When Cheapest isn't Best!

Often, I can be found at our local grocery store doing price-per-ounce comparisons, buying in bulk, and/or buying store-brand items.  I do this to try to save money which allows me to funnel those savings back into buying additional storage.  All of these things are good price-saving strategies, but in some cases they aren't the best strategies for your home storage.

Here are some examples:

Oils
Cheapest -  I know that I can save a lot of money buy buying my cooking oil in bulk (large containers) at warehouse stores.  I've learned, however, that oils don't store well long term.  I am careful to keep my oil in a cool (basement), dark (in a box) area to maximize storage potential.  Often, though, I will open some oil and use it for a month or two.  As is typical with oil that have been stored for a while, it soon starts to smell rancid and I throw it out.  So, in this case, buying large containers of oil just results in waste.

Better - Now I buy cooking oil in small containers.  I find that even if it has been stored for a year, I am able to use it fast enough that it doesn't turn rancid.

Sandwich Dressing
Cheapest - There are two problems that I have with these giant-but-cheaper containers of Miracle Whip and/or mayonnaise.  The first issue is that they contain a lot of oils and behave similarly to stored oils as I've described above.  The second issue is that my growing boys use these dressings for sandwich making and they aren't so careful about cross contamination.  The result is mustard or pickle bits that end up in the dressing.  Yuck!  I only had to learn this lesson once.  I had a huge mayonnaise container in my fridge and it seemed to last forever (and take a ton of fridge space).  I did my best to keep it cross-contamination free, but there was only so much I could do.  I couldn't wait to get rid of it.

Better - Now I buy small bottles/containers of these dressings.  Once opened, we are able to eat the contents quickly.  I personally prefer the squeezable bottles because there isn't any danger of mustard cross-contamination.  I also realize that in an potential emergency situation where I don't have electricity, I am much more likely to be able to use the contents of these small bottles quickly without having to worry about refrigeration.

Peanut Butter
Cheapest - Big bulk jars.  Peanut butter contains a lot of oil which has all of  the challenges listed with oils above.  We eat some, but not enough to keep up with those big jars. 

Better - I buy smaller jars and rotate and donate more often in order to avoid rancid peanut butter.  Your family might eat peanut butter quickly enough to avoid this issue.  We don't.

Powdered Milk
Cheapest - I originally thought all powdered milk was the same.  Boy, was I wrong!  I've found that choosing powdered milk is an extremely personal purchase.  Some are sweet, some are cheap, and some more closely resemble the milk that you are used to drinking. 

Better - I made sure to taste several brands of milk before deciding which brand to store.  I also evaluated my powdered milk use to determine how much we would use for drinking and/or baking.  I did find one that I really like and I wait for sales, but it isn't as cheap as some powdered milks that are available (and that I like a lot less).  I'm always hesitant to recommend one brand, but instead encourage you to find what YOU like before you store a lot of it.

Known Brands
Cheapest -  Once I bought a large supply of a no-name brand of chili. It tasted terrible! After trying several cans, we donated the rest to the food bank. I've unfortunately made the same mistake several times.

Better - Now I stick to buying brands that we've already tried, especially if I'm buying a lot.

Unfamiliar Foods
Cheapest - I mentioned this story once before, so forgive me for the repeat.  I found an awesome deal on Kix cereal.  I had young kids and was sure they would like it.  So, I bought tons.  Needless to say, they hated the cereal.  So again, after several creative tries to use it, I ended up donating most of it to the food bank. 

There is so much wisdom in the current recommendation to store three months of food that you already regularly eat.  I once read that kids will starve rather than eat unfamiliar food.  It's true that at some point, most of us, even kids, would eat almost anything rather than starve.  But I can honestly see my kids resisting and consequently whittling themselves down and compromising their health before they would get to that point. 

