A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. Proverbs 27:12
Remember having a deep pantry isn’t just about having extra food on hand. It is also about having the means to survive in an emergency situation, having all the extra food isn’t going to do you much good if you can’t cook it when the power is out.
If you are having a hard time trying to afford to fill a deep pantry read my post on “having a Deep Pantry on a tight budget”forget to share what you were able to do this past week to have a deep pantry/food storage. Let’s encourage each other. And if you have a question feel free to ask or if you have the answer to a question feel free to answer.
If you have a tip or idea you can share that also. As I said let’s make this a place where we can share and encourage others to get that deep pantry. The first month was a jump start to get a little ahead so if things go south before you can get everything you want, at least you have something to survive on. If you are just starting you will want to go back and start with Januarys challenge. The amounts are for two people If you have more just double to what you need. Also while you are doing this if you see something on sale that you think you will need to pick it up. You can catch up the with the list later. Always better to buy when on sale then not.
This week you will want to get.
25 lbs sugar / 25 Lbs oats
You might also consider picking up a couple of jars of molasses when you get your sugar, so you can make brown sugar. It is cheaper to make your own brown sugar. Plus you will have fresh and not have to worry about it getting hard.You can go here to see how.
Try to buy your oats in bulk there are some places that have 20 to 25-pound bags for less than 20 dollars. You can use these to make your own instant oatmeal packs, add to hamburger to stretch it, grind it to make flour, of course, cookies and many other things.
The action item for this month is to learn C.P.R. and some 1st aid. A lot of fire departments and Red Cross centers will offer CPR and basic 1st aid classes for a small fee and sometimes for free.
The extra item this month is packs, we use our hunting packs for this and we take them where ever we go. Each one of us has our own. These would be the same thing as bug out bags. I will try to get a post up soon on what to put in them. If you already have your packs take this month to go through them and add or replace what needs to be added or replaced.
Every week you will want to put back water. You can buy it, or fill your empty juice and soda bottles. You can also store water in your empty canning jars, as you empty your jars just add some water and put the lid back on. You don’t have to can this water but if you wanted to you could. You can also put water in bleach and detergent bottles ( this will be non-potable but you could flush and wash dishes with it.). You can go here for more information water.
Every week you will also want to put back a few dollars, even if it is a small amount it will add up. Save your ones and if you can your fives and all your loose change from paying with cash. It will add up pretty quickly.
I have ordered 250 lbs of meat from sams club and canned it in my pressure canner in order to not have to pay high prices due to the flooding and death of over a million cows and who knows how many pigs in the mid west. I also order from AzureStandard.com who delivers once a month. I am stocking up on canning lids, wheat, popcorn and other grains as these things will also be increasing in price due to the disaster in the midwest. We are also getting our garden ready to plant and plan to try to grow wheat on one whole side of our yard, this will be interesting as we have never grown wheat before, we are having strange weather here in Colorado also so here is hoping that our gardens grow well. We also are planting fruit trees and berry bushes, tons of garlic and onions, rhubarb, herbs and edible flowers, we also forage for local edible weeds.