Pantry Living Lessons Learned

 It is over! I am through, for now.

Pantry Living Before

Pantry Living After

I began with 31 unopened boxes of cereal.
I ended with  4 unopened boxes of cereal.

I had the pleasure of grocery shopping with just the baby. I spent an hour going aisle by aisle picking and choosing things we may need, things that we might like. It was nice. I may have gone a bit overboard with on sale cereals though. I bought 13 boxes :)

Anyway, I've learned much during this experiment. Here are a few:

1. I can't do it alone. Without the help of my mom and dad I would've struggled tons. They are so good to me. 
2. My husband and children are super supportive. My family rocks! David even helped with the cooking. He makes amazing crepes, homemade pancakes, stuffed manicotti, and pizza.
3. We don't eat as much BBQ sauce as I thought. 
4. We eat oodles and gobs of peanut butter. 
5. We eat approx 3 boxes of cereal a week. 
6. We eat more canned green beans than canned corn. 
7. Keeping extra loaves of bread in the freezer is a must for us. 
8. Sam's has the best and cheapest toilet paper. And it lasted all summer! 
9. We  make a lot of pancakes and syrup...I think in efforts to use less cereal.
10. If you cheat a rule once (which I did) its so tempting to cheat again (which I did NOT). Hold strong to your principles.
11. WANTS vs NEEDS This is the ultimate lesson for me. If we didn't have it I had to figure out a way to make it work. Most of the time I could do it. This lesson was demonstrated best with my goal of Cash Only, and credit cards just for gas and perishable foods.
12. I am a good shopper and saver. During the winter and spring months I was able to put away cash here and there for my summer spending. Yesterday I pulled out the last $20 from it. I believe I started in June with about $400. Yeah, I'm that good.
13. SUCCESS! I label the experiment a success. I loved it so much I may make it a summer tradition. Its a great way to work through food storage to ensure no food is being left too long on the shelf as well as to test our preparedness and resourcefulness. I would love to compare my current results with future results. If Max eats 2 bowls of cereal now....how much will he eat at age 15????

Thanks for following my progress! May this inspire you to be prepared, test your limits, and pinch your pennies! Happy Pantry Living!

Pantry Living: Week 9 and beyond

Okay. So week 9 ended two weeks ago. Here is the update.

I didn't shop for food. I actually did the opposite. I was taking my leftovers from the fridge to my mother's house and giving her food for a change. I needed to clean house and try to not leave anything sweet and sticky out for my neighborhood ants. We were preparing to leave on vacation.

At the end of week 9 my pantry looked like this

Unopened boxes of cereal: 7

I am dangerously low on many items and I've already started my shopping list for my first trip come Sept. I'm so excited to grocery shop again, but at the same time I've gotten such a thrill out of this experiment. I just might try it again next summer and see if I can improve my results.


WEEKS 10 & 11 UPDATE:

Okay, so the Pantry Living Experiment really only lasted 9 weeks because weeks 10 and 11 were spent enjoying life with my in-laws. They provided all the meals and groceries. I still stuck to my rules of no grocery shopping but that's cause they are so nice to us :)

We returned late last night. The pantry looks much as it does above minus one box of cereal my son opened this morning.

Unopened boxes of cereal: 6

I will refrain from grocery shopping until Sept 3rd when my husband officially returns to work. The end is in sight.


Happy Labor Day!

Pantry Living Weeks 7 & 8

I'm still here, avoiding the grocery store as much as possible. Summer company arrived and I cheated once to buy syrup for waffles at 8am. A friend sent me a recipe for homemade syrup, which I plan on trying but that also requires an ingredient I need to buy.

Pantry after 8 weeks

Unopened cereal box count: 10

 I'm on the home stretch of Pantry Living. It will last only 3 more weeks, 2 of which we'll be visiting family on vacation! In anticipation of our family vaca I set aside snacks for the plane ride weeks ago. So glad I did. The plane snacks include: 4 granola bars, 1 bag swedish fish, 4 fruit snacks, and 2 notebooks (not for consumption). 

My current concern is my baby and her food supply. She likes to feed herself, but she has only the beginnings of a first tooth. I struggle to find a variety of foods she can feed herself that are healthy. That search continues.

One more thing. I am out of bagged long grain rice. I do have a 20yr long term can of rice in my emergency food supply. Do I really save it for the next 20yrs waiting for a disaster? or do I rotate it through? Not gonna open it this summer but still not sure what to do.

I've begun my shopping list for the beginning of Sept. That will be fun!

