Growing up I watched my mom preserve food, frequent case lot sales, and buy essentials (toilet paper, flour, sugar, rice) in bulk. Joseph and I have begun our journey for a self-sustaining lifestyle and part of that lifestyle is being prepared. Having a well stocked pantry is very important for those times when unexpected bills come up such as; cars breaking down, medical emergencies, job lay offs, etc. I've found it's important to know how to cook in hard times too. Believe it or not it is cheaper to make your own bread rather than buy it. By baking our own bread we're spending about 50 cents per loaf! Learning how to cook will allow you to be creative with basic ingredients and add variety to your meals. Home cooked meals are healthier than eating out and less expensive too.
I've made a list of items I like to keep on hand at all times. If these items can be bought in bulk and stored, our family can survive temporary hard times.
- Flour
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Rice
- Canned veggies (home bottled or store bought)
- Canned fruit (home bottled or store bought)
- Canned tomato sauce
- Honey
- Peanut Butter
- Oatmeal
- Pasta
- Butter or Margarine
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Chicken & Beef Bullion
- Cinnamon
- Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla Extract
- Syrup
- Toilet Paper
- Garbage Bags
- Toiletries
- Razors
- Tooth Paste
- Shampoo
- Deodorant
- Laundry Detergent
- Soap
- Cleaning Supplies (Toilet cleaner, Dish Soap, Comet)
- Animal Feed
This list looks huge, but I've found when times are good I buy a little extra of these items and store them. When times are tight I have enough of these items to last a while. It sure does take the edge off and I don't find myself in a situation where I have to choose between groceries and the power bill. When we get a deep freezer we'll begin stocking up on meat and cheese.
Take a few moments to make your own list of essential items and when you can, start buying extra to put away for those oh sh*t moments. Make sure to cycle through your stored items; you don't want what you've purchased to go bad.
Lets discuss preparing for a natural disaster another time.
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