euphrasyne

I have also copied Euphrasyne’s reply in the Edge. Please join the conversation there. Mother Ambergris, you are absolutely right. One thing leads to another (A...B...C). It is expected, at least in my household.

My shopping experience is usually: Aldis, Lidl, Kroger, BJs, Indian (Royal biazzar), Asian Market. But I space out which item to which place in time. I shop the sales and I shop what fresh foods we need in time. Sometimes I pay more than I'd like for fresh foods if we want them. But that is rarely because i can and have dehydrated and canned on hand. My best advice is to learn to cook from dehydrated/canned and substitute as necessary. I know why antique cookbooks call for baking soda in certain recipes. You should learn the same. Chemistry is WAY more important than following recipes to the letter.

My papaw made homemade sauerkraut that he buried in the back yard. when I said canned cabbage, I do not mean kraut. I actually prefer kimchi to sauerkraut. Margaret Holmes® Seasoned Cabbage, 15 oz - Kroger Ball Blue book:

cabbage comes in cans. Its not preferable, but it is doable.

My DH was the same. He had quit smoking but 2020 was the year of day drinking and he started vaping then. We joke about 2020 often as the year of day drinking. Mentioning Wuhan and Day-drinking can bring laughter to us frequently.

I'm in SE VA so we have a lot of options for shopping. Many more than I grew up with in MS. It is one of the perks I got when I married my DH and moved north to be with him. The NEX/Commissary (Navy Exchange no tax so usually cheaper) also offers some good options, but I rarely count those as most cannot shop there. DH stops by frequently on his way home and picks up random items. Most commonly green tea as it is $1 cheaper and no tax than anywhere else.

Our main carb is rice, rice noodles, and rice flour. We eat it all sorts of ways. I used to do mostly bread, but it doesn't sit well since my GI surgery.

We went to BJs and Lidl today. We spent an obscene amount, but we got some extras and a few toys to put away for gift holidays. The price on everything has gone up, but they were the cheapest option for what we did get. I like BJs because it is bulk, but contained bulk that breaks down nicely as smaller items packaged together. So we get a better price per oz/lb while still being able to use the item before it spoils. We also splurged and bought 2 cases of the mini sodas. I can't drink a 12, and when I try it makes me sick. The little 8oz are just perfect for me to have a few a week. I got two cases of gogurt (my toddler's favorite side dish) for 32ct at 6.99 and a $2 off coupon per box. That is roughly .16 per tube. Walmart is 16ct for 4.97 which is .31 per tube. Our walmart is like that for pretty much everything I buy including staples like tomatoes and lettuce.

Homemade poptarts are easy! Make a pie crust. Roll into a squares. Fill half each square with jam. Fold over and bake. Frost and cool. The best pie crust are made with lard, but half butter/half crisco turn out well also. Remember to let it rest in the fridge after mixing before rolling. If your hands run hot, chill them in some ice water before working with pastry.

I think if it comes down to rationing, it will be a set food type allotment rather than a dollar amount. Specific items that run short or are needed for other things....pork, Margerine, milk, etc. The EBT cards out now are because the government outsourced the program to local stores. If they take it back up, it is unlikely to be as outsourced. My prep for that scenario is to learn how to cook without certain items or know substitutes. I hate Walmart, it is by far the most expensive place to shop for groceries in town. I check the prices, but it is always the most expensive along with Costco and Sam's Club. Even Harris Teeter or Whole Foods are cheaper around here. I mostly stick to BJs, Kroger, Food Lion, Aldis, Lidl, The Royal Bazar (Indian Grocery,) or the Asian Market. I spend about one or two hours a week cross referencing prices.

Goat is my favorite meat. It love it in Indian sauces. Vindaloo, tikka masala, curry, Calde/Paya soup...goat is scrumptious. I prefer it to all else.

A properly stored pantry can yield a cake without a mix, but that is a good idea if the rest of the pantry is lacking. It makes it convenient and that is good for me. You can also mix up dehydrated ingredients in a mason jar as a homemade mix. I do like to keep them on hand for specific types (spice/confetti/lemon) so the kids can make them without too much trouble. If you stock dehydrated eggs, milk, and such, it really is not much effort to jar them yourself and the jars take up less space. Keep in mind shelf life when you start mixing things. But boxes have a shelf life also. Or you can make a note card of what dehydrated to use and just build on demand. I tend to do that more often than not.

I make most of mine from scratch, but I do keep a few boxes on hand for the kids to make or to do other things with like the soft cookies. They also make good quick breads.

My wrist complains about cutting things since I broke it. DD15 likes to butcher meat so that is helpful. But angle and time mess with my wrist, so I try to cut as few things as possible. You posted your cutting board hatchet knife set up and I'm thinking about making one of those myself more and more lately. It is hard to even type with my wrist as it didn't heal properly.

We are crazy. I have DD 26, 20, 15, and 3. I am wore plain out. I am a homemaker, but the house is too big. We used to have 4 cats in 2020 but are now down to 2. So much to do. I haven't gone to the bathroom by myself in over 20 years. I had surgery about 2 years back on my wrist and I told the nurse who had to watch me pee after waking after surgery the same thing. I wasn't even ashamed because I was used to people watching me pee. I'd trade 3 teenagers for 1 toddler in matter of stress. I pay extra not to have to do it at this point. I can do it, but ... energy.

