It's Preparedness Tuesday - each Tuesday I post one thing you can do to help prepare you and your family for everyday disasters - be it job loss, bad weather (between being stuck in the middle of hurricane season, and the coming colder winter we're predicted), or even that ugly recession they keep talking about (blech!)
This week I am talking about keeping a well stocked pantry. I know someone out there is asking, what does this have to do with preparedness?
You should keep at least a week's worth of food on hand, preferably two weeks. This gives you a cushion if the weather is bad due to storms, funds are low due to emergency expenses or job loss, or you just plain don't want to drive to the grocery store (and all us Moms feel that way sometimes!)
Stick to foods that your family enjoys, because you want to actually use the food not let it go to waste. Canned goods are a great addition since you don't have to worry about them going bad as quickly as fresh foods, nor do you have to worry about them spoiling if you loose the power like freezer foods.
A few suggestions:
an extra jar of peanut butter
crackers
several cans of soup
a can or two of canned pasta (high in sodium, but as a treat for the kids when you don't feel like cooking, it can be a lifesaver!)
several cans of fruit and vegetables
a small box or packet of dried milk
You can easily build up an extra stash by just purchasing one or two extra items on each shopping trip. It doesn't have to add much extra to your shopping bill - for instance, Fred Meyer's has had their store brand Cream of Mushroom soup on sale for 2/$1 all winter. (a great savings since as you know, most Cream Of soups tend to retail for about $1.39) Depending on your family size, there's a meal or two right there for around $1.
One extra thing you may want to consider as part of your pantry: toilet paper. Who wants to go out in lousy weather just to get that? ;)
For more random preparedness thoughts from my blog, click here.
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1 comments:
That is such a great idea. Just a note, that one should always check the expiration date when the items are purchased. Sometimes an item you purchased earlier may have a later expiration date, then something you just bought yesterday. If you make sure the one that is expiring earliest is always at the front of the cupboard you won't have to worry about throwing out expired food either.
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