Monday, January 20, 2025

Monday Message

"Let us be in a position so we are able to not only feed ourselves through the home production and storage, but others as well." (President Ezra Taft Benson)

At the time I am writing this post we just have gotten four inches of snow.

It is to get very cold with a polar vortex to come a day after my b-day which is the seventh of January.

So I will be putting blankets on the upstairs windows to keep out any of that harsh cold - I remember that last year...very cold.

It helps with heating costs since they are saying there will probably be several more polar vortex events, I will just leave the blankets up.

What do you do to get ready for weather events?? Comment below.

We all learn from each other.

I still feel difficult times are coming, not just for our country but all countries. So try to put aside some extra into your storage, if no hard times come you will be set for any event that may come.

Missy says she feels safe hiding under the rug loom.

Tippy Longstockings says she likes to keep warm by the fireplace.

Even if we all don't experience the same trials at once, there is always something coming around the corner, a car repair, medical bills, weather event the list is endless but putting some away for that rainy day takes off some of the stress while you work through it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0KLCHkTooY - this can help you see how to stretch your food. I think I would suggest measuring the spices though to help save.

https://www.youtube.com/@JuliaPacheco/videos - this will give you other videos she has, it is always good to see what one can make for less.

https://www.plantoeat.com/blog/2023/10/maximizing-leftovers-how-to-make-the-most-of-your-meals/ - uses your leftovers.

https://premeditatedleftovers.com/naturally-frugal-living/how-i-create-menu-plans/ - the buffet sounds yummy, we love leftovers.

https://www.slenderkitchen.com/article/12-ways-to-use-leftovers-in-your-weekly-meal-plan - making a meal plan sounds not fun but you know what leftovers you have from meals, so while you are making your plan and you decide to have chicken and you know what you have left after the meal, you can boil the carcass and take out the bones. Any meat can be divided, you now can make a soup and a casserole.

https://avirtuouswoman.org/planning-101-how-to-plan-for-leftovers/ - use those free calendars from the bank to be your menu planning aid plus save them for ideas in the future.

How do you plan your menus and list for grocery shopping?? Comment below.

Take time to go through cookbooks, look for frugal recipes. I don't like recipes with tons of ingredients. I find we never liked them as well as simple recipes.

Also, look at your store sales flyer. Use these hand-in-hand together along with your family favorites recipe file.

Write your meals on that calendar. You can figure out what days a faster meal may be needed like Wednesday church nights would be for easy meal prep or your leftover like chili.

One of our favorite easy meals is hobo dinners. I have no idea where that name came from but it is a foil dinner. You put a hamburger patty on tinfoil then slice a potato and a carrot salt and pepper. I like to sprinkle dried onion on this just a little, fold foil up, set them in a pan and cook for an hour at 350 degrees.

Remember, while you are being frugal-minded, try to continue to add to your storage.

I keep a running list that when I use from my storage, that I write down this item on the list, like when I am nearing the end of a bucket of flour, it goes on my list so I can refill the bucket as it gets emptied. Then remember the two bay leaves on top, put on the lid, then I cross off the old date, add the new date, and rotate it. This goes into storage and another bucket comes up with the oldest date next in rotation.

Lets say you are about out of mustard. You write it on your list but you should get two if you can and one will go into storage.

I know this sounds hard but when things are tight, you will be thankful that you have done this. We were very tight over Christmas even though I made gifts, shipping is awful in price, but I spent nothing on groceries using what I had in storage and this worked great. In our case, it is medical expenses that have been eating a huge part of our check. So be sure to stick things into your storage. It probably seems hard now but will bless you so much when you need it.

Missy says keep working on your skill building, says her momma made this pillow. I think skills are nice and comfy.

Tippy Longstockings says remember to save your tissue paper, you can press it as seen here, she is demonstrating. You can reuse it for many things.

11 comments:

  1. Tippy is so helpful. I always save tissue paper, bows, string etc. We made a few more cat houses for the feral cats that roam around. We fit a cardboard box upside down onto a box, tape together and cut a hole, then fill with straw or old blankets. They really like these and these are very inexpensive to make. We just put them where they won't get wet. I dress in layers and since the evenings are so cold I usually shower during the day when the house is a bit warmer. I also think daily soup helps me stay warm and on my budget.
    Take care and stay warm
    Ginger

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    1. Thank you sooooo much for sharing all great ideas

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  2. The grocery circulars from our four supermarkets come out every Wednesday in our town, so I sit down and write up a list of what I'm interested in/need, and also go online to sign up for coupons. I refuse to buy if it's not on sale, and of course I compare prices. I can soups we like, and stews, and chicken and pie fillings. I grow vegetables and blanch and freeze our green beans. I have been freeze drying some meat and some of our produce, but California's electric rates are the highest in the nation, even if we have solar (we do). We're in the mountains of northern CA, but the winter's been mild so far. I mind my words, but want to warn our son and his family that no matter how their income is steady or growing now, food shortages/job loss and civil unrest are coming down the pike. Hard times not yet seen in our lifetimes (I'm 75) will make the light at the end of the tunnel seem pretty far off. Knowing that you'll want to materially help others in times of need can be motivation enough to continue to put supplies up. Thank you for your down-to-earth encouragement and words of wisdom!

