Pinching pennies like your grandparents (MSNBC)

Allison Linn
Senior writer
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26349819/

In today’s fast-paced society, the Hillbilly Housewife Web site ( http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/index.htm ) — with its traditional recipes for making cornmeal mush and tips for turning leftover rice into breakfast pancakes — would seem to be a relic of a bygone era.

But with food and gas prices rising at a faster pace than most paychecks, the site devoted to frugal ways to feed a family has recently seen traffic increase by a third, to about 300,000 unique visitors a month. Susanne Myers, who took over the site from a friend about a year ago, says she’s been deluged with e-mails from people looking for cheap ways to fill their families’ stomachs.

“Especially toward the end of the month I get a lot of e-mails from women, (and) they’re pretty desperate,” Myers said.

They come from all walks of life, she said. One day, it might be a woman who has $20 left to feed her five kids; the next, a woman who was able to give up her pricey Starbucks habit after stumbling on Myers’ recipe for homemade mocha drinks. When milk prices surged, she got a lot of questions about using powdered milk, a cheaper alternative that the site advocates in many recipes.

Until recently, food was considered so cheap in the United States that many families rarely bothered with the type of serious, cost-saving home economics common a generation or two ago. Now the skyrocketing cost of everything from cereal to eggs is prompting some Americans to turn to traditional techniques for stretching a dollar or a meal.

The change comes as overall food and beverage prices have risen 5.8 percent over the past 12 months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and some household staples have notched even bigger gains. Americans paid a whopping 12.1 percent more for cereal and bakery products this past July than they did a year ago. Fruits and vegetables are up 10.1 percent over the same period.

Many expect grocery prices to continue to rise as global demand increases and farmers and ranchers pass on higher costs for everything from chicken feed to fertilizer.

The food inflation is clearly affecting American lifestyles. An April survey by market researchers NPD Group found that more than half of adults who described themselves as “financially challenged” were trying to use up leftovers more often and prepare more meals at home than they did a year ago.

Harry Balzer, a vice president at NPD who long has followed U.S. eating habits, said Americans are still eating out but are choosing cheaper restaurants or skipping desserts and side dishes. To save money at home, he said, more people are choosing grain-based foods, such as pizza and pasta, over meat-based meals.

He doesn't think they will spend a larger percentage of their paycheck on food.

Grocery chains are reporting similar trends.

Supervalu Inc., whose brands include Albertsons, Cub Foods and Save-A-Lot, is seeing more customers redeeming coupons, taking advantage of sales and buying store brands as they grapple with rising food prices. Spokeswoman Haley Meyer said the retailer also has noticed more shoppers swapping out pricier items for cheaper alternatives, such as ground beef instead of steak.

“We’re seeing consistent customer numbers — we’re just seeing a shift in what they’re buying,” she said.

At Wal-Mart Stores Inc., spokeswoman Melissa O’Brien said customers appear to be substituting chicken for red meat and buying more pasta.

Wal-Mart also is seeing a brisker business in its ready-to-eat items, perhaps because people are choosing to buy items like a pizza from Wal-Mart rather than going out. Aiming to capitalize on that switch, the company recently launched a television commercial promoting its take-and-bake pizza.

Still, don't expect all Americans to start baking their own bread and preparing bean dishes from scratch. While the price spikes have prompted some people to try their hand at those things, and to say they will give up restaurant visits, Balzer said most Americans just aren’t willing to give up the time savings and convenience of prepared food.

“We love eating,” he said. “It’s the shopping, the preparing, the storing and the cleaning up. You’ll have a hard time convincing me that Americans will be willing to do this more.”

For those people who are trying to shop and eat more like their grandparents did, the change in behavior isn’t just a matter of time management. Accustomed to years of drive-through restaurants and pasta in a box, many simply don’t know how to cook from scratch.

The Hillbilly Housewife site assumes that its readers have only basic knowledge and offers detailed instructions including recipes, grocery lists and a step-by-step strategy for feeding a family on $45 or $70 per week. Another menu is specifically geared to families who are receiving a subsidized food box from the nonprofit Angel Food Ministries.

