5 Tips That Have Worked for Me

This is a list of hints and tips that I have found to be helpful as I have worked to create a Three-Month Supply for my family.

• At the very beginning, start by buying just one extra item during each grocery trip. It could be a box of spaghetti, a box of salt, or even a bag of shredded cheese to put in your freezer. The point is to be conscious of trying to build up your Three-Month Supply because it leads to the next step.
• Buy multiple items for your Three-Month Supply when they are on-sale. It doesn't take very much time to glance through the grocery ads each week. If you are really pressed for time, or find yourself at the grocery store without having looked at the ads, grab an ad right by the entrance of the store and just look at the front page. Stores will typically put their best sales on the front page of their weekly ad. When an item that your family likes goes on sale, instead of buying just one or two, buy four or five for the same price.
  
• If you have a freezer, don't forget that it can be used as part of your Three-Month and Longer-Term Supplies. Many of the meals that my family likes use shredded cheese. I probably could make the recipes without it, but I know that my family is much more likely to eat those meals if cheese is included. Therefore, I keep shredded cheese in my freezer.
  
• Be wise about what you store, and don't buy things, even on sale, that your family won't eat. No matter how inexpensive an item is, it is a waste of money if you end up having to throw it out because your family refuses to eat it.
• Preserve produce when possible. When you are able to grow your own fruits and vegetables, or to buy them for a great price, can or freeze the extra. For example, in January when my lemons were ready, I froze a lot of the lemon juice so that I can use it in recipes throughout the year. A few weeks ago, I was able to buy strawberries for $0.33 per pound. They were wonderful, and I made freezer jam out of several pounds and froze many more pounds. I am going to pick peaches this afternoon at my parents' house, and plan to make peach jam out of them. A great preserving website is the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
• Be prayerful about your food storage. You are working to keep a commandment, and you will be blessed!