3 month supply - the continuing saga

The garden we planted to supplement our groceries is growing quickly. In fact, I already have my first vegetable, a green pepper. You can see it in the picture to the left.

Everything looks great with the recent rains we have received. Our tomatoes have taken off and we had to tie them off today. The beans look robust. They are easy to grow and do well even in the poorest soil. My herbs are going great and I even added some cilantro.

We have to feed our soul as well as our body. Our flowers are doing great. The delphenium bloomed this week with it's showy blue flowers. The white mini-roses are starting to show their beauty. I love how they start out pink and turn white. I'm a sucker for a mini-rose.

Because our family works off a monthly menu, putting together a list for my 3-month is easy. Finding the time to do it... another thing. I did find some time between laundry and schooling Friday to sit down with the menu and plan my list. It is daunting looking at the entire list, but in little bites, it can be done. We have both a cool weather and warm weather monthly menu. I don't know when I might have to dip into my 3-month supply but I worked off of my cool weather menu because there are more soups and gumbo on this list. These are good foods to stretch your groceries.

Here it is in its raw, first draft form. Some have amounts. I'm still thinking on others. If you are thinking of putting together a list, I would highly recommend you have some sort of menu to work off of. It keeps you from sticking every canned item in your basket and ending up with a lot of wasted food and space. I would also suggest not buying items you wouldn't normally eat. They'll just sit on your shelf. The only exception to this is canned fruit. We aren't big canned fruit people. If fresh fruits are not available, canned will do in a pinch.

You must rotate your stock. Go "shopping" in your stash first. Put it on your grocery list and replace the item in your 3-month supply. Check dates and don't use any cans that are swollen.

Remember, these are the items my family uses based on our menu. Yours will be different but maybe this will give you a good place to start.

Dairy
Shelf Stable Milk
Cheese – sharp cheddar 6 blocks (grated & frozen)
Sour Cream 2 large containers
Butter 5 boxes (freeze)

Frozen
Bean Burritos 3 (8 packs)
Chopped Onions 40 (frozen chopped pks)
Mushrooms 3 package
Corn (loose) 6 package
Green Beans 3 packages
Brocolli 3 packages
Carrots 2 packages
Fries 3 packages
Vegetable Mix (brocolli, cauliflower, carrots) 3 packages
Red Beans 6 cans

Meat
Smoked Sausage 6 lbs
Round Steak 3
Owens Sausage 12 lbs
Strip Steak 2 (chopped up)
Ground Beef 8 lbs
Stuffed Chicken Breasts 12 breasts
Whole Chickens 18 whole
Chicken Breasts 6
Bacon 6 packages

Canned & Dry Goods
Flour
Sugar
Egg Substitute
Corn
Black Beans
Red Beans
Rice 12 bags
Dehydrated Onions 1 can
Olive Oil 3 bottles
Corn Oil 2 bottles
Chicken Bouillon cubes 3 cans
Roux 2 jars
Tony Cachere 1 shaker
Corn Tortillas 3 package
Fire Roasted Tomatoes 15 cans
Bread Crumbs 1 can
Tomato Paste 9 cans
Onion powder 1 can
Garlic powder 1 can
3 color pasta 6 box
Spaghetti Noodles 3 box
Corn 3 can
Parmesan cheese 3 cans
Nacho Chips 3 bags
Refried Beans 3 cans
Jalapeno peppers 2 jars
Pam 1 can
Wide Noodles 6 bags
Green Beans 3 cans
Potatoes (red) 6 medium
Potatoes (baking) 12 large
Chinese Vegetables 3 cans
Garlic 6 cloves
Blackeyed peas 3 cans
Hamburger Buns 12 buns (frozen)
Lima Beans 3 cans
Starch 1 box
Hot Dog Chili 9 cans
Sweet Potatoes 3 cans
Crackers 6 boxes
Fruit Blends 10 cans
Raisins 2 cans
Pineapple 5 cans
Apple Sauce 5 jars
Fruit Juice 10 – 16 oz cans
Tuna 10 packages
Peanut butter 2 jars
Baked Beans 10 cans
Cereal 3 packages
Granola Bar 2 packages
Oatmeal 4 boxes
Grits 4 boxes
Soup 20 cans
Macaroni & Cheese 20 boxes
Baking Powder 2 cans
Baking Soda 2 boxes
Salt 1 box
Mayo 2 jars
Mustard 1 jar
Grape Jelly 2 jars
Honey 4 jars
Butter Powder 1 jar
Maple Syrup 2 jars
Cat Food 3 bags
Dog Food 3 Bags
Paper Towels 12 rolls
Toilet Paper 48 rolls
Ziplock Bags 1 box each size
Flashlight 2 large
Batteries AA, AAA, 9-V, Flashlight
Water Jugs
Charcoal
Paper Plates
Paper cups
Paper Napkins
Baby wipes
Lysol
Bleach

Personal Care
Pantene Shampoo
Pantene Conditioner
Dandruff Shampoo
Suave Shampoo
Soap
Tampons
Contact solution
Contacts
Toothpaste
Deodorant
Face Soap

First Aid & Medicine
Bandaids
Vitamins
Tylenol

Claritin