Frugal Ways

My Grandmother

I often think about the “old days” when I make my grocery list. I remember my grandmother talking about the “staples” they went and bought about once a month.

 

 

 

 

• Flour
• Sugar
• Coffee
• Tea
• Salt
• Rice
• Beans

Amazingly, they “got by” with these simple items…(These are just the ones I can remember, perhaps they bought a few other basic items) And they grew everything else they needed. They had a garden in the summer and fall, canning it all to last through the winter until Spring arrived and they would plant again. They also had milk cows that provided milk and she made their butter; chickens for eggs, etc. The ice truck came by ever so often and they wrapped the ice in burlap, and placed it in something similar to a pie safe. This is where they kept items such as leftover food, pies, cakes, etc. They placed milk in jugs and bottles in the “spring” (a stream that poured out of the ground, and they dug a hole to keep the water there) to keep it cold. 

To give you a real good picture of their way of life, they even had to haul water from the spring and it was quite a ways from their house. They washed some of their clothes in another stream as well.

My husband’s great-grandmother wrote this: “Syrup was made from cane, and to get the sugar, the syrup was boiled low and then dripped through a sack. The sugar left in the sack was brown, but had a good flavor.”

Isn’t it amazing how they were able to do all of these things! If only I had 1/2 of the energy of these women! 

Well, back to My Pantry List…I do try to be very frugal and attempt to mimic these “old ways” as best I can. My GOAL is to simplify by making some of these from scratch, such as mixes, dressings and such; and also growing MORE things! I also want to get a few goats for milk, cheese, and making goat milk soap.

MY PANTRY:

• Flour
• Sugar (brown (light and dark), unrefined, confectioners and white)
• Coffee (whole beans)
• Tea
• Salt (sea salt)
• Rice (organic)
• Beans (light red, big white lima beans and Anasazi beans)
• Red potatoes (We grew some this past summer, but we didn’t plant “enough”)…will be looking at possible ways to grow more and keep in cold storage—because the price of potatoes nowadays are outrageous)
• Russet potatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Onion
• Shortening (vegetable)
• Cooking oil (I try to buy by the gallon when I can, but the price has gone Up)
• Oats (old fashioned-I buy the large container once a month
• Grits (regular) We had our own ground a couple of years ago, and I keep it in the freezer in thick gallon size freezer bags.
• Pasta: spaghetti, egg noddles, macaroni, rotini, etc.
• Cornmeal (Also had our own ground a couple of years ago-I freeze it like I do the grits)
• All Purpose Flour (I want to start buying the 25 pound sacks if I can find it in that quanity in “unbleached”)
• Baking Powder (I use the non-aluminum type: Rumsford)
• Baking Soda
• Cornstarch
• Spices (Herbs I grow: rosemary, oregano, thyme, garlic, garlic chives; I also buy spices and herbs in bulk/large containers when I can).
• Cocoa
• Corona brand chocolate sticks w/sugar
• Flavorings (vanilla, almond, butter and orange extract)
• Cold cereals
• Peanut butter
• Crackers (assorted-saltine, ritz, water crackers)
• Ice cream cones
• Popcorn
• Jello
• Pudding Mixes
• Marshmallows
• Nuts
• Chili Mix (I have started making my own)
• Taco seasoning (I have started making my own)
• Salad dressing
• Canned milk (evaporated and sweetened condensed milk)
• Canned vegetables (green beans, red beans, refried beans, corn, tomatoes, pork and beans, baked beans, mixed vegetables, asparagus, black olives, etc.)
• Canned fruits (peaches, pie fillings, mixed fruit for Ambrosia, pineapple)
• Canned meats (corned beef, tuna, sardines, jack mackeral, salmon, chicken)
• Canned cream soups (chicken, mushroom, celery)
• Corn syrup (light and dark)
• Cane syrup (local)
• Honey (local)
• Ketchup
• Mayonnaise
• Hot sauce
• Mustard (I bought some in bulk…was not really happy with the brand though, so will be more careful about this in future!)
• Pickapeppa sauce
• Bar-b-que sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Pepper jelly
• Bananas

I also can pickles, preserves, jams and jelly every year that will last until the next summer. These might include:

• Blackberry jelly and jam
• Pear preserves, light and heavy
• Lime pickles
• Dill pickles
• My own version of “Wickles”
• Figs (when I’m lucky enough to get some somewhere)

NOW, here is a list of refrigerated items as well as items I keep in the freezer:

PERISHABLES:

• Milk (whole)
• Half & Half
• Butter (real)
• Cheeses (shredded, and blocks)
• Sour cream
• Ricotta cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Flour tortillas
• Lemon juice
• Lemons
• Limes
• Key Limes
• Oranges
• Apples
• Plantains
• Mangoes
• Fruit in season (strawberries, peaches, etc.)
• Variety of vegetables (lettuces, celery, bell pepper, green onions, broccoli, cauliflour, cabbage, rutabaga, etc.)
• Bacon
• Eggs (we usually have our own from our chickens, but have had to buy these lately…I think the hens are molting, which means they lose feathers and when replaced they will start to lay again from what I understand about it!)

FREEZER:

• Pork sausage (I buy in bulk size box)
• Venison (sometimes we have this processed and packaged: sausage, back straps, and roasts)
• Meats I find on sale (whole chickens, beef steaks and roasts, pork roasts)
• Fish (fish we catch: freeze covered in water in plastic container)
• Blackberries in gallon bags, quart bags (I save for making juice for jelly later if we run out)
• Seafood (shrimp for gumbo)
• Vegetables (butter beans, green baby lima beans, butter peas)
• Corn (Corn we grow or someone gives us: creamed, corn on the cob, kernals)
• Squash (we grow or someone gives to us: zucchini and yellow summer squash-sliced, steamed with onions and frozen)
• Field peas (when we grow it or someone gives us some: blanched and frozen in quart freezer bags) 
• Okra (small ones left whole for peas and gumbo, larger size sliced for frying)
• Bell peppers (diced or left whole)
• Tomatoes (freeze whole)
• Pecans (I leave whole as much as possible and chop when ready to use-they keep longer)
• Peanuts (whole for boiling)
• Other food I find on sale or buy in bulk
• Bags of bread (leftovers and heels for bread crumbs and also extra bread when I buy it on sale)
• Bags of cornbread (I freeze leftovers for making chicken and dressing)
• Ice Cream (some I make, some storebought)
• ICE (I freeze ice in milk jugs, coke bottles, etc. in case power goes out, or when a storm hits we’ll have ice and it also helps keep the freezer cold longer if it is packed good)

CLEANING CLOSET:

• Alcohol
• Lemons
• Baking Soda
• White Vinegar
• Town Talk Orange Polish
• Bleach
• Ammonia
• Pine Oil