As you
might imagine, decluttering my previous home and getting ready to move included
the kitchen in a very big way. I had to
completely dismantle and rehome my long term food storage (LTFS), everything
in the freezers and the refrigerator. I
sold the freezers and the shelving that had stored my home canned items. The recipients of that bounty, my friends,
were very happy to receive these things, although for me it was a bit
bittersweet. Yes, I was blessing a lot
of people, but I was also saying good bye to a lot of planning, procuring and hard
work.
This is what I brought from home
I went
through my old kitchen and chose only the items I wanted to take with me and
let the rest of it go in the estate sale and by donating items to the
neighborhood thrift store. I packed some
dishes, cookware, bakeware, silverware and utensils, my favorite vintage Pyrex
pieces, some food storage containers, some Mason jars, a few appliances and I
let the rest go. I also packed up one
banker box filled with spices and condiments, another with canned and dry goods
and a third with a very basic starter pantry.
I was also able to use my 12V camp fridge set on the freezer setting to
bring some of my Butcher Box meats while the rest went to my lucky friends. That was it as far as the food. It was all I could bring. The food items came with me in the car while
the other boxes and a bin of canning jars went into the U-box.
As soon
as I could I fired off a new Butcher Box order to refill the freezer. I was able to redeem points and credits to
shave off quite a bit from the bill and in addition to my regular items I was also
able to purchase four packages of lean ground beef and four packages of
breakfast sausage on sale. That order
was the perfect starter to this next chapter.
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| Thank you Butcher Box! |
A trip to Wal-Mart allowed me to buy a few things to supplement and add to what I had already brought with me. I focused on fresh and frozen basics like eggs, cream, sour cream and vegetables. My plan is to take my time restocking so I can buy items on sale and at best prices without blowing the budget or overspending.
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| Some home canned goods came with me |
It will definitely take me a little while as I now live in a small town and grocery prices are a bit higher than I am used to. So is sales tax. But, I’m sure I will manage it just fine. As you know, I’m always up for a good challenge so I’m just going to consider this a fun challenge and enjoy the process.
I'm not in a small town now but have been in the past. Depending on weather conditions and finances, once every other month or every 3 months, you make a trip into the nearest large town/city. Schedule doctor visits/lab work; clothing/shoe purchases; bulk purchases of pantry items or any big ticket item; AND eat a meal while out....even if it's just at a fast food place that's not in your town. Plan on being home before dusk, you'll be tired but have a sense of having had a productive day.
ReplyDeleteExactly! I'm looking forward to doing this.
DeleteThat is a pretty nice sized pantry for you. I'm glad you're getting more settled in your new home. We live in a small town and usually take a day once a month or so and go to the next closest city to do all of our shopping. It gets us out of town, getting what we need, and we always stop for lunch while out.
ReplyDeleteI will likely do the same thing myself.
Delete