Bringing my food and lawn supplies... from afar

Oh, my feet hurt! I decided to look good while shopping and wear my black SAS leather shoes as opposed to my old, beat up Reebocks. Next time I will go for comfort over style. I know SAS are supposed to be great walking shoes and I do buy them because they are great for diabetic feet... but nothing beats a pair of really old Reebocks (or similar brand) for comfort. I am vastly overdue for a new pair, which is on the priority list for my next week of work at the bookstore (probably May).

After two days of shopping for absolute April necessities, including all the lawn "stuff", as well as items needed for my Spring cleaning and organizing, I ended up removing one store completely off of my list.

I spent about $40.00 on items needed to organize the freezer and two closets but everything is a "one time only" purchase (they should all last for years). I also saved quite a lot when I realized I could spend very little for meat this month (thanks to the freezer organization).

Target had the big Zip Lock bags I used for the freezer on sale so I was able to get one more box. What a huge load off of my shoulders to get the freezer organized. I did have to laugh at myself. After telling Manuela that I didn't use foil in my freezer, I baked a pound cake and froze half... in plastic wrap and then foil. I forgot that I do often use that combination when freezing baked goods! I used a few slices of the other half of the cake with strawberries and ice cream (both purchased on sale).

Because we have so much going out this month for non-food items, I had to make my "recession proofing" stock up much less than I'd have liked. Although taking care of the lawn and organizing the house are certainly important in the long run!

If you haven't read any of the recession proofing articles, those are all items that I am purchasing for the pantry (or laundry room, linen closet, clothing, shoes, etc.) that is above and beyond what I need immediately. I was chatting with the cashier at the check out line yesterday. She is about my age and said her family is doing the exact same thing. They are taking some of their money and putting it towards stocking up on items they know they will need. Prices are continuing to go up a lot!

I usually keep one extra "bottle" of dish washing detergent... either Mrs. Meyers or Seventh Generation. I still had one extra bottle but I purchased two of the Seventh Generation (Lavender Floral & Mint) bottles at Target yesterday. This stuff smells so good that I've been known to put my head over the sink as the hot water brings up the sudsy goodness... heavenly (and a free sauna for my face!). They are less than $3.00 each at Target (I think around $2.65) but much higher at the health foods tore. I do a lot of dishes so stocking up on this item is a priority, while I can get it at such a good price at Target. I love Mrs. Meyers but can't afford it right now.

I was able to get some more items on my list that I'd written out and a few that I hadn't planned on buying once I found them on sale. For instance, I bought six cans of pumpkin because I found it for a very good sale. I make pumpkin cookies and pumpkin bread all year (it is a tasty way of getting Vitamins!).

Also, I found Crisco on sale (the kind in a can) so I bought one can. That is definitely a stock up emergency item. I use the Butter Flavored Crisco once in awhile but I haven't used a can of regular Crisco in years. However, I found out it has an unlimited shelf life so it became an emergency priority. Why?

Well, I've been at the point where I had nothing in the kitchen to work with except the very basics (flour, sugar, etc.) and I'd have loved to have something to use for frying, making biscuits, etc. I remember reading an article about WWII Europe where the author (who had gone through the war) said what people missed the most was... basic fat! Really... but then if you stop to think of it, it makes sense.

My mom always talked about "poor food", some of which wasn't all that good for you (lard, Crisco, etc.) but much of it was balanced by what was cheap and healthy (beans, beans, and more beans; veggies from the garden, etc.). Something to ponder... So Crisco in a can goes on my stock up for emergencies (since it lasts practically forever and I don't even have to date it!).

To help me organize the two bedroom closets, I bought a package of 3 large "Space Bags" at Target. They are the bags they show on TV where you can put your sweaters and then vacuum out the air until they become flat. I'm planning on using one for each of us. They are not cheap but you can reuse them each year.

I also saw that Target is now selling Joy Mangano hangers. I've seen them advertised on TV and they were exactly what I needed. However, I didn't want to order through any TV ad (for one thing, they only were offered in huge numbers at an equally huge price). How thrilled I was to see them now being offered at Target. They cost just under $5.00 for five hangers.

I bought one package of five hangers and used them first on my thin sweaters. Beautiful! They hang much better than the padded hangers and use less space. You can do a Google search for "Joy Mangano hangers" and see what they look like. I plan to purchase one package each month... it will require patience but eventually I'll have them for my entire closet.

More later... I need to catch the last twenty minutes of Pride & Prejudice on TV. The latest P&P movie. That scene where Mr. Darcy is walking across the fields in the early morning with the sun coming up behind him... sigh. I told my husband that has to be the most romantic movie scene! Well, at least one of the top five perhaps?

Picture: Pennsylvania Railroad; Allposters.com; that is what I wanted to look like while shopping.