Prep Genrl Weekly Prep Thread - November 27=December 3

[moldy]

Guess I'll start since I don't see that Renee has started one.

Worked yesterday at the pasture house (retirement house). It's coming together nicely, but there is still a lot to do. It was chilly, but DH, DD, and I worked well together (that doesn't always happen). Came home, took a shower and 800 mg ibuprofen, and had a nice dinner. It seems like since the time change, I am in bed by 8:30 or earlier!

Today, I need to go pick up our beef from the locker and go to the discount grocery. I don't really need anything, but for some reason, just feel like I should go. I may order a few things from Honeyville, they are having a really good sale. I work T-W, then will cook the stew meat and soup bones and get them canned up. I also need to render lard, if I can find it in the freezer! While I'm at work (I have students both days - yay ! They can do all my work! that' how they learn), I need to make lists of what goodies to start baking and stuff. I would love to get my packages mailed by Friday, but I don't know if that will happen.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and have a productive week.

 

[ReneeT]

Thanks, Moldy; for getting this started! Sorry to be late - I was moving slow getting ready for work yesterday and had to make the choice between starting the thread and having time to pick up donuts for co-workers on my way to work yesterday morning. Since I had no choice but to spend 12.5 hours with those people....DONUTS RULE!! And now, due to a storm passing through, my internet has gone down, so goodness knows when I'll actually get this posted!

Made one stop on my way home last night to scan my card at CVS, but didn't buy anything as I hadn't had time to check my couponing site to see if there were any fab deals that I didn't spot on a quick scan of the flyer. I do think I will go back today when I go to town - I have scanner coupons good for $2 off $12 or $3 off $20 vitamin purchases, and the CVS brand vitamins are buy one, get one free - I'm going to stock up on some Vitamin C and B-12; vac seal it and tuck it in the freezer. I'm also going to pick up 3 - 12 pks of soda and a case of bottled water to take to the meal before the visitation/funeral I will be going to late this afternoon/evening.

I've been slacking on the Vitamin C - and I KNOW better than to do that this time of year. I managed to pick up a miserable head cold somewhere, and went looking for some C in the med lockup yesterday (which is why I know I need to stock up again - there are days I wonder why I even try to do inventory sheets!) I'm going to try to lay low at home most of today; maybe do some closet cleaning or something like that. I cried off of aqua aerobics this morning (the friends who go with me said "Whew!!" so I don't think they were too upset lol!) and I plan to carry plenty of hand sanitizer and try not to let anyone within 3 feet of me at the funeral this evening.

Hubby had a productive day yesterday - he went in to Rural King and bought new wheels/tires on my little trailer that I pull with the lawn tractor, and got them put on. I'd pulled the trailer out from under the shed porch last week to use to hold the dirt we dug up when we had to bury our dog - and discovered that the tires were shredded - guess they finally just gave up! He discovered that buying a whole new wheel assembly was cheaper - $14.99, compared to $18 for a new tire plus $8 for a tube - and the old rims were about rusted through anyway. I can't recall where the trailer came from, but Hubby said it was already here when he came on the scene, and that was over 20 years ago. I bragged on him effusively - and then couldn't resist telling him that now that the tires look so nice, the body of the trailer looks tatty, like it needs a coat of paint... (Wimmen - they're never satisfied!) He said "I'll get right on that....dear." - but I think he might have been being sarcastic!!

He had to pick up a new pole light while he was at RK - our old one died the other day. The weather isn't conducive to getting it put up today though - hoping for better weather tomorrow - if not, I'm just going to string some Christmas lights on the clotheslines under the shed porch so that I can see to get in my van in the mornings. My cousin who is a lineman (and 25 years younger than us!) will be here to deer hunt over the weekend; maybe he can help him get the new light put up if the weather is cooperative.

Hubby said while he was wandering around RK, he saw cap guns and caps for the grandsons, but wants me to come look at them before we decide - he says that they have everything from ones that look like six-shooters (revolvers) to 'assault weapons'!! Says they have all kinds of different caps, too! I'm trying to figure out how to slide them in to the mantra: 'Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read' in re: the grandkid's Christmas presents. I'm looking at thermal swimsuits (like a lightweight, shorty wetsuit) for the wear portion, magazine (with online access) for the boys, and Kindle (for the teen girl) subscriptions for the read, I've already picked up two toys for the want - but I'm pretty sure I can't fit cap guns into the need catagory!

Woo-hoo - Internet is up (at least for the moment!) so I'm going to click 'post' while I have a chance - got more storms coming in. Hey, at least it's not snow!!

 

[prudentwatcher]

Managed to get a couple of good deals online for Black Friday shopping and ordered some clothing. BH got some kitty litter at Tractor Supply at a great deal, though they didn't have a lot in stock. Still stocking up on cold meds when I can. Also had to stock up on hemorroid stuff--not usually a problem, but when it happens, it really helps to have the supplies handy!! Definitely the worst case I've ever had out of the 2 or 3 times I've had problems, but slowly getting better.

Nothing great on sale in the weekend ads, so will see what the mid-week grocery ads offer.

PS--Found out Emergency Essentials (Be Prepared) was having a clearance sale. Bought six cans of hard red wheat at $2.99 each, 3 cans of pancake mix and a can of beans. $6 shipping, so all for $45, shipping included. I was pretty happy.

 

[nomifyle]

Haven't done any prep stuff in the last few days because I've been sick. I'm better but not yet well. Yesterday, laying in bed, I thought to myself that at least I don't have to worry about being home sick because I'm retired. I've had no need to go to the grocery store because I have a full pantry and freezers.

