Money Saving Tip

I was making a recipe the other day that called for 3 cans of chicken broth. I couldn't remember if I have shared my chicken broth tip with you or not? There are several items in my kitchen that are 'must haves'--for example: lime juice (we go through this like water in our kitchen), Montreal Steak Seasoning, Costco's Garlic Spread, etc. The list could go on and on. One must have in my kitchen though is Chicken and Beef Base or Bouillon.

Many recipes call for chicken/beef broth or chicken bouillon in recipes and to buy it by the can is extremely expensive. I was just at Walmart the other day and their Great Value can of chicken broth was almost $1--ugh! If you add 3-4 cans in a recipe that is an expensive addition.

So, the tip: Keep your kitchen well stocked with Chicken and Beef Base (this is least at Costco or Sam's Club-McCormick or Tone's makes are good brands) and large #10 cans of Chicken and Beef Bouillon (you can get this online, Maceys, or most Walmarts).

I keep a glass mason jar in my spice cabinet filled with the chicken and beef bouillon so I can easily measure out a tablespoon or teaspoon, add with water and use in my favorite recipes. The chicken and beef base needs to be kept in the fridge once it is open, but will last at least a year once it is opened. The base is a little more expensive but has an awesome flavor, so I ration that on my 'high end meals' and use the powdered bouillon for large soups, stews, etc.

These are also great items to have in your food storage in the event we had to live out of our storage and eat all of our dried beans, rice, noodles, etc. we would want some flavor!

That is probably the longest post in history about bouillon, but it really is one of my FAVE items in my kitchen! Have fun cooking!

**One other benefit is they are MSG free!

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Great Question!

"I have a question for you. Since you are, of course, preparing for whatever may come.....I am wondering if you have made other preparations other than food storage? I was wondering what kind of house you live in and what you do when there is no electricity for heating, cooking, etc. Do you plant a garden, raise your own animals.....i.e., chickens, cows, etc. for eggs, milk, meat, etc.? I just find it interesting to know to what extremes people are going to. Also, wondering if you've looked into alternative medicines or storing those?"

~Sandra

Great questions! No..I wish I could raise my own chickens (maybe??) and do more of that type of preparation. However, we just live in the out skirts of Salt Lake and have neighbors in our backyard—not a lot of space for anything other than a garden. I try and plant as much as I can in my garden and bottle, dry, freeze, or can the extras of the season. We also have three fruit trees that have proved to be a blessing—free apples, pears, and peaches in the summer. It doesn’t get better than that!

As far as fuel storage, we do have a generator, gasoline, camping stoves, propane heaters, butane stoves, etc. We keep a good stock of fuel that we would need for cooking and heating in an emergency.

I do store basic medicines: Tylenol, Asprin, Vitamins, Cough Syrup, Cold/Flu medicine, etc. Any medicine my family uses on a regular basis (during sick season that is), I try to store a couple extras for an emergency—or if we were unable to have access to them. For those who use prescription medicine it is important to store as many extras as you can in your storage. I for example, have Asthma, so I always keep my prescriptions filled and max out my allowed supply, so I have extras on hand. I know this is not possible with all medicines, but if it is possible, it is a good thing to do.


Other items I try to keep well stocked are hygiene items: toilet paper, paper towels, wipes, shampoo/conditioner, bar soap, liquid soap, laundry soap, dish detergent and soap, toothpaste, extra toothbrushes, cotton balls/q-tips, hand sanitizer, bleach, Clorox wipes (for cleaning and sanitizing), and other basic cleaning supplies.

First Aid items are also an important part of your emergency preparedness supplies (72 hour kits, car kits, etc.). Having a wide variety and different sizes of bandaids, wraps, etc. are important for storage. There are several items that are important to have in your First Aid kit. You can find lists online of important items to store. I will post more about first aid later in the month. This is part of my goal with some of our tax return money--beef up our 72 hour kits and first aid supplies. Watching the people in Haiti helps you realize some of the items you may be low on.

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