groceries, but if you watch the sale papers and use coupons and take advantage of each store's promotional programs, you can get some really good deals.

I especially enjoy not having to buy everything every week at the grocery store. Usually I only have to buy a few things each week and this allows me to have money available to stock up on what’s on sale and/or with a coupon .

I have been working in my pantry area to make it more organized doing things such as placing small boxes of pudding mix and corn muffin mix in a plastic basket and placing bags of rice and beans in a plastic bin to prevent them from sliding around. I ‘m also working in my kitchen food cabinets to throw out old food and organize everything. When the pantry is organized it reduces waste simply because you are aware of what's in there.

It’s a good idea to place flour, rice and pasta in the freezer for 2 or 3 days as soon as you get it home to make sure any little critters and their eggs have been killed. I plan to store my flour in the freezer.

This coming week my husband is planning on getting two bushels of sweet potatoes for our pantry and I plan to purchase sale meats in bulk to freeze. Taking advantage of what ever is in season is one good way to stock up. For example, n July and August, freeze or can tomatoes.

I also want to start purchasing some of the things I’ll need for Thanksgiving and Christmas cooking. If you purchase 1 or 2 items a week it won’t be such a huge undertaking to buy groceries for holiday baking.

Also last, but not least, I plan to purchase some food for our church’s food pantry. The same principles apply when buying food for a food pantry. Use coupons in conjunction with sales and buy store brands if they are of good quality. Its nice to remember something an old friend once told me: "You can’t out-give the Lord". Give to a food pantry for the needy and I’m sure He’ll bless you twice as much!

There are many great Frugal Friday Tips at www.biblicalwomanhood.com/blog.htm . Be sure to check them out!

Fall and Winter Pantry Stocking

Thank you Coleen for your question about stocking my pantry for Fall and Winter.

My pantry has gotten a little bare lately as I've been trying to spend less at the grocery store and have been using what I already have on hand. The only problem with that is not having a stash for emergencies, etc.

I plan to make a special trip to the stores that always have the best prices on certain products I use,as well as stocking up on what is on sale for the next few weeks at my regular grocery store, Food Lion. This includes meats for the freezer.

We are still in hurricane season here and we need to keep a food supply on hand for that type of emergency. Then when cold weather comes, its a good idea to have all kinds of foods on hand so frequent trips to the grocery store aren't necessary. I know those of you that live in really cold weather areas will laugh at this, but where I live if there is even a hint of the "s" word (snow) in the weather forecast, the grocery stores are the last place you want to be. I'd like to have everything we would need so we can just stay home and enjoy ourselves by the fire! In years past I was one of those people at the grocery store looking forlornly at the empty bread and milk shelves!!! I don't want to be a part of that frenzy ever again.

Some things I would like to stock up on are: Dry milk powder, all kinds of canned beans and vegetables, canned soups, sugar, flour, tea bags, coffee, cooking oil, bottled water, batteries, hot chocolate mix, etc. I'd also like to have some milk and bread in the freezer. When I am shopping I am going to think about what we would like to have on hand if we were snowed in or didn't have electricity for several days because of a hurricane or natural disaster.

It would be a good idea for me to look at some of the websites that are available with information on being prepared for a disaster or other emergency situation.

I would like to do a more detailed post on this subject at a later date.

Thanks!

Baby Steps

I know baby steps are not a new idea. I really learned this concept from Emilie Barnes, one of my favorite authors and then at http://www.flylady.net/ . This is how it works for me.

1. Never go up or down stairs without taking something that needs to go up or down.

2. Do one job or small part of a job during tv commercials.

3. Make a list of 5 minute jobs that you can check when you actually have 5 minutes to spare.

4. At work, every time I get up to go to the restroom, I file a few files. (the bathroom is beside the file room.)

5. Every job can be accomplished in small segments of time. 15 minutes a day for a week equals 1 hour and 45 minutes.

6. Doing things in baby steps makes it easier to beat procrastination. Its not so bad to start a job you dread if you know you are only committed to spending a few minutes. I find that once I get started, I actually don't want to quit. I start enjoying the progress.

This is what I did this morning in the baby steps area:

1. Went upstairs to get cell phone, so took box containing punch bowl set upstairs to storage area.

2. While in bathroom, took dirty towel and wiped down sink and counter.

3. Went downstairs, took basket of laundry, dirty coffee cup and bag of trash. Put clean trashbag on bottom step for next trip upstairs.

4. While in downstairs bathroom to get dirty towel for laundry, wiped down sink and counter with dirty towel.

5. Put load of laundry in washing machine. After it filled up and agitated for just a minute, turned off so it could soak until I get home.

6. While waiting for picture to load on blog, folded laundry.

If you do just a little bit every day toward a certain project, or just plain old weekly housecleaning, it gets done before you know it!

This is a wonderful tool for anybody, but a person with a job outside the home can really use this to MAKE HOMEMAKING DREAMS COME TRUE!

Have a great Wednesday!

Hugs to you, Debbie J.

Hurricane Preparedness

Here is a link to remind us all of what we need to have on hand in emergencies. Even if you don't live in a hurricane prone area, there is always the chance of another type of disaster.

http://www.wral.com/weather/hurricanes/page/1021549/