Judy

 

[BinWa]

Ive let things get in the way and haven't been prepping for months. Need to get my head back in the game and maybe weekly reading and posting here will keep me accountable. Sometimes 'life' just gets difficult around here and I get sidetracked. Ill watch the sales and make a list for the weekend. I don't do any online shopping as far as groceries are concerned, but Ill check out some things you all have mentioned.

 

[ReneeT]

I spent the morning puttering around home, then picked up youngest grandson from pre-school at 11. We met a friend for lunch - and now I think I might as well just put away all those size 3T winter clothes I put in his closet the other day and dig out the 4T tub!! Between 11 am and when I took him home at 5:30, the boy ate 2 plates of Chinese food, a bowl of mandarin oranges, 2 scoops of ice cream, a snack package of cheese/bread sticks, a large apple with a big scoop of peanut butter, 2 glasses of chocolate milk, a bowl of cereal and another snack package of cheese/bread sticks. You just watch that boy go and have a growth spurt - the day after I ordered him a thermal swimsuit!!

While we were in town, I picked up 10# of butter on sale for $1.99/1 lb box. I vacuum sealed them when we got home and they are residing the freezer. I also picked up a dozen grapefruit at 39 cents each. First, I scrubbed them, removed some thin strips of the outer peel and put the strips in boiling water for a bit, ran a few more over the grater to make zest, then sliced them in half and used one my Mama's good silver grapefruit spoons to scoop out the sections. I had some with my lunch, packed some in wide mouth 8 oz canning jars to take in my work lunches the next two days, and froze the rest in 3 - 1/2 pint jelly jars. The strips of peel were taken out of the boiling water and any white inner peel was removed; then I gently simmered them in a 1-1 sugar water mix to make candied grapefruit peel. I think they'll need another trip or two through the simmering sugar water (they are drying right now), then I'll toss them in sugar and seal them up for sweetening and flavoring cups of tea this winter (or just for a quick nibble - Mama used to make candied orange and grapefruit peel every winter; it was such a yummy treat!). I'm waiting for oranges to show up at a reasonable price before I start making candied orange peel.

Just got all that finished up and watched out the window as a truck came down the road and pulled into the grassy edge of the field across from us. Now, mind you - we had two inches of rain the other day, and there are still big puddles in the road... Needless to say, he got stuck. Twice. Managed to rock himself out the first time; the second time I stuffed the boy in his coat (orange - his favorite color!) and put on my blaze orange sweatshirt and walked across the road. I didn't feel like getting the tractor out and he had a long snatch strap, so I backed the truck up to the edge of the road, then hopped out to discover that Hubby had taken the hitch out of the receiver. Mutter, mutter, grumble, grumble.... so I moved the hitch from my van over to the truck, and we got him pulled out. I had him help me push my bigger trailer over into the grass, and pointed out a place he could park on us; then texted my cousins to let them know there would be someone parked by the shed tomorrow when they got here to deer hunt, and that my spot in the driveway would be free if they needed it as I had to work the next two days...

A friend with a horrible cold called to ask me if I had any lemons or frozen lemonade; she wanted to make hot lemon 'tea' to help sooth her throat; so on the way to take the boy home, I took over several packets of 'True Lemon' and she texted back later that it was wonderful! I need to remember to pick up a few more boxes and vac seal the packets. The True Orange and True Lime packets are good too - the orange is especially nice to add to tea along with some cinnamon, but you don't want to add too much to a pot of tea or it will overwhelm the tea itself.

Here in a few minutes, I need to finish up some laundry and make sure all my work stuff is ready to go - we'll be moving into the newly completed area of our unit that has been under construction for the past 7 months - it will be nice not to be so cramped!! The best part is that we'll have a locker room again It's a weird work stretch - work Thu/Fri, off Sat, work Sun/Mon, off Tue, work Wed, off Thu/Fri, work Sat/Sun - someone snuck an extra day in there on me and I'm hoping it was a mistake because otherwise I'm likely to be pretty crabby by the time I'm done. I don't mind overtime if I volunteer for it, but I'm not too enamored with the idea of it while I'm fighting this blasted cold - especially since I got called at 5 am both days I was off this week and ended up taking call for 8 hours yesterday (weak moment - I gotta stop having those )

You folks all take care out there - and have a great rest of the week!!

 

[nomifyle]

Finally got out of the house last night after being sick for days and days. We went to the local Friday night auction. There were a couple of glass canisters that I wanted but they went higher than I wanted to pay, but I did get 4 new clean milk crates for my new freezer. I was unsure about getting 4 or 6, but it looks like 4 will work well. Dh thought I should use some of the ones we have hanging around that are full of canning jars, haha. Anyway they were only $3 each, he picked up 6 restaurant size cans of fruit cocktail. The man does love his fruit.

Its raining here and looks like it will continue for the next couple of days. Got a lot of catch up around here to do. Let everything slide while I was sick.

Judy

 

[moldy]

Been fighting a sinus infection the last few days. Hot lemonade, otc meds, and vicks on my feet then socks has really helped. Hoping I can go back to work tomorrow.

 

[BinWa]

I have a ? at the Full Prep 101 series if anyone can help me with the printables.

Today I cleaned out every kitchen cupboard & food storage area. I organized and accounted for every can, box & package. Checked every expiration date. Made a detailed list of everything I had for food storage vs everyday meals and relocated it to a designated shelving area. Now, knowing everything I have in detail, I can scan the sales and start adding to my storage weekly. I am going to make a printable itemized list that will stay with the food storage so I can keep track of anything going in or out.
Feel better already