Pantry Living Week 6

Once again, the deal is no grocery shopping except for perishables.
Well, as mentioned last week I cheated. And wow did that change my attitude. I suddenly stopped caring. I fell off the bandwagon and into a shopping frenzy. I desperately wanted more. Perhaps its an addiction. Now I truly understand why there needs to be black and white when it comes to goals. No grey area!

No real harm done. But one more confession. Another small trip was made to the store on Monday. The real reason was to support my hubby in his newest life lesson....cooking! He teaches at a summer enrichment program in public school. He helps the chef 3 days a week.I am taking advantage of this experience.
He shares his talent with us = mom's night off!  Monday was pizza. We needed cheese (allowable purchase) and a few toppings (don't really qualify). So while I was breaking the rules buying pepperoni I also bought some soda (cause who really eats pizza without it) and a box of Trix cereal (I will explain later).

Pizza was fabulous! The kiddos helped "decorate" it, and there was much rejoicing!

Now about the Trix. Cereal is an item we go through quickly. But I didn't buy it cause we were out (you know the weekly count). General Mills has an amazing movie promotion, but few boxes can still be found.
Buy 2 specially marked boxes, go to a website and enter the codes and receive a FREE movie ticket to a participating theater. Recently, I discovered a lone specially marked box in my pantry. As fate would have it, ShopRite had a handful of boxes left. I had to do it, for the sake of free cinema. This will be the 6th free movie ticket I've earned through this promotion. Seriously, its rad!

I'm half way to my goal of 11 weeks of Pantry Living. I'm climbing aboard the bandwagon again and repenting of my evil ways ; )

Cereal Count: 16 unopened boxes

Journaling

Facebook is different for everyone. I love that I can stay connected with my college roommates. I love seeing the new babies from high school friends. New messages and status comments boost me up. Those reactions make me want to update my status with more funny kid quotes, special moments and family details. Facebook in its twisted way has taught me to enjoy journaling, documenting my life and family history. 

I never did the "Dear Diary, no one at school likes me." Not my thing. In high school I took creative writing just so I could drop calculus. And all I really accomplished in that class was some great convos with my friend Jackie.

But I love to buy notebooks and journals. The crisp untouched page is exciting and clean, fully of possibility. I literally have a drawer with 8 unused journals. Some were gifts; others were just so pretty.

While prego with my first I was advised to document my dr. visits and my reactions to the ultrasounds and even write letters to my unborn child. I thought it sounded feasible, not too time consuming, a good way to prepare for motherhood. I did it. I even enjoyed it. I also updated fb on a regular basis.

My angel arrived and along with many photographs, I updated her achievements "holds a rattle", "hates baby food", "slept in crib last night". But even better I journaled about each dr. visit she had, her weight gain, her sicknesses, her likes and dislikes, funny stories about getting ahold of the cat and trying to lick him. Usually I would write in prose format giving details. Every few months I would write "Lilia Lately" and do bullet points, cute habits, silly phrases, favorite foods and shows, new knowledge.

Each stage felt like it would never end. And then I'd pick up the journal and see my last entry was 3 months ago and she didn't know her colors, she was biting and cried before nursery every week. Wow, she had already moved on, said a million new words, was a happy child all day and wanted her independence.

Long story short (too late) that piece of advice was worth its weight in gold. Tonight I filled in the last page of her 1st journal. It began with my first prenatal visit in Sept 2007. She is now 5 1/2 years old.

This journal is sacred to me. What began as simple bound pages has become a testimony of a tender life's beginnings. A life filled with love, laughter, joy and oweies. Yes, I even wrote her medical history.

Many adventures still lay ahead for my sweetheart. Journal #2 is ready to record her first day of Kindergarten, Halloween costumes, Christmas gifts, best friends, tummy aches and silly sayings.

Non-food items

A full pantry is a lovely thing, and so is a full bathroom cupboard. Here is a list of the non-food items that I've tried to avoid buying during my Pantry Living.

1. toilet paper
2. paper towels
3. napkins
4. paper plates
5. dish soap
6. dishwasher soap
7. tin foil
8. plastic wrap
9. plastic bags (snack, sandwich, quart, gallon)
10. shampoo
11. conditioner
12. bars of soap
13. body wash
14. razor blades
15. tooth paste
16. tooth brushes
17. fem. products
18. hair products (gel, spray, putty etc)
19. hair dye
20. laundry detergent
21. dryer sheets
22. diapers
23. wipes
24. disposable diaper bags
25. lotion
26. baby care items (diaper cream, lotion, etc)
27. bathroom cleaners
28. household cleaners
29. furniture polish
30. batteries

There you have it. I've loaded us up on essentials. We're working our way through them. But I'm proud to say we're doing great! I'm especially excited to report about the diapers. That makes me happy to never run out :)

Pantry Living Week 5 and my confession

Week 5 was another successful week of Pantry Living. No grocery shopping-check! and cash only shopping: double check!

