Can the Sales!

Often times when the subject of canning comes up, the common response I get is that the person I'm talking to doesn't have a garden, so they don't can. The thing about it is, though, you don't necessarily need a garden! Most grocery stores have their weekly ads available online, so why not check out what's on sale and can that? As we have learned in my previous post What to Can, there are a great number of items that can be preserved by canning.

For example, my local grocery stores have the following "cannable" items on sale this week:

Beef Roast (Rump)

I realize that this first one is a little bit of a strange one, but canned meat is fantastic! One of my nursing home residents told me that her husband used to go hunting every year, and a portion of what he shot got canned. Later on, after his health had declined a bit and he was no longer able to go hunting, she would scan the ads to find meat that was on sale, and can it. Grandma always canned a portion of the game that grandpa shot, too. I thought it was a great way to preserve your meat, and it is super easy to use. Some of the best loose meat sandwiches I've ever had came from home-canned meat! Here are some instructions on canning meat.

Roma Tomatoes

Since Roma tomatoes are a paste tomato, it stands to reason that they would be made into tomato paste. Click here for an easy tomato paste recipe that includes canning instructions.

Grapes

Grapes are nice because you can juice them and can the juice, or you can make grape jelly. You could even mash them up to make wine, but then you would need to bottle it, not can it. Besides, that's another blog post in itself.

Peaches or Nectarines

In my family someone always had a peach tree, so there were always peaches to be canned in the fall or winter. While the obvious choice would be to preserve peach slices in a light syrup, you could also make them into jam, jelly, or pie filling, and can that. Nectarines can also be used in place of Peaches, since the only difference between the two is that nectarines lack the fuzz that peaches have.

Plums

I had never considered it before, but you can make plums into jelly or jam. Although I've never tried it, I think it would be an option worth exploring!

Asparagus

Asparagus is an fairly easy vegetable to can. If you have tall, thin jars you can preserve the spears whole, if not, you can just as easily snap them and preserve them in another type of jar. All you need to can asparagus is a little salt and some water, but if you're feeling daring you could always pickle it! Either way, the instructions are here.

Pineapple

Although I had never considered it before, I came up with the idea that one might be able to can pineapple at home several months back, and I spent an entire workday obsessing about the idea. When I got home I finally had the opportunity to research the subject, and was quite satisfied at how easy it is to can pineapple.

Carrots

  You can either can your carrots on their own, or you can use them to compliment other items, such as pickled jalapenos. Likewise, you can pickle carrots and can them.

Apples

  I love apples because there's just so much you can do with them! The top "cannable" items to be make with apples are, for me, apple jelly, apple butter, apple sauce and apple pie filling.

Don't forget! If you have any questions about canning equipment, boiling water canning, or pressure canning, I've got info to help you! Please note that the boiling water canning link sends you to a recipe, but at the bottom of that recipe is boiling water canning instructions.

Save Your Pennies: Pack a Lunch!

Turkey sandwich, pasta salad, berry applesauce, and a soda.

One of the best ways to save money is to avoid eating out whenever possible. One great opportunity for this is packing a lunch to take to work with you, instead of eating out on your break. Typically when one thinks about packing a lunch they think of peanut butter or baloney sandwiches, but it doesn't have to be! As long as your place of employment has a refrigerator and a microwave in their break room, your possibilities are many, and don't have to be boring!

My containers drawer.

What's the first step? Well, if you don't have a drawer or cabinet that looks like this, hop to it! If you are not willing to fork over the money for resealable containers, just remember what your grandma did. I remember looking through my grandma's refrigerator looking for the tub of butter and having to open several containers to find it. Butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, whipped topping, all of these tubs were saved and washed to be reused for food storage. Some brands of lunch meat come in resealable containers nowadays, too. Don't throw away what you can use again!

My spork and combo utensil.