The prepared pico thing is a lazy thing for me. My toddler takes all my energy lately. If I make it homemade, I usually make it similar, but I like to add garlic and parsley along with the cilantro to it. Sometimes I add white onion too. But above all garlic. We eat it in everything. I've done the $20 per person in the past, but that isn't where we are right now. Neither DH nor I can really eat pasta at all, bread is limited, and potatoes are very limited. We have some health issues and it is just a no-go for those. It is not a gluten issue, but a carb issue. I had GI surgery a few years back and my insides are just not wired that way anymore. Rice sits well, so most of our meals involve rice, rice noodles, or just meat and veg. If you like mexican, we eat Bocharro Black Beans with rice all the time. I often add smoked sausage to it as you would with red beans and rice. We also make a guacamole with avocado, red onion, feta, bacon, pineapple, and garlic. I always eyeball the amounts and spice to taste. I have that for lunch with corn chips or smeared on cooked chicken for lunch often.

I have been saving my big yellow 35lb Tidy Cats cat litter buckets as they empty. I've been using one in my office with a 13 gallon trash bag and I love it. I have enough bins for all the small bins around the house, so I am replacing them all with the big yellow buckets. So today I am painting, papering, or fabric covering them so I can place them. I have more than enough and I'm also using them to sort toys.

We are still trying to eat down the freezer (the 2nd deep freeze so I can get rid of it.) We are also trying to eat all the older pantry items that have gone 'out of favor' for the family. Tastes change and I'm trying to work things into meals so I have more space for what we do currently like. Ie I have 2 cans of sweet potatoes left. I want to focus more on home canning and less on freezing for preservation. I want freezing to be more convenience based. DH lost about 90 lbs last year. I didn't really lose any and I need to lose about 40lbs. This year, we are trying to eat less carbs and healthier while including enough 'fun' food that we do not indulge in other vices. Thus, I am on a budget, but it is larger because I am including expensive convenience items like spiced mini pickles, kimchi, spiced vinegars, prepared pico de gallo, etc. We like pretty much all cuisine. I cook a lot of Mexican/South American, Asian of all sorts, Southern. Last few weeks, I've been making mostly German and Cajun. I had to look up Molletes. It looks really good, but I don't like refried beans. I'm wondering how it would taste with whole chickpeas instead. I may try that.

English muffin combos I make and freeze on the regular: bacon/egg/cheese sausage/egg/cheese ham/egg/cheese chicken patty/cheese (sometimes with egg if breakfast) (sometimes with hot sauce) Lunchmeat/cheese Nutella or nutella/jam PB&J

Scrambled eggs freeze great; I use them in frozen breakfast sandwiches/burritos. Quiche also freezes well.

Zuppa Toscana freezes very well. The flavors always sit a bit better after being in the freezer. Sometimes I make it with kale, other times I use collards or spinach. French Market Soup (excellent in the freezer) Dice carrots white beans cooked chicken broth celery bell peppers diced sliced smoked sausage. onions bay leaf Make a soup in the usual fashion. Simmer long. Season to taste (I usually use cajun, but any works.) I often start off with dehydrated veg for this and then freeze it when it is done. It works out well for smaller servings too. If a loaf of fresh bread is getting old, I'll cut some slices and pre butter it with garlic and flash freeze it and then into the ziploc bag for fast garlic toast to go with soup.

Tips: Flash freeze pancakes, waffles, cookie dough, etc on a cookie sheet. Toss into a large zip lock bag and take out as needed. Boneless and prechopped meat heat easier. Go ahead and cut steak, porkchops, chicken breast, etc. into bite sized pieces. Freeze soup in wide cups or ice cube trays and then pop the cubes into a large ziplock bag. Bags of cole slaw mix freeze and heat well as the shred veg for most Asian dishes. I use it as a short cut a lot. It can also go on tacos for crunch factor. Things I typically freeze are soup of all types beef/mushroom/or chicken stroganoff with rice or noodles chili pancakes breakfast burritos English muffin sandwiches (breakfast and lunchmeat.) Whatever I made for dinner I sometimes double it and put a few 'frozen' lunches of leftovers for DH.

Dh has visited there several times in the last few years. He told me yesterday about the earthquake. I hope everyone he knew there is safe and that they will recover soon.

When you look at older sick manuals or even cookbooks you often see ways to deal with bowel issues. Rarely do you see ways to deal with mouth/nose issues. Mucus is a fact of life that must be delt with. I'm not sure why there is a predisposition against it, but it is reality, Why is it reviled into oblivion? Sickroom preps need to deal with it. Anyone who deals with the sick need to be prepped for it. It is currently a fact in our house and I will not pretend we do not exist because of it. It is my most needed prep to date. LEARN FROM ME. Everyone needs endless tissues or a bucket/bowl. The mucus must be contained and removed. Disgusting, but real. Also, What are we doing today? surviving the current situation whatever that may be. You go girl! Life is hard and you are harder.

Everyone in my house is sick. Mucus enough to support an army of slugs. It is draining and giving everyone stomach issues as it goes down the back of the throat. Headache, fever, nausea.