The Realities of Remote Off-Grid Living - Bulk Shopping and Off-Grid Cooking Methods...

I took some time last week to refill my kitchen canisters and restock the panty. Since we purchase most of our food in bulk, I have to re-package some of those items into smaller usable containers. Spices are one of those items that I refill. I usually purchase dried spices in one-pound packages and refill my spice bottles as needed. Have you ever seen the size of a one-pound package of parsley flakes? It's quite large and takes up a lot of space. I save all of my spice bottles from the store and re-use them over and over. 

Condiments are another item that I buy in bulk. I refill my regular sized bottles that are stored in the refrigerator. Mustard is a pain in the rear to refill. It does not flow through a funnel very well and it stains everything that it comes in contact with! It is also one of those condiments that I can't make at home. Note To Self: Refill BBQ Sauce

I make my own ketchup and refill a ketchup bottle that I have had for a dozen years now. Wow, I just looked up the price of ketchup and I am shocked. Ketchup now cost $7.36 for a family size bottle. I can make it for a lot less that that with just a few healthy ingredients. 

I save money by purchasing items in bulk and by making my own homemade mixes. Some things just have to be bought from the store like mayonnaise. I know that it can be made from scratch, but it is Number One Husband's favorite beverage, I mean condiment. He is one picky mayonnaise man! I don't like mayonnaise! I don't eat other people's food that contains mayonnaise, milk or eggs. It just grosses me out!  I don't eat the store crap either. You won't find me hanging out at around the potato or egg salad at a church potluck.

I must say that shopping in bulk is easier if you eat a whole foods-based diet. In fact, it is pretty basic and simple. Cooking takes more time than boiling a box of crap, but the result is a healthier lifestyle for my family. Using a pressure cooker reduces cooking times and aids in the retention of flavors and nutrients in foods. If time or electricity, in my case, is an issue, I recommend using a pressure cooker with a timer. 

 A crock pot is a great alternative for those who work outside the home or work from home. Just dump in the ingredients, set the timer and go. Whip up a salad and side of bread when you get home, and you have a meal that is ready to eat in short order. A Crock pot meal can be assembled in advance, frozen in a freezer bag, and cooked at a later date. I have crock pot envy. I cannot use a crock pot off grid; however, a pressure cooker is a great option for me. A pressure cooker cooks faster and is a more efficient way for me to cook. Pressure cooker meals can also be prepared in advance. I use the timer feature frequently for hot Sabbath meals.

I can assemble meals in advance and freeze them for the Sun Oven too. The Sun Oven is similar to cooking in a Crock Pot, except it requires the sun. Cooking plans can be foiled by the weather. It is my preferred method of cooking in nice weather. I have Hatch Chili Cumin Chicken along with Spanish Rice baking right now in my Sun Oven. 

There used to be a large price gap between bulk foods and their smaller versions, but it's not as big anymore due to inflation. We still save on most bulk purchases, but sometimes it is the opposite. I watch the unit pricing to determine the best value. Somethings do not need to be purchased in bulk. In fact, it can be a waste of money if it is not used up before the food spoils or expires.  

In our case, we figure in the cost of driving to the store and back because it is not cheap. The store is not right around the corner. It costs around $16 in gas for a round trip to the closest grocery store and is a 3-hour round trip. It's about $33 to go into the city and takes about 6 hours. We don't mess around either. We race to get in and out of the stores as fast as possible. 

Can you imagine having to spend 6 hours every week just to buy groceries? It would be like adding another workday to your work week without getting paid. We make the trip into the city about every three months, and we do a once-a-month grocery store haul from town. Sometimes we will make a bi-monthly trip for milk and produce if we need to. We really try to avoid extra trips just for a gallon of milk.

Let's break down the cost of running into town for a gallon of milk:

Organic Cream Top Milk   $10.14 (Tax included)

Cost of fuel                         $16.00

Total:                             $26.14

This is not feasible nor sustainable. Not to mention the 3 hours that it takes to make the trip. I know that some people do not understand why we choose to live where we do. I can assure you that we would give up milk and a lot more before we moved back into a town or city again. 

