Thursday, August 25, 2016

The End Is Near......

No not the world, but summer, as the "Great Minnesota Get Together" has began. The state fair is now open. The last ten days of summer. We haven't gone since before we moved to Florida. Some schools are back in session here. Our kids return Sept 6th, after Labor Day. If you have not at lest thought about winter, then you are not prepared, and should vote for the female idiot. I can't even say her name.

After reading Ms Vicki's post about her preps, I admit I too have become lax. While I should be ready for the fall of the economy, I think winter will be the biggest challenge. You can survive the heat of summer, but a bitter winter will kill you. You get ahead, then you get a smaller size or don't buy any, next thing you know your out. One thing I have never changed is dry cat food. we have 3 toms, and since we moved back home. I buy them a 16 lb bag and they get a month and a half out of it. they get moist about every 3 days.

TP was my greatest stock pile. UNDERLINE...WAS... I couldn't find the size I was buying, so I picked up a smaller size. SNAKE BITE. stockpile is down too low for me. When the boys worked at the cannery they bought cases of veggies. We didn't buy any for like 18 months. Gone...Fresh meat, we stayed away from ground beef due to price. 10lbs at WM is down to $20. I buy 20 lbs and cut into 1/3 and freeze. Still buying ground turkey also. Chicken is $1.99 pound. We buy 4 to 8 packs. I only want to cook one, but some only have 5 pieces.

Most times when I cook two packs i have save my second piece for another meal. Cut in half and have a chicken sandwich. We have a hot meal every other day. When I say hot meal, that's meat, veggie, rice, potatoes, or stuffing. The next day left overs, or burgers, pizza, hot dogs.   If we eat out as a family its only once a month. McDonalds mostly. With the kids working we do a 2 or 3 way split.

My kids are great on picking up things we need if we run short. The biggest is milk. between drinking and cooking it goes fast. I have thought about powered for cooking or maybe even condensed. I don't have a clue how to add water to it. Powered price is higher then the fresh milk. I have picked it up as low as $1.99. Marketplace our grocer has been having name brand on sale as low as $2.99 from $3.99

Next week the name milk brand is 2 gal. for $5.00. The nice thing about Scott working at MP he sees the ad the week before it appears. We have learned the color codes on the shelf's for sale prices. Green label is long term sale several weeks to a month. Red tag is sale this week only, Sunday through Saturday.  We know that grocery delivery's come from Super Valu Monday, Wednesday, Friday. that's mostly dry goods. Dairy and frozen is Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Bread comes from Country Hearth, be it name brand or store, All frozen pizza from vendor, Pepsi, and Coke too. Fresh meat I believe is two times a week. Baked goods in the bakery are all frozen dough, except, cake doughnuts which are made from scratch. They do have products that come in from another bakery.

I think I told you that we picked up a small chest freezer this spring. Man has that helped. I stock as much as I can in there, then anything we will use more often in the small fridge freezer. Will my friends that about wraps this up. No Sparkle Team events this week end. Only one parade left for the season next weekend.

Stay Safe......Rob
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6 comments:

Vicki said...

Sounds like you are getting caught up again. Sure doesn't take long to deplete the supplies when you use them all the time. I agree with you about our winters. Seems like every year at least one or two people here in MN are found dead from exposure to the cold. I am doing pretty well on the food, but need to add to things like more propane for my portable heater. And socks. Wool socks. Lots of them. :)

Rob said...

Trying to get caught up. I see you are having a sleepless night too. I have some meds to help me sleep, I don't take them as I don't want to over sleep in the am. If i take one I can get 4 or 5 hrs sleep. If I take two like they want I can get maybe 7, but feel tired all day.

Now that the temps are lower I have started to drink more coffee. We have a Mr Coffee K cup brewer. I love it. We don't waste as much coffee as when we brewed a full pot. I still have whole bean coffee stored. i buy Great Value coffee 48 K cups for like $15.00. To me coffee is coffee. a little creamer and two sweet n low and I'm good

Rev. Paul said...

We learned our lesson about getting behind on the stockpile, long ago. It's far less expensive to stay caught up, than to get caught up.

Rob said...

You work hard at getting ahead, and the moment you change one purchase amount and it goes down hill faster then when you started in the first place.

hobo said...

Our stores are down, too. Garden did not do well due to heat and warm winds so I have been investigating other varieties of veggies for next year. BUT the stores will have case & #10 can sales here soon. Bought four 25# bags of sugar at incredibly cheap price a week ago. It was a good score.

Add potatoes to your list. They help make your meals go a little farther. Add some diced up to taco meat, if you make up tacos. Cooked bulgur is a good one, too, in hamburgers. Keep up the good work, Rob. It will all pay off in the end run.

Rob said...

I can't seem to keep potatoes in stock at home. If we buy too much they go bad, if we buy too few we eat them up faster. We eat alot of potatoes but with my diabetes its not real good for me, boosts blood glucose. Mashed, baked, fried, scallops, hash you name it we eat it.