I normally don't have much money left after the monthly bills (fixed income). Last month my dad passed and left us an unexpected inheritance. I can now use that blessing to stock my pantry to get through the winter.
Blessings from Chicago. I live alone in an apartment. I'm busy as every summer, shopping at the farmers market and prepping the panty items. I'm dehydrating, pickling and canning. I have no freezer space. Thanks to you and your commuinty, I've gained some skills.
Changed jobs and knew I wasn't getting paid for 6 wks. I'm in my last week and very proud to say we made it without the grocery store. Only 2 of us so we still have 1/2 the chest freezer full and 1/4 of the refrige freezer full.
I have 9 cats so I keep at least 4 month of dry food and litter for them. I have a year's worth of can food for them. I have notice this year that the run out of pet food a lot. So I will be stocking a few more months worth for them. I have paper products for a year or so. I'm pretty sure I have a years worth of food for me. But I have a sister moving in with me in January along with her 2 cats. So while I have a little money I will be adding to everything. I need to get canning, and dehydrating as soon as the temperatures are not over 100 during the day. I'm going to be looking for easy meals in a jar recipes to make life a little easier if power goes out. "All electric house" I had propane heaters put in a couple years ago. God bless you for all your amazing information, and inspiration.
Yep. Living in New England all my life, I learned years ago to stock up before winter comes. This time of year is when I also go through all my OTC stuff and make sure I have cold & flu remedies, pain and fever relievers, tissues, cough drops, etc. Having a fully stocked pantry and freezer not only saves time and money, but it's also a matter of staying safe at home when the weather gets bad.
I stock up because I'm tired of being in public. I avoid the crowds and traffic and can relax knowing I don't have to make frequent trips to any store.
A few years back, before the C-Bug hit, I stocked up til I dropped. Had several years worth already. Got the basement to a 10 year supply after C-Bug and boy did it take a lot of room. (4 people) Then forced us to live on it for 2 years while we got everything paid off. House, car, credit cards, everything. Now we have an 8 yr supply and are debt free. It was a great experiment and learned so much. Only things we buy right now are sale items that we readily use and anything we missed having in our preps. Canning and other food preservation methods are skills I happily took to,... like a duck to water. Thanks for teaching us all how to do it "safe".
Losing a loved one has set me back a little. I know that it's time to get back to business.I am being inspired watching everyone get winter ready. My garden did so poorly this year, I need farmers markets. Thanks Leisa for your videos.
We have always stocked up a little more in preparation for Winter but the past three years we have really stepped it up. Not that we live in a harsh Winter area but I like to be a real homebody during Fall/Winter. We have a full "grocery store" in our home and are topping off everything right now. Also topping off home supplies like cleaning stuff, toiletries, meds, etc. Then it's time to relax after all the hard work, canning, shopping, etc. We bought three of those shelving units to put in our "grocery store room". I do not believe they can withstand 800 lbs. I have a huge Azure order I am placing right now, a large Sam's Club order and that will be the last big hauls this year. I will need to go get fresh produce, dairy, lunchmeat, or whatever I want/need but our bulk items, canned items, etc. are going to be in great shape. Feels great!
You can do it. I was unprepared after I fell in December 2022. I had medical complications so I could not go to the grocery store for most of 2022. I do have an indoor salad green garden which is useful during the winter months. Now, I keep extra supplies so I don't have to worry about it. I make my bread. I keep shelf stable milk. I keep a bucket of ready to eat for emergency food for when I cannot cook.
My hubby is having his shoulder replaced this fall, I am preparing so that while he is off, I won’t spend anything either. Not sure how much his short time disability will pay, so, that’s why I am planning on not spending. So glad others do these things too! Love your channel! Thank you!❤
Just a suggestion.. pay ahead on your electric / water Bill's now. That wld be 2 less things you have to worry about paying while hes on short term disability from work. Assuming your on the grid that is
Great video! I hope you stay safe and can be comfortable this winter. Hoarding is when a situation arrives and you go to the store and buy everything that isn’t nailed down. You won’t find any preppers doing that! Hope you and Phil are in good health.