Step two: utensils. At some point you will need to figure out how to convey the food from your repurposed Cool Whip tub to your face. When looking for utensils, don't look in the housewares department, look in the camping & outdoors department. In my lunch-packing repertoire I have reusable plastic sporks, as well as a few cool combo utensils. One end of the utensil is a spoon, the other is a fork with a serrated edge to be used for cutting foods. Granted, you could just buy plastic cutlery and throw it away each time, but that would end up costing quite a bit of money in the long run, and that's something we're trying to avoid.

Chicken Parmesan & spaghetti made with the extra sauce.

Next, what are you going to pack in your lunch? First off, leftovers! Whatever you don't finish, put away and eat later. Hamburger Helper, pasta, chicken and rice, pork roast, chili, whatever! Even if it's just a little bit. That little bit will go a long way toward filling your belly! 

Portioned up my brown rice.

Now, supposing you don't have leftovers, or don't have enough to get you through the week, you can also cook a meal that can be portioned out and eaten all week, I will typically make stroganoff, keema mattar, chicken ramen stir fry, brown rice or pasta salad. You can also buy inexpensive frozen, instant, or canned meals to pack in your lunches, but cooking your own is cheaper, and will likely result in tastier lunches!

The snack section of my pantry.

Once you have an entree for your lunch, what can you pack go with it? Whatever you want! Whenever I have time I like to whip up some baked goods to pack in my lunches. Tomato soup cake, Jell-o cookies, or coffee cake muffins. I also like to make Chex mix from time to time, especially since there are so many different recipes to try! When I don't have time to make or bake items to pack up, I buy inexpensive snacks. Chips, crackers, applesauce or fruit cups, granola bars, yogurt, or string cheese.

Delicious beverages!

Now, to wash it down! I decided quite a while ago that I was okay with drinking store brand sodas, so that is typically what goes into my lunches. From time to time I will buy juice boxes or juice pouches, so that I can reminisce about my childhood. There are also individually portioned drink mixes which can be added to bottled water. In the winter I pack pouches of hot chocolate or instant apple cider and use the mugs at work to mix it up. (I work at a nursing home, so they've got plenty of mugs, and a means of washing them.)

My lunch is all packed and ready to go!

Every day I pack up my lunch, put it into a plastic grocery bag, and tie it up. Why use a grocery bag? They are free, you can write your name and the date on them so your food doesn't get thrown away, and you can get two more uses out of them before you discard them. You will use it to pack your lunch in, and to pack your dirty dishes in to take home and wash. Just try to be choosy about which bags you use. I'm not really comfortable using bags from the thrift shop or the auto parts store to pack my meals in, and I trust you wouldn't be either.

Hedgehog Blankets

We had an old towel that had a few holes in it. While as a whole it was not much good to us humans, the spaces in between the holes might be useful to a smaller creature. Say, a hedgehog? We usually buy cheap washcloths for her to use for blankets, but recycled towel bits would work just as well, if not better!













I got my scissors out and began snipping out the holes, and cutting a people-sized towel into hedgehog-sized blankets.
















Of course, I made a mess of fluff all over the place, nowhere more evident than on my sewing chair.

















After the pieces were all trimmed up I set about sewing zig-zag stitching around all the edges. If you have a surger, that would be easy money, if not, just make your zig-zags as close to the edge as possible.



































I ran a few blankies through the dryer to get rid of the excess fluffies, and tested them out. Gizmo the hedgehog seems to be pleased with the result. Don't be fooled by her grumpy-looking face in the first photo, she always looks grumpy... or evil... or surprised... She's a hedgehog, okay?

(Please note that these would also work very well as cleaning rags, but look at that face! How could I not give them to Gizmo?)