We hit a speed bump though with milk. Dairy is an allowable purchase. We use between 2 to 4 gallons a week. (More in the winter because of hot chocolate addictions.) Well, Sam's club switched milk suppliers and the milk suffered. We had 2 gallons go nasty before the sell by date. We buy a combo of 2% and whole. My children are now terrified of blue labeled 2% milk. So we've gone entirely to whole milk and I buy only 2 at a time to prevent spoilage. (Btw Sam's refunded our money for the sour milk.)

Unopened boxes of cereal after Week 5: 16 

 During my normal non-pantry living life I get the weekly ad and pour over it. I list all desired sale items with their price. I then compare my list with my coupons and star all items with coupons. I recheck list with ad several times and hit the store on Wed or Thurs. (additional sales begin weds).

I enjoy grocery shopping. I love filling my cart and pantry. I love examining my receipt to price check. I especially love the section at the bottom that tells me my Total Savings!

I typically spend $60 a week on groceries from ShopRite and then $15 or so on milk and other items elsewhere. Truthfully, I miss the weekly shopping trip. But I've avoided the weekly ads and the shopping habit has fallen aside.

This brings me to my second minor speedbump, my awesome dad left the ShopRite ad at my home.

My first thoughts, recycle it or return it to Pop. Time passed and I began to peruse the front page. Oh the sales! Oh the specials! I know I have coupons that correspond with these lovely sales. Next thing I know I've written a short list of desirables.

I tortured myself during this 5th week of pantry living. Do I break my oath of no shopping? Back and forth I went. My sweet hubby reminded me this is self imposed and I'm welcome to shop.

Then my sweet mother showed up at my doorstep with a few of those items. Perfect! Crisis averted....almost. Mom supplied me with

1. 4 jars of peanut butter
2. 7 cans of beans (black, pinto, roman, pink)
3. 1 loaf of potato bread
4. 1 can of french fried onions

 Seriously my parents are awesome!

Week 5 ended on Thursday. I made it!

Well today we hit the store with mom, hoping to stick to resolution. I have to admit I did cheat, but only a little. The cart included

1. 2 boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios (good sale $1.88 a box)
2. 2 bottles of Purex laundry soap (sale $1.99 each plus $1 off coupon)
3. Hazelnut spread (I've never had it before but Dave's been craving it for his newest recipe: crepes)
4. Swedish Fish (for the plane ride in our future)
5. V-8 Splash (that counts as a fruit, right?) 
6. Mini Pretzels 
7. 4 loaves of Potato Bread 
8. Carrots
9. Bananas
10. String Cheese
11. 2 deodorants
12. 2 notebooks (for plane ride also)

This all cost $29 and my Total Savings was $24. See? isn't that exciting!

I only feel a little guilty about bending my rules today. I guess I'm just really good at rationalizing. Here is to another week of no shopping and more saving! Happy Summer!

Pantry Living Weeks 3 & 4

You know the drill. No grocery shopping except for dairy, eggs, bread, and produce. I'm doing this to myself for two reasons: to see if I can, and to try and avoid shopping while my teacher hubby is on summer vaca. Also I try to use cash only, except for a few of the exclusions and gas for the car.

I'm happy to report I've done well these last 2 weeks. I haven't run out of anything.

1. I did buy more bread, eggs, milk and produce.
2.  I also bought orange juice. I group it with produce.
3. and some kool-aid bag drinks......well, its not something we use often and I thought it would be a nice treat for the kids at the beach. It was really really cheap and I used my cash. There, I think I've successfully rationalized that one.
4. Cereal update: I began with 31 unopened boxes. After 2 weeks we had  25 unopened boxes of cereal. Now after 4 weeks we have 19 boxes of unopened cereal. We might be able to make it to September :)

 There are a number of items we're running low on, so I'm trying to ration them out. ie-ranch dressing, granola bars, fruit snacks, popsicles, peanut butter, syrup

 
Almost forgot, I resurrected my tomato plant! I've already harvested 2 grape tomatoes. lol.

