Week 3 Food Storage Challenge

This week you will want to get
50 pounds of oats / 5 pounds of salt.

These two things I get at IFA (our local feed store) if you don't have an IFA check your local feed store.
They have a 50 pound bag of rolled oats for 30.00 dollars. I checked the price at Wal-Mart and their 10 pounds in the food storage section was 13.58, this was in a sealed bucket. They also had a 2 lbs.10 oz. box for 1.68.

I also get my salt at IFA it is Morten stock salt it comes in a 50 pound bag for 6.95. It doesn't have the iodine in it but we do take extra iodine pills. This is great for canning as it doesn't have any additives in it. If you are worried about the iodine you could get this salt for canning, cooking, preserving, and tanning hides ( no I don't know how to tan hides yet, but the lady at IFA said a lot of people use this salt for that) and then buy the table salt with iodine to use while eating. A 1 lb 10 oz. box of salt at Wal-Mart is .88 cents.
I keep my salt in 5 gallon buckets with lids, I don't do anything extra to it. It will clump up if their is moisture in the air, not to big of a deal you will just have to break it up. You can also use smaller containers such as 2 litter bottles or gallon sized storage bags, If you use the gallon storage bags put them in a 5 gallon bucket to keep them from ripping open.

How is your getting into shape coming along. I have been trying to do a 20 to 30 minute workout everyday.

Keep putting water back, either buy some or fill your empty containers. Wal-Mart has 1 gallon jugs for .88 cents or a case of water bottles 28, 20 oz bottles for 3.98. 

Add a little more to your money stash, every little bit helps.

If you know of where to get any of these items for cheaper please feel free to share.

Have a great week.









  

300 Month challenge, Menu, Goals

Another busy weekend, we had to move some of the cows from down the road and bring them home. It has been super cold here, it has been getting 5 to 6 below at night and not warming up over 32 degrees during the day. Then with the snow getting so deep that they can't find anything to eat under the snow.  We have been having to haul hay every evening to feed them, so we decided to bring them home to make it a little easier to feed.

The cows are waiting patiently for the others to come over the hill. 

Andy put a couple bales of hay in the back of the pickup and the cows just followed and I brought up the rear.

We weren't able to get a good count on them , Andy was going to do a count the next night when we fed. But of course as always we have to have a couple that don't like to cooperate. Monday late afternoon we got a call from the neighbors and a couple of cows were still down there. Andy put more hay in the back and I was going to follow, the cows had other ideas though. After a lot of chasing ( a little yelling and maybe a few bad words) and a little help from a friend that was coming down the road we finally got them home.

 

Saturday evening we had a few people over to play music, not a very large turnout with the weather the way it is. It was a lot of fun though, I got another mandolin lesson and my brother is learning the guitar so he came over for a while to get a lesson

 

 

 

I never got to town this weekend so the only thing I spent was the 20 dollars for milk. When I went to pick up the milk, the lady I buy from was in the barn and she gave me a quart of cream. I will make a little more butter with it, and some whip cream for the apple dumplings I made the other day. I haven't made sour cream yet but found a pretty simple way to make it so will be experimenting with it.

 

 So I spent 20 dollars, the leaves 280 for the month. And that leaves 3580.00 for the year.

 

 

 

Menu  for the week

 

Breakfast

 

Cereal

Cream of Wheat

French Toast

Cheese Omelets

Oatmeal

 

To these I will add toast or fruit.  

 

Lunch

Fish Sticks & Tator Tots

Grilled Cheese

PB&J

Mac & Cheese

Potato soup

 

To these I will add  fruit, crackers, or something as a side dish.

 

Dinner

Beans

Meatloaf

C.P. Sausage and Potato

Smothered Burritos

Meatballs / gravy & Noodles

H.M. Taquitios

 

To these I will add a vegetable or appropriate side .

 

Snacks

Cheese crackers

Apple Slices

Yogurt

Fruit Snacks

Cookies

 

Andy's Snacks for work

 

Apple Pie

Cheese Cake

 

Goals for the week

Well I got not one thing done I had planned to do last week. Joleen has been working in the E.R and on the ambulance as part of her A-EMT class so she hasn't been her much to help me.

