Food Storage Recipe - Black Bean Chicken Stew

 It is cooling down some and perfect soup and stew weather. This makes 2 servings. Easy to double.

Black Bean Chicken Stew

NEED

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can of Chicken

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup frozen corn

1/4 cup water

1 can of black beans 

1 can of diced tomatoes

1/2 jalapeno , chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Pinch of salt

Heat the oil in a pot and saute the onion and the chicken for a few minutes.

Add all of the ingredients into that same pot.

Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 20 minutes. 

Serve. Top with cilantro, sour cream, and /or  shredded cheese , if you want.

 

 

 

Where To Put Your Food Storage

When people decide to begin a food storage program in order to be prepared for emergencies, they may find that actually finding a place to store the food can be problematic. Some people are fortunate to have extra storage space in basement storage areas or spare rooms. It may take some rearranging and planning to facilitate a food storage program.

Some of the places where people store food are:

• Basement storage rooms (which are ideal if available)
• Garage cabinets (which are good but not too great in extremely hot weather)
• Shelves built for the purpose in any spare area of the house
• Cabinets in a spare or little used room
• Pantries (which are used for regular usage items and may not be large enough)
• Closets (which are workable when extra closets are available)
• Plastic storage bins under the beds
• Round barrels covered with a cloth and used as an end table
• Any unused space which is available

If extra space such as basement storage or a spare room are not available in the living quarters, it may require some inventiveness to find a place to keep the stored food intended for emergency use. People living in small apartments are able to find places for food storage if the incentive is there. Some of the more unusual places mentioned above can be fit into regular living areas if necessary.

It is also wise to rotate the food storage which means having it accessible enough to get to once in a while. Some experts in the business suggest using the products once a week so that the family will become used to eating the food. Since much of the food may be dehydrated or freeze-dried with processes which enable longer periods of storage than normal readily consumable food, the taste may be different. If the family is used to eating the food, they should have no problems using it if a serious need arises. The foods prepared are generally tasty and nutritious, but sometimes children need to get accustomed to eating them to enjoy them.

When people want to start a food storage program in order to feel more secure and ready for emergencies, finding space is likely the least of their problems. Finding a program to start with food storage is easy these days with companies offering special plans for any budget. Getting involved before an emergency strikes is sound advice. A monthly plan which includes adding some items on a regular basis makes it easy. There are even companies with a home business component for people who want to get going with food storage and earn some money along the way. 

An Organized Food Storage Pantry

There is nothing worse then trying to find something in a pantry and not being able to find what you need or because the Pantry is so disorganized you don't even know what you do have. You have got to have a plan and an ongoing shopping list so that your food storage is well-stocked and organized. In a pinch you will have what you need to make your family a great meal.

Know what you use the most of and what your family likes. Don't fill your pantry with foods that you do not use often. That is just a waste of space and money. For example: If your family doesn't like rice, then don't rush out and get a 50 pound bag of it.

Only buy in bulk the stuff that you use the most often. You do not want a lot of bulk items in your pantry that will not be used and end up going bad.

Stock up on canned items as often as you can. Canned tomatoes, beans, veggies, etc are a great thing to have a lot of on hand. They can spruce up a soup or any meal in a pinch. Especially when you do not have fresh items on hand. In an emergency you will have canned items on hand to be able to make great food.

Sometimes unwrapping items will make them fit better in your pantry and make room for more of that item. I have to do this a lot since I have such a small place to put food and paper items.

Keep your Pantry cool. Don't store long term food storage next to any appliance that might give off heat. This can greatly reduce the shelf life of your food storage.

Manage your pantry by keeping an ongoing inventory. I have a notebook right with my stockpile where I keep track of what is used and what is added. That way I know exactly what is needed. Also this helps remind me to rotate the food storage! The new goes into the back and older in the front so that it gets used first. No risk of wasting food with this set up. Saves us money and keeps up stocked up. Right now I am pretty confident that we have about 6 months worth of food storage. Slowly building up to a year. Now that I have a bit of extra money each week it will be built on a bit quicker.

The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

Painless Ways To Save Money

There are many ways to save money that will not cause anyone in your family any pain. You can still have a life.

