Monday Message

“From President Thomas S. Monson, First Counselor, we hear: "Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year's supply of food . . . and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year's supply of debt and are food-free."

How are you doing on your storage??? I have seen prices rise so much over the last few years that it is now harder to achieve our goals but imagine in a few more years it will be harder yet. It is easier to replace as you go if you are stocked up.

So treat it like savings. Start stocking up but you use it at the same time and replace it. For example, when I use a bucket of flour, which is 25 lbs, I then write that on my list. It just made the top of my grocery list. I keep the now cleaned out and dried bucket in my way then when I get the bag of flour I fill this bucket, top it off with two bay leaves. Put on a lid, put on new date and take to basement and put it away in the new spot as I rotate. I have a metal can that I call my using can, I keep it in the kitchen. So you see how if you were tired it would just be a big temptation to get the bag and dump in my using can. It requires no stairs but if I did this I would be wasting as I would not be rotating and my flour five years from now would go rancid.

What you ask are the bay leaves for? To keep bugs out from my flour. I have had flour go rancid but never had bugs. I have always done the bay leaves and it always has worked all these many years. Once I bought a bag and opened it and it had bugs. It went straight back to the store, don’t leave it in house. Yes it would be easier to throw it away. First, if you do that throw it outside in the garbage. Second, the store will have no idea of infested bags unless you take it back so don’t dump flour before looking in your using canister, not ever. Just open gingerly one end, inspect the folds in the bag. Never store your flour in bags cause if one bag is infested so goes the rest. 

I ask for buckets at the bakery sections of your grocery store, some may even have been washed once and are free, some may charge and still have frosting inside. I like the ones that are free and at least have the frosting washed out. I then take them home and wash them. Make sure you dry and then air dry overnight. Then I set the lid on and set out of my way till I fill. Having them clean and dry and ready is half the work already done.

I knew someone who bought big bags of wheat some thirty years ago. She had quite a few bags. She put the bags where she stored upstairs. Years later she started to hear this noise she could not figure out what it was but it continued to grow. Finally she found out she had weevils in her wheat. They were eating and that was the noise. So when it got louder it meant there were many. She had them in her clothing drawers, in the carpet all over, it took pest professionals to handle this. So I probably don’t have to mention this but I store the loose wheat in buckets with two bay leaves in the top, the same thing I do with anything that can get bugs. I might just throw in that someone just got thirty year old wheat from someone who moved. They had it stored properly in buckets and the wheat is wonderful. What was the difference? The age was the same but the first wheat was stored improperly and in its bags. Same as flour, don’t store it in the bags, dump it in buckets with two bay leaves on top, date and label and store. But remember, do not store directly on concrete. Put some wood between buckets and concrete floor as the moisture from concrete will pull up into the bucket and wreck the product. So store your food properly. It cost you money, don’t waste it.

Be sure to look back to the french bread post on the blog
http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2015/10/breadmachine-french-bread.html

For that matter put your feet up and keep hitting older posts. Have hot cocoa and visit around the site there is much to see :)

http://glutenfreehelp.info/c/recipes/gluten-free-substitute-mixes/ here is a great site for our gluten free friends

www.theweeklystitch.com this site is especially for knitters, do up swatches of different stitches.

http://premeditatedleftovers.com/naturally-frugal-living/homemade-carpet-stain-remover it is always nice to have a homemade cleaner

Skills

Can you...?

Make blueberry muffins from scratch
Make a turkey dinner with fixins
Make gravy from scratch
Make bread from scratch
Make a grocery list
Can you grocery shop effectively
Make a menu
Make biscuits from scratch
Make pizza from scratch
Sew on a button
Hem an item of clothing
Can you thread a sewing machine
Can you read a sewing pattern
Sew different kinds of seams
Hang a shirt properly to dry on closeline
Iron a shirt properly
Darn socks
Make an apron
Patch a hole
Can you unclog a toilet
Can you turn your water or gas off
Can you love your body at any size
Can you delegate chores to your kids
Can you shop without credit
Can you ask for help
Can you write thank you notes
Can you organize
Can you fix the world’s best omelet
Can you make a teddy bear pancake
Do you know how to knit
Do you know how to crochet
Do you know how to quilt
Do you know how to stay in budget
Do you know how to make do without and still be happy
Do you know how to live frugally
Do you know how to get more out of your wardrobe
Can you have a totally homemade Christmas

You see there are skills a-many!

happyhooligans.ca/70-awesome-toys-make-kids - this is fantastic, actually I would love to play with these toys. I think you can find gift giving ideas for your wee ones for sure.

https://engagingtoddleractivities.wordpress.com/category/homemade-toys/ again what fun it would be, I even see some ideas for church quiet toys.

http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/frugal-meal-planning-meal-plan-1/ 

http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/frugal-meal-planning-meal-plan-2/

http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/frugal-meal-planning-meal-plan-3/

http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/frugal-meal-planning-meal-plan-4/

http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/frugal-meal-planning-meal-plan-5/

Okay, I had to insert this when I saw it http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/40-oatmeal-flavor-combinations/

http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/frugal-meal-planning-meal-plan-6/

http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/frugal-meal-planning-meal-plan-7/

http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/frugal-meal-planning-meal-plan-8/

http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/frugal-meal-planning-meal-plan-9   

http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/frugal-meal-planning-meal-plan-10/

http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/frugal-meal-planning-meal-plan-11/

http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/frugal-meal-planning-meal-plan-12/

http://www.realthekitchenandbeyond.com/frugal-meals-frugal-food-tips/ - good ideas you could find helpful

http://www.jolynneshane.com/hot-chocolate-pancakes-in-a-jar.html - who would not love this? yum!

There are some frugal ideas. I, of course, would sit with a cup of hot cocoa to make my plans.

I make our hot cocoa mix. There are great ones online but I remember when store bought boxes contained 12 packets and no, that is not in the olden days. The prices are continually going up but with less product. It went to 10 packets then 8 packets this year read the box 6 packets, don’t know if that is all brands or not, I am going by a sale flyer. Guess they don’t think we will notice just like the toilet paper being narrower or less and peanut butter less for more.

So if you find you are not going as far with your groceries you are not alone.

The hot cocoa mix we like from my friend Liza.

3c powder milk
1 ½ c hershey cocoa powder
3 c powder sugar
2 c walmart's cheapest coffee creamer - this is a must

Stir together, mix well. I store in a jar. Use a fourth cup per hot cup water.

Variations….

Gingerbread cocoa mix

Use ¼ of the mix:  add …2 tbsp cinn and 2 tbsp ginger and 1/4 tsp cloves

Serve with gingerbread boys

Peppermint hot cocoa mix

Use ¼ of the mix
Add three crushed candy cane and mix together

Marshmallows hot cocoa

Just add ¼ mix and add mini marshmallows

Continue to learn and grow. Keep working at your food storage goal.