I did get the house deep cleaned for when we played music. And got quick books set up for 2016 for the day care, I had to totally start over since I didn't keep up with it last year.

So I will add all the things that didn't get done last week to this weeks list.

I have green chili in the freezer that I didn't have time to get canned last fall so I want to get it canned this week.
Start on tax stuff so we are not to the last minute again this year like we were last year.
Lemons and oranges in the dehydrator.
Start on Katie's robe, she got some fabric and wants me to make her a robe out of it.
I got a sock maker and want to start trying to use it.
Start canning lemon juice.
Clean out the chicken coop.

Maybe I will have a little better luck this week in getting it all done.

Hope you have a great week. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 2 Food Storage Challenge

This week you will want to get, 
50 Lbs flour or wheat and 1 lb yeast ( More if you can afford it).

I don't remember the exact price of flour at Wal-Mart, but I know it was right around 9.00 for 25 pounds. So a little under 20 dollars for 50 pounds.
1 pound of yeast is 5.69 at bulk foods where I buy mine. Not sure how much at Wal-Mart.

50 pounds of flour or wheat, if you have a grinder you can get wheat, if not get flour. White flour will last longer then wheat flour in storage. If you live in a place that freezes during the winter get your flour now and you can store it out in a shed or somewhere where it will freeze. Just pour in a bucket, add a couple pieces of spearmint gum, and put the lid on.  If it freezes real good for at least a few days, it will last a very long time ( I opened some flour a few months ago from 08 and it was still good). If you don't live where it freezes you will need to put it in some Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers.  If using Mylar bags you still need to put them in buckets, this will keep varmints from trying to chew through.

1 Pound yeast, yeast will keep for a very long time in the freezer. I keep mine in the freezer and have a smaller container that holds about a cup that I  fill and keep in my fridge to use. 

How are you coming along on getting in shape if you are not already there?

Don't forget to keep putting water back.

Add a little more to you money stash, even if only a couple dollars, ever little bit helps, and it all adds up.


Have a great week.

Lake Powell

It is snowing like crazy here. Just adding to all the snow we already have. So I thought I would talk about warmer nicer weather, and share some pictures of our trip to Lake Powell this past summer.

My brother has a house boat there and invited us for a long week-end. I have to admit I sort of drug my feet about going, I am terrified of water. (Nearly drowned when I was younger.) They finally talked me into going, and I have to admit I'm so glad they did I had so much fun.

You can see just how low the water is, Andy said it was up quite a bit from when he and Travis were there a few months before. Hopefully with all the snow we are getting it will come up a bunch this spring.

Just cruising out in the middle.

 Yes we are going to go in there.

 

We went through there and it opened up to a lot more, you can see the little alcove.

We went and hung out and played in the alcove for a while. This is looking out from under the alcove. It was huge inside there were about 6 other boats in there with us and still a ton of room. Kind of funny to think that when the water level is where it is suppose to be all this is under water.

Joleen,Andy and my Brother playing in the water.

 

After that we went and rode around for a little more, till we came to this narrow gap we stopped and Joleen, Travis and my Brother decided to swim into it. 

 

 They got back there pretty far, then started jumping in off the ledge.

 

After ridding a little longer we went to the marina and got some ice cream. These fish hang out and wait for someone to feed them. Pretty funny to watch them swarm when someone throws something in for them to eat.

Joleen trying to learn how to ski, She got pretty good after a while.

 

Here are some ducks just chillin in the water, They would dive down and be gone forever then all the sudden pop back up.

 

It was a super fun trip. They even got me in the water with a life jacket. Have to admit once I got comfortable I was in the water a lot (even when I couldn't touch the bottom) Althogh I did stay by the house boat. When we were out in the boat I wouldn't get out, maybe next time.

 

 

Car Kits

 

Since this month's action item is Car kits I would like to go over them.

