Recession Proofing My Pantry

 

As a single person forty years ago my total monthly grocery budget was $65 for food and non food items.  At that time I was able to feed myself while slowly establishing and building a pantry.  Over time, as my finances allowed, I was able to add funds, which was especially helpful when my household size increased and eventually lead to active and “starving” teenagers… with friends.

 

With a little tweaking over the years I was able to raise my monthly grocery budget to $125 and I felt like I was on top of the world with “so much money” to spend just on food.  I then added a separate monthly budget of $25 for nonfood items like toiletries, cleaning and laundry supplies, paper products and whatever else I felt I needed to run my household.

 

Recently I sat down and reviewed my grocery spending over the last twenty years and was pleasantly surprised to see that despite inflation and other challenges that came my way during this time not much has changed.  With prices steadily rising on goods and services I found I was still paying about the same price for, well, pretty much everything.

 

Careful planning, strategic shopping and keeping things really basic and simple have allowed me to keep my family, friends and now just myself well fed and my freezer, pantry and LTFS well stocked without busting the budget.

 

Being resourceful and creative as well as willing to put in a little bit of extra work helps me to save money while still having the things I want without feeling deprived.  I make most everything from scratch including most of my salad dressings and condiments.  I rotate items, making sure things are used up in a timely manner, and I meal plan with the idea of using what I already have on hand so nothing has an opportunity to sit around and go bad.

 

I’m resourceful with adding to my food stores with simple things like re-growing green onions so I’m able to triple the amount I originally purchased.  I happily accept veggie bombings in the summertime and my friend’s extra zucchini to grate and freeze for recipes or grind up along with other veggies to make sweet pickle relish.  I grow what I can in my raised garden beds.  I make sure to utilize leftovers and often use them to make my own reheat and eat frozen meals.

 

Because I work hard to limit any potential food waste I need to purchase far less at the grocery store.  And because I buy basic ingredients and make my own food rather than purchase overly processed “food” or convenience items I save a lot of money.  Basic fresh or frozen produce, meats and dairy items plus a few basic pantry staples allows me to create so many things at a fraction of the cost of premade items like breads, cereals and frozen entrees.  In review of my grocery spending over the years I can confidently say my strategy is pretty much recession proof.  For that, I am truly grateful.

 

Healthy & Delicious Meals From My Pantry #4

 

I created a lot of delicious, simple and healthy meals this last month.  It always amazes me how much I enjoy my meals when they are simple and basic.  Like tuna salad.  Simple, easy and delicious.  I opened a couple cans of tuna and drained the juice into the kitty’s bowl for them to lap up.  To the tuna I added a couple diced hard boiled eggs, some homemade sweet relish and a blob of mayonnaise.  I used this to create grilled tuna sandwiches using low carb bread for four different lunches.  Very good!

 

Grilled tuna sandwich w/sliced peaches

Simple, yet delicious!

Easter Sunday I prepared a special dinner to enjoy mid afternoon complete with dessert.  I grilled a London broil and made macaroni salad, seasoned green beans and deviled eggs to have alongside.  Dessert was strawberry rhubarb shortcake.  It was so good and I had plenty of leftovers to enjoy in the coming week.

 

This was so amazingly good! 😋

One evening I paired leftover macaroni salad and green beans with a grilled salmon fillet and dill sauce.  Divine!

 

Cobb salad

Taco salad

Dinner salads were a biggie this month, especially the Cobb.  I dressed my salads with olives, marinated artichokes, pickled beets, sliced hard boiled eggs (I even pickled some in the beet brine) and my own homemade salad dressing or my favorite store bought blue cheese.  Perfect spring meals on a busy day.

Bacon & cheddar omelet with a slice of toast

 

This is one of my very favorite meals - Pot roast!

I prepared a chuck roast sprinkled with au jus seasoning in the slow cooker.  I added red potatoes, carrots and broccoli.  Then I made a delicious gravy out of the rendered juices and a cup of beef broth I had in the freezer.  This meal was so wonderful and I had enough roast left to put away in the freezer for a future batch of my delicious bolognese.