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    1. Yes fortunes can turn on a dime. I just turned 69 and the insurance and meds are so high now and take everything

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  3. I also keep lists of the food items I have in store and I have a chalkboard in my kitchen that I write things on that need to be added to my shopping list. I look out for items that we use that are on offer and often buy a spare one or two to put away, although I am very pushed for storage space. It is a chore to keep up to date with everything, but I feel much happier knowing what is to hand and I was very glad of my methods when the pandemic struck. I don't menu plan for the week, but I will often have left-overs that get used up in a different meal the next day. I really don't understand people who 'don't like left-overs' and bin perfectly good food. Crazy!

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    1. Leftovers taste way better than the first time we are having some for supper tonight

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  4. FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS BECKY¡¡¡¡¡¡¡ YO CUMPLI 65 AÑOS EL 8 DE ENERO, UN DIA DESPUES DEL TUYO ¿QUE COINCIDENCIA NO? ME GUSTAN TUS PUBLICACIONES, SON MUY IMPORTANTES PARA NOSOTRAS COMO AMAS DE CASA Y PARA TENER UNA VIDA FRUGAL, ESTADO ATETA A LAS OFERTAS, A PREPARARNOS PARA POSIBLES PROBLEMAS QUE SEGURO SUCEDERAN, YA LA BIBLIA NOS AVISA DE LO QUE SE ESTA VIVIENDO Y LO QUE HA DE VENIR,DEBEMOS ORAR Y ESTAR TRANQUILAS, DIOS NOS PROTEGE. AQUI EL VERANO ES MUY CALIENTE,ESTA SEMANA TENDREMOS 35 CENTIGRADOS,TUVIMOS NUESTRA PRIMERA OLA DE CALOR, TERRIBLE, GRACIAS A DIOS NO SE CORTO EL SUMINISTRO ELECTRICO, POR AHORA, TENGO VARIOS PAQUETES DE VELAS POR LAS DUDAS. TE ENVIO UN ABRAZO Y CUANDO TENGAS TIEMPO PASA POR MI BLOG.

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    1. You sure have made wonderful items for your family and what a cute baby good job

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  5. Hello Becky, I'm reading you in Germany.
    It's very cold here at the moment too, but we don't have any snow, which isn't good for the plants in the garden.
    Warm things are always good.
    A few years ago I sewed thick curtains out of wool blankets for the windows. They keep the heat out in summer and the cold out in winter.
    When the sun shines in winter, we turn the heating off completely. Then the sun heats the house enough through the large window to the south. The adjoining rooms stay colder, but we only stay in the warm rooms.
    When we sit on the sofa in the evening, we cover ourselves with a cozy blanket. These blankets lie on the sofa in winter and in bed in summer. We have used them like this all year round.
    I also grow my own fruit and vegetables, so I have to buy a little less from the supermarket. Even in winter there are little things to harvest. It's good to always have something fresh and green.
    I've been making a meal plan for the coming month for years. After that, I shop once a month. That saves travel costs and time. (I don't like shopping)
    I have a storage room in the basement. It's very reassuring to always have something in the house. It would probably be enough for 4 weeks.
    We've had a small solar system with a storage unit since the summer. Unfortunately, now that it's been dark and cloudy for weeks, it's not producing any electricity. Energy is getting more and more expensive in Germany because the energy supply across the country is being switched to renewable energy. Gas, coal and oil are being taxed more heavily every year. That puts a lot of strain on the household budget.
    We try to save a lot of electricity, for example we've turned off the fridge. At the moment there's a box of groceries in front of the patio door. They stay cool there without electricity. In the summer we use a small camping fridge with 18 litres of capacity. It uses a lot less energy than the "normal" fridge in the kitchen.
    Best wishes from Germany!
    Sibylle

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    1. I enjoyed hearing what you are doing to save money in Germany! I’m glad you commented! Sherri from Missouri

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    2. Thanks for sharing all these great ideas we all benefit from them. I too grocery shop once a month it saves on groceries too.

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