Doesn't look like the world situation is going to improve any time soon, so my days are filled with various and assorted preparations.
Grocery prices continue to shoot up like a rocket. And I'm finding that the weekly store ads offer very little that I can use. So like everyone else, I am paying the highly inflated prices for the items I need. Does anyone who could fix this care even a little bit about what this inflation does to the average family? Nope.
Twelve lbs. of hamburger arrived with my grocery order this past Thursday. Since I am nearly out of frozen hamburger to use for cheeseburgers, meatballs, meatloaf, etc., that was divided into one pound packages and tossed into the freezer. Next order will include more burger for canning.
Another four large bags of frozen shredded hashbrowns are dried and packed away. Note: The last time I tried dehydrating the frozen hashbrowns that are cut into small cubes, most of it turned black. That is the only time I can remember having a problem dehydratibg frozen vegetables. Might have been operator error, but I just don't know.
24 half pint jars of cubed chicken breast are in the pressure canner. For someone cooking for one, that size is perfect for a couple of sandwiches or a small chicken and pasta salad or any number of dishes for one. The whole idea is to eliminate leftovers. I hang my head in shame to admit that sometimes leftovers are fortgotten in the fridge until they resemble science experiments gone bad. Sigh.
Evenings are my time to relax, so that is when I sometimes watch a movie and crochet. I have lots of yarn leftover from other projects and that makes for some pretty and warm granny square afghans.
Since I amuse easily, I have been having some fun messing with phone call scammers. I have been getting more scam calls lately. Some ask for me by name. Instead of swearing at them like I have in the past, I very sweetly tell them they must have the wrong number as nobody by that name lives here. I now get only maybe one or two of those calls a week instead of the former several daily.
But the most fun are the calls trying to get me to buy additional Medicare packages. With those, I have been letting the spammer read through his script up to the point here they always ask if I am over 65 years of age, to which I reply that I am 40 years old. That answer brings a 'click' on their end of the call. The number of those calls has decreased significantly. :)
I have no earthly idea what will happen in the future - near or far - but I feel like I need to keep stacking it high. And more time spent in prayer is a good thing as well.
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The spam calls are so annoying , and they are ramping up here lately for some reasons. Texts as well. Ugh. Good for you for keeping on prepping. I’ve been trying to plug up some holes in our supplies here as well. We are living in very strange times.
ReplyDeleteMandy...Good for you for keeping on! I really do think we may need every bit of our preps before too long. And if we don't, great!
DeleteSpam calls annoy the heck out of me. Plus the fact that it amuses me to get them to hang up on me instead of the other way around.
I did learn something else earlier today. You know those calls where this cheerful voice asks if we can hear them? What they want is the sound of your voice saying "Yes." I saw somewhere that they can then use your voice in agreeing to something else. Got one of those calls today. Asked could I hear them. Stayed silent. After a while they hung up. Sneaky bastards, they are!
Take care and stay safe.
Vicki, you probably heard this from me. I remember this coming up in conversation before. Your "voiceprint" can be used as a verbal signature for many things.
DeleteIf anyone calls asking the question "Is this (your name)?" NEVER answer "Yes." Instead, answer with "Who is this?" A legit caller, even a cold caller, will identify. If not, chances are the caller wanted your "Yes" for nefarious purposes...
Pete...My memory isn't what I would like it to be any more, but thinking back I am sure that bit of information did come from you. As well as much more.
DeleteI understand that there have always been those who try to take advantage of others, but it sure seems like there is an overabundance of that sort of behavior just now. And it does my heart good to be able to toss a monkey wrench into their plans whenever possible. :)
I have an old police whistle by the phone. Return persistent cold callers are warned that another call will net them a case of Tinitis worthy of mention in a medical journal... And yes, I had to do that once... The broad actually called me back and said "I can't believe you (BLEEP!) actually did that!!!" My simple reply; "I told you would. Please LISTEN next time... with your remaining good ear..."
DeletePete...Not long ago I saw a cartoon of an old lady, sitting by a table that held her coffee cup, her telephone and an air horn. Caption - "Let the Spam calls begin." Methinks that might not be such a bad idea. Love your whistle. :)
DeleteGlad to hear you are keeping busy! Agreed -- this is no time to slack off our prepping!
ReplyDeleteI just finished turning the last of the apples we bought into applesauce; next item on the agenda is dehydrating potatoes. There's a great sale on spuds, but overall there don't seem to be as many food items in our ads. Weird. Of course the world is very strange at the moment, so why would grocery ads be any different!