1. This is a great time of year for this tip - go to yard sales! Yeah, you can save a ton of money buying your families clothing at yard sales. I always find name-brand clothing for my kids and spend next to nothing in it. No one knows that you got them at a yard sale. Yard sales are also a great way to get new furniture and household items. Books are my number one thing to get at yard sales. 25 cents for an 8.00 book!! YEP that is for me. Toys are a great thing to buy at yard sales. My little man has all of that Little Tykes stuff , tractor, turtle with lid he uses for a pool, a huge boat that has to be used as a sand box because the other owners for some reason cut a small hole in the bottom to drain the water out even though there is a plug, he has the picnic table , and more Little Tykes stuff that I bet I haven't paid more than $10.00 for all of it. The boat and tractor were free!! You can also get a lot of home schooling items at yard sales. Plus going to yard sales can be a lot of fun.

2. Hang your clothes out to dry. Or at least most of them. My oldest son has to have his t-shirts done in the dryer, but since I am hanging everything else, it is still saving me a ton of money. His t-shirts only take a few minutes to get wrinkle free, then I take them out and dry them the rest of the way outside. He never has complained.

3. Take your lunch to work and make your own coffee to take with you in the morning. You will save so much money if you don't eat out at lunch and don't stop to get that expensive fancy coffee.

4. Make pizza, cookies, bread, etc at home by hand. It is fun doing this and it saves money. I can make my own pizza at home for a fraction of what it cost to order from a pizza place. Also it is better for your family than a frozen pizza. You can bake your own cookies and breads for pennies on the dollar.

5. This one took my family a while to do - STOP DRINKING SODA! The reason we really stopped was for health issues. Never even thought of money. It took about 3 months to totally get it out of the house, but now that it is totally gone and we don't drink it anymore, I realized we saved a ton of money. We now drink a lot of water, homemade juice, and sun tea. None of us miss the soda and it has saved our health and our bank account.

6. If you have to have a birthday party for your little one or any type of party - make your own decorations and food for it. Fun and does not cost a lot. My daughter is already starting on some stuff for her wedding stuff. It really does save a lot of money to make your own decorations.

7. This one needs no explanation and benefits your health and your pocket book - GIVE UP SMOKING.

8. It actually saves a bit to substitute dry milk in your cooking. Just buy a bit of milk for cereal and use dry milk in your cooking. With how much milk is anymore this can really save you a lot of money.

9. Block the hot summer sun out of your house. This is one that we have to do anyway because we do not have one tree in our yard. I hate that so much. Next house is going to nothing but trees. I wouldn't even hate living in a tree house after living in this house. LOL.

10. Plant a garden. No matter how small it is or if you just have room for one thing, like tomatoes, DO IT!! Not too much work and you do save some money.

11. Have a STAYCATION. Do a search on this blog and you will find a whole blog posts on ideas for a staycation. Fun and low cost.

12. Just starting out with food storage, start small. Maybe each week when something is on sale that your family uses , like cans of beef stew, buy 3 cans instead of 1 and stick the 2 extra back. You will be surprised at how fast your stockpile will grow if you do this every week. It does not have to take a lot of money to get a food storage. I have had to do it this way. I do not have the money to go and buy 100 cans of tuna or whatever. I have had to do it small.

These are just a few ideas. I am sure that you can think of more to do to save money at home. 

 

 

Add Variety To Your Food Storage

There are many ways to add variety to your food storage. Ways to make it more lively and not boring at all. Ways that do not have to cost a lot of money. It does not have to be too expensive to even have a stockpile of food and items!

Have plenty of seasonings and spices. They are a must have when it comes to cooking really good food and ways to liven up things. Having the right seasoning on hand could be all of the difference between eating good meals and boring meals. Chili powder and taco seasoning are 2 things that I try to add to my food storage every week. I use a lot of it. A good idea is to go through the recipes that you use a lot or think of meals that your family loves and then stock up on those seasonings and spices that you need to make that. Also stockpile the other items.

Keep a huge supply of different flavors of bouillon. You can get them in beef, chicken, ham, and other flavors. Great to cook rice and noodles in and also great addition to soups.

Keep an assortment of condiments in your stockpile also. Soy sauce, ketchup, A-1, mustard, BBQ sauce, and the list goes on. Having these items in your food storage could be a life saver.

Have sweet items in your stockpile. Sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, chocolate chips, etc. Anything you might need to make some cookies or sweets. I always have on hand lots of cinnamon-sugar that I get at the Dollar Tree. My kids love cinnamon toast. They will eat that for a snack and when I am out of the cinnamon sugar they let me know! LOL So, that is one thing that I buy even when we don't need it.

