Food Storage

Using coupons to match to sales, is a great way to start your families food storage, along with just picking up a couple extra items to add to your pantry each month. Buying in bulk is a great way to save on items you know you will be buying anyway and that store well for long term. We generally buy 25lb bags of rice and popcorn at Sam's club along with sugar, Olive oil and cheese. Often, you can ask your local bakery if you can have their 5 gal food grade buckets to store your bulk purchases in. I do invest in mylar liners for many of my buckets and those can also be sealed. Be sure you use food grade buckets not all are food grade like the ones from the hardware store.

Food storage is a great investment because our basic needs are food, water & shelter. With the loss of job, illness, you and your family will always be in need of food. Not to mention beating the ever rising food costs! Some #10 cans of long term food storage can last 30 years!!

I have about 200 days of long term food storage for my family of 5. I havent updated my inventory lately so it could even be more by now. This does not include my pantry or freezer items. Mainly the dairy lasts 5-10 years unopened. I lean to the 5 year range and once opened 1 year. Things like beans, tvp if stored properly can last 30 years! Imagine buying food at today's prices and eating it when you are retired and what groceries will cost then!

If you are low on space, its common to store underbeds, in closests anywhere you can. Preference for the shelf life is dry and cool! Here is a photo of my coat closet that houses some of our food storage items. Some items are freeze dried (more expensive) or dehydrated. We love the morning moo's chocolate drink mix and buy it in a 37lb pail. Powdered cheese for home made mac n cheese is so nice to have on hand along with drink mixes like apple, orange, peach and more. I watch the daily sales on www.augasonfarms.com and when what I am wanting goes on sale I will stock up 2-6 cans :).

We as parents must make sure our children are well provided for, especially in times of need and even if money is tight or not there at all to start a food storage, I encourage you to look up all your local foodbanks, churches with food closets and start making rounds to them to get a nice food storage set up so you will be prepared and able to care for the ones you love. If your car breaks or you are snowed in and cant make it to an Angelfood pick up, you loose your job and food stamps take months to get, you will find this preparation to relieve lots of potential stress! Often churches where I live will accept your childrens too small clothes or kitchen items as a donation when you pick up the bag of pantry food they give out to those in need. That is a great way to help while being helpped and never feel bad about doing all you can to put food on the table for your little ones, or well big ones heheh I think my son at 10 is going to be way bigger then I am all to soon :)

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup!

I love using the crockpot in the summer because it doesn't heat up the house the way the oven does.  I can also start a meal then take the kids swimming and come back later to a ready meal!

Don't be afraid of the green stuff!  It's just some dried Jalapenos on top! :)

Chicken Tortilla Soup:

3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts from my Angel Food Ministries Box

1 Box of  Chicken Broth from Aldi ($1.49)

1 Jar of Herdez Salsa (After $1 off coupon was $.67)

1 can Black Beans, drained/rinsed ($.79)

Half a Bag of Frozen Corn from Aldi ($.99)

Dump everything into the crockpot and put it on low for 6-8 hours.  Before serving, shred the chicken while still in the crockpot with two forks.

4 Servings

WW Points: 3

Amount Per Serving
  Calories     208.5
  Total Fat     1.3 g
          Saturated Fat     0.3 g
          Polyunsaturated Fat     0.4 g
          Monounsaturated Fat     0.3 g
  Cholesterol     30.9 mg
  Sodium     1,727.1 mg
  Potassium     761.0 mg
  Total Carbohydrate     24.4 g
          Dietary Fiber     4.9 g
          Sugars     5.5 g
  Protein     20.0 g

Depreciation of Goods & Why We Love Good Will

Most people know that when they buy a new car and drive it off the lot, it automatically depreciates and is "USED" instantly. Think of the thousands of dollars that are lost! You could actually be in the hole in a matter of seconds! EKKKKK

Have you ever thought about the depreciation of you home goods?

We previously donated our dishware to Good Will, as we were planning to sell our house and didn't want to move breakable items, nor have all the dishes to wash when the house had to be in pristine shape daily to show to potential buyers so we switched to paper goods. (The cost for bowls, plates & cups from Sams about $40 a month for a family of 5, stay home mom, work at home dad and 3 home schooling children)

Now that we have taken our house off the market paperware seems like an extravagence and waste of money, not to mention the planet earth! My husband Gabe, went to Target to price dish sets. Gabe said for about $50 he could get two sets but that we really didn't need some of the items in those sets so he went to our favorite Good Will and got everything above for $20. If we would have not botherd to price them and look for a cheaper option we would have wasted $30 of our families money!