Pantry Living Weeks 1 & 2

I love shopping. I especially enjoy grocery shopping. Success varies by individuals. My success comes with a well-stocked pantry, full bellies, smiling faces, clean floors, clean faces. Week 1 and week 2 are successful.  I've resisted the strong urge to go grocery shopping. My mother heard me say I was bummed I was almost out of vanilla and corn starch (no additional in pantry) and she surprised me with both. Neither have been needed....yet. Giant shout out to my awesome parents who are always lending a hand.

On the other hand I've unexpectedly run through a few items quickly.

• canned beans- I make "Beach Burritos"(recipe included) for our beach days. I knew my supply wouldn't last 3 months but I hoped it would do better than 2 weeks. 
• Italian dressing- an ingredient in "Beach Burritos".....not prepared for all the beach days already.
• popsicles- can I just say HEAT WAVE
• frozen dinner rolls- I haven't decided if these qualify as 'bread' in my exclusion list. But I make the rules so I will say yes, they qualify :)
• spaghetti sauce- truthfully I haven't opened a single jar but my mom did. My uncle passed away last week and to save my mom a trip to the store to prep funeral luncheon food I offered her 3-45oz. jars of sauce. I don't think I'll really count this though cause she will replace them. 
• cereal- I started with 31 unopened boxes of cereal. But with family visiting for my dear uncle's funeral some food has gone quickly. I am now at 25 unopened boxes. 
• toilet paper- it goes quickly when my house is the largest in the area: best place for family cookouts, dinners and get-togethers.

 Overall we're doing fine. Even if I don't make the 11 weeks, I am thrilled to make it 2 weeks. I remind myself I am doing this by choice, I've much to be grateful for.

My pantry after week 2

Beach Burritos Recipe(originally called River Burritos)

• 3 different cans of beans. I like Black, Pinto, and White.
• Italian Dressing- 1/2 a small bottle
• Optional- corn, green chilies, olives, tomatoes (note: these will make the salad require refrigeration and will mean it can't last forever.

Drain and rinse beans. Mix beans and dressing along with any optional ingredients. Serve on a tortilla with a slotted spoon. Roll
and enjoy. Watch out for drips, you don't want to stain your cute swimsuit ;) Also tasty with tortilla chips.

Pantry Living....can I do it?

My awesome hubby is a teacher. Teachers work 10 months of the year with a two month vacation. Sounds like a sweet gig. Unfortunately, summer vacation= no income. This awesome hubby of mine will be working a summer school enrichment program to make up for that, BUT it got me thinking. What if he didn't have work? What if that pay really stops? Or worse? Can I live off my pantry and freezer? Let's give it a go!

So here I am. Thursday was my husband's last day of work. I went to the grocery store for the last big trip of the summer. I did anticipate this so I've been stocking up on cereal, marshmallows, and salad dressing, you know the necessities of life. For the next 11 weeks I hope to prepare 77 days worth of food: 231 meals. It sounds daunting but its worth a shot.

Just some of the grub we'll be enjoying. (the giant box of popcorn is actually full of candles)

I allow myself to buy

1. DAIRY(milk, cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, you get the point.), 
2. BREAD (but I did freeze a few loaves to delay this purchase a bit),
3. EGGS (no chickens allowed in our city, besides, that's not my thing)
4. PRODUCE(I wish I could garden all the fresh fruits and veggies we need but I've already killed the tomato plant I bought.)

Note: I reserve the right to take food from my parents. They are kind like that.

I also have a goal of Cash ONLY for the summer. Except for #1-#3 of my food allowances and for gas.

I'm so excited! Pantry living here I come!

Yard Saler, Ahoy!

Hey Peeps,

So I've started a Yard Sale Advice blog. Check it out!
Hosting a Yard Sale? Want to start searching for deals? The tips and tricks of it all will be found here!

http://yardsaleadvice.blogspot.com/


The first topic Top 10 Tips on How to Host a Yard Sale

Katy, my beautiful Katy

She is 3 1/2 months old already. Such a cutie!

True Conversion

The Lord blesses me constantly. I must acknowledge His loving generosity. I am a Latter-day Saint (ie. LDS, Mormon, I belong to the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints.) For the last 6 years I worked with the children in Primary, ages 3-11yrs on Sundays. Recently I was asked by the Lord to teach the 12-14yr old Sunday School class. I was quite worried. My mother told me I had something to learn with this new calling. She reminded me that each calling is an opportunity to learn and grow. She reminded me that I've always claimed to have a shallow knowledge of the scriptures and perhaps this was my opportunity to truly study and grow in my understanding of those precious books.