Better - I try to store food items and recipes that are tried and true.  We regularly introduce new foods to our kids, but I don't store those items until I know that they like it.  Sometimes that means I have to pay a higher price to get those familiar foods, but it prevents waste.

Seeds
Cheapest - I thought it would be a good idea to make sure that I had a full garden's worth of seeds for the next year in my storage.  It's fantastic to get those after-season deals each year and I thought I would be better prepared for next year.  I didn't realize, however, that some seeds have a very limited viability.  Onions seeds are a good example.  I plant green onion seeds every year.  But when I tried to grow onions from those season-old seeds,  I think I maybe got a handful of green onions at best.  "Bargain" seeds can have similar results. 

Better - When an entire harvest is dependent upon the quality of the seeds, it's best to choose name brands and buy in season.  One note here:  There are some seeds that are easily over wintered.  This is an area in which it pays to do a little homework.  You can also learn how to collect and preserve your own seeds.  This is a great self-reliance skill (that I'm still working on).

*****

You get the idea, right?  Though it is good to save money, it's better to be smart.  Don't buy bulk, store-brand, or even with a group order (even if it a killer deal) unless it is food that works with your own storage habits and your own family's tastes.  Sometimes it's worth it to spend a little extra money.

The Value of Nesquik

For the past few months, I have been cooking with a probably twelve year-old #10 can of Rainy Day instant powdered milk. I use it primarily for baking and I haven't had any problems with it. For the first time in years, we ran out of milk this morning. So, I made some up using my powdered milk.

Everyone raved over the peppermint cocoa served with the powdered milk just as they came in from a snowy morning of sledding. However, my four year old commented on his cup of straight milk served at dinner tonight, "Mom, this milk smells funny." I picked up my cup and cringed as I realized that I might not be able to stomach the milk either. After a mutiny by the entire family, I pulled out the Nesquik (which I used to know as Nestle Quik) to make "chocolate milk." Every time someone commented on the yucky milk, my teen-aged son would add an additional tablespoon-full to his glass. The Nesquik wasn't great, but the milk tasted worse without it.

I've always kept a few containers of Nesquick in my storage and I'll make sure to continue to do so for situations like this. This is also a good reminder to make sure that you taste and like the powdered milk that you choose to store for drinking. What you store for cooking matters less.

Click here for past posts on powdered milk.

Powdered Milk Taste-Test

I love this post by Angela at Adventures in Self-Reliance. She got samples of most of the major powdered milk brands, conducted a taste test, and posted her results. She has some great information.

As you can see from her ratings, personal preference varied widely (with a few brands more broadly liked or disliked). As her tasters sampled one of the brands of milk, they were surprised to find out that they didn't like it. Angela writes, "I had some folks about cry when they found out how bad it tasted because that was the only kind they had stored."

Once again, this shows the importance of tasting the powdered milk that you store!

milk conversion

If you like the idea of using powdered milk regularly in your cooking, you'll probably need a conversion chart. I used to write the conversion amounts onto the paper labels of my #10 cans of milk. Unfortunately, I often threw away the can without remembering to transfer all of my math. So, my can would sit, unused, until I sat down and refigured the numbers. Now I keep a conversion chart on my fridge.

Here is a milk-math chart for you (and for me):

1 gallon milk = 2 & 2/3 c. powdered milk + 1 gallon water

1 quart milk = 2/3 c. powdered milk + 1 quart water

2 cups milk = 1/3 c. powdered milk + 2 cups water

1 cup milk = 3 T. powdered milk + 1 cup water

1/2 cup milk = 1 & 1/2 T powdered milk + 1/2 cup water

1/3 cup milk = 1 T powdered milk + 1/3 cup water

You may also want to print out this cute powdered milk conversion chart created by Crystal at Everyday Food Storage. You can hang this on your fridge or tape it to your can of powdered milk.

