How is your B for 3 going? Have you been following the schedule? If so, you’re DONE with a 3-month supply of food! Great job!
Four weeks ago, your assignment included doing a quick inventory of nonfood items in your home. This week, re-count what you have, to find how much of it you go through in a month. Multiply this by 3, to find how much to store for a 3-month supply. This is what you will be doing for B for 3, for this week and the next four weeks. The good news is—if you live in Utah or Idaho, this week and next are the case lot sales at Smith’s, Ream’s, Harmon’s, Macey’s and other Associated Foods stores.
Need to be reminded of what is included in ‘nonfood items’? It includes things like toilet paper, soap, shampoo, diapers, razors, deodorant, hygiene items like pads or tampons, first aid supplies, OTC medications, prescription meds for 2-3 months (if you can), dish soap, laundry soap, and more.
Use your weekly budget amount to get these items while on sale; you’ll get so much farther ahead.
Did the photo strike you as being a little odd? It's of a section of my nonfoods storage-- dish soap (BTW, I have no allegiance to any brand, what you see is what was on sale last time I was looking), vacuum bags, and a vacuum belt. They sit on a shelf next to a stack of blankets; it's summer so the extra blankets sure aren't on my bed!
In a few weeks, your whole 3-month supply should be complete; at week 27 you’ll start building your long-term food storage or year supply. If you don’t have buckets yet to store bulk food in, right now is a great time to get some. Macey’s has 5-gallon buckets with lids for $4.50, which is great. If you like the easy-off Gamma Seal lids, they’re on sale, too, for $5.99, usually around $8-10 each.
There are ways to get used buckets for free, or for $1-2, but that’s the topic of another post.
This has been an interesting harvest season. Two years ago, we bought an older home on a large lot with about a dozen mature fruit trees. Last year, only the grapes and cherries did well, but this year everything (except the plums) did. We made SO much apricot leather! I bought a second (large) dehydrator to keep up. They're both running right now, turning our small seedless grapes into raisins. Before that, both were filled with sliced yellow squash, to turn into powder. Today my husband and kids picked up the Golden Delicious apples that have fallen, kept the best ones, and made a canner full of applesauce. Yesterday's project was a couple batches of caramel pear butter- one batch with fall spices, one without. I have 5 plants producing yellow summer squash-- pattypan, yellow straightneck, and zucchini-- which is too much for anyone (but plenty to share). Tomatoes that have gone nonstop for weeks. Peppers that keep on coming. Onions that needed harvesting. There's a box of pears downstairs that are almost all golden now. Potatoes need dug. The Concord grapes are nearly purple. The champagne grape vines are holding something like another 3 bushels. The Golden Delicious apples are days from being ready, with the Red Delicious close behind.
And we've experience a different sort of harvest season-- the death of several loved ones. People say these things come in threes. We had two sets of three in one month's time, though all were unrelated.
First was a mentor and dear family friend from my growing-up years. Four days after his funeral, my wonderful father-in-law passed of a sudden heart attack. The next day, Grant Thompson, an important online mentor for my son, died in a tragic paragliding accident. The next week, our young stake president from our last stake, died of a heart attack, leaving a wife and 8 children, 5 of whom are young enough to still be at home. The same week, a friend on the next street over accidentally drowned in his fish pond (he had a medical condition that caused his legs to collapse). And then the week following, my husband's youngest aunt died.
It's a reminder during this busy, busy time to harvest and preserve-- that each season comes to an end. We only have so much time to get done what we can. The season sometimes ends quickly and unexpectedly.
And it's important to do what really matters, to use our time and opportunities in ways that make a difference in days ahead. To do the most good in this life, especially with family and those we can reach.
Rest in peace, those whose summer-of-life season ended. Your love and harvest of memories remains.
Four weeks ago, your assignment included doing a quick inventory of nonfood items in your home. This week, re-count what you have, to find how much of it you go through in a month. Multiply this by 3, to find how much to store for a 3-month supply. This is what you will be doing for B for 3, for this week and the next four weeks. The good news is—if you live in Utah or Idaho, this week and next are the case lot sales at Smith’s, Ream’s, Harmon’s, Macey’s and other Associated Foods stores.
Need to be reminded of what is included in ‘nonfood items’? It includes things like toilet paper, soap, shampoo, diapers, razors, deodorant, hygiene items like pads or tampons, first aid supplies, OTC medications, prescription meds for 2-3 months (if you can), dish soap, laundry soap, and more.
Use your weekly budget amount to get these items while on sale; you’ll get so much farther ahead.
Did the photo strike you as being a little odd? It's of a section of my nonfoods storage-- dish soap (BTW, I have no allegiance to any brand, what you see is what was on sale last time I was looking), vacuum bags, and a vacuum belt. They sit on a shelf next to a stack of blankets; it's summer so the extra blankets sure aren't on my bed!
In a few weeks, your whole 3-month supply should be complete; at week 27 you’ll start building your long-term food storage or year supply. If you don’t have buckets yet to store bulk food in, right now is a great time to get some. Macey’s has 5-gallon buckets with lids for $4.50, which is great. If you like the easy-off Gamma Seal lids, they’re on sale, too, for $5.99, usually around $8-10 each.
There are ways to get used buckets for free, or for $1-2, but that’s the topic of another post.
This has been an interesting harvest season. Two years ago, we bought an older home on a large lot with about a dozen mature fruit trees. Last year, only the grapes and cherries did well, but this year everything (except the plums) did. We made SO much apricot leather! I bought a second (large) dehydrator to keep up. They're both running right now, turning our small seedless grapes into raisins. Before that, both were filled with sliced yellow squash, to turn into powder. Today my husband and kids picked up the Golden Delicious apples that have fallen, kept the best ones, and made a canner full of applesauce. Yesterday's project was a couple batches of caramel pear butter- one batch with fall spices, one without. I have 5 plants producing yellow summer squash-- pattypan, yellow straightneck, and zucchini-- which is too much for anyone (but plenty to share). Tomatoes that have gone nonstop for weeks. Peppers that keep on coming. Onions that needed harvesting. There's a box of pears downstairs that are almost all golden now. Potatoes need dug. The Concord grapes are nearly purple. The champagne grape vines are holding something like another 3 bushels. The Golden Delicious apples are days from being ready, with the Red Delicious close behind.
And we've experience a different sort of harvest season-- the death of several loved ones. People say these things come in threes. We had two sets of three in one month's time, though all were unrelated.
First was a mentor and dear family friend from my growing-up years. Four days after his funeral, my wonderful father-in-law passed of a sudden heart attack. The next day, Grant Thompson, an important online mentor for my son, died in a tragic paragliding accident. The next week, our young stake president from our last stake, died of a heart attack, leaving a wife and 8 children, 5 of whom are young enough to still be at home. The same week, a friend on the next street over accidentally drowned in his fish pond (he had a medical condition that caused his legs to collapse). And then the week following, my husband's youngest aunt died.
It's a reminder during this busy, busy time to harvest and preserve-- that each season comes to an end. We only have so much time to get done what we can. The season sometimes ends quickly and unexpectedly.
And it's important to do what really matters, to use our time and opportunities in ways that make a difference in days ahead. To do the most good in this life, especially with family and those we can reach.
Rest in peace, those whose summer-of-life season ended. Your love and harvest of memories remains.
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