The site also recommends scouring grocery ads for sale items and planning meals based on what you can buy cheaply. And it counsels its readers to avoid items that might be marked up during high demand times, such as cranberries around Thanksgiving or condiments before the Fourth of July.

The site, one of many similar homegrown communities that have popped up on the Web, also is rife with tips for substituting traditional ingredients with cheaper ones, such as margarine instead of butter or beans instead of meat. Families are counseled to stretch orange juice by heaping glasses with ice cubes and to cut hot dogs into thin strips so they last longer.

Leftovers, which in many homes are forgotten in the back of the fridge, are assiduously incorporated into future meals under the Hillbilly Housewife’s guidelines. Myers, who lives in Rock Hill, S.C. and has a 5-year-old daughter, can stretch a whole chicken into several meals.

“I call it the rubber chicken,” she said.

Carol McManus remembers well the strategies for making a chicken into dinner one night, sandwiches the next and then a soup stock. Years ago, when her five children were young, she made a game out of seeing how much money she could save at the store while still making good family dinners, she said.

Spaghetti and meatballs might be repurposed the next night for pizza sauce, while pot roast might show up one night with potatoes and the next night with vegetables. She tried to shop as infrequently as every two weeks, since multiple trips to the grocery store often translate into higher bills.

McManus, whose children are now grown, runs a restaurant on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard and recently completed a cookbook, “Table Talk,” focused on easy recipes for family meals. If there is an upside to the down economy, she said, it might be that people will re-embrace things like sitting down together for a meal each night.

She said she learned the value of a family dinner — as well as some of her frugal strategies — from her mother, who was a child during the Depression.

“Putting a meal on the table every night was like the most important thing to my mother and I think a lot of people growing up during the Depression,” she said. “That showed love, doing that.”

Mozzarella cheese with powdered milk

 

When I made Mozzarella a few weeks back I took a few pictures. Above are the main ingredients. Powdered milk (note the date (1999), oil (pretty much any kind), rennet, and Citric Acid (not pictured).

 

This is a picture of the curds after putting in the citric acid and the rennet. No whey seen yet.

 

The seperation of the whey and curd...tasty!

 

Finally the curd.


The recipe? Okay.....


CRUD! Apparently my computer isn't letting me copy it...I will add it later. ARGH!

When, not if....

I recieved this in my inbox this morning and thought it was very thought provoking. Many quarentine periods are THREE MONTHS. The First Presidency has asked us to obtain a three month supply of foods we normally eat (that we can store). I think it was revelation, personally.

U.S. Cities Would be Locked Down, Quarantined Under Pandemic Flu Response Plan
Sunday, August 10, 2008
by: David Gutierrez |

Key concepts: pandemic, quarantine and natural health


(NaturalNews) The federal government would need to quarantine infected households and ban public gatherings to contain pandemic flu, according to a computer simulation study conducted by researchers from Virginia Tech and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"You wouldn't go out to the movies. You wouldn't congregate with people," said researcher Stephen Eubank. "You'd pretty much be staying home with the doors and windows battened down."

The consensus among health experts is that a pandemic, or global epidemic, of influenza is inevitable. The last such pandemic, in 1918, killed between 40 and 100 million people.

Because of the belief that a pandemic cannot be avoided, researchers are instead looking into ways to limit its effects. In the current study, researchers used a computer to model the hypothetical spread of flu pandemic in the city of Chicago under various containment scenarios. They found that a vigorous early response could reduce the infection rate by 80 percent.

"Depending on how fast it is spreading, it seems as though you really need to throw everything you can at it," Eubank said.

Under the containment scenario, people infected with or exposed to the disease would be confined to their homes, and schools and day-care centers would be shut down, as would places of public gathering like bars, restaurants and theaters. Offices and factories would remain open but would operate at reduced capacity due to quarantines.

The extreme measures would need to continue for months, until a vaccine was developed.

"We are not talking about simply shutting things down for a day or two like a snow day," Eubank said. "It's a sustained period for weeks or months."