The average person in Colorado spends 51 minutes twice a day in traffic. Let's just say it's an hour when you factor in weather, crashes and road construction. Most people work 5 days a week and shop on Saturdays. Sunday is a day to get out and have fun and go to church. So, 7 days a week x 2 hours is 14 hours in a car plus a 40-hour work week or more. It's just not for us. 

I am always amazed by the people who chose city life, just as they are amazed by our choice to live out here. I have to point out that city dwellers hit the road and flock to the mountains every chance that they get. They stay in cabins, RV's or tents, just to come and stay and play in the mountains. Mountain folk do not flock to cities to get away every chance they get. I'm just saying...

Hatch Chili Cumin Chicken Rice Bowls cooked in the Sun Oven.

Stay safe out there,

Mrs. Smith

Does Buying In Bulk Still Make Sense When Inflation Rules?

If you have been with me for a while, you know that we live remotely. Far away from the conveniences of city life. In my opinion, there are not enough conveniences to make me want to live in the big city or for any reason for that matter, but I digress...

All that to say we do not run to town or to the city on a whim. Each trip is carefully planned out. There is a method to our madness. In this post, I will be discussing the benefits and downfalls of buying in bulk during Super-Inflation. 

We purchase fresh produce and dairy, fill up with gas and run other errands in a small town about an hour away when necessary. Our bulk shopping trips are done in a large city that is a couple hours away. The trip usually takes all day long. After hours of driving, shopping and running errands we are so grateful when we get back home safely. 

We have items shipped to our home whenever possible. We, like everyone else, have had to make some changes to our shopping habits. Staying out of the stores is the main way that we fight inflation. 

We love the convenience of shipping, but not everything can be shipped. I decided this time to pick up everything from the store instead of having our dry goods shipped. We did have a couple of items that had to be shipped because they we not available for pick-up nor were they available inside the store.

I ran into the store to pick up the dog food for our 17-year-old Mini-Dachshund who is toothless, nearly blind and deaf that weighs about 8 pounds. They do not have this dog food listed online, so I couldn't just add it to my pick-up order. I was in shock at the price. I'm sure that I will regret it, but I did not purchase the dog food. 

I regret it! I paid more. I had it shipped, so I don't have to go back. 

I purchased the same dog food in November, and it was $43.78.

Gasoline is now over $4 at most stations in the city. $4.09 at one of the least expensive stores. It was just under $4 in town where they haven't received new shipments yet. The prices are usually higher in town compared to the city, but we were able to fill up as Sam's for $3.72. They had large signs everywhere that said if you weren't a member, no gas for you! They also closed down their super busy convenient store in front of their pumps. What is up with that? I get the gas thing because of the coming shortages that are being talked about in the news, again, but closing one of the busiest convenient stores that I have ever seen, why? 

Okay, here is how I keep up with our grocery list, first, I write down everything that we need when we are low or out. I do this every time without fail, so I have an idea of what to buy. This is a starting point for me. When it is time to order, I make a master list of needs and wants. I then transfer my list to the online order form. Then I start adding and subtracting from my list until I have reached my budget limit and have met my needs for our pre-planned meals. I can tell you this, it is a lot less than what we used to buy, and it is also different products, so we can stay within our budget. We buy mostly ingredients, so this is a big help with budgeting. Pre-packaged foods are expensive and most of them are unhealthy to boot. 

I also have to consider how much room that we actually have in our freezers. Pretty much everything fit this time. I put a couple of frozen meals in the refrigerator to eat in the next couple of days, so it worked out just fine. My freezers are cleaned out and fragments are gathered up before we pick up our order. We "Gather Up the Fragments" every week, so the refrigerator is cleaned out weekly. Nothing goes to waste except occasionally, like last night. I had pealed potatoes for hashbrowns, and they went bad pretty fast. I didn't expect this to happen because they usually last when stored in water. There must have been a bad potato in the batch.

While I was creating my pick-up order online, the chicken breasts that I ordered disappeared. I checked and they were out of stock. I had been watching the prices for a couple of weeks prior, planning out my order, not only did they go up in price, but they also put on limits and cases were no longer available. So, no chicken for us and no dog food for the dog. Hmmm, what will I do. By the way, chicken is the least expensive protein for us. I purchased more ground chuck to replace the chicken. It was just .08 cents more per pound. They are about to go up on beef and have gone up in other clubs already. We bought a case of ground chuck to stave off the Super-Inflation we are experiencing and to replace the lack of chicken due to shortages. This was our largest purchase. 

