Before and After
I was just recently asked by the mayor’s wife in my town to help her get her food storage in order, so I jumped at the chance–I love to organize, dejunk, and besides, this is a woman I admire deeply, and I looked forward to the opportunity to rub shoulders with her!
I have always believed that food storage should be a beautiful thing–something lovely to look at, something to be proud of, and something colorful, and ALIVE! I love when my clients realize that food storage is not food hoardage. We don’t just buy food once, and then shove it in the deepest darkest corner of the basement, expecting to pull it out when the big catastrophe hits!
Well, like many other homes, this is what I was presented with. Her good husband had found a reputable company, and with best intentions had purchased cases and cases–we’re talking about 60 cases of dehydrated and freeze dried ready to eat foods. Things like ready to eat peanut butter, crackers, instant couscous, and others! The boxes were over 10 years old, and had never been opened. She hardly knew what alot of these foods were! One by one, we sifted through each box, determining what would stay and what would go–we took 1 can of each food and set it apart from the others, with intentions to open each one on our next visit and see what we thought of the quality and palpability of each food.
Unfortunately, 2/3 of these foods were no good. Well, perhaps edible, but not much nutrition to speak of. We decided that she would donate these to the food bank and let them decide if they were even edible. Foods like white flour, macaroni and cheese, powdered dairy products, and more–way past their expiration date had to just be thrown away!
We both felt a little disheartened that all this money had been spent with no intention of really using it, and now so much of it had to be thrown away. But this was a lesson that many of us have to learn the hard way. So in sharing this with you, I urge you to only store things that you intend to rotate regularly–think about your investment wisely, and consider how much of it you’ll really use before it goes bad! Don’t shove it down in the basement and forget about it, but begin to take inventory, and know what you have. IF you’re not sure how to use these foods, open them up, and find out! Experiment, and become familiar with them, so that if you one day have to rely on them, it will become seconc-nature!
After we organized her cans in an orderly fashion–those we were keeping, I promised I return and label each shelf, so that it was easy to read. All the boxes were piled up, and will be hauled off in the pickup truck. AAAh the feeling of clean–and the knowledge of what she now has gives her more peace of mind.
We moved upstairs to her pantry, and she had already done a lot of cleaning and organizing. She had great staples, and great adjustable shelves, and she promised to purchase more shelves for our second session.
We sat down at her kitchen table, and went through an inventory list–the one that is found on our website–www.simplylivingsmart.com. We decided that we needed a greater variety of foods in her storage, and I made a list of the things I would purchase for her in bulk, and then she made a list of all the things she could find at the local grocery store, or at the case lot sale coming up.
We set an appointment for next week, and have planned to go shopping–first to Costco, and then to the local grocery store for smaller items. We plan to stock her pantry and her storage room with all the items she could possibly need for the next 3 months, not including fresh produce, or dairy products, of course.
I went home and ordered all of her bulk foods like buckets of wheat, dried fruits and vegetables, water containers and pumps, and so forth. Then I ordered her some small glass spice jars so that we could reorganize all of her spices from mismatched plastic containers, that were taking up too much room in her cupboards, to a convenient drawer right near her stovetop.
This was a productive 3 hours! I so look forward to next week, as we shop, and fill her shelves. The week after that, we go to work organizing the pantry–recontainerizing the food, and labeling all the containers, giving her seperate sections in her pantry to make the space more user-friendly. I like to always include a baking section, where all the flours, sugars, and baking supplies are stored, then a canned food section for all the canned fruits and vegetables, then a snack section–especially great for kids and teenagers, and also an appliance section. I also add a paper products section, so that all those things like napkins, paper cups, etc. have their own space. Then I do condiments–dressings, sauce packets, bouillons, and more. With the adjustable shelves, we will be able to design the space perfectly, freeing up more room than she ever knew she had!
I’ll be taking before pictures this time, to show you our progress, and then I’ll take more pictures along the way! Hope you’ll find this interesting as I take you on a journey through food storage organization….join me next week for another update!
When the student prepares, the teacher will come…
“When the student prepares, the teacher will come…” This wise statement was shared with me by one of our darling on-line trainees. I have thought often about these words over the last 2 months, and have wondered what I am doing to prepare for change, for a better future, for more knowledge, more wisdom. Am I taking opportunities to ask questions, to act on my curiosities, to dig a little deeper into concepts that interest me?