Wow girl, great minds think alike. I too have been planning on going 6 months with no pantry/grocery need to purchase. I am getting water filters, air cleaner filters, and laundry, dishes, and toiletries. I have checked spices, baking supplies, etc. I think I am nearly set. Just a few more boxes jello would be a plus to help with boring fruits in the winter. 😊
My Dad worked in Areo Space & never knew when a layoffs would happen. Mom always had a stocked kitchen for the lean times. I followed her example & it drives Hubby crazy as he didn’t grow up that way he says. I’m betting his Mom did the same stocking up he just didn’t notice😮 I just do me & stock up when a sale comes along😊
I just love you lady! You’re so real!!!! I have septic and well…..the well scares me more than anything….I would love to have a pump placed closer to our house. The well is way at the left end of our property. I think I’m going to call to see how expensive it would be to get one installed closer to the house. Flushing toilets really bothers me……ACK!!! My little dog is a 14 year old chihuahua who has seizures and eats canned and dry food. So I’m trying to get enough food stored for her for at least 6 months since we live in a rural area. She’s only about 7 pounds. I’m doing all I can to get us through the winter but it’s really scary!!!
I started early August stocking up so I wouldn't have to go to the grocers all winter. I had surgery and we had to dip into it, but I'm getting the pantry filled up again!
I hate having to drag stuff thru the snow so I try to stock up but this year I am trying to step it up even more. Going thru what I have to see what I need.
Hey Lisa! We are getting ready to roll on stock up as well. We have been eating out a prepper pantry for 16 months and we have depleted it massively with the cost of rising inflation, canned goods have gone up drastically! I don’t have a garden yet and I live in a rented house and my landlord will not let me turn my backyard into any portion for garden so I’m saving up for five green stocks hopefully for this coming summer! Maybe I can get it by the spring? Lol we shall see. But that being said, I just got my first canner. I’ve been watching all the things that you can and I appreciate the fact that you show us how your canning items I am brand new to canning. I have my electric canner in right now and I also got a water bath canner gifted to me! I think what we’re gonna do is put a halt on us eating through any of our preps and start restocking. Our shelves is what we’ve been trying to do. I cannot eat on their preps after this coming next week I’m gonna halt and freeze my prepper pantry shelves, and start restocking as quickly as possible as easy as we can and it’s budget friendly as humanly possible even with a climbing inflation! We are nowhere near ready for this coming winter, and that is a little bit of my fault since we ate down in a proper pantry for the last 16 months to save money!
Leisa, we had such an iron problem too. The foot valve had to be replaced and they had to remove all the piping. They found there was an iron ALGAE in the well. They bleached the well which killed the algae and we do not have nearly the iron problem we had before.
We have the same shelving in our basement. We were going to leave them behind when we sold our house and just buy new ones (rather than having to dismantle them all and rebuild them). Then we went to Home Depot and saw the price!! Nope. We dismantled them all and rebuilt them at the new house!!
I just love your videos. I wish I had the space to get a 6 month supply of dog food. Canned salsa again today and some tomatoes. Thanks for all the canning videos too. ❤
Hey Leisa! Love your channel. You are my go to for everything pressure canning and safe storage. Do you have a recipe for pressure canning Chili with browned ground beef and beans? If so, I am requesting you to do a video tutorial. Pretty please :) I trust everything you do Because I know it’s the safe way. Thank you for all the time you put into teaching the correct ways to can. You’re a blessing and thank goodness your videos are never boring lol. You make learning fun. Your personality shines through each canning session which shows the love you have in what you do. Much love from Alabama.
A few years ago, I was in a salt producer's facility here in Michigan, and they were packaging water softener salt for several different brands and loading pallets of the product on semi trucks. Every single variety of sofner salt type was filled with the same exact salt. I was super stunned to see this. Especially since I have had a water conditioner system for at least 25 years. After that experience, I buy whatever is the lowest cost and forget about all the gimmicks of what's printed on the bag. What a scam charging people more for a "special" type of softener salt. 🤨
Same goes for cereal....my son used?to work for a cereal plant....Cheerios no in whatever box name they have orders for.....so Aldis brand is Cheerios.....now he works doing coffee creamer....same thing
Great video, Leisa. I feel pretty comfortable where I am right now..good for at least a year++ on most foods. Still need to buy up some store stuff..the stuff I don`t can like condiments, some baking supplies, etc. But otherwise..I`m pretty happy..cause now I can watch for good sales & add those in. Canning & prepping... is not just for summer anymore LOL
Just got 2 10kg bags of flour for 8$@. Yay! And canned quarts of peaches, tomato sauce, salsa, corn this weekend, apples stewing right now for juice and apples dehydrating. Whew. It’s cold in the north, I don’t want to go out and spend money on gas getting supplies in my truck! Smart thinking!