There were many items that were out of stock and there were no replacements. It was a little bit of a chore to get my order completed, but now that the world has been turned upside-down it is a really interesting process and much more challenging. Shortages and Super-Inflation are just the tip of the iceberg. People freaked out when they couldn't buy Uncrustables for $10.38 a pound. They just couldn't figure out how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the crusts for less than $1 a pound. I hope that we have all learned how to make do or do without because the crazy of the world just keeps on getting worse and changes almost daily. 

There are a lot more frustrations to bulk shopping these days mostly due to shortages, massive price increases and sticker shock. If I know that something is going to go up in price that we need, I will place an order and have it shipped if it can be shipped. The big box store prices seem to rise at a slower pace compared to grocery stores whose prices can go up daily. But, when they do increase prices, it is a big increase at one time.

Here is a list of the pros and cons of bulk shopping during Super-Inflation:

Pro: Buying in bulk usually saves money.

Con: Usually, the prices have steadily increased, so be ready for items to be a lot more expensive.

Pro: Buying in bulk can help during times of shortages.

Con: The items you want may not be available the next time you shop.

Pro: Saves time, fuel and money. No impulse purchases are made when you stick to your list.

Con: None

Pro: Going to the store is a hassle.

Con: You may run out of something before you go shopping the next time.

Pro: Meal planning saves money.

Con: It takes time to plan out meals in advance.

Pro: You will learn to substitute, make do or do without.

Con: None

Pro: You will learn to cook with ingredients instead of unhealthy pre-made foods.

Con: None

Pro: You will learn to be organized and goal oriented.

Con: None

Pro: You learn from your mistakes.

Con: You will make mistakes.

Pro: Sam's Club has their memberships on sale right now. $70 for Plus memberships, $25 for the regular memberships. Regular memberships do not include free shipping or free pick-up services.

Con: You have to buy a membership to shop at a big box store.

I hope that this blog post helps you to decide if buying in bulk is worth it when inflation rules. We have been shopping like this for years and years. It really works for us. I know that things are tough out there for so many of us all around the world and that every person has different circumstances and needs. My goal is to encourage everyone who reads this blog. Thank you for stopping by and encouraging me to continue publishing blog posts.

Shabbat Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Buying Tea In Bulk...Jasmine...Black...Oolong...

Tea is one of my favorite things. I have it everyday with honey. I drink it in the morning before I start my day. I have it in the afternoon after I have finished my to do list. I have it sometimes in the evening after a long day. I'm enjoying a cup right now. Tea is good anytime...

I purchase my favorite teas in bulk. It saves me a lot of money. I buy 5 pounds of loose leaf tea for $16 and 312 tea bags for just under $9. The bulk tea is the best bang for your buck. Five pounds makes a lot of tea. The next best thing is the small tea bags. I do buy small boxes of specialty teas on occasion, but I am partial to strong black teas. I discovered the loose leaf tea that I use at a large Asian grocery store in the city and I buy the tea bags that I use at Sam's Club. I Find that these two places have the best prices for tea in my area. 

For an individual cup of tea I use a tea cup strainer or for a pot of tea I use an old fashioned Pyrex glass percolator. I have tried the re-usable tea bags, but I really don't care for them at all. They just don't clean up very well and they alter the flavor of the tea. I have used several types of tea strainers and I prefer the stainless steel ones. 

My favorite tea cup recently broke. It was handmade by a friend of mine. It was a beautiful cup with a twisted handle. The cup kept the tea the perfect temperature all the way to the bottom. It was the perfect size, big. I miss that cup, but I still have my beautiful, talented and thoughtful friend...

Coming Soon: How I Save Money And Energy With One Small Tea Bag, A Percolator, A Thermos And A Yeti Stainless Steel Cup... If you can't find bulk teas in your area I have discovered a way to get the most out of using a small tea bag. Energy saving method...Keep your eye out for this upcoming post... 

Blessings,

Mrs. Smith