Friday, July 8, 2022

Changing focus on groceries

 It's Friday...After talking about the budget for gas. I brought up to Hubby that I was stocking for 2 yrs as I didn't know if we were going to be able to afford to redo the gardens next spring even with us sifting dirt. We would have to buy more weed barrier to use slab wood as Hubby has found potato plants growing out the sides of the slab wood potato crates he made. Or buy plyboard (not particle board like he did the last time) and paint it to seal it. 

I finished cleaning, defrosting and organizing the 4 deep freezers( barn will need done again this fall).

We decided to have 2 yrs of main entrees for bfast, lunch and supper. That is 2,190 meals... Hope you were sitting down and not walking while reading this on your cell phone. 

We are set for beef for 2 yrs if I am careful. I even have the prime rib for Christmas eve. I might have to buy one for next year. I have a few steaks that can be for Hubby's birthday in Oct.

We are set for pork (except for sausage patties) for 2 yrs if I am careful. I want to buy dinner sausage patties but they haven't been in stock from the butcher shop we get them from. I will only need bulk sausage if we run low on chili. I think I have enough chili canned to go 2 yrs. I can stretch that if I make white chili. I have brat patties so we might just go with out the sausage patties. I have 3 pork butt roasts that were in the bottom of the freezer that I didn't know I still had that can make several meals. 

I have enough canned fish for this year. We don't eat it a lot. I don't "stock" this up for more than 6 months at a time. I will have to get frozen shrimp (or go without) at holidays.

I have cheese for 1 yr. I am not willing to fill the freezers with more. LOL. I do have Velveeta cheese pouches that are good for 18 months. The blocks go bad on us before we get them used. 

I have pasta, we will run out of our favorites but we can suck it up and use other stuff. I make my own noodles and since Son 2 made his own ...  plan to make ravioli.

I have 6 dozen eggs that have been beaten up and put in sandwich bags then freezer bags. Half in 2 eggs/ bag the other half 1 egg/ bag. I can use them for baking, egg sandwich, frittata, quiche and omelets.  I usually get 2 dozen a week FREE from M but when her chickens don't lay in the winter, I don't want to head to the store. 

I have 11 different types of beans, some are dried and some I canned for quick meals. Plenty for 2 yrs.

What I don't have enough of is POULTRY. I have 3 meals of chicken breast (me) and chicken thighs(Hubby) . I have 2 meals of wings. I have a quart of turkey meat in the freezer.  I have 3 roasting chickens. Those can make 3 meals each as they are not very big ( I prefer 6-8 lbs, these are 4 1/2). I will get at least 2 turkeys (maybe more depending on price) Not sure about chicken at this point with the prices.

SO what is the plan to have enough? 

Bfast: I have oats (steel cut, regular, instant) that can be porridge or fried, cream of wheat, grits, barley, millet(never had but Daughter 4 likes), bulgur wheat, corn meal (polenta and mush) and assorted flours for pancakes, waffles and fried bread dough (Daddy called it knee bread as his sisters would take bread dough that had not raised yet and stretch it over their knee and then fry it in the skillet) Eggs of course... fruit pie, custard/custard pie and cake will also be there. I have oil for pie dough (like Daddy used) if I run out of butter (not likely as M is now sending that also) 

Lunch is iffy as if he is hauling he is not at home, I just pick either left overs or cheese and crackers( have some in pantry, will make them when I run out). Might be good to make room in freezers for personal size pizza as I have cooked sausage and pepperoni ( I dice my slices to make it go farther) I could use for that. He will eat what ever I tell him to. 😉

Dinner we will rotate beef/ pork/poultry/ fish and eggs as Hubby isn't a fish eater/ cheese (think grilled cheese, cheese soup with broccoli or something, cheese and crackers, mac and cheese etc. /beans/ soups/vegetarian and pasta.

So what does that leave me to buy (besides chicken, sausage patties, and fish) 

Milk/ half and half/ heavy cream. Biweekly.

Celery/ carrots (might try bucket growing next year) tri colored bell peppers/ fresh mushrooms once a month.

