Storing Water
My sister gave me this great product that she found at Emergency Essentials. Below is a link to the product:
Basic 25 Gallon Boxed Water Kit
The reasons I like this product is because:
- Costs between $5-7 to store 5 gallons of water. Online they are 34.95 plus shipping, in stores they are $30.
- You can empty the water, and then fold down the boxes if you were moving. Water containers often take up too much space, and they are the first thing to be donated or given away with a move.
- If there were an emergency, they have two purposes 1) Drinking water, 2) Sanitation.
- You can stack the boxes. That is a huge plus if you are short on space.
Check out this page if you want to learn more about storing water!
Ways to Save $$$ from Readers
A part of being prepared, which goes hand in hand with food storage is to be frugal. The holidays are just around the corner, and wouldn’t it be great to be DONE ( & have the money) with your shopping by Dec 23rd? I selected some great tips from readers on how they save money.
Tiff, “ Plant a garden. Even the smallest space can save you money. If you don’t already have permanent fruit or vegetables like Grape vines, blueberry bushes, strawberry plants, it is so easy to begin. Planting these kinds of things is nice because all you do is plant them once, water, fertilize and enjoy the fruits for years and years. Watching your food grow is very satisfying.”
Traci, “This is my little tip that i have been doing. I have a fireplace and we use it all winter. This is our main heat source. We chop and store our own wood but we did buy fire starters, they cost alot just to burn up. So I save dryer lint and put it in empty toilet paper tubes. Cover the ends in with a little wax and it works great. We take them camping and to start our grill. Anyways it may be silly to some but it works for me.”
Jami says, “I consign my clothes, my children’s clothes, toys, etc. at the seasonal consignments in the fall and spring b/c you get to set your own price on your items and you get to keep 70% of what sells. A website to check for consignments in your area is thebargainwatcher.com. Whatever does not sell I will take to the local consignment stores and then from there I will usually have an anually or semi-annual garage sale. I take the money from all of this and turn around and use it to buy more clothes, usually from garage sales (I know the neighborhoods to shop in!).”
Jenny says, “Buy in bulk and on sale. We try to eat as organically as possible which not often the cheapest thing to accomplish. For this reason the coupon clipping days where I could get boxed cereal for 50 cents a box are just not thrifty for us. I have found we spend less on doctor bills, medicines and just feel better and have more energy when we eat as naturally and simply as possible. So to stay in our budget and still provide those important healthy and yummy foods we buy in bulk from Azure Standard, and local stores health food stores. This way I can use half of my monthly budget for fresh items and non-food item and half goes to either buying or saving for bulk items. Then I rent a canning machine from the LDS Cannery (for free) and purchase #10 cans and lids from them (under a $1.00 each) and can the extras to keep them fresh and use them later…healthy, organic and affordable food storage! I think food is something we should spend money on to get the best product to put into our bodies and save on the other things.”
What are some ways that you can save money around the holidays? I know that when I am not prepared, that is when I have to fork out the cash. Below are a couple of suggestions to be ready for the holidays:
- It’s the most wonderful time of the year - year round! Whenever you hear a loved one say something they want - write it down! That way, you can shop sales throughout the year, and come the Holidays, you will have all your purchases done! You will also be able to spread your budget year round, instead of spending a TON of money around the holidays. ( Hopefully Oct 1st is warning enough)
- Shop clearance for gift ideas and stock up. I came across some towel warmers for $10!! The year before I spent $60 on the exact some towel warmer for my in-laws. Yup - I was sad!
- If you know you will have a “food assignment” over the Holidays, be sure you know what it is ahead of time. This way, you have time to look and can buy things when they are on sale before the holidays.
What are some ways you save $$ in preparing for the holidays?
Updated Grains Page!
I just updated my “Grains” page - below is a sample!
Where to Purchase
- You can purchase grains at Grocery Stores, Online, Wholesale Centers, and Home Storage Centers (LDS Canneries).
Here is a small list of wheat suppliers - there are a TON of suppliers - don’t over pay for your wheat. Depending on where you live, you can figure out what is a good price depending on what is available in your area!
- Honeyville Grain - they have cheap shipping, and if you are ordering heavy weight items - that is something to factor in! Check out the comments below as well. You can purchase their products for a lot less at their discount stores.
- LDS Canneries - if you are unfamiliar with canneries, please check out this post.
- Costco & Walmarts - in Utah, some Walmart’s and Costco’s are offering 45 lbs prepackaged wheat - it may be worth your while to check it out.
- http://www.histakes-spelt.com/wheat.php
- Here is a great comment I received - From Ellie in Va.“We are currently awaiting a shipment of wheat that we ordered from Circle S Seeds in Montana. http://www.circlesseeds.com/ We are getting it for $18 for a 50 pound bag including shipping. The only catch is that we had to order 1000 bags to get this price so there are about 80 people going in on the order.” Consider getting a large group together - don’t be afraid to ask for discounts. They can only say no.
If you have a great wheat supplier, please leave a comment letting us know where!
Cost Comparisons
- Grain to flour is ounce for ounce. So if you have a #10 can of white hard wheat which had 5.8# it would make 5.8# of wheat flour. To compare cost here, we must compare the cost of whole wheat flour. The average cost of 5 lbs of whole wheat flour around $4.75, you can get 45 lbs of white hard wheat for $20 -$45 dollars depending where you shop. You must factor in the cost of a wheat grinder, however it is well worth it when you compare the price per pound - 95 cents/lb for prepared whole wheat flour - or 55 cents/lb (I used $25 for 45lbs). It is well worth the investment to get a wheat grinder. You also get a lot of great health benefits from eating freshly grinded wheat. Check out foodstoragemadeeasy.net if you have any questions on wheat grinders.
Low Cost or Homemade Options
- There are so many ways you can use grains to make your own bread, pasta, desserts etc. I highly recommend buying a wheat grinder and learning about all the different ways you can use wheat flour. It is so delicious and very healthy. There are also a lot of ways you can use wheat berries (cooked wheat grain) as a meat supplement to make your meals go further, and to make them healthier!
More Resources
- Using your Grains: Check out Jodi & Julie where they teach you how to use different types of grains.
- What if the Difference? : Check out Crystal’s site where she explains differences in grains, along with some yummy recipes!
Extra, Extra - Read All About It!
Some prices at LDS Home Storage Centers have changed. A couple of prices have gone a little higher, while other have dropped! Below is a link to a current price list of available products. Crystal over at www.everydayfoodstorage.net posted a GREAT video on how to use a canner, and can your own stuff! Check it out. Along with that, she has a pdf showing the price changes (up or down) from the cannery.
Home Storage Center Price Sheet
If you are unfamiliar with LDS Home Storage Centers, check out this post. It has some information about how to use the cannery for those who may be unsure.
Oh Canada!
A lot of readers from Canada have been asking where to purchase food storage. One reader brought to my attention that some suppliers will not ship to Canada. I received an e-mail from Lianne, a Canadian shopper, and she sent me links of Canadian suppliers.
I have not purcahsed anything from any of these sites. If you have, let me know what your experience was like. Please - if you know of any good suppliers leave a message to share with other readers.
On another note - the gals over at Food Storage Made Easy are gearing up for the Seven Day Challenge. The past couple of weeks have been 3 Month Food Supply and Long Term Education. Are you ready? Click on the links if you need help getting started!
