I was hoping to write an indepth post today but I ended up being away from home this morning and then (finally) tackling two decluttering projects all afternoon.
Victoria helped me as I worked on the two center drawers on the hutch, hubby thought she did a very good job of telling me where to put everything. I would have snapped a picture of her sitting in the bottom drawer but she was between me and the camera. :)
There were many great comments to yesterday's post and I have a feeling we will continue to learn from more comments. I only have time to respond to one this evening and that is perhaps the most important... should people spend money stocking up.
I'd never tell anyone what to do if they felt God told them differently but I can assure you any money spent on deepening your pantry and stocking up will reap great rewards as long as you do it properly (as in making certain things are stored correctly, purchase only what the family will eat and use, etc.).
I've mentioned before that I felt strongly we should deepen the pantry a lot more than usual before Y2k. I didn't know if anything would go wrong but I definitely believed we were to "stock up" so we deepened our pantry further and even purchased all the books we needed the following year for homeschooling.
A very good friend of mine felt God only wanted her to stock up as usual (she always keeps a good pantry) but she and her husband felt they were to buy a generator. As it turned out, we went through a year of unemployment and had the food and other necessities we needed and her family moved within a year to a place where they regularly needed a generator!
For a very small amount of money (compared to what is spent on cars, furniture, houses, vacations, etc.) one can deepen their pantry and have extras of essentials that will give back huge rewards if needed. I'll talk more about that later...
One thing everyone can do right now that is so easy and costs nothing... keep a tablet or paper on which you can write an item whenever it crosses your mind that is something you need to have in your pantry. This was something I felt very strongly that God wanted me to do even if I don't have money to buy much "extra" right now.
I have long had a basic list of essential grocery items that I needed (or wanted) in my pantry but when I started keeping this list... when I ran out of something or it crossed my mind... I came to realize there were many items not on my essential grocery list that I wouldn't want to be without.
As an example, just this week we have begun to have a problem with ants in the house (normally a late spring challenge each year) and I don't have ant poison in the house! So, ant poison went on that list I keep on the frig... where I write down the items that I need to 1) purchase and 2) put on the main list.
It doesn't cost anything but a few seconds of time but it may be a lifesaver someday. Of course, it is very important to have a well thought out list of essential grocery items which serves as a base to your pantry.
To read the comments on yesterday's post... go here.
Picture: Cookbooks and Apples: allposters.com
4 comments:
I very much enjoy your posts about stocking up your pantry, and your thoughts about frugality,a virtue I wish I had practiced long before now. I look forward to your future posts-
I do have that quick list always posted on the fridge for writing down what just ran out for example. Seems as if we're running out before a thing is replaced whereas before we had a spare on hand. I should get back to that, though it will mean some upfront costs. Still, nothing is getting less expensive. I need to look around here for that master list, which I do NOT have. Oh, thanks for the reminder about the ants. We have them as well in the spring and I like to put out the traps before I see one. (Might not have that problem this year as John has been in all areas of the house and cleaned out nests and bad wood.)
We have a decent pantry built up but we do need a list! My brain just can't keep it all straight anymore without help!
Deanna
Something we tried that worked for ant hills outside was instant grits. We sprinkled in where we saw the ants who then took it back to their nests. The ants ate the grits which expanded and literally blew the ants up. I find instant grits for $1 at the dollar store and 1 box has lasted me for 4 years now and I still have most of the box left. I don't know how well it would work inside the house but it might be worth a try.
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