Stockpiling Perishable Foods

As I travel further on my couponing/stockpiling adventure, I am learning new tricks along the way. It really bugs me that there are certain items that cannot be stockpiled because they will spoil. This means that I can choose to either do without these items or pay full price for them. EEEK!

I have discovered that quite a few perishable items can be frozen successfully, without negatively affecting their quality or taste.

For example, liquid coffee creamer was once a true luxury item for me. I would not pay $2.69 for a bottle of creamer when I had a gallon of milk that I could make do with. After discovering that there is a sale cycle every 8-12 weeks on Coffee Mate and International Delight, I decided to try freezing it. Now I pay between .25 and .90 for creamer once a quarter and stockpile 15-20 bottles a time in my freezer. It freezes beautifully!

Here is a list of items that I freeze regularly:
~Coffee Creamer
~Lunch Meat
~Squeeze Yogurt (Like Gogurt)
~Cheese (I recommend grating it first, if you thaw a block and grate, it tends to be very crumbly.)
~Bread (Just thaw the loaf on the counter, open.)
~Nuts (Walnuts, Pecans, Almonds. They stay fresh longer)
~Extra Flour (Sure to be bug-free.)
~Butter (Not sure about margarine.)

If you have any other ideas...let me know!

Armed for the Snow Apocalypse...

Snow Apocalypse? Yep, that's what they were calling it on the radio this morning. You know the monster snow storm, the historic, crippling one that has been on the news this week? Well, I am sitting right in the middle of it's path. That book I read a couple of months ago, Whistling Dixie in a Nor'easter, is ringing pretty true right now.



I'm armed and ready...

~Power Outage?
Check! I have water (When you are on a well, no power means no water.), a propane heater, candles, flashlights and extra batteries on the ready. Oh, and the bathtub is filled with water, too so that we can flush if we lose power. Of course, we can always melt snow for that, too. You see, the emergency preparedness officials around here warned us that:

"A severe winter storm, with near blizzard conditions, is forecast to hit (the region) Friday Feb 5 through Saturday Feb 6. Be prepared to shelter in place for 3 to 5 days. Please stay off the roads. Snow crews will plow primary and secondary roads first for emergency vehicles. It may take 36-48 hours after the snow stops before County plows can get to residential streets. Removal and treatment may take several days."

~Food?
Check! I've got a stockpile, baby!

~Entertainment?
Check! I'm armed with a couple of new movies and some cool new Crayola Window FX markers(for drawing on windows, that should keep them busy for a while). In a day or two, I am gonna need to have a few tricks up my sleeve...see it's pretty hard for a four year old to play in over two feet of snow. Cabin fever will surely set in by Monday.

I also have the fixin's on hand for these Snowman Cookies from Stacy's Sweet Shop, which I have been dying to try out. I think the boys will love making them.

~Super Bowl?
Check! My oldest is pretty bummed about the timing of this storm, because we were supposed to do the Super Bowl at his best buddy's house. I can't make up for that loss, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve for some yummy snacks. I might even dig out some party plates and cups (can you use last year's Valentine's leftovers for the Superbowl? Hmmm...maybe not.)

~Antibiotics?
Check! Wait...what? I woke up with the tell-tale signs of strep throat this morning. Not good when an apocalyptic snow storm is headed for your house. God worked a true miracle and I was able to see my doctor and get a prescription for a Z-pack before it hit. Don't tell my pharmacist, but I would have paid a lot more for those meds than he charged me. There are rare times when frugal goes out the window ;)

So, I am armed and ready. While it piles up outside I'm gonna utilize my arsenal, blog, cook, and organize coupons. How are you spending the weekend?

*This post is linked to Bringing Moms Together's Tackle It Tuesday.

Grocery Stockpiling~Lessons Learned

I have always been a couponer, to some degree. Thanks to some great blogs like Southern Savers, I am learning to be an Xtreme Couponer. I just finished tallying my January shopping totals, spending $440 on $1235 worth of grocery and personal care items over the 5-week month. That is an average of less than $90 a week, and a savings of 64%. Now, I do not intend to spend that much per week in the future. My January purchases have been replenishing my reserves. (We travel for an extended period during the holidays, so I intentionally cleaned out my pantry and freezer beforehand, only buying perishables for the entire month of December.)

But, I have gone beyond replenishing what I had. I have a true stockpile for the first time ever. I have all of the personal care, laundry detergent, dish detergent, and other cleaners that I need for the next 6-12 months. I also have a 2-3 month supply of most of our staple food items, including meat.

Here are some things that I have learned in the past month:

1. Xtreme Couponing = Stockpiling. It is the only way to truly get the best value out of your money.

2. Stockpiling creates a ready environment for giving. If I am aware of a need, I can meet it. I simply go shopping in my stockpile.

3. Many of the things that I bring home for free or nearly free are purchased at full price by other people in the same store, on the same day. (This was a true revelation.)

4. I don't have to worry about emergencies. If I get sick or there is a snowstorm (like now), we have all that we need in the house to get us through it.

5. It is ridiculous to pay $2.69 for a jar of peanut butter weekly when I can buy six now at $.99, and do the same thing again, six weeks from now. (Think about it, Full price- $2.69 x 6 = $16.14. Xtreme Couponing price- $.99 x 6 = $5.94. That's a savings of $10.20, Now, think about saving that much for every staple grocery item.)

6. The money that I save gives me freedom for little splurges, to save up for something special, or to bless someone else. In other words, I've become a better steward of what God has given me.

7. Shopping three stores with a plan is quicker and cheaper than shopping one with no plan. Yesterday, I hit 4 stores in 1 hour, 15 minutes. I spent $40 on $160 worth of merchandise.

8. People look at me funny when I walk through a store with a big ol' coupon binder. Some come back and ask me how it works ;)

9. Some cashiers will actually celebrate with me when I save 80% on an order, some will not.

10. If I am already getting a huge discount on an order, I usually don't get picky over a small coupon dispute, although I may ask for the item to be removed from my order. I would rather keep a great rapport with my stores than become known as that "Pushy Coupon Lady".

11. The amount of stuff that I can bring home FOR FREE is truly astounding.

12. Just for kicks, I kept up with the number of coupons that I used. 241 Coupons! (I know, I'm a nerd for keeping up with it.) And I used to think that store brands were a better buy, HA!

I'm certainly not a pro, yet. My coupon filing system still needs tweaking. But, overall I am very pleased with where all of this is heading. Everyone does it a little differently, and that is okay. The key is to find your own system and go with it.

This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.