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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Day 9 Time to be Responsible- Time to be Honest

In 10 short days we have stocked our pantry. Imagining that we had nothing, I have purchased duplicate toothbrushes, deodorant, diapers, cloth diapers to help me feel more secure, sandwich bags, garbage bags, toilet paper, feminie supplies and food. I have carefully planned to buy items that would feed the family - then added sale items than would make life enjoyable. We have not compromised the fresh produce, the milk nor eggs for which the children have asked. After all this, I can safely say I could feed my family for 4 weeks on the little we have purchased in 10 days.

Too many people do not have food to last a week in their homes. It is midnight and I am blogging because I am perplexed. It is time for Americans to wake up and die right - starting with our own homes. There is no excuse. I shop at a discount grocery store that accepts cash and food stamps. Most canned goods, beans, and even fresh produce can be purchased there at very reasonable prices. If anyone is receiving food stamps, their shelves should be full within weeks with enough food to feed their family for months. Money is not the issue. Rice is only $8.00 for 25 pounds that will yield 252 servings. For one person that would provide something to eat for 70% of the year - for $8.00!!

Too many families find it too easy to buy a fast food meal - easily dropping $5-6.00 rather than cook. Some families have been unemployed, had to ask for welfare within three days, received aid and still have an attitude that "I don't know how to cook rice and I don't want to know."

Hello! The world's financial markets are in total disarray. Even the top financial advisors are asking "What good is gold when this world economy crashes?" There are only two things worth having - land and FOOD. People have relinquished personal power to big government which has a welfare state. Governments cannot support a welfare state for long without going in debt. America's 7 trillion dollar debt is minute compared to the 700 trillion derivative debt that is pushing international instability. It doesn't take a financial expert to tell us debt is bad, unpaid debt is dishonest and unsastainable, depending on a welfare check is risky, and choosing to feed your family with a welfare check when one could have prepared is living a lie.

Breakfast: Footballs with milk and orange juice.
Lunch: Raviolis leftover from a church cookout. We served them over rice to help extend the meal.
Dinner: Boiled potatoes, mesquite fried chicken, with a tomato sauce.
Snacks: apples
(Half my battle is trying to keep the children away from our real pantry - "No you can't have peaches, I haven't bought any yet for our experiment with the blog!")

7 comments:

  1. I think that you made this challenge especially hard on yourself when you started with zero. Most all people have something in the house to work with. It might not be much but it would at least be some spices and a partial bottle of catsup etc. Also most people could not get by on $50 for a month just for food much less adding in all of the other products that you are buying with your grocery money.

    Another thing that everyone has available to them would be a local food shelf or that type of thing that they could visit and get a few items to get started. Generally those places have tons of beans and rice type of things because even people that frequent them are too lazy to cook or learn to cook.

    Lack of transportation can be a factor because with no transportation people can't run to town everytime there is a sale.

    Basically people are lazy both mentally and physically.

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  2. We are making due without ketchup for a week or so, LOL. And I hope no one has to always start with nothing, but I am learning that even that is possible. We need to help each other with the transportation and re-enthrone work as a national virtue. Thanks for the perspective.

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  3. Transportation is a larger issue when one takes mainstream American culture into consideration... I have vowed many times while visiting other nations that I was going to walk more etc. when returning home only to find that it is more difficult to walk in America. First, people look at you like you are crazy if you are walking with purpose (especially if the sidewalk endes before you can reach the store. second, public transport is not as convenient in many areas of the US as it is in much of Europe.

    If one can ignore the culture of his neighborhood it would be easier to do more without such a dependance on transportation. That said, I don't think anyone would find it reasonable to carry home a 50 lb bag of flour for lack of transportation...the added challenge would be to buy several small (not bulk) items that would build the necessary reserves slower. I have always been amazed at how much I can store when buying for one, I simply bought one extra can etc. before long I had plenty of food storage. Even walking to the store and paying full price. It's a benefit of the factor of one and the law of diminishing returns.

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  4. Footballs are whole wheat that is boiled or cooked in the crock pot until soft enough to eat. They are great with milk and sugar or mixed in a yogurt/ cottage cheese parfait. Some like them with butter and salt. Wheat does not have to be ground to flour to be used.

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  5. oh, ok, my roommate in college introduced me to that! they have a fun, new, interesting texture! (I haven't served that at our house, but it's in the back of my mind of a way to use our food storage.)

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