Great haul and good planning. You are truly a professional when it comes to canning and preparedness. Congrats on a fantastic video. Thank you so much. Get some rest soon. ❤❤❤
My sister got a Great Pyrenees puppy this past spring. She went to get more puppy food and they didn't have any and none was due to come in soon. Same for other stores, she had to order it.
Get my salt delivered no extra price. No animals had to put my last dog down. I listened to you I ordered a load of firewood. I have plenty I have to split that I cut. I am in indiana. In the country been doing this for years. Thanks for the heads up never thought of salt can double my order. THANKS AGAIN
I haven't set foot in a store in nearly a year...went shopping with my daughter today..yikes!! Walmart & Costco. I get Azure standard every 3-4 months, buy pet food @ my local feed store. I do shop @ Amazon..we get our pork & beef local farmers, raise our chickens, plus rabbits...it's taken me a few years to get where I am.
I bought those racks for my canning. The only thing I ran into was the slelving its self. From the moisture, they started to bow. So I bought sheets of plywood, had it cut and am replacing so my jars don't hit the ground. I never thought about the shelving it's self.
Thanks for this video. Do you have a favorite bread that you like to do and did you make a video of that favorite bread? Just wondering since I love watching you make things. I’m a real visual person and most of my learning is by seeing it first. Thanks for all you do.
Our pantry is slowly but surely getting full of the things and food that we use and eat. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. Have a blessed day.
45 years in the woods has taught me to be prepared for November to May. There are times we can't get out of here. You were the last ones to get plowed.
Our garden flopped. It burned up. So we haven't had much to can. I feel like we have not progressed this summer much at all. Groceries are so expensive I haven't bought a whole lot. BTW, we live on SS. I'm canning hamburger veggie soup tomorrow. We still have some stuff we canned last year. Hope we have enough.
They have an additive called iron out you can add to your softener. It’s a powder, and you better hold your breath before you put it in (it likes to fly) but it does the job.
Could you do an episode on how to use Thrive? I have some of it, snap. Other things, like the shrimp? TY for all your info: garden, canning, recipes and preparedness. 🥰🤗
I want prepared for 1 full year for 13 people...Its no easy task!!! Speaking of water salt...geez, thanks for the reminder!!!!!! picking THAT up tomorrow!!! We go through 4 bags a month...BIG FAMILY! lol Agree, wanna stay home as much as possible and spend less...have eye surgery, and the amount I have to pay upfront is over $8,000.00 thats NOT covered by insurance...ouch!
Our rotation pantry has been a working process for 20 years, we also do not buy any panty foods for 6 months, we have a water 💦 softner and yes inflation has affected Southern Indiana, it stinks . We have 3 rotation deep freezers, Meat only, Vegetables & Fruits only, and baking supplies ❤
Hubby has gotten used to me buying more in the summer to stock up for winter. I like to only have to worry about picking up fresh items from the store in the winter. It comes in really handy to only have to make sure we have bread and milk before a storm comes in.
Not sure how much Royal Canin brand dog food is in the States but here in Canada, the price has gone from 52$ to 62$. Then last year it went to 75$. Now (drum roll please)...100$!!! Absolutely nuts🤨😔
Leisa place your dog food bags in Mylar if possible. We had the same brand with fish oil and ended up with a beetle infestation. Just a suggestion to check the ingredients. Blessings😊
💐🐈⬛ - I love it! After I got a lil bit of my food pantry built up, I went thru my house and made a list of things I will 'eventually' use. From toiletries to detergent to cat poo pellets. I then picked one or two items and bought 3 to 6 months worth of each item (if cheap enough - 1 year worth as in Dollar Tree dish sponges). I'm in FL so I welcome a brutal winter lol. But lemme tell ya - it really does save you money to buy it NOW and not have to return to the store every weekend. You just have it. The items get used and I'm not fearful of a bad weather situation or another stay home or else situation *wink wink*. Great episode! Xo
I keep a 1 year rotating supply of ALL household cleaning supplies and hygiene items. 6 months of dog food n treats the dog wont out live the poop bags ive bought..lol. Rotate Rotate Rotate... come on winter. I live in the city, but I dont want to go out either. This month is winterizing my truck. Stay Prepared people.
I am thinking this winter I will have a much easier time buying less than I did a year ago. I have gone Keto and I practice intermittent fasting. With my diabetes I used to eat six small meals a day. Now I eat once or twice a day and eat no snacks at all. I’ve lost nearly 50 pounds and I don’t need to stock so much food. Thankfully I grew a huge garden this year and have put up most of it. Rather than try to buy all the things I used to possible want to eat, I now realize I can eat much more simply. Hey, if anything, fasting is a huge money saver. I’m not eating any processed foods so I’m way more healthy too.
