Getting Started

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=172 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="01364643.gif"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="0143f460.gif" border=0 width="63" height="70" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Food Storage</U></B></div> <div> <B><U>Pages</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <U>Index</U></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getting Started"><U>Getting Started</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Basic Five"><U>Basic Five</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_wheat_and_grains_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>wheat</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_oil_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>Oil</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_beans___legumes_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>Beans </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_powdered_milk.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>Powdered Milk</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_sugar_and_sweeteners.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>Sugar</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_salt.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>Salt</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5_water.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wheat"><U>Water</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id7.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Home Preservation"><U>Home Preservation</U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="38a2c210.gif" border=0 width="44" height="33" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Where To Put It"><U>Where to Store It</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id9.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Keeping Track"><U>Keeping Track</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Recipes"><U>Recipes, etc</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id10.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dont Throw it Out"><U>FAQ's</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id11.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Plans"><U>Misc. Food Storage Plans</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id14.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="More Things To Store"><U>More to Store</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Last Word"><U>The Last Word!</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Hedgecock Family Page"><U><IMG SRC="0172e2c0.gif" border=0 width="46" height="44" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Hedgecock Family Page"><U>To Family Home Page</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.myhoneybrook.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.myhoneybrook.com"><U><IMG SRC="018581f0.gif" border=0 width="88" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="01164643.gif"> <bR> <div> Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Food Storage<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> (<FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Arial" >But thought you couldn't do!)</FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <IMG SRC="0204b380.gif" border=0 width="331" height="56" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> There's a strange misconception about food storage that goes something like: "It costs so much...we can never afford to do it, and besides, we probably will never use it."<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>Well, as my Dad used to say, "'T'aint so!" It <I>is</I> important to store those <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Basic Five"><U><U>basic five </U></U></A>items, but many families fear they don't know how to or won't use them. In that case, remember this:<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT><I>The most basic rule of Food Storage is</I>: <B><U>Store what you eat, and eat what you store!</U></B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>The rest of this page is filled with ideas and tips to help you do just that. </div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="index_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>INDEX<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="#general_principles_" TITLE="Getting Started"><U><U>General Principles</U></U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="#general_principles_" TITLE="Getting Started"><U> </U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#practical_ideas_" TITLE="Getting Started"><U><U>Practical Uses</U></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="#practical_ideas_" TITLE="Getting Started"><U> </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="#this_section_is_for_truly_dedicated" TITLE="Getting Started"><U><U>Super Saving Tips</U></U></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0204b380.gif" border=0 width="331" height="56" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="general_principles_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>General Principles<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> 1.<B> Where does that '</B><A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Basic Five"><U><B><U>basic five</U></B></U></A><B>' figure in? </B>When you're cooking from scratch, you'll find that storing flour, sugar and the other basic items is the most economical way to keep a good year's supply. You can make foods for three meals a day from wheat and sugar . This is far more versatile and economical than trying to store large quantities of expensive processed foods which don't provide complete nutrition</div> <div> (see the <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Basic Five"><U><U>basic five page</U></U></A> for more information!)</div> <bR> <div> 2. <B>Buying large quantities of the food</B> that you do eat on sale and storing it is wise money management. It will actually save you money in the long run. Example: Tuna is on sale this week 3/$1. Buy a case (36 cans) that's $12. Now next week, when you need two cans for a casserole, you will have saved at least 60 cents (assuming the regular price is around .69 cents per can). If you continue to do this, over time, you'll have food storage <I>and </I>you'll be spending less on groceries.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> 3.<B>Using less convenience foods </B>(cooking more from "scratch") is a more affordable way to feed your family. Here are some of my favorite examples: <U>Pasta salad mixes</U>: a box of a popular pasta salad mix costs about $1.89. For half that you can buy the ingredients to make twice as much from scratch.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <U>Cookies</U> are sold by the pound, hardly a fair comparison, since they are made from scratch by the dozen. However, you can save anywhere from three to four times the amount if you bake cookies from scratch. My chocolate chip cookie recipe makes five dozen and costs about $1.75 to make. A large package of Chip cookies costs almost $3, and it contains less cookies by bulk (my kids figure 2 Chips cookies equals one homemade cookie).<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000080" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> <U>Skillet Meal Mixes</U> cost about $2 a box, and you still need to add the meat. You could make your own with a can of tomato or pasta sauce or Soup and save half that or more.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>When you add these kinds of expenses up, they are costing your family a great deal more than money. Most convenience foods are high in calories and fat and lacking in nutrients (the processing necessary to make the foods "package able" kills off most vitamins and nutrients).<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> And last, but not least, <U>Macaroni and Cheese</U> in a box. These boxes contain macaroni that averages out to over $2 a pound in price (even if you buy the box on sale, such as 2/$1). They use whey product in the little packet (it costs them next to nothing) and <U>you</U> add the butter and the milk. If you're going to use butter and milk anyway, save the money on the macaroni buy buying it in bulk (50 cents per pound) and use cheese to make cheese sauce with the buttter, flour and milk. You've just saved a TON of money and made a far more nutritious meal. (That whey product has virtually no nutritional value). My kids claim it tastes better too. It is also <I>significantly</I> lower in sodium.