Last week I began teaching the new curriculum for the year 2013. Its an amazing program that is based on combining the word of God (scripture) with the inspired words of prophets and general authorities. It is called "Come, Follow Me". The time went well. The students participated, shared personal stories and I believe they felt the spirit. We discussed recognizing the Lord's hand in our lives. Oh, how blessed we are.

To conclude, I asked the youth to choose from the other topics what should be discussed and studied next. They chose one, we prayed and dismissed. Its only two days later and I'd forgotten what their choice was. I phoned one of the youth and left a message listing the two I thought it possibly was. In the meantime I began studying the one I felt it must be. "How does the Holy Ghost help me teach the gospel?"

After reading the provided scriptures, I studied the various talks and excerpts it provided.I learned so many wonderful things including this:

 "the Holy Ghost teaches by inviting, prompting, encouraging, and inspiring us to act. Christ assured us that we come to the truth when we live doctrine and act accordingly.⁸ The Spirit leads, guides, and shows us what to do.⁹ He will not, however, do for us what only we can do for ourselves. You see, the Holy Ghost cannot learn for us, feel for us, or act for us because this would be contrary to the doctrine of agency. He can facilitate opportunities and invite us to learn, feel, and act."

Matthew O. Richardson, “Teaching after the Manner of the Spirit,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 94–96

We need to be instruments through which the Holy Ghost can teach and inspire others and recognize that it is not our own ability converting souls but the Holy Ghost. Our ultimate goal is true conversion for each of us.

 Elder Dallin H. Oaks, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles,  shared a marvelous article. He taught:

"gaining a testimony is not an event but a process." 

and then he quoted Elder Bruce R. McConkie who said,

"we are born again by degrees, and we are born again to added light and added knowledge and added desires for righteousness as we keep the commandments”

The image of celery came to my mind. You know when you place a stalk of pale green celery in a glass with water and a few drops of red food coloring.  The crisp stalk does not instantly turn red as if its been dipped into a paint can. The space within the stalk acts as a pathway and draws the colored water slowly up towards its leafy tip. I am that crisp vegetable. I am not instantly perfect and do not know all regarding my Father in Heaven, His Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. I do not have a perfect knowledge of His gospel. But line upon line, precept upon precept I am converted and love my Heavenly Father more deeply and understand him more clearly. It is through His Spirit that I am inspired and converted.

So many wonderful thoughts and ideas, I was truly inspired. The moment I set down the tablet ready to find ways to teach these principles, the phone rang. The good youth returned my call and to my surprise I was wrong. It was a different lesson entirely, neither one I thought it possibly could be. I thanked him and recognized another tender mercy of the Lord. I learned so much in my study, how to be a better teacher and how to allow the Holy Ghost to use me as an instrument. It was not the lesson the youth chose for Sunday, it was the lesson the Lord chose for me.

I pray we may allow ourselves to take the time to be truly converted to the Lord. May we be like the stalk of celery.

Holidays

December has been lovely. We celebrated our first Christmas in our new home. We are truly blessed with good friends and glorious family. We had Christmas with my parents a week early and then David's parents flew in and spent Christmas and New Years with us.

Storybook Land included a visit with Santa! It was so cold that night we thought we really went to the North Pole.

Our fist tree

making a gingerbread house with Grammy

Lilia's school Christmas program was so fun!

Grammy and Pop spoiled us with fun gifts!

I made Mom and Dad a quilt.

visiting our friends Janelle and John in Philly

More Storybook Land FUN!

Grandma Joy colored and played games

Dipping chocolates was a great family tradition we were able to continue with Grandma

Christmas Eve about to open their new jammies

Cutest Kiddos waiting for Santa to come in their new jammies

Santa brought Max a Thomas Train Tent and a Tricycle!

Katy got a SuperSeat....she'll need to wait a while before she's ready to really enjoy it.

Lilia got a castle tent and an American Girl Doll from Santa!

Max enjoying his new camera from Mommy and Daddy.

trying out the new tricycle with Grandpa

Christmas dinner was lovely!

playing Disney Headbanz

Our beautiful Katy keeps growing and showing more personality.

I don't think she trusts them.

Merry Christmas to all

and to all a good night.

Additions and Subtracts this year

2012 was a year full of amazing additions in our family.


~New Van (April)












~New House(August)














~New Baby (November)

2012 was also a year we laid many to rest.

~Grandma Brough

~Grandma Grimshaw

  ~Uncle David (mel's uncle)