Every so often, it's good to look at your inventory and see what you might still need to stock up on.
EverydayFoodStorage.NET has a great printout for items to have around that will make cooking almost ANY recipe a breeze. If you have these things on hand, it eliminates those last minute runs to the store for one or two items, which is also when some impulse buying happens.
It also starts to suggest some longer-term food storage items. Her blog has lots of great recipes to use those kinds of foods. She's even started over with basics and has video blogs to watch while she explains everything.
Not only do we stock up on food/pantry items, but the household and toiletry items we use everyday as well! This is what we try to do here- find those items to stock up on and the best prices!
Showing posts with label Food storage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food storage. Show all posts
Friday, June 11, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Food Storage Friday: Three-month supply - extended version
I broke this down into a week-by-week period, but here is the full thing if you are playing catch up.
The main idea behind finding the right deals is knowing the foods your family eats normally and stocking up on the items while they are on sale. There are 3 main reasons to shop this way:
MENU PLAN
Make a list with your family of your favorite meals. This includes all meals of the day including snacks/desserts. You have a few options for how many items to make on your list:
Making this list was pretty eye-opening for us. We had the kids help us with ideas and when it came to what side dishes they wanted with dinners, the only option they gave was GREEN BEANS for every single meal! And I've tried fresh and frozen with them, but they only like canned. We knew it was time to expand our palette!
Examples:
Breakfast- 10x10:
Cold cereal/toast
oatmeal
scrambled eggs/bacon
omlettes/ham/cheese
pancakes
waffles
danish pancakes/crepes
etc...
Dinners- Monthly (25 meals, 4 times) or (20 meals, 5 times)
Italian chicken (crock pot) with noodles
BBQ chicken (crock pot) & rice
Sweet & sour meatballs, with rice
Lasagna
Chicken curry & rice
White chicken chili
White chicken chili burrito-style (day 2)
Beef stroganoff (crock pot) and egg noodles
etc.
I've made a quick template you can print and use to make your list
INGREDIENTS
The next step is listing all the components to make your meals (include amounts) and tally how often certain items are used.
Chicken (1 lb): IIII
Chopped Beef (1 lb): I
Ground beef (1 lb): II
etc.- keep going for all items on your list and the serving size your family needs per meal.
In the dinners list example above, there are 5 that use chicken- I would count the leftovers/burrito day also because I'd have to make a double batch of chili the first day in order to have some for day 2, then I'd also list tortillas, refried beans and sour cream. I would need to make sure we have enough chicken to do those meals 4-5 times (depending on if I have 20 or 25 items on my list). 5 meals using ~1 lb. chicken x the number of times to do that meal = how much needed for a 3-month supply.
for the tech savvy: www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net has an excel file to help you with this, and tutorials on their site of how to use it. (include sides with their dinner area)
MASTER LIST
I introduced the Master Shopping List a while back. This is your ingredients list and amounts needed multiplied by the number of times you need to use that meal (x10, x5, or x4). You can also work an inventory into your Master list. I like to keep a list of the lowest price I've paid and what store (ex. Chex cereal: $2 ea., Times). These are the things you're going to buy a little at a time out of your food budget while you still have to buy regular meals. Use the sales ads to plan your meals and see how that helps your budget. Over the next 12 weeks, do a what you can a little at a time. Pretty soon, you'll only be buying the items on your list ONLY when they are on sale and living off of what you already have on your pantry. You'll go to the store once a week, shop the sale items, and use it to supplement what you've already accumulated at home.
Food budget THEN and NOW-
For our family we are now only buying what is ON SALE and what we would eat. If I were to have waited until this week and bought the ingredients for our curry when we wanted it- it would have come out to $7.75 for the chicken, curry mix and potatoes (not counting rice because that's a longer-term food storage item), and I'd have to hope everything was in stock that week otherwise we're out of luck and might end up eating out somewhere else, which would cost even more. Instead, I have everything in stock and it cost me $4.30, which is a small savings now, but when I do that 4 times in 3 months, it starts to add up!
Also on your Master shopping list should be non-food items that are used in your household often (toiletries, cleaning supplies). Do a 2-week trial where you date things as they are opened and notice how much is used in that period of time- keep a running tab in a place where you can't miss it. Then multiply by 6 (12 weeks= 3 months) to see how much you would need to add in your supply. Don't forget your pets and medications!