 

Beef & barley soup w/cornbread muffin

Homemade soup with a side salad and a cornbread muffin were perfect after a busy work day.  I enjoyed minestrone soup and beef barley on two occasions.

 

I made chocolate chip, cranberry oatmeal cookies too

I am so grateful to be blessed to have so much delicious and nutritious food to eat on a daily basis.  I am also very grateful to have the ability to prepare these meals, preserve food, plan and shop for my food and be able to keep my overall costs relatively low.  I am truly blessed.  God is very, very good to me.

 

My Tireless Retirement - Week 211

  

Hello my friends!  I had so much fun last Friday.  I went to lunch with a friend I hadn’t seen in ages and we got a good visit in.  Then I met another friend for Happy Hour at a local brewery in the next town over.  Then I ended up at a birthday party after that.  Fun, fun, fun!  When I came home from the party the skies had opened and it was a torrential downpour.  I couldn’t complain about that because we need the moisture.  It has been a dry winter for us.

 

I spent the weekend watching it rain and we got a lot of precipitation beginning Friday evening all the way through to Monday evening.  I’m not complaining at all because it has been a rather dry winter for us and we really need the moisture.  I was happy to see snow in the mountains, again very much needed.

 

The weeds are growing like gangbusters once again, but I’m not complaining about that either.  FREE chicken food is very much appreciated as my girls continue to keep me and my friends well supplied with delicious and nutritious eggs.  I go out every other day and pull up enough to fill up a five gallon bucket and that supplements their feed for at least two days.

 

At Christmastime

My electric fireplace is showing signs of its age (20+ years old) and I know it is time to replace it before next winter.  Now is the time to purchase one as the season has changed and they are being clearance out.  I found a beautiful replacement at Home Depot for half price.  I redeemed some saved credit card rewards points for a $25 gift card to use to save me even more and my final cost to replace the fireplace was just a little over $100 with FREE shipping.  It should arrive next week so I’ll be ready when the old one finally gives up.  It has had a really good run.

 

I only worked on Monday and Tuesday this past week which, to be completely honest, was A-OK with me.  I’m feeling some burnout and I think it is because of all of the crap surrounding what we have all been dealing with regarding the toxic one (TTO).  Monday I was told by our supervisor that our HR case was investigated and closed.  She gave no explanation as far as what was discovered or if any changes would be made.  Quite frankly, I’m not all that surprised.  Disgusted and disappointed, but not at all surprised.  It always amazes me how the worst employees get away with so much and the rest are left completely unsupported.  It is such a sad situation.  By Tuesday TTO was back to her usual attitude and behavior – she won!  And she made sure we all knew it.

 

What to do next?  Well, I am going to be taking it one day at a time.  I am very blessed and fortunate that I don’t have to work, it is a choice.  I feel bad that my fellow co-workers are left feeling unsupported and stuck in their present circumstances, especially because of our current economic state.  One thing I have learned about this entire situation is that you can pull a lot of shit at work and still keep your job, with no repercussions whatsoever.  So my plan moving forward is to enjoy pushing back and calling out TTO every single time she tries to pull her crap, knowing that at any time I choose I can simply walk away.  The likelihood of getting fired?  Pretty darned slim.  The day it is no longer fun I will hand in my badge and let it all go as I embark on the next chapter of my life.  I am not a vindictive person, but I no longer feel the need to walk on eggshells around this (enter swear word of choice) anymore and I have no plans to put up with any bullshit from either her or that supervisor.  I’m over it!

 

And with that my week happily and euphorically came to a close.  Oddly enough, I feel rather liberated because I no longer have that burden of caring.  My wonderful coworkers and I have forged a rather special bond that I truly appreciate.  The supervisor and TTO not so much!  As far as I’m concerned those two can go pound sand.  I am now in a perpetual state of short timers syndrome and I love it!