Yesterday I had a lovely visit with one of our on-line trainees in Minneapolis, and she shared with me her commitment to becoming better self-reliant. She told me that in January, she had nothing and knew nothing regarding food storage, but she had a deep desire to learn and to improve. As she searched, and read, and inquired about these things, she was led to our website, www.Simplylivingsmart.com. She was excited to feel part of an online community. She was encouraged by others she read about who were making progress in their food storage. As limited as her time has been, working full time and raising a 2yr. old little daughter, she has committed to participate in the online training program, and to put away a set amount of money away each month for her food storage. She now has emergency heat, a way to cook, some food and other emergency supplies on hand, and she is feeling confident in her ability to provide for herself and her daughter. She is looking forward to doing more and learning more, and has an incredible ability to believe that she will succeed! And she will!!!!
Step by step, we all can prepare ourselves to receive our “teachers”, whoever they may be. It may be in an educational, spiritual, vocational or physical manner, but prepare we must. When we imagine ourselves as we want to become, we move more quickly towards that goal. I truly believe that as we project positive energy, a willing heart, and assertive action, we can achieve whatever we believe!
Let us not be discouraged by our challenges–they only test our strength, and our commitment to our greater goals!! Let us conquer our challenges by keeping our eye on the end result–who we really want to become, what we really want to accomplish. Then we can look back and as we evaluate our progress , shout, “I DID IT!!!!!”
Let us prepare each day in whatever area we choose to receive our “teachers”, those who will help guide us on our paths to greatness! Then let us be active in studying, and learning and let us show gratitude by living what we learn!
Thanks to all you wonderful women who teach me as we interact with each other. May you see great success in your lives!
Your friend,
Anitra
Reach out and touch someone!
These last few weeks have been incredibly busy, not only with this business but with summer and all that it brings! I’ve been touched by the out-reach of several women, and wanted to share these experiences with you…
I’ve had the chance to talk to so many people who’ve been starting to get serious about their food storage, fearing not only the economy, but the uncertainty of the future. Young mothers have come to me, with excitement, wanting to learn all they can as fast as they can, with fire under their feet–they’re organizing neighborhood and church groups to share what they are learning with their community and those they care about. They meet weekly to work on food storage projects together, and share their experiences–how inspiring they are to me!
Then I talk to more seasoned mothers with teenage kids, who are loving the foods their mothers are learning to make at my classes. They’re shocked that their kids like homemade wheat bread over store-bought bread. They are learning skills they never thought they would, because they have made a commitment to eat healthier, and plan ahead! They are finding that what they once believed would be challenging or too time-consuming is rather enjoyable and much more simple than they ever imagined!–these women inspire me!
Finally, there is my cute 89 year old neighbor, who is mostly homebound, but worries about her children who don’t see the need to prepare a food storage. She asked me to help her put together a year’s supply of food for them and herself, just incase times got tough. She invested quite a bit of money in this food, even with resentment from her children, but she stubbornly insisted that this was her wish, and that perhaps one day they’d come to appreciate it. This wonderful woman inspires me!
Though we all come from different circumstances, and whether we are single, married, or empty-nesters, we all have a desire to prepare for the future, and what better time than now–when we’re comfortable, when there is no impending crisis, when we can learn and practice principles at our own pace!
I have always believed that once we learn something that brings us joy, or makes our life easier, it is our obligation, and should be our pleasure to reach out and touch someone else’s life, so that theirs too may be enriched. Just as all these women are considering the welfare of their families, we all can share, and boost one another. Let us each help to create communities of positive interaction. Let us share what we know with our neighbors, and continue learning all we can about self-reliance, and prepardness. Let us all reach out and touch someone!
Best Regards,
Anitra
Organizing gone Crazy!!!!
I just wanted to share an experience I had this week that was so enjoyable–I had a woman call who desperately needed help with organizing her pantry space–she had an abundance of food, but no rhyme or reason to it! She had a large pantry space, and a huge basement storage area. Here was the challenge–she was going to Cancun for a few days, and asked if I would organize it for her while she was away! She said she was more excited about coming home from her trip to see her organized pantry than she was to go on vacation!!!! That really put the pressure on, but I went in, fully armed, my labeler in hand, my car full of organizing containers, some scissors, a can opener, and a step ladder!
I spent the first 3 hours de-junking–I emptied every food item that came in a box, and re-containered them in matching food grade containers. I then took all the food off the shelves, and organized them into similar groupings–canned fruits, canned vegetables, soups, baking goods, bulk foods, pastas, sauces, and so forth. I was glad to see that the shelves were adjustable, so as I started to put the food back on the shelves, I could maximize on the head space, thus freeing up much more usable space in the pantry. The first column from top to bottom were baking supplies–sugars, mixes, salts, yeast, oils, and large bins of grains and flours at the bottom. The next column was canned soups, vegetables, fruits, then there were wire baskets –one was filled with quick snacks–cookies, crackers, chips, snack bags, etd. The other was filled with yams, onions, and potatoes.