SHOP
Now you know what items to look out for as they come on sale. Using coupons on top of a sale will save you even more! This is why we update the store sales weekly so you can get some ideas from the ads. Plan your meals each week using the sales of the Fresh items (veggies/fruits/dairy/meat) that you can't keep in stock so you know you aren't spending too much on those items. These items don't have coupons very often and don't keep as well as the rest of your food supply, but you can at least save something on your meals when you need those items.
ROTATE
Use what you buy then purchase again when it comes back on sale. Buy a few extra as you have the funds to expand your 3-month into a 4-month supply, and so on. You'll be spending less on your budget, then you can get a few extra items to lengthen your plan.
STORAGE
I think storage is the biggest issue we have in Hawaii. This is where we all need to get creative. It needs to be functional, and yet keep out all the bugs that we have here. Cleaning out the kitchen and getting rid of duplicates (or triplicates) of items might help open some space, or the upper shelves of closets, or what else could you use? We finally decided to move all the kids clothes into one closet (one of the perks of having all boys) and hang them up there and then turn another closet into a pantry. It helps so much when you can SEE what you have and what you might be getting low on.
NOW
Just take ONE step at a time. Try it for a while, develop it to your family's needs and tastes and let us know what works- my style won't work for everyone and yours might help get someone out of their rut.
The main idea behind finding the right deals is knowing the foods your family eats normally and stocking up on the items while they are on sale. There are 3 main reasons to shop this way:
- The normal grocery store runs a 12-week cycle, or every 3 months. So buy what you need while on sale and use it, then buy again when it comes on sale- never pay full price if you can avoid it!
- Having enough to last your family this long is also something encouraged in the LDS church which I am a part of, but it is a good idea for anyone because it would come in handy during hard times- certain disasters, period of no work/employment or being too sick to leave the house. These are scenarios I've experienced personally.
- This is also a really good way to cut your food budget- we've gone down by half! Put your money toward other goals and still eat better than ever!
MENU PLAN
Make a list with your family of your favorite meals. This includes all meals of the day including snacks/desserts. You have a few options for how many items to make on your list:
- 10x10 method- come up with 10 of each type of meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides, snack/dessert), then as you're stocking up, purchase enough to do those meals 10 times. We do this mostly for breakfasts and lunches- don't mind repeating them as often. This would make 100 breakfasts, etc- so you are eating something each of those days- a little more than 3 months worth. This option doesn't work for all meals because of store limits on sales but works best when you are buying in bulk.
- Monthly method- if you can keep listing more than 10 (same as above- breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides, snack/dessert), come up with 20 options and do each 5 times or list 25 of each type of meal and do them 4, also a total of 100 days. We like more variety with our dinners, so we do this way- also include leftover variations to expand your meals. You can also list specialty meals that you enjoy, but not eat as often so they will be already on your list to spot the sales. This method works better for regular grocery store shopping because of sale limits.
Making this list was pretty eye-opening for us. We had the kids help us with ideas and when it came to what side dishes they wanted with dinners, the only option they gave was GREEN BEANS for every single meal! And I've tried fresh and frozen with them, but they only like canned. We knew it was time to expand our palette!
Examples:
Breakfast- 10x10:
Cold cereal/toast
oatmeal
scrambled eggs/bacon
omlettes/ham/cheese
pancakes
waffles
danish pancakes/crepes
etc...
Dinners- Monthly (25 meals, 4 times) or (20 meals, 5 times)
Italian chicken (crock pot) with noodles
BBQ chicken (crock pot) & rice
Sweet & sour meatballs, with rice
Lasagna
Chicken curry & rice
White chicken chili
White chicken chili burrito-style (day 2)
Beef stroganoff (crock pot) and egg noodles
etc.
I've made a quick template you can print and use to make your list
INGREDIENTS
The next step is listing all the components to make your meals (include amounts) and tally how often certain items are used.
Chicken (1 lb):
Chopped Beef (1 lb): I
Ground beef (1 lb): II
etc.- keep going for all items on your list and the serving size your family needs per meal.