Repairing Socks

Because, why not? Let's face it, clothes are expensive. Especially when you consider how much money you pay for socks. I'm not talking about gimmicky, rainbow striped socks or socks with sharks printed on them, I'm talking about functional socks that you wear day-to-day. For as little fabric as you are buying, it seems as though an exorbitant amount of money is being paid. All for a piece of fabric that cushions your feet from the inside of your shoe, and wicks sweat away from your feet. Willie is very hard on socks, as he wears boots nearly every day. Steel-toed work boots during the week, and slip-on boots around town and in the yard on weekends. His socks end up with all sorts of holes in the toes. That's just how it goes.
Rather than spend tons of money replacing them every time a toe escaped, he figured it would be a good idea to repair them. The first several times he sewed them up himself, however, I have recently been pitching in on the good fight. It's not that hard, and you can even multi-task! While I'm sitting in the recliner watching William Shatner tell me about all sorts of strange goings-on in this cooky world we live in, I'm sewing up socks. It takes very little effort, and even if it only gets a few more weeks of wear out of a pair, I think it's worth it. Remember, saving pennies adds up!

Make It Yourself - Laundry Soap

So, Willie and I decided a long time ago that we would explore our laundry cleaning options and figure out if there was a better, cheaper way to go about washing clothes. Willie found a delightful recipe for homemade laundry soap, and we quickly set about making it! As it turns out, it works great! And it lasts forever! You don't need a whole lot of soap per washload to get good results.

I have had problems in the past with being allergic to certain laundry soaps. I once got hives so bad that they were on the soles of my feet. Ick! The doctor who treated me said it gave him the heeby-jeebies, and that's saying something! This recipe is super mild and I have not had any hint of a reaction or problem with it so far. So, if you want to give it a go, visit Making your own Laundry Detergent and whip a batch up for super cheap! I just picked up all the stuff to make my next batch for less than $25.

Wastefulness

During the past decade of my career in the workforce there have been two settings in which I have learned lessons on wastefulness: the restaurant industry, and the skilled nursing industry. The lessons learned working in restaurants are not much fun, and seldom transfer into day to day home life. The lessons learned from residents of a nursing home are just the opposite. Lessons learned from the elderly typically have a good story or saying attached, are applicable to everyday life, and often offer us a glimpse into history. Many of the residents I work with are either old enough to have lived through the great depression, or their parents lived through it, and they heard the stories and phrases from them. Although some of the phrasing may be dated, the lessons contained still hold true.

I was helping a gentleman in his 90's wash his hands in the restroom. He carefully scrubbed and rinsed them, and I handed him two paper towels. He looked at the paper towels and said "What in the hell did you give me two for? One would have done the job." I told him that I had given him one for each hand. I didn't tell him that I usually use three for myself. His daughter was nearby waiting for us to finish and she said "Tell her how many sheets of toilet paper we were told to use growing up, daddy." His reply: "Two!" She said "Tell her why, daddy. Tell her about the pennies." The man told me this: "Sheets of toilet paper cost pennies. Save five pennies, you've got a nickel. Save that twenty times, you have a dollar." 

Now, I have a good idea that the vast majority of readers will agree that two sheets of toilet paper is an insufficient number to use, but the idea behind the limit is a good one. According to earthisland.org, the average American uses 57 sheets per day, which adds up to be 50 pounds of paper per year. I think that sometimes we forget that pennies add up to be dollars. Whether it be paper towels, toilet paper, water, gas, or electricity, saving pennies adds up! Pay attention to your usage. Use a towel to dry hands and dishes, rather than paper towels. Reduce the sheets of toilet paper you use. It's okay if your hands happen to get dirty, you're going to wash them anyway (and dry them with a towel, right?) Take shorter showers, turn down your water heater, open your windows at night instead of turning on your air conditioning, put a sweater on in winter rather than turning up the heat, water your lawn and garden during cooler hours, turn off lights in rooms you aren't using.
These are easy habits to establish. At my house we wash  most of our dishes by hand, even though we have a dishwasher, to save on electricity. Our dishes also end up cleaner and it takes less time to wash by hand. When washing laundry we hang out items that are more difficult to get dry in the dryer. Once dry, all you need do is put them in the dryer on fluff with a dryer sheet. This will soften the clothes, but you won't be using electricity or gas to dry them.
If you want to take it a step further, spend some money to save some money. Install low-flow faucets, toilets and shower heads, replace light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, update your water heater and your refrigerator, install heat retaining windows and replace weather stripping around doors, install a light sensor on outdoor lights so they only turn on when it's dark out. All those pennies could add up to make you a whole lot richer!

