Food Storage Night

One of the most important things to remember about food storage is to rotate the items frequently. You will want to use up the oldest items first and replace them with fresh items. Many families accomplish this by having a weekly food storage night.

To have a food storage night, you will simply need to cook your meal using items from your food storage. Now in the past, this might have been a scary meal. But keep in mind that you do not need to store items that you will never eat. It is important to build your food storage around items that you normally eat in your family. Otherwise you might have a food storage night like the family in this video:

What items do you have in your food storage? What items do you need to add? How will you ensure that you rotate your food so that items do not go bad? Leave me a comment and share.

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Perhaps one of the biggest problems that people face when beginning a food storage system is limited space. Lack of space can be a big problem when you are trying to be prepared. But with a little ingenuity and imagination, you will find that it really isn’t as difficult as you may suspect.

The first thing that you will need to do is to look around your home for any wasted space. Even those who live in apartments will find places that they are not using. Now that you have looked everything over, look again. There are sure to be several places that you are not utilizing that can be used for storing extra food and supplies.

How about under your bed? If you are not using this space, it would be very simple to place some cases of canned food items there. Or perhaps you would prefer to place items such as toilet paper under your bed. The important thing is not so much what you place under your bed, but that you are looking and using the empty spaces that are available to you.

Do you have end tables or a coffee table in your living room? How about the space under them? Are you utilizing that space? You can always cover these tables with a nice tablecloth so that your storage doesn’t show. And you will rest easy knowing that you are a little more prepared than you were previously.

When looking for extra space for food storage and other storage, think of any of the possible places that you may not have thought of before. Look up. Look down. Look left. Look right. You will find that there are several places that you can stash one or two items. It doesn’t need to be cases and cases of items. Emergency storage is done one can or package at a time. Break things up if you need to. Go vertical. Build a few shelves. Just do it. If you find yourself in an emergency situation, you will be grateful that you have at least some of the necessary items in your home.

What are some other ideas that you can think of to create space or find space for food storage? Leave me a comment and share.

Photo provided by  fieryn

Today I thought I would regal you with a little Kiwi humor. In this video, Billy T. James shows us how to save money on home improvements. Of course, while I would never really follow this advice, it does make for some great laughs. I especially found his advice on the food disposal to be especially humorous. I am insisting on a disposal in my new kitchen, although my mom told the plumber that I wouldn’t want one as she didn’t know what I would do with one. Since I have had one in my kitchen the past 12 years, I am confident that I know what to do with one. However, I think I won’t be showing this video to my dad…it might give him some ideas.

Here is the video and I hope it gives you a chuckle or two:

What are some of your ideas for saving money during home improvements?

My son came up to me yesterday and asked if we had any food storage. He was concerned that if something happened and the grocery store was closed, what would we do for food? I was happy to inform him that we indeed have food storage and that we are fairly prepared for an emergency with food and supplies. Do I have everything that we love to eat? No, of course not. But I do have a fairly good supply that will sustain us if we need it.

In today’s world and economy, it is a really good idea to have a storage of food and supplies in reserve. It is a smart thing to do and it just makes sense financially. Of course, it is easy to overdo it if you aren’t already in the habit of storing items for use later. But it really doesn’t have to cost a lot and what you do now will save you money in the future.

Perhaps the easiest way to develop food storage is to buy just one or two extra items of the things you like when you do your regular grocery shopping. Watch for any sales that the stores may be offering and stock up on your favorites then. Be sure that you also store some bottled water. I usually grab a case or two when it goes on sale and then I make sure that we use it by the date that is stamped on the bottles. Many people forget to get water, so don’t let it be you. Also, don’t forget items such as toilet paper and batteries. Non-consumable items are just as important to store.

Another important facet of food storage is to rotate the items. You will need to be sure to use the older items first. This is easy if you always put the new items in the back and use from the front. I like to use my storage to cook with and then I replace the items I used the next time I grocery shop.

Food storage doesn’t need to wait to be used until an actual emergency or disaster arises. We use our storage throughout the winter or when items have increased in price and we don’t want to pay those prices. We have also used our storage very successfully during times of unemployment. It was nice to be able to support ourselves and not worry where we would get food. We were already prepared.

Building and using a food storage system will bless you and your family in many ways. You will feel secure in times of trial and turbulence because you are prepared. And that will go a long way in making your house feel like home. Later this week I will share some ideas to store food and supplies when you don’t have much room in your home.

Do you have an emergency food storage? What items do you store? Leave me a comment and share.

Photo provided by earl53

I have discovered that it really pays to have a sense of humor when you are remodeling a home. Otherwise, you are sure to not survive the utter chaos that ensues and takes over your life. I know this to be true, as I am currently living that very nightmare…I mean, blessing. 

During the month of June, my husband and I decided that it would be a great idea to move back home and keep an eye on our parents. Both of our jobs afford us this luxury as we are able to work from most anywhere and still support our family. So we talked it over with our parents, put our perfectly good home in Idaho on the market and packed up our belongings. The idea was to move into my Grandparents old home (old being the operative word here) and remodel it as we went along. We had such high and naive aspirations.

Currently, we are found to be living in the basement of my parents’ home. I am way too old to be living with my parents. I am sure that they thought they had gotten rid of me long ago. But we all thought this would surely only be a couple of weeks at the most. Did I mention we were naive?

In all seriousness, we are making some great progress and someday soon we may even have hot water flowing through the new plumbing. I finally got two new toilets fully installed this past week. Not too bad, when Grandma and Grandpa only had one bathroom to begin with. The two bathroom floors are freshly tiled and someday soon I will even have walls for the new one. It does have a door, however, so if you close your eyes you can almost imagine that you have a little privacy.

The kitchen and dining room are fully gutted and ready for new wiring, sheet rock, insulation, tile, ceiling, lighting, counter tops and cabinets. I can almost see it now…except for the plaster and lathe that still need to be scooped up from the floor. My husband is running a little behind in his job. When you consider that we took off for 10 days for a work trip that had to be made, we are actually doing well.

So as I have agreed to blog-sit for awhile, I thought that I would regal you with the tales of my renovation. I have a seemingly limitless supply of information as I have been learning how to make an old house a home.  While the picture I used today isn’t really my home, you get the picture…

As I share my current life of chaos, if you have any suggestions to help me through this, please leave me a comment. And if you are passing by my neighborhood, bring your hammer…you’ll need it. I promise to supply you with some great bottled water for your efforts. Eventually, I may even have a place for you to sit and visit.

Photo provided by melodi2