October 10, 2009
ONLY A FEW MORE DAYS TO GET YOUR FREE EBOOK WHEN PURCHASING
PREP NOT PANIC:KEYS TO SURVIVING THE NEXT PANDEMIC
I promised no more talk about the Pandemic for a day or two so I am posting some money saving ideas today. I realize money saving ideas on a preparedness blog may be a bit confusing to some of you who may be new so let me explain. Our goal at Totally Ready is to help you and your family to become self reliant. We want you to be in a position to care for your family no matter what the challenge. Of course, this is never completely possible without the help of family and friends. We want to be that support group for you. We also recognize that self reliance requires not only a change in the way we approach our everyday lives but also the necessity of spending some money in order to prepare.
Every Monday we discuss our General Store and ways to supply that store so it will meet your needs. Those supplies take money. Once your store is complete you will rotate through those foods and supplies and actually be living for much less because you will be able to replace items as they go on sale. No more purchases at full price.
Another important aspect of self reliance is to be debt free. For most of us, especially those with students loans or medical bills, this is not possible overnight, thus, our Money Saving Tips and Ideas. Saving money will create more cash flow which will allow you to stock your General Store and to pay down debt.
There are dozens of ways to save money on your food bill so let’s start with a few you can practice this week.
First, learn to Cook. Really. There are so many cooking shows on TV now and most of us have a friend or family member who we look forward to inviting us over for dinner because they are such great cooks. Ask one of those great chefs to teach you or watch a food show with a paper and pencil and take notes. Once you learn a few basics you will be able to create yummy meals from scratch, much less expensive than prepared foods. Some tips:
Save leftovers. When you are preparing a recipe and have left over onion, celery, or peppers chop them up and store them in the freezer until you need that ingredient again. We have all thrown away extra ingredients because they degrade to the point of yuk and we toss them. Frozen ingredient veggies such as these are not good to use in fresh foods but they are great for casseroles, soups, stews and even Thanksgiving stuffing.
Use leftovers. I usually purchase whole chickens when they are on sale, big…savings, and bake them for a meal. There are always leftovers. I have a family who does not really enjoy having the same meal two days in a row. How do I use left over chicken? There are so many ways…chicken and rice, chicken tacos, chicken enchiladas, chicken fajitas, chicken cacciatore, chicken salad, Chinese chicken salad, chicken pot pie and the list goes on… These are all also great alternatives for what to do with all that left over turkey at Thanksgiving. All left over meats should be looked at not as leftovers but as an ingredient for another meal.
Freeze meals. If chicken, or turkey doesn’t sound good for several days in a row then simply make the chicken dish and freeze it. Now you have saved money in another way, you have a quick meal for days when you would otherwise run and grab fast food because there is just too much going on. The next time you make a meal make two. Right now I have a meatloaf, meatballs with home made sauce, a quiche, lasagna, and barbecued ribs in the freezer. Now, when I have a busy day I will not have to think about running for fast food. This is also a great tip when thinking about a pandemic, ok so a little pandemic talk, if mom and/or dad is ill a good meal can be easily prepared by older kids or a clueless spouse. I know a group of women who make meals in this way and then trade. What a great idea.
Finally, for today, never turn down free food. I had someone jokingly say they always lock their car during the summer when they park in the church parking lot or they come out to find a bag a zucchini in the back seat. Many foods that our friends grow can be easily canned or frozen, another skill to learn if your don’t know how. Others, like zucchini, are not great canned. It is good frozen for use in soups and stews but I like to use it as an ingredient first, and then freeze it. This can be done with all sorts of foods. Make zucchini bread and freeze it. Wrap it carefully and it will last for months. Chocolate zucchini cake is also wonderful!! It can easily be frozen and then frosted when you are ready to use it. Last week my husband was craving sweets so I made carrot cake cup cakes with half of the recipe and a carrot cake loaf (baked it in a bread pan) with the rest. Next time that craving hits I can whip out the loaf and I’m done. Tell everyone you know that you are available to glee or take their extra produce. If you need suggestions and recipes to use unfamiliar foods you are given just ask our yahoo group. There are lots of great cooks there!
Speaking of our Yahoo Group, how do you save money on food? We are still trying to sort out the hack job on the blog so please post your comments on the yahoo group until we get this all figured out and the problem solved. Share you money saving food ideas or a recipe or two for leftovers or for rotating your food storage.
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To purchase Prep Not Panic: Keys to Surviving the Next Pandemic : http://www.totallyready.com/
I like to dehydrate my zucchini, and alot of my other vegetables. They are great in soups and stews and I can use them in my baking ie carrot and zucchini bread. The first time I dehydrate I put only one cup grated on one tray, when it is done I measure it and I now know how much to measure to get the amount I need for a recipe. I do like the idea of meals in the freezer. Have you looked into OAMC. Some great ideas for freezer meals.
I have started (again) to dehydrate but with new moves never used my foodsaver before, did not know about oxi tabs,mylar bags or any of that am learning so many new things now….book that “preparrednesspro” recommended was passport to survival great book I picked up a copy on cheapbooks am now grinding my own wheat,making own bread etc etc etc I did cost me a little to get back into it….but it can be done on the cheap also buying ammo on sale… you can do it too!