The computer model assumed widespread compliance with the response plan, but Eubank says he doesn't anticipate that as a problem.

"In the context of a very infectious disease that is killing a large number of the people, I think large fractions of the population won't have a problem with these recommendations," he said.

I only hope he is right about the last paragraph. I worry that meny won't be properly prepared or will expect the gov't to "save" them. Many have forgotten how to take care of themselves and want the government to step in. I doubt they could at this point. We need to be ready. Are you?

You can find all the churches pandemic information at http://providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,8041-1-4414-1,00.html there are EIGHT PDFs. You can download all 8 by clicking on a link to the right under the circle of people.

Wonderbox bread...

First, what is a wonderbox? A wonderbox is an insulated "box" that uses the heat in the item to finish cooking it. You can make rice, stew, cooked wheat, roast (so I have heard) and even BREAD. The gist of this is you heat the item , say RICE to a boil then cover it and put it in the wonder box and let it cook.

SINCE HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY PICTURES ON BLOGSPOT I MADE A WEB ALBUM you can view
http://picasaweb.google.com/brghtii/Wonderbox


To make wonderbox bread you first need to make a bread dough like you would normally. On the second Rise or 1st if there is only one, you put the dough in a cereal bag that has been greased. Twist tie it so it is closed. Put the cereal bagged dough in a Oven bag (Renyolds). twist tie it with a loop so the water doesnt' get in it. Put warm water (about 1/4 pan full) in pan and set the bread dough (in bags) in it to let rise. The warm water will make it rise fast. Once risen bring the water to a boil (with the bread dough in it) keep covered. Quickly place in wonderbox, pan and all. ***You will want to be sure that the lid doesnt' come off. On my second try the air in the bag expanded so much it popped the lid up and it lost a lot of heat. I had to reheat it. It works but not as well as doing it right the first time.

I hope this works better this time. I noticed that blogger wouldn't let me ad more than 4 pictures, I just kept adding and copy and pasting them into my edit window. I guess it didn't like that. I thought I was being smart. I was wrong.

Happy Sunday!

You can help the Church....

Sharing Food Storage Preparedness Stories With New Media

SALT LAKE CITY 14 August 2008 Church Public Affairs is asking Church members to share their experiences with maintaining food storage by posting video, text or other content on personal blogs, video-sharing sites like YouTube, social media sites like Facebook, or other Internet sites. Members can then e-mail a link to their story to publicaffairs-slc@ldschurch.org. The Newsroom site may link to some of them in an upcoming Web package on the Church welfare program, but in any case the stories may be beneficial to others who read them on the Web.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has long encouraged its members to store extra food to provide for possible future needs caused by economic hardship, disasters or other emergencies. Encouraging individual members to be prepared is part of the Church’s overall welfare plan.

"All is Safely Gathered in"

“ALL IS SAFELY GATHERED IN”
Family home storage plan 4/07

Quote: President Hinckley “Occasions of this kind [9/11] pull us up sharply to a realization that life is fragile, peace is fragile, civilization itself is fragile. The economy is particularly vulnerable. We have been counseled again and again concerning self-reliance, concerning thrift….As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time in case of need.” Oct.2001, “The Times in Which we Live”

Quote: L. Tom Perry Nov. 1995 “I believe it is time, and perhaps with some urgency, to review the counsel we have received in dealing with our personal and family preparedness. …With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness. We are not in a situation that requires panic buying but the instability in the world today makes it imperative that we take heed of this counsel and prepare for the future.” This was said 13yrs ago. Lots of things have happened since.