The third column from top to bottom were dressings, condiments, vinegars, ice cream toppings and frostings, cake mixes, and a huge variety of spices. I also had a wide variety of dried fruits, and dehydrated vegetables all nicely sorted in containers in this column.
The last column was all the paper products–plates, plastic utensils, paper towels, dusters, and more.
I placed a gripper pad on the counter top, displayed a beautiful serving platter against the wall, and plan on dropping off a fresh platter of cinnamon rolls for her return on Thursday! This was the first 3 hours!
The next morning I returned and spent 3 hours just labeling all the containers–mind you she had about 60!!!! It was beautiful–a work of art, if I say so myself. It was full of color, full of life, it made me feel like a million bucks to walk into her “store” of a pantry and see such a wide variety of foods organized in a way that would be very easy to implement into everyday cooking and baking.
The next day, I returned. With the first project conquered, I felt like I could finally tackle the basement! This room in the basement was huge–boxes and cans of food were all over the floor, and scattered on the shelves. 5 hours later, that too was completed, and I was exhausted! I was having such a good time, however, filling buckets with food, opening boxes, and sorting and stacking–I really just loved it! I felt like I was stocking a grocery store–it was an amazing variety of food, and when I was finished with the job, I had thrown away 3 dumpsters full of boxes–just empty boxes!
I can’t wait till she returns–I don’t think she’ll recognize her space–she won’t ever want to eat out again, once she becomes familiar again with all her yummy food. It was such a pleasure to do this for her, and the anticipation for her “reveal” is almost more than I can handle!!!! I can’t wait to do it for someone else!
Needless to say, I had a long bubble bath and a great nap after the project was over, and I feel recharged and ready to conquer the next project!!!
Meal Planning
The topic of meal planning has really taken a front seat this week, as I have discussed common problems among moms who are looking for ways to boost the nutrition of their meals while keeping the prep time to a minimum. My message to you all is PLAN AHEAD!!!! It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and think that you have to have a month’s worth of meals planned in order to succeed at this task–but this is simply not the case! Take a week at a time, and see how you do….Here is an activity to work on that will help you feel more in control…
1. Go to your pantry, and choose 6 items off the shelf–anything!
2. Look at each item and ask yourself how you could possibly include that item in a dinner idea.
If you don’t know, google the ingredient, and see what the internet offers!
3. Write that dinner idea on your calendar. Follow the same routine with all 6 pantry items, and there you go–dinner is planned for a week.
4. Write down other ingredients that you’ll need to fix those meals–remember keep it simple.
5. Go the market once this week–not twice or three times–just once, and gather all your supplies.
6. IF possible, start preparing your meal before work or before the kids need your attention. Finish the last of the work just before dinner. Plan to only spend 20 minutes on dinner preparations.
7. Talk to yourself at the end of the week, and ask yourself how it went. Were you able to broaden your pantry horizons, using your food in a different way than maybe you had before? Did you feel more calm knowing ahead of time what you were going to prepare? Did you save money by only shopping once during the week? Did your family enjoy the meals, and would you eat them again? If so, write those recipes down on a piece of paper, to use them again next month…
8. This excercise should be fun, and should challenge you to think ahead–prepare, and you will have greater peace of mind, and enjoy mealtime more. I’d love to hear how it goes for all of you out there!!!!
Good luck!
Such a pleasure!
This week was wonderful! I had the chance to speak with a handful of ladies across the US about their food storage, their ambitions, their obstacles, and their successes. What a delight! Each had wonderful questions, ideas for new training, and most of all genuine enthusiasm. Thanks, ladies for your efforts and for all your support! I’m rooting for you, and look forward to your success!
Get excited about on-line training!
I just want to let you all know how much we’re looking forward to launching our online coaching program in 2 weeks! We’re thrilled to see the great response we’ve received, and the excitement of those who have registered so far! We have worked many tireless hours to provide something that we feel will be of great value to you. Many more video clips, more recipes, more ideas, and more practical ways to use and organize your food storage everyday! We can’t wait to hear from you, to answer your questions, and to know what we can do to provide you with the best solutions to your food storage woes.
I look forward to working with each and every one of you!!!!!
It’s a wonder in a box!
I’m so excited to share with you something I’m working on to present on the website very soon. I’ve already sold a handful of these to students at my in-home classes, and they’re thrilled at the concept.
