Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread March 3 - 9, 2024

[prudentwatcher]

Took my car in today for some maintenance--oil change, new wipers, tire rotation, coolant flush, and ended up with new brakes as well. Ouch.

Trip to Aldis yesterday to grab some 1 lb hamburger rolls resulted in a $60 tab. Found lots of things to fill in some holes and to use fresh. Still a lot cheaper than other stores around here.

Went through two old boxes of expired MRE's. They were bought in either 2008 or 2013, can't remember. The oatmeal cookies were still good, as were the crackers. I also kept the drink mixes and the condiment pack that has a spoon. I kept a couple of the sides to check and see if they were okay and will be looking at those in the next week or so. If they are bad, out they go. If they are good, they get eaten. Still have some more boxes to go through. Need the space and there is no use keeping something that wouldn't be eaten in full. Won't buy more MRE's though, have switch to freeze dried.

 

[hd5574]

Praying

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Praying for you and Scot, Wanderlore. I didn't see this last night. Went to bed early. I'm still dealing with migraines this morning.

 

[Digger]

Prayers for those in need.

My corrected 1099 arrived Wednesday, so yesterday we took it to the CPA. We did a Kroger sale run while we were in town. There were some nonfood items that I got to stay ahead on those. Hubby wanted the Kroger Italian sausage he has been buying, but the display case was being worked on so it was empty. The clerk brought out a 10 pack of the sausages and told hubby he would sell the whole pack for just under $11 as he could not put the opened package back in the cooler they were using. So that was a great deal. We will divide the package and freeze some.

Hubby passed 3 small kidney stones yesterday. Hopefully he will feel better for awhile.

I planted the last of the potatoes before the rain. I planted more than usual. But I worry about the world we are living in. Planting extra gives me a little peace of mind.

 

[patriotgal]

Visiting MIL in nursing home today. Taking some unopened boxes of Little Debbie Valentine cakes someone gave us. Will be stocking up on couple things. My butter stash is not near as deep as I prefer. Same with ketchup. (Feeding grown grandsons puts a dent in the pantry ) Adding sugar to the list. Have some stashed but can't do without my sweet tea. Have not been able to find my favorite Chai tea for couple months.

Debating whether or not I have enough of our favorite BBQ sauce to last until I get back to KC next month. May have to Amazon it. Not carried locally. Wings are so easy in air fryer. Got everything off floor so can use robot vacuum cleaner. Yay. New chair covers from Temu make living room look better. Getting them on the chairs was an adventure!

Almost done with rental repaint job. Hope to list that sucker in a week or so.

Head lice are making the rounds at school. Greats brought them home yesterday. Thank God it was their home. First time their mom has experienced the joys of delousing. Don't think I have that in preps.

Praying for all.

 

[nomifyle]

Lots of rain today, I can see a couple of goats under the bus. One just ran towards the bus, must have been in the container DH fixed up for a couple of them. He cut the end out of an ICB tote tote to make it. Its quick shelter for a couple of goats to keep from getting wet.

We are having soup from the last batch I made. And with some lower temps coming for a few days I'm going to make another pot of it. Last night we had fish sticks and french fries for supper, it was tasty. Unfortunately the FF had been cooked in seed oils, so I may not buy that brand of frozen ff again. Its the same seed oil the mcdonalds fries theirs in. I'm trying to steer DH away from mcdonalds every week. All in all he's a healthy 80 year old who has afib and takes warfarin everyday. He's very good at keeping his INR under control, mainly because he doesn't like greens.

We usually go out to eat after church, last Sunday I picked the place since I was paying. Went to a place called Johnny's Pizza, for their buffet. It was cheaper than the road kill cafe and included a drink, which road kill charges extra for, we always get water. This coming Sunday we will got to a local bakery that serves meals on Sunday, I'm paying again, which gives DH's pocket book a rest.

The rain had let up but now its coming down hard again. All the ICB totes (maybe 10) are full and so are the rain barrels. The main garden has not been tilled yet and its all green, need to tie a couple of goats in there so they can feast on the green grass.