My daughter made me think of this one. She will drink hot chocolate all year around. 110 degrees outside and she will have a mug of hot chocolate in her hand. Have tons of cocoa, breakfast drink mixes, vanilla, syrup, and other items like that. Breakfast drink mixes add well to powdered milk. They make it much more enjoyable to drink. Plus it is very healthy.

Adding variety to your food storage does not have to cost a lot of money and it could be a life saver. Having good tasting food in an emergency will be a great moral booster. Giving your family a satisfying meal in lean times will make everyone feel so much better and make it easier to deal with other things that are going on. Having comfort food will have a calming effect on everyone I would think. Make it easier to sleep knowing that your family is well fed.
 

Food Storage Recipe - Coffee Cake

This is an easy recipe and taste VERY good with a cup of coffee in the morning. 

 
Coffee Cake

The Cake -

2 cups Bisquick Baking Mix

2 tablespoon sugar

2/3 cup milk

1 egg

The Topping -

1/2 cup of baking mix

1/3 cup of brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoon margarine

Preheat you oven and grease a 9 inch round pan.

Mix all of the ingredients for the Cake , beat it well and spread into cake pan. Mix the topping items with the margarine until crumbly and sprinkle this over the cake.

Bake this for about 20 - 25 minutes.

Disaster Kit For Babies!

72 Hour Kits and Disaster Kits For Babies

If you have an infant or a toddler at home, consider including these items as you put together your disaster and 72 hour kits for your family:

Instant formula. Make sure to buy the kind you do not need to mix with water. Also, track expiration dates and rotate through them frequently.

5 small bottles for the formula. You can fill them with purified water to provide extra drinking water in your kit.

Refrigerated bottle bag. This is helpful in case you get the chance to warm up or cool down the formula you can keep it at that temperature for around 4 hours.

Plenty of diapers. The exact number needed depends on the age of your child. I recommend including about 20 disposables and also 3 cloth ones that can be washed, dried and reused in case you run out.

A travel package of wipes. These are great for washing as well. If you have space I'd recommend just storing a full box of wet wipes.

Pacifiers. Put in two just in case. If you're stressed the baby will probably be stressed and it's a comfort for them.

3 cotton/flannel wraps, and 2 muslin wraps.

Baby food. Depending on the age of your child you will probably want to include some jars of baby food. Once your baby can eat mostly regular foods just pop these out of your kit.

Washcloths. Stored around 10 small ones, it's an eventuality, you'll require them at some point.

Small comfort toy/s. If you child has a specific toy or blanket that he/she really loves, try to grab that in an emergency. But if you can't, then try to have a usable substitute that will help comfort the child in lieu of their favorite item.

Clothes - and plenty of them! This is a tough one as babies grow so fast. One trick I recommend is that as you swap out their closets to put in the next size of clothes to remember to do that in the disaster kit at the same time. Make sure to include clothes for all types of weather and include lots of spares.

Ziplock bags. These work great for storing used diapers or anything else that is dirty, or clean for that matter.

Bulb nose syringe and saline. Saline loosens mucous and syringe sucks water/mucous/misc out of ears, nose, mouth etc. You never know if you'll need one so it's great to keep in your kit.

Infant tylenol/motrin. It never fails that kids get sick as soon as you are somewhere WITHOUT your medicine. So this is a definite requirement for any child disaster kit.

Desatin or other diaper rash cream and travel-sized baby powder. The last thing you'd want in an emergency situation is a sore bum and nothing to treat it with. This will be especially useful if you have to resort to using cloth diapers.

The most important thing to remember is to always be thinking about what is appropriate for your child's age and stage of development. For example, if your child is no longer drinking bottles then there is no reason to keep formula in your disaster kit.

Food Storage Recipe - Rocky Road Fudge

You have to have snacks and feel-good food factored into your food storage! Things would get pretty bad if you could not have a treat every once in a while.

Rocky Road Fudge

In a saucepan combine:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup of butterscotch morsels
a half a cup of peanut butter

Place this over low heat and melt it until it is well blended and smooth.

Add to it:

3 cups of miniature marshmallows
1 cup of salted peanuts

Mix this well and spread it into a foil lined 8 inch square pan. Chill in the fridge until firm.

YUMMY!!

Ways To Make or Find Extra Money

1. Get a second job - There are companies looking for part-time help all the time and this can be a great way to earn more cash. Just remember to consider the extra expenses you might incur while working a second job; If you're eating out every night because you're working 14 hours a day and no longer have time to cook for yourself, or incurring additional expenses for clothing, or transportation because the new job is across town, or the extra income has bumped you up into a much higher tax bracket… you get the point.