In the dinners list example above, there are 5 that use chicken- I would count the leftovers/burrito day also because I'd have to make a double batch of chili the first day in order to have some for day 2, then I'd also list tortillas, refried beans and sour cream. I would need to make sure we have enough chicken to do those meals 4-5 times (depending on if I have 20 or 25 items on my list). 5 meals using ~1 lb. chicken x the number of times to do that meal = how much needed for a 3-month supply.
for the tech savvy: www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net has an excel file to help you with this, and tutorials on their site of how to use it. (include sides with their dinner area)
MASTER LIST
I introduced the Master Shopping List a while back. This is your ingredients list and amounts needed multiplied by the number of times you need to use that meal (x10, x5, or x4). You can also work an inventory into your Master list. I like to keep a list of the lowest price I've paid and what store (ex. Chex cereal: $2 ea., Times). These are the things you're going to buy a little at a time out of your food budget while you still have to buy regular meals. Use the sales ads to plan your meals and see how that helps your budget. Over the next 12 weeks, do a what you can a little at a time. Pretty soon, you'll only be buying the items on your list ONLY when they are on sale and living off of what you already have on your pantry. You'll go to the store once a week, shop the sale items, and use it to supplement what you've already accumulated at home.
Food budget THEN and NOW-
For our family we are now only buying what is ON SALE and what we would eat. If I were to have waited until this week and bought the ingredients for our curry when we wanted it- it would have come out to $7.75 for the chicken, curry mix and potatoes (not counting rice because that's a longer-term food storage item), and I'd have to hope everything was in stock that week otherwise we're out of luck and might end up eating out somewhere else, which would cost even more. Instead, I have everything in stock and it cost me $4.30, which is a small savings now, but when I do that 4 times in 3 months, it starts to add up!
Also on your Master shopping list should be non-food items that are used in your household often (toiletries, cleaning supplies). Do a 2-week trial where you date things as they are opened and notice how much is used in that period of time- keep a running tab in a place where you can't miss it. Then multiply by 6 (12 weeks= 3 months) to see how much you would need to add in your supply. Don't forget your pets and medications!
SHOP
Now you know what items to look out for as they come on sale. Using coupons on top of a sale will save you even more! This is why we update the store sales weekly so you can get some ideas from the ads. Plan your meals each week using the sales of the Fresh items (veggies/fruits/dairy/meat) that you can't keep in stock so you know you aren't spending too much on those items. These items don't have coupons very often and don't keep as well as the rest of your food supply, but you can at least save something on your meals when you need those items.
ROTATE
Use what you buy then purchase again when it comes back on sale. Buy a few extra as you have the funds to expand your 3-month into a 4-month supply, and so on. You'll be spending less on your budget, then you can get a few extra items to lengthen your plan.
STORAGE
I think storage is the biggest issue we have in Hawaii. This is where we all need to get creative. It needs to be functional, and yet keep out all the bugs that we have here. Cleaning out the kitchen and getting rid of duplicates (or triplicates) of items might help open some space, or the upper shelves of closets, or what else could you use? We finally decided to move all the kids clothes into one closet (one of the perks of having all boys) and hang them up there and then turn another closet into a pantry. It helps so much when you can SEE what you have and what you might be getting low on.
NOW
Just take ONE step at a time. Try it for a while, develop it to your family's needs and tastes and let us know what works- my style won't work for everyone and yours might help get someone out of their rut.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Food storage Friday- picking up where we left off
We are getting to the part of why we are doing this in the first place- we know what we eat, what we use and have our list. Now we need to acquire 3 months worth to have on hand. This will make meal planning so much easier and cheaper in the long run.
If you listed 10 meals, you'll need enough to do each 10 times to make about 3 months worth. This includes breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner.
If you did 30 meals, you'll need enough to do each 3 times. I like to do this version, because it gives us more variety. I also like it because stores will have limits on sale items, and it's usually 3-4.
You now have your MASTER shopping list. These are the things to look for on sale. When things are 50% savings and above, this is when you need to stock up on your items. Matching with coupons will add for extra savings as well. Here are some sites to try- they collect the coupons from other sites so you don't have to go all over to find what you need. You can print 2 of each coupon per printer.
Coupons.com (I've added a toolbar in the right column for you to link from)
If you're looking for more Natural/Organic foods- This site covers Whole Foods and has lots of links for coupons: Organic deals. The prices may be different than Hawaii, but it'll show you how to save something.
