Living the Pantry Lifestyle - Learning to live with higher prices

Our weather this week has been near perfect, highs in the 70s with a little rain here and there.  The counties just north of us had flooding rains and south of us experienced severe weather.  I am always thankful when such weather misses us for there have been times in the past that it didn't!

Next week, we are to switch to higher than normal temperatures and humidity with highs near 100.  I know some of you are already dealing with those high temperatures.  I have a couple projects I am hoping to finish before it becomes so hot.

When we had a new water heater installed this week and I had workmen coming and going, I stayed in the Study, at first perusing email and Instagram on the tablet while chatting with my daughter on Instagram.  I love that technology lets me stay in touch with her.  

While I was chatting with her, I was looking at the big bookcase in the Study and realized it needed a good re-doing.  I've thought it was looking too cluttered for awhile now and too much visual clutter bothers me. I should add here that I do not consider gallery walls visual clutter as someone else in the house does.  ;)

After I chatted with her, I started reorganizing the shelves and they look so much better.  I didn't have to get rid of anything, it just had to be changed around to look better.  Only some of the bookshelves have books, the rest of them hold various craft supplies, stacks of vintage Victoria, old copies of Where Women Cook, and stacks of older copies of Bella Grace, etc.

I was talking to a friend recently (our daily email conversations) and she mentioned she was no longer getting rid of anything.  With prices going up so much, I agree.  I have been trying to get rid of things we no longer need for years so what is left is what I want to keep.

We have extra boxes of canning jars that I'm not using but when my husband asked if he could get rid of them (as in giving to Goodwill), he was surprised at how adamant my "NO!" was.  I know there may come a day good friends (or even one of my kids) will need them.  I would be canning if I didn't get tired so easily.

Speaking of which, I am loving my simple summer meal routines now. I'm still finding ways to have quick meals when I am tired in the evening.  The soups, stews, and casseroles of colder weather are rarely desired when the temperatures are in the 90s.

I found that purchasing the rare roast beef from the deli and having it sliced for sandwiches worked great for only two of us.  Compared to what I would spend on beef to cook for two people, it is very cost efficient and healthy.  Especially since my husband limits the amount of beef he eats these days.

I have also been using Taylor Farms or Dole salad starters a couple times a week.  We divide one package between the two of us and I almost always add tomatoes, green onions, and cucumber for extra veggies.  This would be less than frugal for large families but for us it is a no waste way of making salads.

I do plan to buy produce from the farmer's market but I haven't made it there, yet.  There is a large market in a nearby town and a smaller market close to where I live.  I need to write it on my planner so I remember what day it is each week. Sometimes it takes time for something to become a habit.

I love watermelon and I have been finding the small melons on sale recently so I have been buying them to use as part of a quick and healthy meal.  I have also been buying asparagus while it is still in season and less expensive.  Each week, I check the aisle at Meijer where they have packaged pre-cut raw vegetables and look for clearance packages.  As long as I use them right away, they are fine and I often save at least half of the price.

We decided to order Chinese takeout one evening last week when I had been busy all day.  However, the costs have gone up so much that even that take out needs to be carefully considered.  It will become more of a special treat than something we pick up when the week has been busy.

That is why I am working on these quick, easy, and healthy meal ideas.  By having something available, I can put together the meals even when I am tired at 5:00 in the evening.  Although, I do plan to include items that can be made ahead in the morning in my hot weather meal plan eventually.

While food at the grocery store is going up a lot, restaurant food is now very expensive and fast food cost more than I ever thought I would see in my lifetime.  It does mean that using convenience foods from the grocery store has now become cheaper than eating out most of the time.

We have purchased a small organic cheese pizza from Kroger (their organic label) for a long time and keep a couple in the freezer for when I need to put together an easy meal. (Cheese pizzas tend to be inexpensive and a good base for a quick "homemade" pizza).

I add pepperoni to one half because someone in the house hates pepperoni.  Isn't that un-American?  Sometimes I add green pepper, mushrooms, or sausage instead of pepperoni. Anyway, the pizza is small and only provides three small pieces for each of us but with a simple side salad, it is filling and much cheaper than our favorite restaurant pizza.

I am keeping on hand the ingredients for BLT sandwiches and for grilled cheese sandwiches.  I prefer the latter with sliced tomatoes on them like my mother made them.  I have made egg salad, tuna salad, etc. just for me to have on hand for quick lunches.

I have to be careful about eating too much pasta salad or I would keep it on hand in the refrigerator like I did in the summer pre-diabetes.  But I can eat some pasta, I just need to plan when we have a pasta salad.  For instance, I can get away with eating it for lunch much more than I can at dinner when I need to be more careful about carbs.  

I make the pasta salad with Newman's Own original salad dressing usually but I have used any Italian style bottled dressing, too.  If I know we are having company or we are going to a picnic with others, I often make potato salad.  My daughter makes the same recipe and is often asked to bring it to picnics and pot lucks.

I'm playing with various orzo salad recipes this summer.  I love orzo in soups as a replacement for rice and I see a lot of recipes for different kinds of orzo salads online.  Orzo makes an excellent pantry addition because a few boxes can be kept in half-gallon Ball jars.