The internet is down so I'll post this later. God Bless and praying for those in need.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I've finally got my migraine stabilized enough for me to function. I'm still not doing much, because I don't want it returning. Did a big load of laundry and cleaned the bathroom, and that's it, until I have to make supper. Chicken pasta salad with roasted oven potatoes.

It started raining here last night and has been raining off and on all day. It's turned much cooler, too. High of only 60 today. Cary may have to start a fire for tonight.

I got a sale catalog from Sam's, yesterday. I'll make up an order to them. There are a few items that I always buy in bulk that are on sale. When bulk items are on sale that I use a lot of I buy them whether my stash is low or not, since I never know when they will be on sale again. We don't order from Sams as much as we use to in order to save money, and I have slowed way down on buying food for storage, but when I come across a sale at Sam's, I go ahead and spend the money.

I talked to my aunt last night on the phone. She's doing ok. She just wanted to talk. We've always been very close. Mom is still doing ok, but her BP is still way too high. She sees her PCP again on Tuesday.

 

[nomifyle]

I'm with you SB on taking advantage of things on sale. Although I rarely see a good sale. Since I a good bit older than you I'm starting to take a different take on things. Lately it has been am I going to live long enough to use or need that.

One thing that I'll never have to buy again is deodorant. I use it every day but a container last a good long while. I have 14 containers of it, stocked up on two different times. The second time I stocked up I could'nt put my hands on the first batch. And bath soap, I have two buckets full. Although I have to stop myself when I see a good price on a large package of Ivory soap. That stuff last a long time.

Now that I'm not spending so much money at the grocery store I have a little bit to spend on something else. There is nothing that I really want. I ordered two tool kits yesterday, one for the 10 year old that just had a birthday with real tools in it and another for the 2 year old that has toy tools in it. I remember when my brother got a tool kit when he was little and he tried to saw a chair leg. Of course he got punished and she took no responsibility for buying it, she being our mother. On the one hand I just don't think she knew any better, being a child of the depression whose mother died when she was 14.

The only thing I want from sams is a couple of cases of plain Perrier in the glass bottles. But I let my membership expire and we rarely go that way.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I'm with you SB on taking advantage of things on sale. Although I rarely see a good sale. Since I a good bit older than you I'm starting to take a different take on things. Lately it has been am I going to live long enough to use or need that.

One thing that I'll never have to buy again is deodorant. I use it every day but a container last a good long while. I have 14 containers of it, stocked up on two different times. The second time I stocked up I could'nt put my hands on the first batch. And bath soap, I have two buckets full. Although I have to stop myself when I see a good price on a large package of Ivory soap. That stuff last a long time.

Now that I'm not spending so much money at the grocery store I have a little bit to spend on something else. There is nothing that I really want. I ordered two tool kits yesterday, one for the 10 year old that just had a birthday with real tools in it and another for the 2 year old that has toy tools in it. I remember when my brother got a tool kit when he was little and he tried to saw a chair leg. Of course he got punished and she took no responsibility for buying it, she being our mother. On the one hand I just don't think she knew any better, being a child of the depression whose mother died when she was 14.

The only thing I want from sams is a couple of cases of plain Perrier in the glass bottles. But I let my membership expire and we rarely go that way.

I have so much food stored that I'm afraid that some of it will ruin, before I use it. We're eating a lot more from the pantry so as to try and use it down a bit, before buying new to replace it. I don't want any of it to ruin. I won't pass up sales if I can help it, though.

I'm also at the point that buying "stuff" just isn't much important to us anymore. The way the world is going, what does having "stuff" matter? As long as we have food, water, clothing, a warm house, and an alternative way to cook what we have, and a means to defend it, we're satisfied. We are truly thankful for what we have.

 

[feralferret]

Debating whether or not I have enough of our favorite BBQ sauce to last until I get back to KC next month.

My favorite is the Gates Hot, but my stomach won't take anything that spicy. My next favorite is from Smokehouse BBQ (the local chain with a location on North Oak). Their sauce is also available much of the time at Hy-Vee. You can order online for shipping at Smokehouse BBQ's website, but it is much higher that way.

When we get moved, Hy-vee won't be an option unless we are in KC for medical or other appointments. They don't have them to the south of KC.

