Yes, we got lots of snow this week. In about 48 hours, we got a little over 2 feet of snow in the south part of Denver. Because I have a very old car (84 Chrysler) that doesn't even like to go in the rain, me and the Kid stayed home while Hubby drove his Bronco to work.
So... yesterday, after the Kid finished schoolwork, we started on a project. See... last week (or was it the week before?!?!) I found a bunch of gluten-free baking mixes on sale so I grabbed a lot. It was time to put them safely away.
I had previously ordered and received 26 4-gallon buckets with lids, so I started arranging things. Each bucket got a regular bread mix, a gluten-free bread mix, protein (lentils, beans, canned ham, etc.), a seal-a-meal bag of dried veggies, rice crackers, regular muffin mix, gf pancake mix, jello, pudding, chocolate chips, gf pasta, gf mac-and-cheese, onion and garlic powder, and whatever else I could fit in there. I added 3-4 bay leaves (coz bugs don't like them!) and 2-3 oxygen absorbers. As we filled each bucket, I made a list of contents, both for my inventory folder and a smaller to tape to the bucket, with the bucket number on both lists. We tamped the lid down tight, and stacked them in the closet.
I only did 8 buckets, but each would be good for 2 weeks, so that's 16 weeks or about 4 months! I haven't even gotten to the huge bags of rice from Sam's, and those buried tubs I can't get to (with lots of boxes on top because I still haven't finished unpacking) of beans, peas, lentils, pasta, hot cocoa, and all of the supplies I bought before we moved here last month.
We have a fairly large pantry, well, for the size of our home, so 3 weeks ago when I did the monthly grocery shopping, I filled it with canned fruits, veggies, soups, instant tea, tea bags, bottles of honey and vinegar, boxes of baking soda, and much more. We have enough to last just in that closet for about 5 months. But I've told everybody in this house that the pantry closet is OFF LIMITS ... NO TOUCHY!!!
The canned and other stored items that we can use right now are in cupboards and cabinets, and those alone will last about 2 months. These are the older products that "expire" in the next 6 months... like pancake mix, canned foods, juice, etc. I have the 100 pounds of baking potatoes and 2 bags of onions in the garage and those will last probably till Spring (I'll need more onions, tho).
For the next time we're snowed in, I'm thinking the Kid and I will make candles! Or, well, I guess I should do some unpacking.
Yuck.
1 comment:
Wow! That is impressive--I hadn't thought to pack buckets like that, but it's a great idea. I like the "all-included" idea, and I appreciate the tip about the bay leaves. Good luck with the unpacking.
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