Note: Check your milk containers to compare conversions. Amounts to use actually vary by brand (and by non-instant vs. instant).

milk - additional items for longer-term storage

Milk provides calcium and protein, both of which are particularly important for growing children and nursing mothers. Milk also adds flavor to many recipes and sauces. Evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, shelf-stable milk, chocolate milk or cocoa mix (with milk included), and/or canned cheese, can also be stored to provide calcium needs. These other calcium products, however, have shorter shelf lives and need to be rotated regularly.

Researchers at BYU have found that powdered milk can be stored in #10 cans for up to 30 years in ideal conditions. Non-instant and instant powdered milk both store well long term. Powdered milk costs anywhere from $7 to more than $18 per #10 can. Milk can also be purchased in cardboard boxes or other containers. If you purchase it this way, you'll need to transfer the powdered milk into PETE containers and add an oxygen absorber for long term storage.

Make sure that you taste the brand of milk before you store large quantities of it. LDS home storage milk is the one of the cheapest brands ($7), but many people (including me) don’t like the taste. Don't know which milk you like the best? Have a powdered milk tasting party/enrichment. It's a fun and inexpensive way to sample the different milks without buying a large can of each.

I also recommend that you read the labels before buying large quantities of powdered milk. Some are actually milk alternatives and have added sugar and/or hydrogenated fats and less protein. Some kids prefer powdered milk made this way. However, these added/substituted ingredients can affect cooking and baking.

Here is an older post on powdered milk that talks more about specific brands and easy ways to rotate it from your longer-term supply into your three-month supply: More On Powdered Milk.

powdered milk

Unless you have a cow, powdered milk might be a product on your three-month supply breakfast menus and shopping lists. Yesterday, Gracie (http://urbanprairieliving-gracie.blogspot.com/) asked about powdered milk. So, today I'll write some thoughts on powdered milk.

Recently, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints changed their powdered milk shelf-life estimates. Recent scientific studies showed that powdered milk can be stored for up to 20 years (depending upon storage and packaging conditions as well as the quality of milk). 20 years gives you a long time to rotate through your powdered milk.

There are a lot of different companies that make powdered milk. Most stores even offer in-house brands, though these are usually sold in boxes. I would strongly suggest that you buy powdered milk in #10 cans rather than in cardboard boxes, which are poor containers for storage. If you like a brand that comes in a box, make arrangements to use a canner and transfer the milk into #10 cans.

Some common brand names of powdered milk are Provident Pantry, LDS Cannery (not really a brand name), Morning Moo, Carnation, Country Cream, and Country Milk. The prices vary widely from around $8 to $18 per #10 can. It's important to taste the milk you're storing. Brand preference seems to vary widely. Which milk you prefer will likely depend a lot on the kind of milk you normally drink. To save yourself from buying a lot of milk, only to discover that you hate it, share samples with your neighbors or start by buying only one can (small if possible) of any brand of milk.

I've tasted most of these brands and personally found Country Cream to be most similar to the 1% milk that we drink. Country Cream is more expensive than most powdered milks. I buy it, though, because I know that my kids will drink it. I don't like the cannery milk, but know some that really like it. You're lucky if you fall into that category, because cannery milk is also one of the cheapest powdered milks. If you find that you like Morning Moo, you need to be aware that it is a milk ALTERNATIVE. They've added sugar and partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil (trans-fats) to it as well. I like the taste of Morning Moo, but would hesitate to cook with it.

You can also store evaporated milk or shelf-stable milk to supply your milk. These are both more expensive alternatives.

If your family doesn't normally drink powdered milk, but you want to use it for your three-month supply, you can mix some and add it to your regular milk. You might start with proportions like 1/2 regular milk and 1/2 reconstituted powder milk. If you gradually increase the proportion of powdered milk over time, it may help your family to get used to a different milk taste. Powdered milk can also be added to basic baking recipes like bread, pancakes, oatmeal and sauces. Because of the longer shelf-life and by using powdered milk regularly, you should easily be able to rotate your powdered milk.