My mother often made macaroni salad in the summer.  There are many recipes for it online, especially from Southern, Midwestern, and Amish cooks.  That kind of pasta salad stretched many meals when times were hard in previous years.  Another dish made with macaroni that Mom made was macaroni and tomatoes. There are also many recipes for it online with slight differences.

In last week's Comments, scrambled eggs were mentioned and I have started making scrambled eggs about once a week, too.  I add onions, red and/or green peppers, and sometimes a little cheese to them.  They are high in protein, still inexpensive (even with higher prices), and quick to cook.

I don't think the food we have to make when the economy isn't all that good has to be boring.  I think you know how I adore Afternoon Tea and so many of the foods that are often served are quite inexpensive.  I mean... cucumber sandwiches?  Really easy and inexpensive.

Spring and Summer are the perfect time to have an easy Tea Time, especially if you have kids (or grown daughters!).  You can make an easy dessert by spooning lemon curd from a jar into the pre-made small graham cracker crusts like the Keebler brand.  

They can be served as is or I like to add a dollop of Cool Whip or whipped cream to cut the tang of the lemon curd.  I like to keep jars of lemon curd and graham cracker crusts in the pantry as well as Cool Whip in the deep freeze. Of course, if you live in an area where citrus is grown, then homemade lemon curd would be delicious!

I will include the link below to my favorite cream scone recipe that I have shared before.  It is so easy and really quite affordable, even when made with heavy cream.  I keep powdered heavy cream in the pantry to use when I want to make scones.

I prefer tea time sandwiches to be made with white or a very light inexpensive wheat bread even though normally I prefer a sturdy bread for sandwiches.  Egg salad, chicken salad, rare roast beef, or cucumber sandwiches, etc. are all good.  All of these can be made as sandwiches and cut into triangles or other shapes but I also like to serve them open face on sliced baguettes.

Add cubed watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes cut in half, and perhaps some sliced strawberries for a visually pretty and healthy salad.  I would look for these items on sale if possible since I have heard some foods like grapes have doubled in price.  Actually, I'd be happy with just cubed melon.

The tea doesn't have to be hot in the Summer.  It can be iced herbal tea for kids.  But if you do want hot tea, there are some fruit based teas that I have found kids enjoy more than say... Earl Grey, which is one of my favorites.

Of course, picnics can be as inexpensive as you want and they can provide amazing memories for when the kids leave home (which happens way too soon). They can be as fancy or as inexpensive as you want to make, kind of like a charcuterie board to go.  ;)

I have written before that when my kids were younger and we wanted to go out for a last minute picnic, I would pack an easy lunch of fruit and cheese, sometimes I would pack crackers and other times I would stop for a loaf of good bread at the store (we still have a grocery store bakery that sells warm French or Italian bread). 

I have a couple of vintage picnic baskets but one was always kept packed with paper plates and utensils, including a vintage tablecloth that could be tossed in the washer when we arrived home if needed.  Vintage tablecloths were meant to be used and normally wash up with no problem (unlike other vintage linens and lace that require special treatment).

Picnics are always a good thing, even if you have to stay inside because it is raining.  But the thing is... cutting down on the expense of food does not have to be bland or boring.  I think my best recipes came out of having to super stretch the dollar until it squeaked.

So, what did I do for the pantry this week?  I still try to purchase one item for the pantry on non-stock up grocery trips.  I decided to buy one "canister" of Starbucks Blonde Blend instant coffee when at Meier last week.  I do have a couple jars of another brand of instant coffee that is cheaper but this is really good and instant coffee is an item I want to have quite a bit put back.

Remember, instant coffee that has no added cream or anything in it... that is just 100% instant coffee... has an indefinite shelf life.  Since pantry space is limited, I do like to have some items put back that I don't have to keep front and center to rotate them.

I also ordered two boxes of Sheba cat food since it has been hit and miss to find over the last two years.  One box was tucked away for an emergency and the other is to use now.  I will rotate the boxes as required.  

Our water heater finally arrived and was installed last week.  I am so glad we didn't wait until it wasn't working at all to spend the money since it took awhile to get here.  As I told my daughter, I would rather spend that money on something pretty like new (or rather antique new-to-me) furniture but she reminded me that cold showers in Winter would not be a good thing.

The price of such appliances have already skyrocketed.  Yikes!  We had a top-of-the line water heater before that was put in long ago by a previous owner.  We bought a middle-of-the line water heater, which is just fine and doesn't require a second mortgage.  

Remember, even a little at a time pantry purchasing is a whole lot better than doing nothing at all.  I am now convinced we are looking at much higher prices ahead.

Here are a few favorite recipes for Tea Time

My favorite scone recipe... here.

Jewel Cookies (shown in photo above)... here. (Also contains recipes for some other favorite Christmas cookies.)  Note: I stated in the recipe that I use unsalted butter for it.  I now use salted butter for baking unless it specifically calls for unsalted butter.

Citrus Tea Cookies... here.

Amish Pumpkin Bread and Cranberry Bread... here. (Especially if baked in mini loaf pans.)

Easy Fruit Cocktail Cake... here.

Open Face Cucumber Sandwiches... here.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake... here. (This cake stays fresh for days!)

My favorite Potato Salad recipe... here.