Think of that as home goods depreciation! $50 new and that they would depreciate $30. Well that is how I think anyway :) and it will save you money!

I have been a spoiled clothing shopper, but I have also discovered Good Will and recently found Juicy Couture, Ed Hardy, True Religion and more! Imagine the hit of depreciation on those babies!!! Not to mention the resale value if you needed cash! (Think Ebay & Craigslist or trading boards like thredup.com)

Good Will & Thrift Stores are all amazing ways to save your family a lot of money. If you think your car is to fancy, your handbag is to fancy or that you will feel weird, no worries you will find people of all varities, means and style there and they run sales too! Often when you drop off items to donate they will give you a % off your purchase and if they are not doing that when you go remember to get your receipt to cliam the donations on your taxes.

Next time you are out shopping new home goods, do some pricing and figure out the depreciation and how much money you could be saving your family. It is also good to let family, friends and neighbors know what you are in need of as they might have it sitting around that they are not using which equals FREE!

We often have bags or boxes up in our hall closet with clothing, shoes, bathing suits etc our kids have outgrown to pass on to friends or neighbors that have kids in smaller sizes then our own. We also do a laundry basket for our kids to toss things in that they outgrow so mom can sort through when its full and figure out who to pass it on to or to send to goodwill.

I shop at Good Will, I am very fashionable and like to think I have good taste and you know what my wallet is also fatter because I do :) Give it a try! Meet up with some friends or family and see what all you can find! Do challenge for Christmas and give your kids a budget and say you have so many dollars to get gifts for everyone and make a couple trips to good will. The toys are amazing and range from 50cents to $2. Lysol battery operated ones and wash all others on hot and dry on hot to kill any germies that may or may not be there. Ill post some goodwill finds in the future!

How to Use Coupons

Today, our guest writer, Justice Sanchez reveals how to use coupons to save money on your groceries.

How To Use Coupons by: Justice Sanchez

Coupons have long been a staple of newspapers across the country. There was a time when most consumers just threw the coupons out with the trash not bothering to see the value on those little pieces of paper. There used to be an unspoken taboo when it came to couponing. NOT ANYMORE! Thanks largely to a struggling economy, a need to make budgets stretch and the popularity of shows such as TLC's Extreme Couponing; couponing is now more popular than ever. Consumers have come to a realization- Coupons are FREE money.

Couponing can save a family. When done correctly, couponing has the ability to not only save consumers money, but also offers an opportunity to teach valuable lessons to children, places more necessities in homes and allows money to be shifted to other obligations.

While most consumers will not dwindle their shopping budget to mere pennies, as shown on Extreme Couponing, it is very reasonable to save upwards of a 1/4- 1/3 of  your current shopping budget. Here are some tips to help you maximize your savings.

Online- Use a consistently updated  all- in- one couponing site. Sites such as www.couponmadd.info allow visitors to go to all of the major couponing websites all from one central website. This can save consumers time and money. Sites such as Coupon MADD are better than individual sites because they allow consumers to print coupons from home, which can be used at most major supermarkets, as well as, offering digital coupons which can be loaded onto the shoppers reward card. They also have tools and third party sites to make saving money even easier.

When looking to save money always check online for the current weeks sales at supermarkets and supercenters, check if there are coupon codes available, as well as, if there are any special offers or sales at the products website. This is a great trick to use in all areas of consumer shopping. 

Compile a list of all the products your family uses on a regular basis. Visit each products website and sign up for emails and regular mail from the company. This a great way to get extra coupons for the products you use already. Sites like coupon MADD can be become money- saving havens. Saving money in all areas of your life is possible using the right website.
At the Supermarket- If your local grocery store offers a shopper reward card- Sign Up! If yours does not- consider shopping at one that does. The reason is simple- these cards offer members’ greater savings, special members’ only rewards and the cards can be used to download digital coupons. Digital coupons will then be redeemed just by swiping your reward card the next time you go shopping.