 

Have a wonderful weekend my friends!  The week ahead looks to be sunny and bright!

 

2026 Spring Canning Projects!

 

This past Fall and Winter season I used up six flats of pint jars and a flat of half pints to make my meals so it was time for me to get busy and get some of them filled back up.  One of my favorite items to can is seasoned meat which I use a lot to pull together a quick meal or two.

 

Beef au jus

Stew meat or chuck roast are tougher cuts of beef that take a while to cook and make tender.  By pressure canning them with some au jus seasoning and a little bit of broth or water I can have it on the shelf and ready to go to make a quick stew, soup or pot roast dinner.

 

Taco meat

From the deep freezer I pulled out seven pounds of lean ground beef.  I browned it with a large diced onion.  After adding a pint of crushed tomatoes and some taco seasoning I filled up nine pint jars and pressure canned it.  I use this regularly for tacos, burrito filling, taco melts, nachos, taco salads, etc.

 

Carne asada

Carne asada is another really nice item to have on hand for quick tacos, salads or burritos.  I buy round steak and slice it, then brown it lightly with chopped onions and green bell peppers.  Once seasoned with taco spice and cumin I filled six pint jars plus a half pint and pressure canned them.  With two empty spaces in my canner I added two pint jars of dried beans with ham broth and water to make my own canned beans.  My favorite is to can half pinto and half black beans together to use to make a quick batch of refried beans.  I will also often add a jar of beans to my taco meat to extend it and make it go further.  I also enjoy the flavor of the meat and bean combination for tacos or to use to make my burrito filling with.

 

Boneless skinless chicken breast

Another canning project was to pick up a package of boneless skinless chicken breast at Costco.  I cut it up into chunks filled my pint jars adding salt and a bit of water to each jar before I pressure canned the jars.  Having canned chicken ready makes it super easy to throw together a quick soup, casserole or batch of chicken salad.

 

Chicken stock for soups & recipes

I am able to save quite a bit of money doing these types of canning projects.  For one, I can take advantage of bulk buys and larger quantities which tend to save me on the cost per pound.  Home canning dry beans saves me quite a bit of money over buying cans of beans at the supermarket.  The best part is I am able to control the quality of the ingredients I use so I always know what is in my food.

 

Before

After - gaps filled & older jars are pushed to the front

I also love how I am able to minimize waste by reusing the jars, time and again, and only having to dispose of a flat lid as opposed to an entire tin can.  Reducing the amount of packaging used allows me to make my footprint smaller and become a more mindful consumer.

 

Home canned soups & chili

Having these jars refilled with healthy and nutritious shelf stable proteins allows me to enjoy quick delicious meals or a bowl of soup any time I find myself too busy to cook or lacking inspiration.  It also gives me great peace of mind knowing I am able to add them to my LTFS and ensure my ability to feed myself and others well into the future.

 

Life Challenges - I Accept!

 

Life always comes with its ups and downs regardless of what is going on in the world outside our door.  For some, it may feel difficult to step out our doors and face whatever life has to offer on any given day.  You just never know what might happen.  It is important not to lose hope and be willing to face whatever comes our way and meet it head on.  Much of what we face every day is far beyond our control.  Prices are rising at a rate most of us have never seen in our lifetimes and it affects everything – food, utilities, education, travel and transportation, goods and services, medical care and even our entertainment.  To meet these challenges I am happily becoming more resourceful.  Even more importantly, I am choosing to become more resourceful.  

 

Daily Transportation 

Instead of worrying about how I can afford to fill the gas tank on my car and truck I am choosing instead to figure out ways to purchase less fuel.  I am walking, riding my bike and taking the bus and using my car for just a weekly trip to run errands.   When I do go to the gas station I will only need to purchase five or ten gallons of fuel at a time instead of needing to fill the entire tank.  To save even more I will fill up at gas stations that I can use my rewards points for discounts and pay with a credit card that gives me 4% cash back on gas purchases.

