Monday Message

“When we really get into hard times, where food is scarce or there is none at all, and so with clothing and shelter, money may be no good for there may be nothing to buy, and you cannot eat money, you cannot get enough of it together to burn to keep warm, and you cannot wear it.  You can’t eat money, but you can eat your three-month supply of food – IF YOU HAVE IT AND KNOW HOW TO USE IT." - President J. Reuben Clark (Church News, 1953)

http://www.groceryshrink.com/frugal-friday-9/ okay, I put this in as I watch her blog and I wanted you to see these missionaries doing a wonderful service, indeed they make their mamas proud.


http://www.littlehouseliving.com/recipes-index/mixes this is a good thing to have. I myself have been mixing up what I call mixes. 

I showed you a few weeks ago bread mixes, oh how they help me as I am now sick with a cold flu and we still have to eat and this helped a lot - http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2015/02/lizas-machine-bread.html

I like her ideas. Having them on hand is sooo helpful. I say look at your favorite recipes and put the dry ingredients in the jar, keeping in mind a quart jar holds four cups. I write the name of it on the jar and what I need to add to mix it on the jar like in the picture at the top of the post. These are our favorite recipes in these jars. So look through your recipes. I bet you find a ton you can do this and the next time you are in a hurry or are sick, how easy it is to pull this out?

To make multiple mixes in jars like this is so fast and easy and so much cheaper plus there's no added chemicals.

Here is a recipe that we like:

Chili mac hamburger homemade helper

Brown and drain one lb hamburger
Add:
1 tsp chili powder
¾ tbsp. dried onion
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp sugar
2- 15oz cans tomato sauce
1 of the previous cans filled with water
1 cup uncooked macaroni which you add at end

Put everything but macaroni in pan, cook uncovered, simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the uncooked pasta, simmer slowly for 15 minutes. If needed you can add another can of water, sometimes I need to, other times I don’t.

So to make this as a kit, and since I know we like it, I would get more than one pint, probably six or eight pints, you with large families will double the recipe.

I would put the pasta in my jars then I would put the dry seasonings and sugar in a piece of plastic wrap, insert on top. Write what to add and then I have my own hamburger homemade helper.

http://www.littlehouseliving.com/hamburger-helper-mix.html - this shows you the ingredients in the mix on shelves, interesting right?

Once you see how this is done you probably have your own recipes that you can do this with as well.

Even on sale it is cheaper to make your own.

www.chickensintheroad.com/cooking/homemade-hamburger-helper - if you need ideas try here, this is a favorite site of mine.

We are asked to be prudent so here is a way to cut costs. The other thing is I store the ingredients to make the recipe and they can be stored for a long long time, but once I got some Hamburger Helpers for my storage before a year was up whatever was in them turned drastically salty…

Pasta goes on sale often you should stock up… So do the math.

www.foodstoragemoms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Where-do-I-start.pdf - this is a good way to plan your meals as well as starting your storage.

http://www.foodstoragemoms.com/2016/03/get-started-with-food-storage/ - she has some good points, of course look past the sales stuff. I think those who have the money and like the product that is one thing but you can store, being frugal too, also learning to can meat is priceless but can correctly. I actually think canning meat is easier than growing, picking and cleaning green beans, but I do that too.

But I think the story of the mother not able to go get food hits us too that we don’t want to be in that position, add to that how I would want to have been a neighbor with storage to be there for her.

I live about seven blocks from a market or two blocks from a convenience store/gas station. I have been here in an ice storm and it would have been very dangerous to attempt to go to either. If you fell (highly likely) and broke something you put others at risk coming to help you… just food for thought. Get stocked up so you can be of help to others.

www.thekitchn.com/making-mixes-to-bake-up-later-freezer-friendly-from-jessica-fisher-198677 - here is a few more ideas.

http://saving4six.com/2012/08/make-ahead-mixes.html - interesting, we all had the same idea.

http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_Cooking&Baking_2011-02pr.pdfhttp://untrainedhousewife.com/how-to-make-homemade-dry-mixes - more info on this.

http://www.marthastewart.com/1087781/make-ahead-easy-baking-mix-scones-muffins-and-biscuits

http://fakeitfrugal.blogspot.com/2012/03/fake-jiffy-cornbread-mix.html

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/4/Heavy_Cream_Substitute61129.shtml

http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_Cooking&Baking_2011-02pr.pdf  this is priceless, never pay high price for creamed soup again... much savings here.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,make_ahead_mixes,FF.html - there are good things here several pages worth.

This is just to get you started. I think once you start incorporating the SOS mix and the other things you soon find out whyever did you not do this before? Doing these things are huge savings.

Ignore the ones trying to sell things, you are just looking for the ideas.

Keep working on your storage. If you can’t get to Omaha often then pick up wheat at Walmart to store in a bucket with two bay leaves date and label…

If you are not starting or even working on your storage, take it to prayer should I do this.

If you have a tight budget pray for opportunities and be amazed.

You're doing great, keep working on this. Be there for a neighbor who has a need.