 

[nomifyle]

I finally got some nettle tea, and I swear its helping and I've only had one cup, steeping my second cup now. I got the tea bags to try it but I'm ordering the loose tea as I've heard its better.

I get the cheapest BBQ sauce I can find, mostly at DT. I'm not a big BBG fan, but DH likes it and he's not picky with that.

Last month I realized that I had let my stash of BBQ sauce get down to only a few bottles, I took care of that as soon as I could, now my supply is back up to ten bottles.

 

[moldy]

@nomifyle , Nettle can be very drying. It is an awesome herb, very nutritious and will help break up deposits like those in gout and kidney/gallbladder stones. You can add marshmallow (the herb - use the root) to help make it not so dry, or add honey. Otherwise, after a couple weeks of daily tea, you'll notice your skin and mouth getting really dry.

 

[nomifyle]

@nomifyle , Nettle can be very drying. It is an awesome herb, very nutritious and will help break up deposits like those in gout and kidney/gallbladder stones. You can add marshmallow (the herb - use the root) to help make it not so dry, or add honey. Otherwise, after a couple weeks of daily tea, you'll notice your skin and mouth getting really dry.

Thanks for the heads up on that, my skin is already too dry. I've added honey to the tea. I only plan on using it from time to time. But my nose and throat do need drying up right now.

 

[moldy]

It will be great for that!

 

[connie]

I am with you all on not stocking up as much on items. I have lots of deodorant too and bars of soap. One of the reasons I don't use body wash it that it made the bottom of tub slippery.

Not over stocking on food either. We just don't use it as fast as I think we will. I keep a few convenience package foods but everyday cooking is whole foods. And I have dried and canned back ups. Just managing it all takes time and energy. The garage freezer is a bit of a mess after our last Costco trip. I was tired and hubby just put all the froze n things in that one freezer. But soon I will fix that.

Am still tossing/ donating things I don't use or won't use. The less inventory I have to manage the better.

Our weather has turn colder and we will drop below freezing the next couple of nights.

I have nettle tea that I got because it was supposed to be helpful for joints. I think I will make some the next few cooler days.

 

[patriotgal]

I wish we had a Hy-Vee. Rufus Teague is our current favorite BBQ sauce. I try to buy gallon jugs of a couple brands. Need another gallon of pancake syrup too. We too are trying to use older preps and eat more out of our freezers. We wear contacts and so do our kids and grands so regular saline and contact lens solutions are something I keep at least a year supply of. I have a serious supply of body wash - kids and grands keep it stocked for me. Will hit Costco and Sam's when in kc.

It's looking like we will be in kc for eclipse. Locals in nearby towns are renting tent space on their lawns for $600 a night per TENT. I think it's going to get a bit crazy.

Has anyone used the gadget that seals individual canning jars for dry foods, etc.? Saw a commercial and it looked handy to have.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

BBQ sauce is not something we use very often. Cary just doesn't like BBQ'd anything very much. I have about 6 bottles stored, but they are already more than a couple of years old. They might need to be tossed. It was on sale really cheap when I bought it, but I can't remember the last time I used any. I threw away a bottle that had been opened in the fridge for way too long just the other day. I've got gallons of syrup and pancake syrup that's at least a couple of years old.

I guess when I started my big pantry I went a bit overboard. I was thinking that in the near future (near future back then) we would need to be fully stocked to last us a couple of years. Then, nothing has happened, yet, to cause us to have to depend solely on the pantry and freezers. So, it's almost too much to eat, before it gets too old now. I keep everything rotated, but some of my stash is at least 2 years out.

I've got a lot of specialty soaps and just plain old Ivory soap stored to last us years. Don't have a need to buy anymore. Same for shampoo and conditioner for my hair. I have a barn full of toilet paper, but still buy to replace that.

I'm still tossing "stuff", too, as I clean. Once it's time to change out our closets when it gets a bit warmer, I'll have more clothes to toss. I've got old shoes and boots that can be tossed, too. I'll take it all to the thrift store Mom helps with. I'm just tired of all the "stuff". Really, what am I saving it for? We're not getting any younger, and if I'm not using it or need it on a regular or seasonal basis, it's getting tossed. None of it will contribute anything in a SHTF situation long term or short term.

