Tip Tuesday: Do What You Can

 Boy, it sure would be nice to own 100 fertile acres, a root cellar, a spring-fed well, a milk cow, a gigantic thriving garden, an orchard, 1000 canning jars, a windmill, a wood burning furnace, a tractor and a generator.  Oh, well, at least I have a flock of chickens. 

Yep, that, and a few other things.

 Like spam.
 And rice.


I know, it's not much.  It's not ideal.  But it's better than nothing.
And that's what I'd like to tell you today... Something is better than nothing.

Do what you can.

And I'd like to give you a few ideas to start out with...

Because we all know that things aren't looking so good in the future.  At least in the the not-so-distant-future.  I hate to be a downer, but it's time for us mamas to face that facts and do what we can to prepare.  At least lessen the impact on our families as much as possible.  And if you're thinking, "That's easy for her to say!  She's got land and chickens.  And extra spending money."  Let me just say, "Yes, to the land and chickens part. No, to the money part."  Our family spends less on food than the USDA says would feed a family of four on the "thrifty plan."  We have a lot of mouths to feed.  And it ain't easy, sister.  But that's no excuse for me not to do what I can to prepare.

OK, back down off my soap box...  Sorry about that.  It's a touchy subject.

So, what can YOU do to prepare for the future?  What should you stock up on?  Where should you put it?  How much do you need?  How long will it last?  How can you afford it?

Good question!  It can be pretty darn overwhelming.  Trust me, I know!

Let's just start at the beginning.  What to buy.  We'll talk about the other things later.
My advice on what to buy is to buy what your family already eats.  Look for those killer deals/coupons if you want to.  But don't wait too long for them.  I'm sure you've noticed that the sales aren't what they used to be.  So, just bite the bullet and buy some extra something.  Most pantry foods have a surprisingly long shelf life.  But the main thing is to buy what you're already using, just buy extra.  That way it won't get packed away in some far off corner and never get eaten.  Here's a few ideas to get you started...

Pasta

Beans
 
Dry Milk

Canned meat

Water

Peanut Butter


 These are all fairly cheap foods that are readily available.  When you're out shopping, toss in a few of these extra items.  You won't really notice the cost difference.  One thing you will notice, though, is that slowly but surely you will be building up a pantry that gives you a little feeling of security.  And that's priceless!

If you're wondering where you'll put everything once you've got a bunch... don't worry about that now.  Just think of it as extra groceries at this point.  Fill up your cupboards.  Get rid of those weird tupperwares without lids and the other random stuff in there, and make room for extra food.

Soon I'll be posting a more extensive list of things stock up on, but for now I don't want you to be intimidated by "the list."

For now, just do what you can.