Another lesson I learned pertains to wastefulness in the kitchen. I was helping a lady who is in her late 60's, and exchanging stories with her. She told me a phrase that her mother often used. "A woman can throw more out the back door with a teaspoon than a man can bring in the front door with a shovel." 

The meaning behind this is that even if the breadwinner of the home is bringing in plenty of money for the things you need, it's all for naught if it is going to be wasted and "thrown out the back door." According to USNews.com the average American family wastes up to 25% of food and beverages purchased. This could add up to thousands of dollars a month. I know I am just as guilty of this as anyone else. So, what can be done about it?

Only buy things that you know you will use before it expires. If you need creamed corn for a recipe, but your family does not make a habit of using creamed corn for anything else, just buy a few cans for the few times you make that particular recipe. 

Cook meals that are the appropriate size for the number of people being served. If you happen to have leftovers from your meal, put them away, and eat them later. If you have made a dish in which a large batch is required (We often make huge pork shoulders for pulled pork, or big pots of taco soup) utilize your freezer, or canning jars to put away what's left. If you have cooked and put away a lot of meat throughout the week, make chili with it. There are only two in our household, so most recipes give us leftovers, and although we do a good job of putting them away, those leftovers typically get forgotten in the refrigerator or freezer. Put it away, but don't forget to assess your leftovers before you make a whole new meal!

If you find a way to save money on the front end, such as markdowns, case lot sales, family deals, or bulk purchasing, you should have a way to preserve your purchases so your savings don't go to waste.
Family size packages of meat can be portioned into one-meal portions and frozen.
Unopened sauces such as barbecue sauce, ketchup, mustard and mayo don't have to be refrigerated, so find a spot in your pantry or food storage and line those bad boys up.
Hot dogs, bacon, and packages of luncheon meat can be frozen, then defrosted in your fridge for later use. Loaves of bread, hot dog buns, and hamburger buns all freeze well. Just put them into the fridge a few days before you will need to use them.
Bulk sized sacks of staple foods such as flour, cornmeal, sugar, rice, and pasta can be kept in 5 gallon buckets with tight-fitting lids. This will keep the foods fresh, contained, and will help keep pests such as weevils out.
Organize canned goods, boxes and jars in your pantry or food storage and rotate stock, move the oldest food forward to be used first so that it doesn't expire before you have a chance to eat it.
If you buy produce on sale, you can freeze, dehydrate, pickle or can most anything. Make sure that you preserve it before it goes bad in your crisper drawer.
Finally, look at the portions of food that you are serving and how much it costs to cook each meal. In America we have a tendency to eat large portions of more expensive foods, such as meats, and scoff the cheaper stuff which is just as filling. You can use the cheaper foods to stretch the meal to feed everyone involved. Here are some examples: Growing up we served a small portion of a cheap meat (cubed steaks, pan steaks, pork chops, chicken etc.) and filled the meal in with potatoes, rice, noodles, vegetables, salad, rolls, garlic bread or whatever else we had on hand that sounded like it would go well with the meat. If we had pizza or pasta we had salad and garlic bread. We added danish dumplings to homemade chicken noodle soup for an extra filler, and ate it with bread and butter. Chili with beans often topped burritos, grilled cheese sandwiches and tamales to make them stick to your ribs. Click here for some of the cheap and easy things we ate at my house growing up: Mom's Cheap and Easy Recipes   You could also look into depression-era recipes, pioneer recipes, and colonial-era recipes. These were tough times to live in, and more often than not tough times make for cheap yet delicious recipes. Be conscious of food preservation and waste, be creative with your meals, and don't forget the filler foods to round out your meals!