 

[moldy]

If I can get around to it, I'll post the recipe I have for bacon cheeseburger rice that uses BBQ sauce, @SouthernBreeze . It just uses like 2/3 of a cup or so - good way to use up something that is maybe getting a little old in the tooth.

Yesterday was rough - I almost went to the ER, but got to feeling better. Just felt like my blood pressure was really low. I'm feeling a little better today. I need to box up clothes that are way too big for me and store them. I'm not ready to get rid of them as I am regaining weight slowly - and might get up there again.

I need to make a poster for work (oh, joy!) and get things ready for the week ahead. It's the week to promote patient safety awareness, which means going in extra early a couple days to round on night shift (don't mind that really, I love them!) and be out and about more (less fond of that - too peopley).

Yesterday, I made a breakfast casserole and ribs and pasta for today, so cooking is done unless I decide I want to do more.

 

[nomifyle]

Sherree, some of my stuff has some age on it too. Although a best buy date doesn't deter me. I had some 12 years past the best by date canned turkey that my brother bought for our mother and when she went in the nursing home I cleaned out her pantry and brought it home. The turkey was fine, although I'm not a big fan of turkey, my mother would not eat chicken. I may still have a can or two of that turkey left and it will go to the Lucky dog.

I have some nice foot wear that I'm going through and giving to my friend Morgan, if she can't wear them she has 4 girls that will grow into them or they can play in them. Those children love anything I give them. Now that I've gotten something special for the two boys I have to think of something special for the girls. Although I have given the girls some things. No.3 girl is getting her ears pierced this year and I have a nice pair of pearl earings for her and some tiny gold loops. I just thought of something for the girls, small jewelry boxes, Amazon has a nice selection of them for not much money.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Too cold outside today to do any grilling, so, I'll be frying hamburgers to make cheeseburgers with tonight. I'm fully stocked on fresh produce from my shopping trip, but I have to use some of it up, before it goes bad. Lettuce and tomatoes are the worse to go bad, so those will be added to the cheeseburgers, tonight. Will have chips with those. I bought 20lbs of potatoes, but those have to last a whole month, so chips are what we'll have instead of French fries.

I've got a bit of cleaning to do today making things all tidy and clean for home fellowship, tomorrow. I'll be so glad when it warms up again! Tired of the cold.

 

[nomifyle]

DH lit the wood stove when he got up this morning and I started coughing in my sleep, so he let it burn out. I had two cups of the nettle tea last night and once the wood stove burned out I had not congesting to speak of and my cough stopped. Its colder but I don't mine, but DH hates it because he gets cold easily.

 

[hd5574]

I have a Food Saver that has a long tube and it seals both the sizes of canning jars with the Food Saver sealing lids...I have on seen the web that you can get a auto car type brake bleeding kit and seal jars with those....they don't use electricity..
Might be handy...you use the same type tops as the Food Saver and put the end of brake bleeder the line in the same little hole... then pump...
My jars are holding well...I have some of nuts and butter bread sticks that I just opened from several years ago and not rancid..
I have also started double sealing meat in the freezer...sealing then writing a note.. date purchased...and any other info sliding that inside the second bag...so I can read it... through the bag... and vacuuming it a second time...really increases the storage time .
A couple of years ago I found a regular box of butter ...lost in the back of the freezer....I had sealed it 8 years before... In a food saver bag...We figured it was a gonner but sat it on the counter..Let it defrost....it was perfect ...
I get those frozen Angus hamburger patties 6 in a box... ..from Walmart and after we eat 2 ....I put each pattie in a 1/2 pint bag vacuum seal and put back in the box ...they are lasting longer sealed like that and easy to stack in the up right freezer....

 

[SouthernBreeze]

Sherree, some of my stuff has some age on it too. Although a best buy date doesn't deter me. I had some 12 years past the best by date canned turkey that my brother bought for our mother and when she went in the nursing home I cleaned out her pantry and brought it home. The turkey was fine, although I'm not a big fan of turkey, my mother would not eat chicken. I may still have a can or two of that turkey left and it will go to the Lucky dog.

