How long without grocery shopping?

[mountainmist]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

I completely agree. I can see how limiting grocery shopping can save money for some, but it wouldn't work for me.

I can see stocking up cheaply on non-perishables--rice, pasta, canned/preserved goods, baking supplies, and condiments--but the bulk of my diet comes from fresh, seasonal produce (that is on sale, of course! ). I could go without shopping for two weeks, but I'd be courting malnutrition!

For those of you trying this challenge, care to enlighten me on exactly what you'd eat? I'm curious to know!

~mimi

It's my impression that many people who do this type of challenge normally time it to coincide with their gardens bearing fresh vegetables - and elsewise, they simply eat up everything from the cupboard.

It seems to me, however, that emergency disaster officials are simply waiting for a serious flu pandemic and apparently are now urging Americans to have MONTHS of food & emergency supplies in storage.

I've also learned that many canned food items are safe to eat for really really really long periods of time, so although I rotated the items in the past, I'm no longer quite so worried about that factor - I'm much more concerned with running out of important staples.

[mountainmist]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

There are links in the messagethread below about how long stored food can last - the U.S. Army discovered that their own 46-YEAR OLD canned meats, vegetables, and jellies were surprisingly fine when they opened them up to examine them -- to see what type of degradation had occurred. Apparently there was none.

It seems to me that's why we get constant admonitions to never ever ever use any cans that are bulging, or are leaking, or where the opened canned food looks or smells funny, to dispose of it immediately without tasting it.

strange codes and numbers instead of expiration dates on generic canned foods

http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22196

[boefixepa]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

Thanks for the info guys...and just so you know I do most canned and frozen fruits and veggies....I don't like going to the store often anyway and it seems fresh stuff always goes bad before I get around to using it..ggrr

[mountainmist]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

I was doing alot of searches at google about shelf life of various foods, and again & again & again & again, it was claimed that ALL frozen food lasts indefinitely.

I don't keep much frozen food on hand, so I didn't actually do any research about this, I simply noticed that "experts" were stating this about frozen food.

I'd think there MUST be some caveats about frozen foods - like having airtight containers and such, but I was doing searches about canned goods, so never ran across more than a mention.

I don't keep many frozen foods on hand because we have plenty of seasonal storms around here where the power goes off, so I don't rely upon my freezer for emergency food supplies.

In reading up about the current recommendations for a possible human-to-human avian flu epidemic, I was amazed to learn that emergency reponders are being instructed to store at least three months of food & water for themselves and their families, AND I've come across anonymous Internet postings on a couple messageboards that concerned me; for instance, one poster claimed that at a disaster-prep seminar for nurses that the instructor mentioned that all the disaster experts wished we had THREE YEARS TO PREPARE for the upcoming pandemic.

There's no way for me to determine the veracity of that interesting thought provocative account which makes me wonder WHAT do They know, that we don't, and WHY isn't the public being told????





Do you have 3 months emergency food and supplies

http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22268

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[tinapbeana]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

for those considering an extended 'no grocery shopping' challenge in the future:

you can extend your fresh produce by using Evert-Fresh bags to store produce in the fridge. i bought some at my healthfood store and keep limes in them in the fridge. it's scary how well they work (those limes were fine after 6 weeks)...

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

I've made a personal challenge to grow a garden with all the needed foods. Meat is the only thing I don't think I could grow. I used to have pigs, and that was gross. Good bacon though!

I think it is very possible to stay away from the store for months at a time, but a year is pushing it. However, a year round garden would firm that.

[boefixepa]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

Okay, checking in. Things are going, but with a new boyfriend (WOOHOO!!) I find dinners are much easier as he takes me out! I have treated him to a few meals too, nothing fancy yet, but quick good meals. I thew the last of the pepper plants out last night. There is a hard freeze coming end of the week and so I winterized the yard last night. Sprinlers, hose, plants, fetilzer etc.... I have enough produce in the freezer to get me to the end of the challenge and beyond, so I'm good. The only thing I can say is well...is getting rather boring, but I think that's more my attitude than anything.

[abowers]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

I like fresh produce so I don't go any less frequently than once every 7-10 days.

[lrjohnson]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

I like fresh produce so I don't go any less frequently than once every 7-10 days.

A lot of people like fresh produce. I do a big shopping run once a month and only buy produce in between. Just going to the produce section is a lot quicker for me.

[boefixepa]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

Okay guys, it's over this week and I am soooo excited about this. I was thinking the other day of what I need to buy and am pleasantly surprised that it's not much. Mostly just eggs and fresh produce, but it's nice not be restricted. It's been a great learning experience and all that, but I don't think I feel the need to do it again any time soon. I have certainly gotten out of the habit of going to the store often and that a definate plus. So it was an interesting experience and I think I learned alot of interesting new ways to make my food yummy and fun. I also noticed that I picked up some stuff to have that I never used, too much sour cream, ricotta cheese, and I never used them....I know the sour cream is bad. I don't even use it often, but I picked it up before the challenge, just in case. So there was certainly some things I didn't need that I wasted a little money on. It was fun, but I'm glad it's over.....

[tinapbeana]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

WOOHOO!!! boe can go to the store and get fruit and veg! how long has it been since you've had a fresh orange? yuuuuuuuummmmm

[boefixepa]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

A fresh orange....a while. But I don't eat them often, even before the challenge. So it's not like it's something I crave. If worse had come to worse I did have canned Mandrian Oranges, and I like them. Now banannas I will be getting a few of those. Even though I have like three pounds of frozen banannas in the freezer...I just like the fresh ones better.

[PRICEPLUS]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

I did not know you could freeze banannas!

[Gruntina]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

I did not know you could freeze banannas!

It helps when you peel the skin off prior to freezing them. I enjoy chocolate covered frozen bananas!

[tinapbeana]

Re: How long without grocery shopping?

I did not know you could freeze banannas!

they get a little mushy after thawing but still perfectly servicable. great for making banana nut bread YUM!!!