In spite of our financial constraints (we spend less per week on groceries than a family of four could receive on food stamp benefits [$167, in case you're curious]), we've been able to really stock our pantry. Please excuse the cruddy pic; our camera broke and I can only take pics with my phone now.
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The second thing I noticed is how much less processed food we now have. Yes, there's storebought cereal - I'll get around to making my own granola one of these days - and crackers, noodles, and some soups. But there are a lot more "staples" like dried beans, canned veggies and fruits, oats (in mylar bags in the kitty litter tub), wheat (in buckets, not shown), and flour (also not shown).
I did a bit of an inventory the other day, and found that I have nearly 3 months of food stored up. Here's what that looks like (items with an asterisk are things I preserved myself):
- 50 lbs of wheat
- 20 lbs various flours
- 2 jars of yeast
- 20 lbs oats
- 4 lbs of mixed beans for soup
- 3 lbs pinto beans
- 3 lbs navy beans
- 8 lbs kidney beans
- 8 lbs lentils
- 4 lbs split peas
- 3 lbs black beans
- 15 lbs brown and white rice
- 2 lbs wild rice
- 8 pints canned tomatoes*
- 5 quarts tomato juice*
- 12 quarts pasta sauce*
- 20 lbs pasta
- 8 pints applesauce*
- 6 pints pear sauce*
- 17 pints sliced pears*
- 7 20 oz cans of pineapple
- 10 pints peaches*
- 4 pints pickles*
- 9 pints corn*
- 2 pints maple syrup*
- 5 pints chicken*
- Plus various canned soups, cereals, spices, flavorings, and cooking essentials (baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, olive oil, etc). And coffee, which is certainly an essential.
- 25 lbs ground beef
- 7 lbs roasts
- 10 lb ham
- 5 lbs salmon
- 5 lbs green beans*
- 7 lbs corn*
- 5 lbs mixed veggies
- 10 Freedom Ranger chickens*
- strawberries*
- blueberries*
- raspberries*
- orange, yellow, and red peppers*
- butter
- 50 lbs potatoes
- 50 lbs onions
So... How did we amass all this food on such a limited budget? The wheat, oats, potatoes, and onions were bought in bulk. The wheat and oats came from Country Life Natural Foods, a co-op nearby with great prices. A 50 lb bag of wheat was $25 (compare to King Arthur flour, which is $3.29/5 lb bag at Meijer - $.65/lb. Which is actually still a great deal on premium flour, but wheat berries are cheaper and more versatile). The potatoes and onions came from Shelton's Farm Market, which offers pretty amazing deals on in-season produce, especially when you buy in large quantities.
The frozen and canned produce were bought in-season from either the farmer's market or Shelton's. Every time I've calculated the cost of my home preserved versus store bought, the home canned/frozen comes out cheaper. It's obviously more work, but I love knowing where my food has come from and what is in it. Plus, I enjoy it! For me, it is worth my time.
The rest was bought through watching sales. Meijer really has some good sales on staples, so when I see them, I stock up. Recently all olive oil was 25% off, so I bought a gallon jug. Their brand of pasta goes on sale for $.89 per 1 lb box. And strawberries (though I much prefer local, we didn't freeze enough in June) can be gotten for $1/lb.
Our fall preparations have also included storing more water and fuel. Especially with little ones, if our power should go out for an extended period of time, I don't want to be too uncomfortable. We still need some oil lamps and lamp oil, but I feel we could be reasonably comfortable in an emergency. And considering that the average American doesn't have any sort of preparations or much of a pantry, I feel like we're a bit ahead of the game!