2. Cut back on spending - This is usually the easiest and quickest way to create more cash, and it's something everyone can do. If you’ve already sized down and cut back as far as you can, I challenge you to look further. Write down all of your spending for a few weeks and undoubtedly you’ll find something else that can be cut. No matter how small the savings may be, every penny counts. Example-- Take your own coffee instead of buying at coffee shop.

3. Cancel subscriptions - If you have several magazines you're subscribed to, keep your favorite one and cancel the rest. Daily newspaper subscriptions can be very costly, consider going to a weekend only delivery (to get the coupons of course!), or cancel your subscription altogether and pick up the Sunday paper at a local store each week as needed. And if any of your subscriptions have time left, you should be able to get a refund for the difference.

4. Stop buying new books - Find something good to read at the library instead, for free! Many libraries will even order new books for you to read if it's in their budget, all you have to do is ask. Depending on how serious your bookstore habit is you could save a lot of money here. There are even a lot of free kindle books.

5. Use those coupons! - When you toss those weekly coupons out with the trash it's almost like throwing away CASH. Take a few moments each week to cut out just the coupons you can really use, then look through the grocery store advertisements and match your coupons to the sales, saving double! And if your grocery store doesn’t offer a double coupon deal, try to find one that does.

6. Forget your loyalty to name brands - You can save a fortune buying store brand foods, which are almost always just as good. Especially when using the item in a recipe with other ingredients – no one will notice the difference. You don't have to commit to buying them for the rest of your life, just try them!

7. Combine errands into one trip - I've used this little trick for years. The more errands you can combine into one weekly trip, the more gas money you will save, therefore creating more cash. You can also carpool or walk to your job and local stores if possible. When carpooling with a friend, either take turns driving your own car each week or split the gas money.

8. Stop buying expensive gifts - When you need to create more cash, spending money on expensive store-bought gifts for your family and friends, or even yourself, doesn’t make much sense. Your homemade gifts from the kitchen etc are a great idea.

9. Cancel memberships to health clubs - Walking is one of the best exercises for you anyways, and it’s free! If you don’t have an area near your home that is good for walking, many shopping malls open up early so people can walk safely and comfortably (no bad weather conditions to worry about). And, at that hour the stores will still be closed so there won’t be any temptation to spend money!

10. Create cash by selling your unused items online - Selling items on eBay can be a little time consuming, but I've sold alot of items we no longer use and are in great condition and the bonus of making extra money is the decluttering!

11. Have a garage sale or work with consignment stores - When dealing with consignment stores, make sure they are reputable and have been in business for a while. Otherwise you could give them a carload of items to sell, only to have them close up shop the following month. You could even start your own business by helping other people sell their stuff - if this is something you enjoy doing.

12. Sell your handcrafted products for a profit - The list of items you can make to sell is endless – dog houses, book cases, bird houses, painted mailboxes, plants, quilts, crocheted baby blankets, cloth diapers, pillows, baked goods, homemade bread, jelly, Christmas ornaments, toys, picture frames… you name it! If it’s something people want or need to buy, you can make it and earn a nice profit!

13. Offer services or start a home business - If you have the ability or qualifications you can offer several services from your own home - such as childcare, senior care, tutoring, music lessons, sewing, typing, lawn care, housecleaning, pet sitting and even personal shopping. Have some inexpensive business cards printed announcing your services and hand them out to everyone

14. Have a bake sale with lemonade while you are having a yardsale.

15. Give with a pure heart - When giving, do not give to make money or earn favor… “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38 (NIV) And that could be more important than anything else you do, not just for creating more cash, but also for living a better life!

501 Easy Ways To Make Money At Home


Savings Challenge

Unclaimed Money - I Actually Found Some!!

I think that everyone should do a search for any unclaimed money!! I had a banner ad on my email page for Indiana Unclaimed Money. So out of curiosity I went to it and did a search for hubby, my kids, etc. Then did my name and I actually found that I had $50.00 of unclaimed money from a utility deposit from where I lived about 6 years ago!! Pretty cool Now I am on NAUPA website , which can do all states. It is recommended that you search in every state that you have ever lived in. It is easy and free to do. I did my search for Indiana and found my unclaimed money, had to fill out a form and they are sending me a form to fill out to send back to the state to verify who I am and I will get my money. Cool!!