Use supermarket websites to check for weekly sales, check coupon policies and to create shopping lists. Always do comparison shopping of all the sales in your shopping area before you begin your shopping trip. The most important rule is to plan ahead. Couponing works best when used in conjunction with a weekly sale. When possible save your coupons for when items are on sale and then make the purchase. That is the easiest way to pay bottom dollar for most things. Stock up and save!

Clipping Coupons- Buy at least four Sunday papers each week. The reason is also simple- many manufacturers and supermarkets limit the number of coupons which can be used in a single transaction (check your supermarket for specific guidelines), often that limit is four. Also, having four of anything usually allows a family to have enough supplies to cover themselves for at least two weeks.
** If you have a larger family, remember that each transaction can have a limited number of coupons. Therefore, two adults in a family can each have 4 sets of each coupon as long as they pay separately.
To save time when clipping, get the whole family involved. If the person can hold scissors and cut straight lines then they can clip coupons. To sort coupons quickly separate first by shape then further sort each pile by product. Use a coupon binder or folder to keep coupons organized so that expired coupons can be removed and fresh ones can be inserted. Keep like coupons together so that planning a shopping trip is easier and more accurate.

Saving money by using coupons can be a life changing new habit. Coupons can easily free upwards of $175 per shopping trip if done with patience and planning. Couponing can help a family get over a financial hump, free up money which can be used for a vacation or to pay other bills and teach children the value of saving money. Happy Couponing!

Bakery Reduced Goods-Short Dated for a Quick Sale

Another good way to save money is to ask your butcher, bakery etc what day of the week and time they mark down their goods for a quick sale as the items approach their sell date or good by date.

You can freeze the bakery items, or store in the fridge to make them last longer if you really score a lot in one shopping trip.

Always be sure and have a Sharpie handy to mark the date you bought it and when it will "go off" or be outdated and may make you sick. Short dated cake we try and eat in 2-3 days, and yes it can give you mild food posioning if you forget how old it is and eat it past its prime!

Here are the items my husband scored today for $16. That includes full price bread 85cents and the full price tortillas.

We have stopped buying short dated meat - too many stomach issues and not worth the risk, and now love the once a month pick up of the low cost and good meat from Angel Food Ministries!!

Tupperware Snacking & Preventing Food Waste

One of the best ways I have found to help prevent food waste (which also saves a lot of money!) is to serve my kids snacks in Tupperware, even with the lid on it.

I tell them whatever they don't eat to run it to the fridge and get it put away so someone else can eat it and save our family money.

In the past a plate of leftover or snacks would sit in Blaze's room until he was told to clean his room.

Now he is really excited about helping his family save money and its a mission to get the tupperware to the fridge and not let it linger so it goes bad! Ok surely he dreads momma nagging about it to, but it works!!

Today's Lunch: Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

4 baking potatoes

1/2 onion or Onion Powder (I use onion powder, the kids hate the texture of onions)

1 TBSP Butter or Margarine

1/4 C. Butter or Margarine

1/4 C. Milk

1 Bag Frozen Mixed Veggies (Or just corn, green beans, carrots, whatever you like!)

1 TBSP Ketchup

1/2 C. Cheese (Cheddar, Colby Jack, Mozzarella... whatever you got!  I used Cheddar/Jack)

Preheat oven to 375.
POTATOES:  Peel and cut up potatoes, and start boiling them.

BEEF:  Meanwhile, cook ground beef with some onion OR onion powder, stir in ketchup and put in 2 QT, oil-sprayed baking dish.

 VEGGIES:  Steam the frozen veggies with TBSP of butter (I used the micro) and layer on top of ground beef.

ASSEMBLY:  Your potatoes should be done by now.  Go ahead and mash them with the 1/4 cup of butter and 1/4 cup milk.  Use as much butter and milk as you need.  Place mashed potatoes on top of veggies, and top with Cheese.  Bake mixture for about 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and browned a little.

Enjoy! - Carrie
 8 Servings

WW Points: 9
Amount Per Serving
  Calories     338.2
  Total Fat     23.7 g
          Saturated Fat     11.5 g
          Polyunsaturated Fat     0.9 g
          Monounsaturated Fat     9.1 g
  Total Carbohydrate     17.9 g
  Protein     13.3 g