A lot of the time, it helps to write to the companies that make the foods you use and give feedback-good or bad. They appreciate it and will send you samples and coupons to buy more of their products in most cases. I did this recently when a travel-size pack of formula seemed to have gone bad- it had brown spots and bubbled when I put it in water. They responded right away and even sent a 12-oz. can of formula to me and sent a $5 coupon/check for my next purchase.
You won't buy everything on your Master list all at once, but definitely watch for the sales on your items so you'll know what a good stock-up price is to watch out for. You may have to put a certain amount of money aside each week ($10-20 or whatever you can handle) while you still have regular groceries to buy until you've built your food storage. Check expirations on sale items, sometimes they are just trying to get rid of inventory because they are going bad soon. Make sure you have enough time to use the items or else it might be a waste. Fresh foods- milk, eggs, fruits, veggies aren't able to store either, but buying the fruits/veggies that are in season will save you a TON. You can also buy powdered milk/eggs if they are used as ingredients in a recipe- only you'll know and the rest can't tell a difference. Frozen fruit/veggies are a good option to explore also- stirfry, smoothies, etc and not having to worry about if something is in season or not.
Keep track of what you have, and use them your meals around the items you've already bought. You'll be all set to join in Menu Plan Monday. Please share if you participate
Last step and most important- rotate! This is a continuous process, but so rewarding- this is why I wanted to share it with others. Our food budget has gone down A LOT for two reasons- I only buy things when they are on sale and stack coupons with it when possible. But I feel like we are eating more than we ever have!
Coupons.com (I've added a toolbar in the right column for you to link from)
If you're looking for more Natural/Organic foods- This site covers Whole Foods and has lots of links for coupons: Organic deals. The prices may be different than Hawaii, but it'll show you how to save something.
A lot of the time, it helps to write to the companies that make the foods you use and give feedback-good or bad. They appreciate it and will send you samples and coupons to buy more of their products in most cases. I did this recently when a travel-size pack of formula seemed to have gone bad- it had brown spots and bubbled when I put it in water. They responded right away and even sent a 12-oz. can of formula to me and sent a $5 coupon/check for my next purchase.
You won't buy everything on your Master list all at once, but definitely watch for the sales on your items so you'll know what a good stock-up price is to watch out for. You may have to put a certain amount of money aside each week ($10-20 or whatever you can handle) while you still have regular groceries to buy until you've built your food storage. Check expirations on sale items, sometimes they are just trying to get rid of inventory because they are going bad soon. Make sure you have enough time to use the items or else it might be a waste. Fresh foods- milk, eggs, fruits, veggies aren't able to store either, but buying the fruits/veggies that are in season will save you a TON. You can also buy powdered milk/eggs if they are used as ingredients in a recipe- only you'll know and the rest can't tell a difference. Frozen fruit/veggies are a good option to explore also- stirfry, smoothies, etc and not having to worry about if something is in season or not.
Keep track of what you have, and use them your meals around the items you've already bought. You'll be all set to join in Menu Plan Monday. Please share if you participate
Last step and most important- rotate! This is a continuous process, but so rewarding- this is why I wanted to share it with others. Our food budget has gone down A LOT for two reasons- I only buy things when they are on sale and stack coupons with it when possible. But I feel like we are eating more than we ever have!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Food Storage Friday- 2 week supply, week 2
Still keep track of the food and items your family uses on a regular basis. Keep a running list of what the items are and how much you go through. Your week 2 will either end on Friday or the following Monday, depending on when you started.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Food Storage Friday- 2 week usage
For the next two weeks (you can wait for Monday if you need the weekend), make a list of the items on your notepad you use as you use them, or if you open something, write the date on it with your sharpie (cereal box, toilet paper roll wrapper). Tally how much of each item is used.
We'll use the amounts used in 2 weeks to help figure out how much is necessary for a three-month supply and then build to your year-supply.
We'll use the amounts used in 2 weeks to help figure out how much is necessary for a three-month supply and then build to your year-supply.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Food Storage Friday
Step two:
Get your list of 30 meals you made with the family and your recipe books out. Now you need to make a list of all the ingredients used in your favorite meals.
Then separately, make a tally of how many times a certain ingredient comes up. This will help you have a list of what deals you are looking for!
