Now that
you have reviewed your weekly grocery purchases and added zippered bags to your
shopping list, it is time to take the next step up.
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| gfscomingsoon.com |
It is
difficult to resist buying bulk meats. I
shop the Gordon Food Supply store. It is
known as GFS. They have great buys and a
lot of their motto is true. “Big box
store prices without the membership fee.”
They offer the rice, beans and grains in bulk and no one asks why I am
buying so much. People shop there for restaurants,
family reunions and family monthly groceries.
The temptation is to get into the habit of purchasing large lots of 20 lb.
rolls of hamburger and whole roasts and hams.
The reasoning is the world won’t come to an end this month and the
savings will allow you to purchase more and if the power goes out we can have a barbecue! I get it. Been there!
And I have done that!
It’s true,
the world may not change this month and you will save money as long as you aren't wasting any of your purchase. Never buy
the quantity meats frozen unless you have access to a good bone saw. Buy fresh, have it cut into meal size
portions and store it well.
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| www.alice.com |
Freezer
bags of the zipper kind are good enough for meats that are only going to stay
in the freezer a few weeks or months.
Buy a good permanent ink marker and mark what cut, what animal, what day
you bought it and what day it needs to be consumed by. Let the ink dry before placing into the
freezer. I hate thawing out a piece of
what I thought was beef and it was the venison.
It happens to everyone. Mark the
package.
I know
we have all seen the generations of aluminum foil commercials teaching us
through repetition that foil is best in the freezer. Nope.
Foil is good enough in the kitchen freezer for a few weeks. In a deep freezer, foil can be broken into
easily if you are rooting through looking for a favorite ice cream. So, sort your freezer priorities. Keep the meats together and rotate by
date. Please refer to www.
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At this
point, you may want to invest in a vacuum seal system. New in the box from Wal-Mart they can cost
$100 and up. You can find them up to half off, new in box at Amazon.com. They are an impressive gift that a lot of people don’t appreciate. They can also be had in mid-summer at almost any garage sale.They can end up costing less than $10 and from time to time they are available at
thrift stores.
| Food saver with accessory port on top |
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| Accessory tube |
Buy it for a few dollars then go to Wal-Mart or Target, and purchase a roll of bags if it doesn't come with any. Practice vacuum sealing meats in the heavier
plastic. This will keep meat fresher in
the freezer longer than any other wrapping method, as it is air tight and less
likely to break when handled like foil.
If you like the vacuum sealer, stock up on bags! Sugar, salt, drink mixes all store in vacuums well. These are things I never want coming into contact with moisture. The vacuum method puts a stop to all those concerns. It wouldn't hurt your prep supplies any to consider vacuum sealing med supplies. Cotton balls take up a lot less space when the air is sucked out and they stack better in a box. You can vacuum seal a first response med kit and keep it in your bug out bag until needed. Vacuum sealers also protect documents and photos from the elements. If you do not have a laminator to protect your documents you can use a vacuum sealer to protect your will, your maps, your DD-214, your photos, or titles and deeds. You cna't do that with aluminum foil!
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