Quote: Bishop Keith McMullin, April 2007 “A cardinal principle of the gospel is to prepare for the day of scarcity. Work, industry, frugality are part of the royal order of life. Remember these words from Paul: "If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." (1 Timothy 5:8)

What Is The NEW Food Storage Plan?
3 Months Regular Food PLUS Longer Term Food Storage
“All is Safely Gathered In” (providentliving.org)

Why the Change?
“Brethren, I wish to urge again the importance of self-reliance on the part of every individual Church member and family. None of us knows when a catastrophe might strike…the best place to have some food set aside is within our homes … Five or six cans of wheat in the home are better than a bushel in the welfare granary. I do not predict any impending disaster. I hope that there will not be one. But prudence should govern our lives…We can begin ever so modestly. We can begin with a one week's food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs. As all of you recognize, this counsel is not new. But I fear that so many feel that a long-term food supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all.” (Pres. Hinckley, “If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear” Oct “05, Priesthood)

3-Month Supply (get first)
“Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage.” providentliving.org

Consider: Things you regularly eat but not fresh/frozen: may have no power, no shopping
Think SOS : (mixes are great for this)
Simple (in case sick/busy)
One Pot (less dishes)
Storable ( less rotating)
GOAL: 90 day supply of: breakfasts, lunches and dinners, snacks

To Do this: Make a list of meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks for 30 days then x3 for 90 days. If you will eat once a week, multiply ingredients by 12, if 2 times a month, multiply by 6, etc.(chart) Make a list of what you need for each meal. (chart) Make a shopping list (chart)

For instance for a family of 5
Pancakes/1x per week= 1-5 lb bag makes enough for 6 weeks= buy 2 + bags plus syrup
Chili w/crackers/2x per month=(3 cans chili/2 tubes saltines per meal) x6=18 cans chili/12 crackers
Spaghetti/2x per month (1 jar sauce/1 lb pasta/ ¼ c. parmesan cheese)= 6 jars/6lb pasta/1-jar cheese
(if you want canned vegetables or bread for this, plan for those too)
Brownies/1x per week= (1 box brownie/ 1/3c. oil/ 2 eggs)= 12 box brownies/4 c. oil/ 24 T. egg powder

Long Term Food Storage

“For longer-term needs, and where permitted, gradually build a supply of food that will last a long time and that you can use to stay alive, such as wheat, white rice, and beans. These items can last 30 years or more when properly packaged and stored in a cool, dry place. A portion of these items may be rotated in your three-month supply.” (providentliving.org)
Start with the basics:
* 300lbs Grains (wheat, rice, oats, pasta, barley, popcorn, cornmeal, rye, millet, etc)

* 60lbs Beans (pinto, black, navy, split peas, lentils, soy, navy, lima, northern) (beans plus whole grain=complete protein) or store canned meat (lb for lb)

Then Add:
* 60 lbs Sugar (white, brown, powdered, honey, jello, fruit drinks, corn syrup, jelly)
* 8lb Salt (at least ½ iodized)
Then Add:
o 16 lb (4-#10 cans) Powdered Milk (triple amount for small children)
o 3 gal. Oil (vegetable, canola, olive, shortening, mayo, peanut butter)
o 3 pounds: Yeast, baking powder, baking soda

Why do we start with these?
Long Shelf Life (30+ years if stored properly)
Most Nutrition for the volume (2200 calories, 13 buckets)
Least Expensive ($500)
Provide all vitamins but A & C (tomatoes contain these)
Basis of a Healthy Diet

What will this provide per day? (Think Survival)
Wheat (9 oz) Rice (3.5 oz) Oats (2.2 oz)
Pasta (2 oz) Popcorn (1.3 oz) Beans/Meat (2.5 oz)
Sugar (3 oz) salt (1 3/4 t.) Milk (1 c.) Oil (1 T.)


Basic Food Storage Plan is Survival: It Isn’t a plan where you are going to be full and it is going to be very boring (appetite fatigue- term started after WWII when it was noticed that people in the war torn areas were dying, even though they had food to eat. They had food, but they only had a few different kinds of food so they ate the same thing, everyday.

