Stocking Food

I got an e-mail from a friend. I didn’t know about the “loss leaders” , so I’m sharing it with you to. Thank you Carol.
I was reading on your blog page about tips on saving money. I don’t know of a lot of people know that the sale ads contain what are called “loss leaders”. They are on the front and back pages. They are the sale items that the store loses money on in order to bring you into the store. You’ll save the most by concentrating on those items.
A price notebook is also a good idea for items that you buy. Set it up with the name of the item. When you go to one store, check out the prices of the items on the list there. Do the same when you go to another store.It may take awhile to do this but it is a great way to keep price of which stores have the best prices especially if you record their sale prices. Sometimes I record prices into the notebook from the receipt. From Carol L.

Yes, we do have a milk cow, who gives 3 1/2 gallons of milk a day. And yes, I can and freeze the milk. But I also keep the dried milk on hand( 3-5gal. buckets, about the time I run out, it’s on sale again and well keep 6-8 months in a cool dark place.). If I can’t get feed for her due to no money and or no food to buy, and when she dries up- I’ll have milk. We use a lot of milk both to drink and cook with. What I do with the dried milk: make cheeses , hot cocoa mix, in baking. The many uses of powdered milk-great site for more ideas; http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/powderedmilk.htm

Expiration Dates on stored food
I use a big black pen to write the date in big letters on front of package, then as I buy new, I put it where the dates go from oldest to newest. I just look around my stores at the dates facing me. Then once a month, I go though and pull every thing that needs to be eaten that month, and bring in to the house. Most can goods are good for years, but as the years go by they loose some nutritional value with age. If you are buying for your stockpile, look at the expiration dates as you buy, I have moved cases of food to get food that has more than a year from exp. date( I do put the other cases back like I found them). The oldest food is always on top or in the front. No store people have said any thing to me as long as I put things back. It your money, and with money being tight, why not buy the freshest you can. It takes a little more time, but if your like me you have more time than money.


Bakery stores usually will give you empty buckets. I go to Ingles and get them. They are food grade, I wash them up, and they are ready to go. They come in different sizes. I got one that had garlic butter in it, I could not get the smell out. So I use it for a feed bucket for the chickens. If you live where power goes out a lot like here: you can all store water in them. Then stack two high and cover with a cloth and it looks like a small table.

When storing RICE, put a bay leaf in with rice to keep bugs out. An used 2 liter bottle works will, just run tape around lid. And you can stick the bottle just about any where.

When storing FLOUR, put in a bay leaf or a stick of spearmint gum, to keep bugs out.

When storing OIL ( veg., corn, etc) Put in a place that gets very little light and is cool.

15 Comments

Here’s another tip for storing dried goods such as rice, flour, beans, powdered milk, instant potatoes, and even marshmallows. I put things like this in my freezer. Just remember things in paper bags such as your flour you can put bag and all in a freezer bag don’t forget to take the air out then seal and freeze. That way your flour does not absorb the moisture. I do this allot as like most people I do not have the shelf storage. I only keep in the house what I need. Bay leaves work good too if you do not have allot of that kind of stuff to store. Comment by Becky October 6, 2008

I am fascinated by your website and lifestyle. I visit frequently. I am from suburban Baltimore and although I cannot do a lot of what you do I find it inspiring. Anyway, I was looking at your pantry and am wondering why you store your canned goods upside down. Is there a reason for that?Thanks and Good luck with everything. Comment by Felina November 4, 2008

I was wondering the same thing Felina. Comment by Jackie November 6, 2008

Felina and Jackie,I too was wondering how long it would take for someone to ask. lol I do this because we have a lot of dust living on a dirt road. This saves me from having to wipe the top of the can off before opening it. Just a time saver.Thanks you two for asking. Have a great day.Becky Comment by jordansfarm November 7, 2008

Becky, i had someone ask me if i had evercanned onions, an i have not have youif so how are they done?please let me knowthanks Grandma Comment by Grandma November 15, 2008

Grandma,No, I have never canned onions by themselves. I always can them in soups, stews and with meat. Onions usually store well for a long time in a cool, dark place. Hope this helps some. Have a great day.Becky Comment by jordansfarm November 16, 2008

HelloI have just started pressure canning>>I have canned ham and beans >> they are sealed >> but they appear to be more mush than bean >> what have I done wrong??>>I cooked every thing and then put them into jars and canned it at 15 lbs for 90 min.Hope I have given you enough info for you to be able to help me.I am so glad I found your websitethis is a gold mine!!THANK YOU Vera Comment by Vera November 19, 2008

Thanks for the infolove your site you have some good info on it Comment by grandma November 19, 2008

Vera,I have not canned(dried) beans before. But my close friends who do, do not precook the beans. They do soak them overnight, then can them. Hope this helps. They say it works great. Thank you for stopping in, have a great day. grandma,Your welcome. Have a great day.
Becky Comment by jordansfarm November 20, 2008

Hello again BeckyI was wondering about the room with the air conditioner for food storage.My hubby is going to make one so I can age cheese there and put canning.Do you find it kicks on often?I was just wondering about the power bill thats all.I guess in the basement untouched it should stay cool enough to kick on rarely.Just wondered. Comment by karen January 19, 2009

Karen,The AC only kicks on if it gets really hot, as there is also three freezers in there too.(which put off heat, and this is great for winter months.)The power bill does go up some when it’s really hot, does not go up in the winter. In the summer, I keep the temp. at 70, and the winter: we use a small heater to keep it at 40. Neither or used unless it gets really hot/cold. Hope this helps. To us, the power bill going up some for a few months, is still cheaper than not stocking and knowing we have food. And the bill does not go up that much (maybe $20-$30 if it really hot/cold, and this usually only last a few days to just a few weeks)as the heater and AC are for small areas.Have a great Day.Becky Comment by Becky January 20, 2009

I read your recipie for canning milk. But it does not say how long it can be stored after, or how to store it. Can you just keep it on the shelf, or does it still need to be kept cold?
I recently moved to a small 10 acre tract, and we are trying to start a farm. I have a few goats and chickens so far. We have a long way to go. Money is tight and I need to make things last. Driving to town to get groceries when the price of gas was over $4 a gallon cost us over $20 in gas alone. So I try not to go to the store often. That means I have to freeze things to keep it longer. Gloria Comment by Gloria January 23, 2009

Gloria,Sorry it’s taken me so long to answer you.I store my canned milk in a cool, dark place(with my canned veggies). I have used canned milk that is over a year old, still good. Milk can be frozen too, for drinking. I have drunk some that’s been in the freezer over a year, and still good.Thank you for stopping in. Hope this helps. Have a great day.Becky Comment by Becky January 28, 2009

To store fresh eggs for up to 1 year. Rub warmed mineral oil on your hands and coat the entire surface of the fresh egg with the oil. Replace the egg in the egg carton with the point down. In cold climates they can be stored in a cool, dark place. You can place them in a refigerator and rotate once a year. Comment by Cathy Facer February 11, 2009

Cathy: Thank you for your comment as it will also help others who stop in here. Thank you again. Becky Comment by Becky February 15, 2009