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> 4. <B>Prior meal planning and shopping </B>saves money. When you plan your meals in advance and shop with a list, you will find yourself spending less on impulse purchases. This point was really brought home to me early in our marriage. I always had planned the meals and made a list when for grocery shopping, and I spent a reasonable sum to buy food for our family. One week my husband went grocery shopping with me. I had a list and plans, but he was hungry! As I put items in the cart that were on my list, he dropped anything that caught his eye in as well. When we checked out, the total was nearly three times what I usually spent! </div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#index_" TITLE="Getting Started"><U>Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0204b380.gif" border=0 width="331" height="56" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="practical_ideas_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Practical Ideas<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> All these points can help you save money on your food bill while helping you to build a food storage. Next are some practical ways to put these ideas in to practice. Pick one or two that interest you, and when you've got those mastered, come back and pick a new one!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> 1. Stop eating out! Although we didn't mention this above, many young families find this the biggest drain on their budget. Even fast food is expensive. A meal for two adults and kids at fast food burger place is $15 to $20. Spend that once a week, and you've spent over $800 in a year. If you eat out at a regular restaurant, you'll be spending even more. Any of those meals can be cooked at home for a fraction of the cost.</div> <div>  </div> <div> 2. Buy a good cookbook (Better Homes and Gardens, Betty Crocker, etc) and learn to cook more from scratch. Pick a new recipe to try each week. (Figure the cost, if you like). Realize, as you analyze costs that the food you prepare from scratch will be nutritionally better for your family.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> 3. Check the grocery ads and shop what's on sale. There's more about this in item 6, but you can save a great deal of money buy planning your menus around what's on sale at the stores. </div> <bR> <div> 4.You can save time as well as money if you buy a book like <U>Make a Mix Cookery</U> or <U>Once a Month Cooking</U> so you can cook ahead and have the convenience without the cost. There are mixes for everything from biscuit mix to instant pudding, and they all save money!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> 5. Keep a Food Purchase record. When you grocery shop, write down every item you purchase, the amount you purchased, the date, the store and the price. As you begin to stock up on sale items, you can refer to the book to see if the price is really a bargain, and also to see if you need any of that item at the time (buying a case of tuna on sale does you no good if you've already got two or three stored). Recording the store is important, because some stores will offer a lower regular price on certain items. Recording the date becomes important because when you get to the point where you're only buying jam two times a year, you won't be able to remember the last price you paid (trust me, it happens!).<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> 6. Stock up on super buys when you find them. Write the date on the top of the can or box so you can be sure you're rotating properly. This goes for canned, boxed and frozen foods.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> 7. Invest in a freezer. The savings from being able to stock up on frozen foods on sale will nearly pay for the freezer within a year or two. Label items and keep an inventory list on or near the door to ensure rotation.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> 8. Plant a garden. There's nothing like the taste of fresh produce, and when your garden overproduces (and we know it will!) you can preserve the extra to eat at a later time, saving even more money!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> 9. Plan menus and shopping lists, then stick to it! If your family doesn't like to eat leftovers, plan to use leftover meat purchases in second (and third) meals. We purchase a spiral sliced ham every once in awhile, after having a ham dinner, we make sandwiches, soup, and casserole with the remaining ham...three meals for about $15. (And, yes, we're feeding a small army)<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> 10. Learn to <A HREF="id7.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Home Preservation"><U>can and preserve</U></A>. This fits in with number 8 above, because preserving your own fruits and vegetables doesn't often save you money unless you can get the produce for "free" or close to it. The Betty Crocker Cookbook has instructions for canning fruits, but there are several other sources.</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#index_" TITLE="Getting Started"><U>Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0204b380.gif" border=0 width="331" height="56" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="this_section_is_for_truly_dedicated"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>THIS SECTION IS FOR TRULY DEDICATED SAVERS</div> <bR> <div> These ideas are for those people who really want to store food and save money at the same time!</div> <div>  </div> <div> Many communities have an outlet store for canned foods. This is where the labeling changes, slightly dented cans and stock overruns go, and they are often sold at less than half the cost. Be aware that some labels are regional labels, and while the brand name may not be familiar to you, it may still be a high quality brand!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>If you live in a farming community, you can often glean the fields or pick your own produce for a great savings. This is a good way to store fresh produce at a reasonable cost when you don't grow your own.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>Find the "day old" and "pull date" racks at your local grocery stores. One warehouse club near us marks their meats down on the pull date. We can almost always buy 90% lean ground beef for $1.50 a pound. We take the 10 pound package home, divide it into 10 smaller packages and freeze them. There is also a "day old" bread store near us, where we can buy bread for less than half the grocery store sale price...a big deal when you buy 8 loaves or more a week!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>A friend of mine uses only powdered milk. She figures it's cost at 1/3 of the store cost...added up over a year's time, for her family, that amounted to $800!<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT>Eat more simply. There is a lot of money wasted with involved recipes and lots of different, unusual and expensive ingredients. The cheapest meal there is is Potato Soup and Crackers. It's filling, healthy and easy to prepare</div> <div> <A HREF="#index_" TITLE="Getting Started"><U>Top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> Questions or Suggestions?<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> (We'd love to add your ideas to this page!)<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div>  <script type="text/javascript"> /*********************************************** * Encrypt Email script- Please keep notice intact. * Tool URL: http://www.dynamicdrive.com/emailriddler/ * **********************************************/ var emailarray9034= new Array(102,111,111,100,64,104,101,100,103,101,109,111,109,46,110,101,116) var postemail9034='' for (i=0;i<emailarray9034.length;i++) postemail9034+=String.fromCharCode(emailarray9034[i]) document.write('<a href="mailto:'+postemail9034+'"><img src="HTMLobj-913/beeml1b.gif"></a>') </script>  </div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>