 

Disasters usually occur with little or no warning, Winter storms, Natural disasters, Car problems, Being stuck in traffic for one reason or another, just to name a few. Wouldn't it be great if you have one of these, then if you do have an emergency  you have a few things to make it a little easier, and maybe even help you and your family survive.

 

Even if you have a cell phone you may be out of service, or it may just take a while for help to arrive.  

 

As I mentioned in the previous post you never know when things can go wrong, even if you are only a few miles from home. There was recently wreak in our area during a white out and the road was closed for about 10 hours. This road is the only road to the next town ( not counting dirt back roads which were snow packed). There were people stranded on both ends that lived on the other side of where they were. A lot of people were displaced, Joleens boyfriend and his Grandmother had gone to town and were stuck on this side and couldn't get home, so they ended up staying with us. Andy was on the other side trying to get back from his Mom's he had to turn around and go back to her place to stay the night. The thing is you never know when something could happen even close to home.

 

I know it takes up room in your vehicle, Katie hates having to have the extra stuff in her car. Pretty sure though if she ever needs it she will really be glad to have it.

 

So where to put all the stuff ? Even if you have a small car you can fit it all in. Ideally the stuff should be in the front with you, but I figure I am doing good just to get Katie to put it in her trunk. I have a big majority of mine in a tote in the back of my truck ( I have a cover over the back of my truck),but I also have some stuff in the front . Joleen's space is also pretty limited ,as she has all her fire gear in her jeep, but we do find room to put her stuff. So you can find room even if the stuff isn't all together.

 

It doesn't have to be super expensive. You can put one together fairly cheap. I got a lot of my stuff at the dollar store, around the house, and the rest at Wal-Mart ( I used a lot of Wal-Mart brands).

 

In addition to the car kits the girls also have car tool bags that we got them for Christmas a couple years ago. They have jumper cables, fix a flat, chains, & flares. They also have a spare tire, jack and lug wrench,( and know how to use them). Mine and Andy's trucks have all the same things just not in nice little bags.

 

Here is a list of what is in the car kits. The girls have smaller tubs and I have a larger tub with the same things just a few more of them. I figure if we are stranded in my truck chances are I will have more people with me then they will.

 

 

 

 

 Snacks You want something that you can eat hot or cold, and opens easy.

1. A big box of crackers
2. A bag of goldfish
3. A small bag of animal crackers
4. A small jar of peanut butter
5. A couple pouches of tuna

Clothing If you have small children you may want to have a extra change of clothes, and extra diapers. The girls do carry an extra pair of shoes then if they flip flops or sandals on they have a real pair of shoes. They also most often have a extra change of clothes.

 

1. Warm hats
2. Warm gloves
3. Extra socks
4. Bandana

 Hygiene,

1. Hand  sanitizer
2. Diaper wipes
3. Toothbrush and toothpaste
4. Shampoo
5. Soap
6. Razor
7. Contact case and solution
8. T.P.
9. Kleenex

 

Miscellaneous,

1. Trash bags
2. Flashlight
3. sterno ( great to help start a fire or just use in the can to stay warm)
4. Duck tape
5. Rope
6. Note pad and pen
7.  Hand and foot warmers  
8. Lighter
9. Matches
10. N 95 Mask
11. Kitty Litter
12. Case of water
13. Blankets

I think I have covered everything in the car kits, as I said before if this doesn't look complete it is because they do have stuff in the packs.

 

If you do get stranded here are a few things to remember.

 

Stay with your vehicle, if it is no longer safe to stay there, leave a note as to what direction or where you are trying to go.

 

Always make sure you have a least a half a tank of fuel ( just as easy to keep the top half full as it is to keep the bottom half full).

 

Only run your engine for a few minutes at a time just long enough to warm it back up or cool it down ( this way you conserve fuel).

 

If you are stuck in the snow make sure the tailpipe isn't blocked ( Don't want carbon monoxide backing up into the car).Also when running your car be sure to crack a window open.

 

I hope you are never in a position to need this, but what a piece of mind knowing that if you do have a emergency you are better prepared to handle it. Especially knowing your teenagers have it in their vehicle's

 

Please feel free to suggest other items.