Next Level: Being Prepared in All Things (The Others)
Planning for Meals

“Church members are encouraged to prepare for adversity by building a basic supply of food… and, over time, longer-term supply items. Beyond this, Church members may choose to store additional items that could be of use during times of distress." Provident Living.org

Other things to add variety to your Food Storage
Fruits Vegetables Mixes Dairy
Sauces Spices/Seasonings Meats Gardens

Using your Year Supply
It takes 3 months to get used to eating whole grain and beans. Can cause severe side affects. Experiment now: rotate, find out what you like for your 12 month menu plan, add ingredients for meal.
> Canned goods stored indoors will store: 3+ years (except tuna/tomatoes-1 year)

How Do You Store All This Stuff?
There are four things that affect the quality= (flavor, appearance, texture, vitamins), of stored food these are known as HALT: Humidity, Air (O2), Light, Temperature (above 70º cuts storage by ½)
You also want to keep it in bug/rodent proof containers.

Types of Storage Containers DATE all food
Mylar Bags: not puncture or rodent proof, store in other container, re-sealable
#10 Cans: Make sure seal is tight, not re-useable, not airtight once opened, stackable.
Buckets: Food Grade, Stackable, re-useable, re-sealable, better with gamma lids.
PETE bottles: re-useable, not stackable, not rodent proof, store in cool/dark place

Where to Store:
Below 70º if possible:
Store in house: top of closets, under beds, false walls, rotating shelves, etc.
Store off of concrete floors as the concrete will leach into the canisters and change the flavor. A piece of ply wood would work well.
After you have done all you can pray that Heavenly Father will bless and protect your food storage.

Where Do I find Food I need?.
Bishop’s Storehouse- 801-798-5565 Address: 421 South 200 East, Spanish Fork, UT 84660
Other Companies: Walton Feed, Emergency Essentials, Honeyville Grain to name a few.
These companies have a large variety of high quality long term storage items.
Also Local: Costco, Sam’s, Macey’s, Smith’s

How Can I afford to buy all of this Food?
Quote: “The Lord will make it possible, if we make a firm commitment, for every LDS family to have a year’s supply of food reserves…All we have to do is decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place: the way will be opened and we will have our storage areas filled. Vaughn J. Featherstone, April Conference 1976

When Do I Need to Get my Year Supply?
NOW! Most disasters don’t give notice before they strike. It’s not a matter of IF but WHEN.
Do not panic nor go to extremes but do this in haste. Prices are skyrocketing.
"The time will come that gold will hold no comparison in value to a bushel of wheat." (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.298.)

Class Challenge

ü Inventory what you have
ü Make List of What you Need, Start with Basics, THEN add for comfort and variety
ü Pray, Make a Commitment, DO IT! Your survival will depend on it.


"Peace is fragile, civilization itself is fragile. The economy is particularly vulnerable…I do not know what the future holds. I do not wish to sound negative, but I wish to remind you of the warnings of scripture and the
teachings of the prophets which we have had constantly before us.I cannot forget the great lesson of Pharaoh's dream of the fat and lean kine and of the full and withered stalks of corn. I cannot dismiss from my mind the
grim warnings of the Lord as set forth in the 24th chapter of Matthew. I am familiar, as are you, with the declarations of modern revelation that the time will come when the earth will be cleansed and there will be indescribable distress, with weeping and mourning and lamentation. . . .
Now, I do not wish to be an alarmist. I do not wish to be a prophet of doom.
I am optimistic. I do not believe the time is here when an all-consuming calamity will overtake us. I earnestly pray that it may not. As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time in case of need. But let us not panic nor go to extremes. Let us be prudent in every respect. And, above all, my brothers and sisters,
let us move forward with faith in the Living God and His Beloved Son...
(Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2001.)

There is a fabulous promise if we follow the new guidelines. Bishop Keith McMullin in April 2007 in his talk to the Priesthood said, “As we do our very best, we can be confident that "the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail." 1 Kings 17:14 We shall enjoy greater wisdom, security, peace of mind, and personal well-being. We shall be prepared, and because we are prepared, we "shall not fear." D&C 38:30. “



The above is a handout that was prepared by someone else, my friend Debbie Kent. I took it and changed some ofit, removed some and added some things. Thank you Debbie! I used this and the pamphlets in class along with other things. THe pamphlets can be found at http://providentliving.org/fhs/pdf/WE_FamilyResourcesGuide_International_04008_000.pdf