Help me make a shopping list!

[On Our own]

The chunk is what we specifically planned on putting aside for food stuffs and SHTF supplies. We have a log splitter, we have an emergency fund for the year. DH just lost his job,, but with me working we can be OK tight but OK for a year.

We have most of the canning supplies already, I am shopping for a new pressure canner (bigger), but I definitely need seeds.

We have berry, grape and nut trees around us, but I think I want another nut tree. I think I am leaning toward getting a half of a cow and possibly a whole pig to put up. It is cheaper to buy it that way, healthier when I know where the animal came from.

I agree with abifae and would love to buy eyes! But, I cannot have laser surgery so does anyone know how long you can store eye care products?

Does anyone have other ideas to put on the shopping list? Something that I might be overlooking? AND< what do you know about fuel storage? We really cannot store it for long, it is one of my worries.

 

[me&thegals]

I second FC on the hold the cash and shop for sales.

Aside from that, as an investment....I would agree with Justy, raised beds, heirloom seeds, canning supplies. That is an excellent idea!

I agree with both of you

 

[Beekissed]

Do you have room for food on the hoof? A ram and some ewes could give you meat three times in two years, mow your lawn, produce manure for your garden and keep producing meat and breeding stock.

You could even throw in some woolies for warm clothing requirements, bedding filler, insulation, etc.

 

[Farmfresh]

I am for holding the cash (in as high of an interest paying place as possible) money market perhaps.

SET aside an emergency fund.

Then make a List. (If you already have one of something go to the next item.)

Get out of debt. Completely out.
If you don't already own your own land and home that would be next. Use the money as a good deposit.

One time - last a life time items should be on the list.

Pressure canners
Cast iron
Canning jars
Tools - simple high quality ones

Fencing - good fencing can last a lifetime. Pay particular attention to perimeter fencing. Cross fence can be lower quality.

Investment animals - a little pig will grow to be a big valuable pig. A little cow will eat the grass and become a big valuable cow. Always buy quality stock - preferably registered if you intend to breed them.

Remember with a good list well thought out and cash in hand BARGAINS can be found. DO NOT rush into ANY purchase. Do your homework.

 

[old fashioned]

1. Fruit trees
2. Vegetable seeds
3. Extra freezer
4. Extra shelving unit(s)
5. Foods to fill above freezer/shelf that family likes & I can't produce, including meat sides
6. More chickens/feed
7. Possibly cow or pig to raise + feed. If you don't have the land, look into renting or buddying up with someone who does.

Even if you have some savings, I'd still try to save more. In such an uncertain situation with your DH jobless and the uncertain economy, who's to say you won't be laid off too? Hopefully that won't happen, but ya never know. And just when you think you've got it all figured out, you can get hit with the unexpected. So extra cash is always a good thing to have. Or even buy some gold as a monetary back up.

 

[lalaland]

ok, since you have your emergency fund, then I would add this to your wish list:

A root cellar!
$to order tree seedlings from the county in the spring - the 100 twigs of trees/bushes of your choice that are maybe $25 for the group
One of those huge $100 steel mailboxes to put on a post in the garden to keep hand tools, gloves, twine, knife, etc at the ready
Hand pump for the well, in case electricity goes out
a good truck with a PLOW attachment
more land
more land
more land

 

[framing fowl]

Not really foodstuffs per se, but have you thought about emergency water supplies? Depending on how bad of a SHTF scenario you are planning on, even if you have well water, what if that got contaminated?

I'm a huge pea soup lover so we've got lots of peas and lentils in our pantry. They're cheap and store well. It's bad but I also have a weakness for the Hormel turky chili in the can. It'll probably kill me faster than any disaster scenario but I still have a case of it stashed away

 

[meriruka]

Whenever I get a little bit of extra $, I go to the dry goods store.

I buy flours, dried beans (ones that I can't grow here like garbanzo's), barley, rice, evaporated cane juice, canning salt, egg noodles, tubular pastas, yeast, cocoa, and in winter, dehydrated veggies like leeks, carrots & onions. (Nothing worse than being in the middle of making soup, only to find your carrots or onions have gone south.) I could easily survive for months on what I have in the pantry & freezer.

If you keep most of the stuff in the freezer (the flour especially), it will keep for a year & not get bugs/moths.

 

[Farmfresh]

I keep my flour in a 5 gal bucket with a Gamma Seal lid and stored in the basement. It keeps a REALLY long time that way.

 

[enjoy the ride]

From what is the settlement? If it is from insurance or a lawsuit, it might be tax free. If it is, I would use some of it to start a Roth IRA. You can do a bank account or CD, but what a chance to get that started.
My thing with "found" money is to get one fun thing, pay off outstanding bill (a gift that keepson giving) and set the rest aside.
It is just too easy to fritter it away. And too much fun.