Keep on stacking and praying!
sbrgirl
sbrgirl...Good for you on the apples! Haven't been able to lay my hands on any this year. I have home canned and commercial applesauce, but I sure would like some home canned apple slices!
DeleteOur grocery ads here seem to feature lots of 'convenience' foods and very little in the way of staples. You are right. Our world is weird. Why wouldn't the ads be the same!
Yep...stacking and praying. Stay safe!
Hi Vicki ! Prepping to me means a deep pantry ... 30 is my magic number ... 30 cans protein , 30 vegetables , 30 dried , 30 fridge , 30 freezer ... snacks and drinks ... in practice I am usually over 30 in most catagories ... also I don't spend change ... saved for the produce stand ... try to keep 1 month cash for bills ... my 2 grown girls are aware of this also ...youngest even has beehives ! I have a small garden ... enjoy simple homecooking ... not fast food ... pizza deliveries etc. God is good ! ... Patrick
ReplyDeletep.s. the above post doesn't mean l'm not well stocked with pasta , potato powder , grits , etc. ... Patrick
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you, Patrick. Sounds like you really have a handle on stocking up and good for you. I guess I don't have as well thought out a plan as you do. I am more into filling up boxes and shelves. I do keep a list of what I need and use that when ordering groceries every two weeks. There are 16 of us in my immediate family. I never, ever want any of them to go hungry if things go kaflooey.
DeleteI do miss a garden. But we just make do with what is available. Take good care, my friend.
Stacking prayer is a good use of time.
ReplyDeleteEd...Stacking prayer is the very best use of time. I find myself doing lots of that these days.
DeleteHave you read the articles saying that people taking Ozempic for weight loss, is the reason there are fewer groceries being bought? They specifically reference processed foods (junk foods such as chips and cookies etc.) and meat as the items not being purchased. Are they so stupid as to think we don't know that inflation might be more likely why people are buying less meat and processed foods. The prices go up every week. The amount of food $100 could buy, now fits in 1 bag, maybe 2, depending on your shopping savvy. So the media says the Ozempic peoples loss of weight means they have no desire for meat, processed foods, sodas etc. It seems to be there would have to be hundreds of thousands of people taking this drug for weight loss to have that kind of result. And what about the people who need to take it for diabetes? I had read somewhere that there were shortages, in some areas, because of this insanity. The side effects aren't too pleasant either. I'll stay my chubby self and keep trying to cut back my consumption, on my own, thank you very much. I'm waiting to hear that our insurance companies are going to drop us, if we're overweight and won't take the drug. Obesity is expensive and we are living in a bizarre world. I hope I'm wrong. Ranee (MN)
ReplyDeleteRanee...I expect I have seen those kinds of articles, but I tend to ignore them. Seems to me we are being lied to on every level, so I am not surprised that some company is selling another 'miracle drug.' Reminds me of how we were promised that a 'vaccine' was going to save us from catching a virus. And we know how well that worked. It is the long list of side effects on the drugs being sold that scare the heck out of me.
DeleteAnyone with two functioning brain cells to rub together can see that many are eating less because they can no longer afford buying groceries as they did before prices headed skyward. A perfect example is the 3 lb. bag of frozen chicken breast I buy for canning. The breasts themselves are not pretty. I think they are those that are odd sizes or don't look nice on a styrofoam tray on the meat counter. They get tossed into bags and frozen - sold at a lower price. A couple of years ago I paid $3.99 per bag. This past week I paid $8.99 per bag.
I thank God that I began preparing years ago, for I doubt food prices are going down any time soon. Even the cost of raising a garden or keeping meat animals has skyrocketed. God help us all.
More on the deep pantry Vicki ... it was kind of an evolution type thing for me ... such as ... stack things that you like , pay attention to condiments and snacks , ask some honest questions ... is your drink beer , wine , coffee , diet soft drinks ? ... don't even think about barter with strangers ...keep it in the family ... even in a very serious situation some things will still be available . Keep change small bills on hand ... I could write an essay on this ! , but my comment here gives a basic idea ! Blessings ... Patrick
ReplyDeletePatrick...I started out with home canning as I had access to a good Farmer's Market and home canning has always been a way of life. It all progressed from there, as I learned more about preparedness. I, too, do not keep items for barter. Nor do I plan to feed anyone outside my family.
DeleteI once had a visitor open the door to the room where I keep all of my stored food. Her remark was, "Look at all that food. Anything happens, I'm coming to your house." My answer was "No, you are not." just before I threw her out of my apartment with the warning to never return. Nobody will take from my family.