My pantry storage room just got finished today. Now I can shelve all my canned and prepped food and supplies. We moved here a few months ago. I will have a good idea of where I have gaps that I need to fill. I want to greatly reduce my grocery bill and trips to the stores for the winter season.
I can well imagine how good this is going to feel once that snow starts falling in your neck of the woods. We rarely get snow and when we do it is short lived. I do have a good supply so I wouldn't need much other than bread and milk. I am also fortunate that my son shops for me most weeks. It is cheaper that way too because he follows the list. LOL. Have a Blessed day.
We found that Tractor Supply is much less for the Diamond Solar Salt, plus you get a discount when you buy 20. We have a lot of iron. We have a system that pumps air into the water when it first comes in to oxidize the iron before it hits the filter. We also have a cartridge filter on the line before the main filter. It's a thorn in my hubby's side, keeping it all working.
You are just so adorable! I'm hoping to get my 2nd shipment from Thrive Life tomorrow or the next day. I have ordered 2 cans of freeze dried carrots. Then I'm ordering chicken. I have a monthly budget between $30-$50. The leeway is because I might get meat from the local grocery stores. My next pay day I'm getting more cat food and chicken feed. Enough so I don't have to lug heavy stuff when there's snow or ice on the ground, which will throw one's center of gravity off to the point where I can fall. I'm old and trying to not fall.
I have acquired some chickens for eggs, should start laying in the next few weeks. I have to shop for milk and CHEESES, although I do have some in the freezer. I don't like to rely on my freezer though. I have some ugly chicken (with your recipes) and garden produce canned up. I do not have a peaceful feeling about the upcoming winter, can't put my finger on it exactly, just uneasy for some reason. Like everyone else, Iam preparing my pantry as best best as I can afford. Thanks for sharing!
Love it.. I am also in the Middle of nowhere Michigan.. I am almost 70.. and I have for the last 5 years Hybernated preaty much once the snow flies.. I usually figure November to Early April.. If I can do it.. I am sure you guys can. However I feel that the way things are today.. its important for most people to not just stock for it but to restock as often as possible, because in my area I often shop three times just to complet a restock list getting somtimes only 50 to 75% of items on my list.. For instantaneous, I use lime away about 2 to 4 a year and I mite see it on the shelfs now every third or forth time I shop.. and I am see that with more and more items.. Now I can usally get it on line often if I don't mind paying 3 buck more for it.. or go looking at other stores.. it's not like there is none but it's just funny people that shop once twice aweek dont realize or see those shortages as those of us that have for years lived the pantry life style.. and shop once a month or so.... and for me that mite be a particular store every 4 to 6 months..so Now I am forsed to visit stores more often to sustain my long term pantry.. I do now utilize home delivery more from Walmart and Amazon.. but to save on money I also only have the kids snow plow me out a few times a year when its horrible or if I have apointments so I don't order if delivery is not practical in the winter.. for my delivery guys.. other items I have issues keeping up with are pet food, cat litter, ice melt.. and generator fuel.. I don't need milk and bread runs as I do buy and stock ultra pasteurized milk, make bread and grow greens.. in a small grow tent all winter long. So I am good in that area.. but I just think people need to keep there gaps filled as much as possible just because right now our supply chain is not so stable and has alot of weak links. 😢
Those are great shelves and I bought mine about 5 years ago, for about $60 and needed to add more and yes-3-4 times more than they used to be. I am canning everything in my 2 large freezers that I can as well as stocking up on my hard red wheats as well. Thank you for all you do.
I use that same Diamond Naturals that you have in the greenish bag. In 2020 I was paying a $28 per bag at Tractor Supply. Mid 2021 it jumped up to $38 per bag. I'm now paying right at $48. 😢
I just want to say look into the future. If you know you will need something get it before you actually do. For example lemon juice. During canning season i couldn't find lemon juice anywhere so it was a good thing i had gotten a bottle in the spring.....
I have stocked up for over a year. I have not actually grocery shoped. I'm to thst point that if something is on sale that's the only thing I buy. I have been able to pay off numerous medical bills. It's wonderful.
Amen to that-our local Ace Hardware had hole in the bag of Salt- $2 off a bag...SCORE took every one of them. RACKS- the wire metals one that restaurants use are very STRONG too 1200 lbs. a lot less money, depending on the # of shelves they start at $70 Thanks for your videos