I make our own bread. I will start making tortillas, bagels and English muffins.  I will also try crescents,  croissants and popovers.

I set the food budget for $50. Should cost less than $40 but I can see once in awhile picking some thing up like onions at end of winter or potatoes.(Fingers crossed ours does well and hold through the winter). I have $300 back for the rest of the meat.

I need to pick up speltz (50 cents a pound)  and maybe peanut butter at the Amish bulk store.  

IF we eat from the pantry we should be able to pay cash for wood stove, chimney and propane. It will be close with having to by a buzz saw (Hubby's saw died while cutting wood and 2 of the Amish who was going to cut it for him... broke their own saws) and batteries for the solar water pump. 






17 comments:

  1. Your post reminded me that I need to do a freezer inventory and as I have a baby on my lap and can't seem to get anything else done I think I will go to garage and do that!

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  2. Wow, you are amazing!! Love how prepared and organized that you are...
    I'm short of chicken too, but I'm hoping there will be a sale soon? I was in Aldi this week, and their meat counter was pretty bare. I'm not sure if other stores are stocked better.

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  3. Hi! You're $50 food budget, is that for a week or monthly?
    Thanks
    Coleen

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  4. Wow! You are so organized & plan so thoroughly. It's really interesting to hear about your approach!

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  5. I am feeling comfortable about our stockpile now. We are only buying best deals and foods to replace what we eat when we find a good price. Today we were able to restock chicken thighs for 1.18 a pound which I was very happy to find.

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  6. That is a lot of food! I have a similar variety but not for that long as I only have one freezer. I do have commercially canned food, even fish. When I had chickens, I froze eggs in tiny 4 oz Ball jars. Well, all sorts of sizes for how many eggs I wanted to thaw at once. I miss chickens. Onions, chopped and dehydrated helped to only buy Vidalia or onion on sale. Meals were so easy with the onions already chopped. Tommy pretty much eats what I tell him unless he has his eye on something I don't think of that we have cooked in the refrigerator. I wish I had four freezers! and a barn.

    Why will you not be able to plant next year? I didn't understand.

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    1. need to replace garden beds as they are falling apart. With IRA's doing so poorly we won't pull any extra money for it.

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  7. We are stocked for 6-8 months right now but I am wanting to extend that to 18-24 months before fall. I look forward to following along with your progress to get more ideas on what/how to store items.
    Have you dehydrated eggs? I read that it can be done but haven't tried it yet.

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    1. You can dehydrate eggs in a dehydrator using a fruit leather on the tray... beat the eggs up very well. They will be "greasy". I vacuum bagged mine. This time I beat them up and put in sandwich bags (2 eggs or 1 egg) and froze them and put in freezer bags.

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    2. Thank you. I'm going to be doing this while we have so many eggs.

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  8. I don’t usually comment but wanted to let you know how much I like your writing. I admire your planning skills, and your writing is really well done, interesting and doesn’t meander ;). Anyway, just wanted to thank you for the time you spend on this blog! I was reading the “out my window” blog and she said you inspired her to do a freezer inventory, me too! Hilogene in Az

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  9. I wish that you lives closer to me. I have a lot of firewood and nobody want it.

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    1. if you have a camp ground within 5 miles. let them know you have fire wood. One friend put out a couple signs like yard sale signs of free firewood. Was gone in an hour

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  10. Thank you for posting this. I need to inventory our freezers. We got a hog last month and just picked up our beef. I've contracted some chickens for September. I have eggs water-glassed but not enough for the entire winter. I'm canning potatoes & green beans right now and the tomatoes are ripening. I'll do a batch or two of relish and will stock up on the pickles we like. I've been stocking up on dry and canned goods all year but I need to count up and make sure I have enough. I'd like 2 years worth or more and I'm definitely not there yet.
    And I have finally gotten DH on the bandwagon. He's working on getting us a generator. No way to put in wood heat but I could make our propane stretch if needed. We need the electric for the well. I'm working on him to see if our old well will take a hand pump. So much to do!

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