I know there are areas that need shoring up in my preps. And I am working on that. But I have no idea what those who live in the land of unicorns and fairy dust are going to do when it all comes crashing down. And it sure looks like that's where we are headed. Stay safe. God bless.
I've been padding my larder as well, Vicki. Though I haven't had time to can, I've been buying canned goods such as vegetables, tuna, chicken, Spam, (...Yeeesh...) and the like. Dry pinto beans, black beans, and rice; CHECK. I've also laid in a lot of pastas and sauces for it. Every time I put something on the shelf something else comes to mind. On the list it goes.
ReplyDeleteMy persimmon trees maxed out this year, with some of the branches so heavy with fruit they broke under the strain. I've been running 20-30 persimmons at a time through the dehydrator. Anyone having a persimmon tree on their property but find the tannin in the fruit to be a tongue-twister, try dehydrating them. Doing so gets rid of the tannin, and renders down to a lightly sweet, delicious, nutritious snack! Also, dehydrating them will render 20-30 persimmons down to something that will fit in two 1-quart Mason jars!
I find Biden& Co's screed about "Bidenomics working" is tragically amusing. It's pretty hard to LIE to the very people who are LIVING the TRUTH!!!
God bless you and yours. Vicki!
Peteforester --- Do you peel the persimmons before drying? Cut the fruit in half? Quarters? thanks in advance.
DeleteSJ now in California
SJ, I dehydrate mine in half slices and I do not peel them. The peel is edible. I cut the heads off the fruit and put the fruit flat-side down. Then I cut the fruit in half. From there, I cut the fruit into slices about 1/8" thick, and put the slices in the dehydrator. I set my dehydrator at the high end of the "fruit" range, and run the thing for about seven hours. As far as thickness goes, don't go any thinner than 1/8" or you'll end up with totally desiccated product that's no fun to eat. If anything, go a little thicker. The end result will be more chewy. I go with the 1/8" thickness to be sure the slices are dried all the way through.
DeleteDepending on your dehydrator and your preferences, you can go with quarter slices. I go with halves because I don't have a lot of time for prep, and because quarter slices tend to fall through the holes in the trays in my machine. I wouldn't go with whole slices though. Dried persimmons have almost a jerky texture. Whole slices are a mouthful to deal with. Also, go easy on eating these things. They're hard to put down, and have around the same fiber content as prunes... and you know what eating too many prunes will do...
Oh; one more thing; I'm able to slice my persimmons the way I do because they're seedless Fuyu persimmons. If yours aren't seedless you'll need to adjust your preparations to work around those ...huge... seeds...
Thanks for the information. There's one tree here. No seeds. Last year, i purreed the fruit and froze in ice cube trays. I'd add one 'cube' to my smoothies. cheers, SJ now in California
DeletePete...I'm not sure how much more canning I will be doing. I will be canning more meat, but given the cost of lids - $5.99 for a dozen regular and $7.99 for a dozen wide mouth, I wonder if it would be cheaper to just buy fruit and veggies commercially canned. Considering the cost, I may be done once my freezers are cleared out.
ReplyDeleteI have to confess to never even seeing a persimmon, much less tasting one. I'm a Yankee - what do you want! Here in the North we get apples and blueberries and plums. I may miss the persimmons, but in my defense, my pantry holds lots of dehydrated apples!
The lying coming out of DC sort of reminds me of my kids when they were small. "We didn't eat the cookies, Mom." With crumbs on their faces and melted chocolate chips on their hands. The lies about the economy and everything else is just as obvious. I can only hope that maybe one day there might be consequences for those who think we are too stupd to notice.
There's a lot of people that are emoting and panicking right now Vicki. Sometimes you just have to turn off the fake news, the tin foil hatters, and the clowns. There are a lot of people that are smart and resourceful like you - and they are getting fed up too. The current clown regime is going to end soon... all that remains to be seen is how bad the clean up is and be ready for it.
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly confident that once the clowns, perverts, monkeys and retards are kicked to the curb... the clean up will be straight forward and fast.
Glen...Seems like the usual suspects are busy with their "We're all gonna die" predictions. Those like you and me just aren't buying into all of that. Makes more sense to me to continue preparing for whatever happens. Personally, I fear my own government and their lack of concern for their own citizens more than I do of those overseas.
DeleteI really hope you are right. I would love to see our houses of government cleared out. What I truly do not understand is why so many here are so delusional. My guess is that brainwashing works!