 

Food & Health 

Food and my health are interconnected.  I am focused on eating good quality nutritious food as that is going to be my fuel to keep me going each day.  Making sure I have plenty of protein in my diet to keep my muscles in good shape is important so the bulk of my grocery dollars are spent on the best quality meat and seafood I can afford.  Fresh and frozen vegetables, a little bit of fruit and some dairy is next on the list.  To make sure I can best afford this I take advantage of coupons, digital store offers, sales and markdowns.  I have also adjusted my spending in other areas to free up money for these important purchases.

 

I make simple meals.  I cook at home from scratch, I make most of my own condiments and salad dressings, I plan my meals based on what I already have on hand, I batch cook or meal prep and make my own convenience food and freezer meals.  There are no quick trips through the drive thru for this girl, in fact it has never been one of those things I was ever prone to do.  Eating out has always been viewed as a treat, never a necessity.

 

Consume Less 

For the most part, I stay out of the stores and shop a whole lot less online.  I tell myself “I have plenty” and it is true.  If I think I need to go out and buy something I push the pause button and really give that purchase a lot of thought.  Nine times out of ten I can find something I already have in the house to do the job.  I make do with what I have and I take care of it too.  I make repairs or mend items to make them last longer.  I keep things clean, protected and well maintained.  I do as much as I can, and do it myself, to avoid costly repairs or replacements.

 

Find FREE 

There are a lot of ways to do things and enjoy life that doesn’t cost anything.  I like to go for a bike ride with a packed lunch, stop at a park and eat it and then ride back home.  Our city offers a ton of free activities so I keep a watchful eye on the community calendar.  Several of our churches offer a free dinner once a month which is a great way to go out to eat and meet new people.  If I’m hankering for a movie night I can pull out one of my own DVDs or find something on Youtube, pop some popcorn (in a pot on the stove) and settle on in.  In the summertime our city offers free movie nights in some of our parks where you can spread out a blanket, bring your own food and enjoy the movie on a giant screen. 

Check Facebook Marketplace for FREE items when you are in need.  Clothing swaps are a great place to get used clothing at no cost.  The Bicycle Project can get you bicycle or help you repair yours and it costs you nothing.  If you are low income you may qualify for free bus passes.  Our county has a program for eligible seniors to receive a monthly food box delivered to their home.  Meals On Wheels delivers hot prepared food to seniors Monday through Friday.  Once a year there is a community health fair offering free screenings, immunizations and other resources to help people.  We also have free medical and dental care clinics available to those in need.

 

Our food banks and various food pantries throughout the area can help bridge the gap when things run low and payday is still a ways away.  There is no shame in accepting help from one when you need it.  Our city provides a list of them to assist people in getting what they need.  Many of these pantries can also provide toiletries, hygiene products, dish soap and laundry detergent.  The university here has a beautiful food pantry for their students that offers pretty much anything they might need.  If you want to give back you can donate money, items or your time by volunteering.

 

Embrace Community 

We’ve become a society that doesn’t necessarily interact well with others.  Many of us don’t even know our neighbors.  I encourage you to find your tribe.  Touch base with your friends and relatives and form a group.  Each of us has something we can bring to the table to help each other out whether it is knowledge, a skill or even a tool that one can share with others - trade labor, trade goods, trade advice and ideas.  Help each other rake leaves, paint, work on vehicles, or whatever needs to be done.  Connect with each other and form bonds so you are not alone.

 

As we age I think it becomes even more important for us to stick together and help each other out.  Aging comes with its own struggles on top of everything else we have to deal with.  Having good companionship can go a long way in helping us navigate the bumps in the road.

 

I want to encourage you to take a look at things with a different lens and to become better prepared and more resourceful as you move forward.  By being better prepared things will be easier in the long run, and by that, I think we become less fearful.  I want you to feel empowered to take things on and to be successful at it.  We can do this!