I have some nice foot wear that I'm going through and giving to my friend Morgan, if she can't wear them she has 4 girls that will grow into them or they can play in them. Those children love anything I give them. Now that I've gotten something special for the two boys I have to think of something special for the girls. Although I have given the girls some things. No.3 girl is getting her ears pierced this year and I have a nice pair of pearl earings for her and some tiny gold loops. I just thought of something for the girls, small jewelry boxes, Amazon has a nice selection of them for not much money.

Expiration dates don't deter me, either. After being 5 or 6 years past the expire date, I start questioning it, though. My problem with storing so much is that I thought we would be eating and surviving on what I've stored long before now. I never thought we would still be able to go to the grocery store and buy what we wanted or needed. I've just kept adding and replacing food, and it's now more than we can eat, before it gets to 5 or 6 years out of date. I'm not donating any of it. Things could change overnight with the way things are going in the world today. I'm just not replacing what I use for a while. I'll be the first to say that I'm not letting my food storage get down so low that we'll be hurting if the SHTF the next day.

I've got so much jewelry that I don't wear anymore. Some of it is quite expensive. I don't like making myself a target by wearing expensive jewelry out in public these days. Our DDIL doesn't wear jewelry of any kind, so I have no one to give it to. I guess, if push comes to shove, I can sell it for cash on hand. That's if anyone has the money to buy anything like jewelry. I might have to use all of my gold chains for coinage one day, too. 14 and 24 kt gold, so I won't be getting rid of those.

 

[Meemur]

Maybe sell and buy pretty silver coins, SB?

Some of my jewelry might be worth a few dollars to a collector, but none of it was expensive. That was by design: it's easy for me to lose little things. I've gotten better about keeping track of my watch, an inexpensive Timex, but earrings? Little brooches? Yikes.

In any case, it's another sunny day here after a snowy/rainy day yesterday, with 41 degrees. I'm going to take my walk in a few minutes. I'd like to be working in the garden, but it's still too early to plant outside.

 

[SouthernBreeze]

I do have a question for those who store dry beans in the freezer. I had several bags of dry beans that have been stored in my freezer for a year or two. I pulled several bags out, cooked them, and then canned them. I have so many jars of canned beans that I don't have room to store anymore. How long will the dry beans keep in the freezer, before they get so hard they won't get soft when you cook them? I still have several of those bags in the freezer that haven't been canned.

eta. I googled it, and dry beans can be stored for many years in the freezer without harming them.

 

[nomifyle]

I use to only wear really good jewelry, but decided it was old fashioned, so I now wear costume earrings to match what I'm wearing. I like to match, I guess that's old fashioned too. But what the hell, I'm old.

 

[connie]

Think of when people had to flee Germany or other places. They used their jewelry for bribes so they could escape.
Sewn in linings of coats. Today we would be breaking off pieces of gold necklaces.
I don't wear it at home and don't want to be a target out.

I don't pay attention to best buy or exp dates on things either. A little more if it's something that would go stale. I did toss a really really old package of jello I found last week. I'm sure it was still fine but figured if I havent used it by now I wasn't going to. I try to store single ingredient foods.

 

[patriotgal]

I love bling and have lots of jewelry. Good mix of costume and a few good pieces. Tend to wear the costume most - I don't want to draw attention. The kids, grands, and greats can sort it out when I am gone. Sometimes the young girls and I play in it. They love putting on lots of bracelets and rings.

Very happy today to find a closet full of food I canned in the past. Especially with all the food shortage talk going around. Grands would be eating the canned chicken and canned rabbit right out of the jars if they knew where they were, lol. I tossed a jar each of chicken stock, chicken, potatoes and tomatoes into the soup pot. I love the smell and taste of home canned tomatoes. Added fresh onion and mushrooms and seasonings.

I let the soup simmer while we had a buffet of leftovers for lunch. We will have the soup tomorrow. My auction stack is taking up too much space again so if we manage to have some dry days this week we will take a load in. I really need to sort out cookware. I don’t need or have room for 3 households worth of dishes, pots and pans. Hoping the kids want a lot of it this summer. My canning stuff isn't going anywhere.

MIL had a cabinet full of canned pineapple from store. Will be looking up some recipes for it. I don’t do cottage cheese like she did. Maybe breads or desserts.