The product is called the WonderBox Deluxe Kit. Very similar to my little 3-in-1 WonderBox Mini, where you can make your own yogurt, cook beans, and grains, this WonderBox Deluxe Kit allows you to cook entire meals, even whole chickens and roast with very little power. And the greatest thing is you can just walk away, without having to keep checking on your food. Let me explain…
This is simply a large round plastic bin with rope handles. It has a 19 gallon capacity. I have sewn 2 bean bags, one smaller for the top, and one larger for the bottom. They’re filled with little styrofoam beads which act as insulators. First I bring my food to a boil in my pot. Depending on what I’ll be cooking I let it cook for 20-40 minutes on the stove top. Then I immediately transfer the whole pot into this WonderBox, nestling the pot inside the large beanbag, nice and snug, making sure that the beads are evenly distributed in the fabric around the pot. By the way, the fabric I’ve chosen for these kits is darling–so designer, and so sturdy–you’ll love it just because it looks so great!!!!!
Anyway, once the pot is in, I place the top bean bag over the lid, and press securely, being sure it’s nice and snug as well. There you go–now I just walk away, and as the food continues to cook, I go about my day, and within a few hours, my meal is done, and my homemade crockpot has done all the work for me!!!!! Best of all, I don’t have a mess on my stovetop, and I don’t have to watch it while it cooks. My house still smells fabulous, and I have a great meal for my family. Along with the kit, I’ll include specific instructions on how to use it, and some of my favorite recipes.
Last week I challenged myself to only use this WonderBox Deluxe to cook my food for dinners, and it was a breeze! From Barbequed chicken to Tapioca pudding, we enjoyed every one, and I can’t wait to share the concept with you. Be sure to check the web-site to see when these will become available!
Basically any recipe you can use in an electric crockpot can be used in the WonderBox Deluxe!!! Just imagine all the power you could save, and you’re not even in an emergency!!!! Just another way to be kind to Mother Nature!
Enjoy your day!
News in a Flash
Yesterday the local news presented a video featuring our website, and it was great to see all of the positive response. Over 200 new members signed on to our site, and we’re thrilled to have them join us! I’m always amazed at the kindess of people who write in with their comments, and thank the public for all their support! We are working hard to bring you great training, sound ideas, and activities that will motivate you keep progressing with your food storage and emergency prepardness preparations.
I feel so lucky to be surrounded by positive people, who are also making a difference in their community. We can learn so much from each other if we will learn to ask and then listen. I find that when I learn something new, I immediately want to share it with someone else, and it then reinforces my excitement and enthusiasm. Just the other day I learned from a woman named Christene how to make my own “Rice Roni” rice mixes using simple herbs, rice, and seasonings. I tried it on my family, and they just loved it. I found some great containers, and plan to make more mixes. I love to find an idea that makes sense, and incorporate it in my daily meal planning. Thanks, Christene!
If anyone would like to purchase this book of Christene’s it’s called “Be Prepared”. Give it a try, and see how it can help to simplify and add more flavor to your meals!
It’s all about pacing yourself….
As a swimmer, I enjoy training throughout the week. I notice that being disciplined to wake up every morning and go to the pool is not always easy. If I happen to miss a day, it becomes easier to miss another day, and then another. However if I’m truly consistent, I can feel the difference in how I feel, how I sleep, how I think about myself, etc. It takes time to build up the endurance to swim 60 continuous laps, and is not something that the average person just decides to do, and conquers in the first try.
As I was swimming this morning, I thought, this is so much like food storage, or our efforts in becoming better prepared. It is truly a discipline–it is not something that we can just jump into and expect to conquer in one day, or even one year. It takes time, and we need to be patient with ourselves. I continue to encourage people to look at where they’re at in regards to food storage and emergency preparation. I ask them to write down their goals–where do they want to be or what would they like to accomplish in the next 2 months, 6 months or year? As I was talking with a friend of mine, she was telling me how excited she was to just get started! She couldn’t wait–it would just be her new hobby! I reassured her that she would be successful because her attitude was right. She was excited, motivated and wanted to take the time to learn what she needed to do to help herself and her family.
I believe that we achieve the greatest good when we can visualize the end result–remember, what you can conceive, you can achieve! If you picture yourself with a pantry full of wholesome food, if you picture yourself enjoying learning about concepts of prepardness, and trying to glean something from every book you read, every person you talk to, every program you’re involved in, you will attract success where you want to see it. I find that when I work hard to understand a concept, or try to share with others what I have learned, or if I visualize others being excited like I am, that is indeed what comes back to me, and I love it!
I find that pacing myself is the key. Let’s not overwhelm ourselves with scary news, or shortage discussions. Rather, let’s decide today what we are going to do in our own life to make things better, and just do it! Making a little progress everyday is better than sporadic hoarding. Learn as you go, and find joy in small successes. Thank you for your constant e-mails, and for sharing your successes with me. I love to hear from you, and it encourages me to keep learning, and keep moving forward.
Have a wonderful week, and envision great things!!!!!