Example:
Beef Stroganoff
Italian chicken
BBQ chicken
INGREDIENTS
beef l
frozen chicken x 6 l l
italian dressing l
bbq sauce l
lipton onion soup l
cream of mushroom soup l
Fresh items (can't store)
sour cream l
Get your list of 30 meals you made with the family and your recipe books out. Now you need to make a list of all the ingredients used in your favorite meals.
Then separately, make a tally of how many times a certain ingredient comes up. This will help you have a list of what deals you are looking for!
Example:
Beef Stroganoff
Italian chicken
BBQ chicken
INGREDIENTS
beef l
frozen chicken x 6 l l
italian dressing l
bbq sauce l
lipton onion soup l
cream of mushroom soup l
Fresh items (can't store)
sour cream l
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Food Storage Friday- Meal planning list
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dcmj253q_105fbsxm8cbWe're going to start taking some steps toward building our three-month food and necessities (household supplies) storage. This will help you know what deals you need to be looking for later as we build up our storage a little at a time.
There can be some confusion between three-month food storage and long term food storage.
Three-month food storage are what you probably eat most of during the week- what your family likes and is accustomed to. These items usually don't have much shelf-life (or freezer-life). Long-term food storage are items that can store longer and can provide our families with nourishment in times of need, but not only in an emergency- they can be incorporated into our diets now.
There are different ways of building a three-month food storage. One way is to list 30 of your family's favorite meals and keep 3 of each ingredients in stock. The other method is a 10x10 method, which means you list 10 meals and keep enough around to be able to make that meal 10 times. 10 meals x 10 times having that meal = 100 meals, a little more than 90 days/three-months worth.
First step: LIST.
Items needed: pad of paper or printout, pen
This is an idea you can do on FHE night- have your family list your favorite meals. Explain that you are working on a list of the family's favorites so that you will know what to shop for when it's on sale to save money. We are following the prophets who have told us to keep our food storage stocked. There are many cases when a food storage comes in handy- in a natural disaster or family emergency, when no money might be coming in for a short while or when someone is sick or just can't get to the store. Decide as a family how much of the family budget should go toward building food storage. (Buying extras of an item when it is on sale will save your family $$ in the long run, so you aren't buying something when you feel like making it again at regular price.)
Keep a variety in your list, cause you'll need to be able to have some nights where the preparation takes less time than other nights. Besides entrees, also list side dishes, lunches, breakfasts, snacks/desserts. See if you can get up to 25 in each category, if not then you may fit better with a 10x10 in some areas.
Save this list for step two next week.
When our family did this, our boys suggested "canned green beans" as every side dish. We definitely learned we needed to work on introducing more variety into their diets!
There can be some confusion between three-month food storage and long term food storage.
Three-month food storage are what you probably eat most of during the week- what your family likes and is accustomed to. These items usually don't have much shelf-life (or freezer-life). Long-term food storage are items that can store longer and can provide our families with nourishment in times of need, but not only in an emergency- they can be incorporated into our diets now.
There are different ways of building a three-month food storage. One way is to list 30 of your family's favorite meals and keep 3 of each ingredients in stock. The other method is a 10x10 method, which means you list 10 meals and keep enough around to be able to make that meal 10 times. 10 meals x 10 times having that meal = 100 meals, a little more than 90 days/three-months worth.
First step: LIST.
Items needed: pad of paper or printout, pen
This is an idea you can do on FHE night- have your family list your favorite meals. Explain that you are working on a list of the family's favorites so that you will know what to shop for when it's on sale to save money. We are following the prophets who have told us to keep our food storage stocked. There are many cases when a food storage comes in handy- in a natural disaster or family emergency, when no money might be coming in for a short while or when someone is sick or just can't get to the store. Decide as a family how much of the family budget should go toward building food storage. (Buying extras of an item when it is on sale will save your family $$ in the long run, so you aren't buying something when you feel like making it again at regular price.)
Keep a variety in your list, cause you'll need to be able to have some nights where the preparation takes less time than other nights. Besides entrees, also list side dishes, lunches, breakfasts, snacks/desserts. See if you can get up to 25 in each category, if not then you may fit better with a 10x10 in some areas.
Save this list for step two next week.
When our family did this, our boys suggested "canned green beans" as every side dish. We definitely learned we needed to work on introducing more variety into their diets!
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