3 Month Supply Step 3: Purchase Food to Make Your 3 month Supply Complete

I am finally finishing my posts on the 3 month supply. Please see my other posts on this topic, if you have not already: Introduction, Step 1, and Step 2.

I have heard of several different methods for purchasing food to make your 3 month supply. A lot of people purchase all of the food at once. Then, some people keep a piece of paper next to their food storage to write down any time they take a can so that they can purchase a new can to replace the one they used. Other people don't purchase any more of the item until what they have is gone.

Here is my method:

• When an item that I keep in my 3 month supply is on sale, I inventory how much I currently have of that item. Then I consult my Excel document to see how much more I need to complete my 3-month supply.
  
• I purchase this amount of the item, plus enough to last until the next time I expect this item to go on sale (usually 6 months). For example, my family eats approximately 6 cans of refried beans in 3 months. When refried beans go on sale, I look in my cupboard, find that I only have 2 cans, and then buy 16 cans, because I don’t expect them to be this price for another 6 months (12 cans to last 6 months, plus 4 cans to make a 3 month supply).

Examples of people's 3 month supply lists/organization coming soon!

Chicken Enchiladas/Freezer Meals

I have decided the past several months that as much as I like cooking, I do not like cooking every night. So I try to make extra large recipes sometimes, then freeze a portion for a meal on a later date.
Chicken Enchiladas is one meal that freezes quite well. When I make them I don't follow a recipe. I just throw everything together. So, sorry but the measurements are not exact. Proportion ingredients according to your taste and what you have on hand. You may use flour, corn, or wheat tortillas.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 1/2 lb. chicken, cubed (cooked or uncooked)
1 med. onion
3 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can green chilies (optional)
12 oz. sour cream
8 oz. cottage cheese
12 oz. cheese (cheddar, monterey jack), divided
Tortillas

Cook onion with uncooked chicken, if using, in fry pan over medium high heat, until chicken is cooked and onion is soft, adding a little water as necessary. It is good to let it brown a little, as this enhances flavor.
Mix all ingredients together, reserving some cheese, except tortillas, in a large bowl. Spread a small layer of chicken mixture in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Layer tortillas on top, then spread with a layer of chicken mixture. Repeat until all of chicken and sauce is used. You may need to use multiple glass dishes. Pour reserved cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, uncovered.

Toilet Paper

My cousin (a college student) told me that he and his roommate went door to door asking everyone for a roll of toilet paper. After they had received about 8 rolls they stopped, knowing that they could get a lot more.
I would not recommend getting toilet paper, or any item for that matter, in this fashion, but it reminded me of the importance of having non-food storage. I believe that toilet paper and cleaners of all sorts (hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, all-purpose cleanser, etc.) are especially important. I buy toilet paper (just like food) in bulk when it is on sale.

Price Points

I read about the concept of price points on the Preparedness Pro blog. This is what I already do, but now I have a name for it, and I realize that I can take this idea another step forward. All this is, is that I won't pay more than 10 cents per ounce of cereal, 5 cents per ounce of yogurt, and $2 per pound of cheese. Like I have said recently, in the past I have been willing to pay more than $2 for a pound of cheese. The article on Preparedness Pro has made me determined to stick with this price.

Waxing Cheese

Someone asked a question when commenting to a recent post!! You can do this too!

Waxing cheese is when you take a special kind of wax and dip cheese in it so that it can stay on the shelf, instead of in the fridge or freezer. Think of cheese you see at Christmas time in gift boxes. Like I said when I mentioned this in my Cheese post, I have never done this before, and I don't know much about it. All I really know is that you should start with a mild cheese, because it will age, and become stronger over time. Someday I will wax my own cheese, and I'll write more about it. But first I need to do more research. I need to know if this really is safe, and what the shelf life is.