~ from my home to yours, living the Working Pantry lifestyle ~ surviving today's economy ~ a can-do spirit and attitude ~

Monday, August 15, 2016

Our Journey to a Mortgage Free Home: #3



We left you with this in our last post!  So, what did we do with this mess????


Come on, I'll show you ....



Yep, we tore it down ...




completely ....


and burned it!


Then it was time for the rest of the clean-up!


Finally, a cleared lot!

Just you wait to see what we moved onto this nice clear lot ... I can't tell you how many people questioned our sanity when they saw it!!!  If I had been them, I would have too!!!

Here are a few hints:

it was old (built in 1932) ...

it had been a house and had served as a church at different times ...

it had a huge hole in the roof ...

it had a big hole in the floor directly under the huge hole in the roof ...

it had no inside walls, only studs ...

it was home to many creatures ...

it was full of trash (this is an under statement) ...

it had been neglected for lots of years ...

it had been used for storage for all of those 'lots of years' (You know the kind of storage where you just open the door and throw it in?)

the structure was sound ...

it was what we could pay cash for ...

I'm trying to prepare you for the picture ... which will come in the next entry of our journey!

Yes, I know you love me!!!!

Until next time,
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

Items I use in keeping my pantry well-stocked:

Dehydrator

Dehydrator Teflon Sheets

Dehydrator Cookbook

Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

Herb/Coffee Bean Grinder

Manual Food Chopper

Pressure Canner

Canning Supplies

Food Scale

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Let's Talk ... About Re-Canning

Re-canning, for the purpose of this post, is when you purchase items in #10 size cans or other large containers and re-can them.

I've done it with great success!

Here are a few things that can be re-canned to give you an idea, there are many others:

black olives (follow canning instructions as if you were canning them for the first time.)

tomatoes  (follow canning instructions as if you were canning them for the first time.)

green beans (follow canning instructions as if you were canning them for the first time.)

ketchup (follow canning instructions as if you were canning them for the first time.)

tomato sauce  (follow canning instructions as if you were canning them for the first time.)

mushroom pieces (follow canning instructions as if you were canning them for the first time.)

No the black olives and green beans are not mush, nor are the mushrooms.

Why would you want to re-can?  What are the advantages?

Many times #10 size cans or other large containers of an item are cheaper.

Maybe your garden didn't produce all you needed and using this method to finish stocking your pantry will meet your needs.

If you can't use it all, it's a way to keep it from going to waste.

Here are some posts that talk about re-canning (be sure to read the comments as well):

Canning, -- Well Re-Canning 

Canning and Re-Canning 

Recanning Store Bought Tomato Sauce

Have you done any re-canning from store bought #10 size cans of vegetables or fruits?   

What are your thoughts on re-canning?

patsi

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.'

You can follow A Working Pantry on Facebook and Instagram. 

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting this site via one of these ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Our Journey to a Mortgage Free Home: #2

So what did we do with the mess that I showed you in the last post?

Come on I'll show you ...





First we had to mow the grass, the whole place was really grown up!




That's better, we can at least see the structure ...




Oh my ....  this project was definitely not for the faint of heart!





We hauled load after load after load of burned scrap metal out of the structure to the recycling center ... the good news ... we sold enough scrap metal to recover $1300.00 of the price we paid for the property!

The yard is mowed and the structure is cleaned out of anything that is salvageable, now it's time to ...

Hmm, I'll think I'll wait until the next entry to share that with you!

Until next time,
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

Items I use in keeping my pantry well-stocked:

Dehydrator

Dehydrator Teflon Sheets

Dehydrator Cookbook

Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

Herb/Coffee Bean Grinder

Manual Food Chopper

Pressure Canner

Canning Supplies

Food Scale

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Pantry Building Pep Talk!

Or I could have titled it ... Let's Be Honest!


One of the statements I hear most often when talking with others about keeping a well-stocked pantry is, “I don’t have the money to buy groceries and stock a pantry too.”   While I certainly agree that this is true for some, for most it is not.

Let’s see if we can find some funds in the budget for those in the ‘it is not’ category …

What could you add to your pantry by using the money, or even a portion of it, that you use to eat out with each month?  This includes meals, lunches, money you spend in the vending machine at work, breakfast you pick up on the way to work, lattes, etc.

Add up the amount … go ahead … I’ll wait …

Done?

How much did you get?  This amount is above and beyond what you spend at the grocery store for groceries so … we just found you some money to help stock your pantry!

I am a firm believer in keeping and maintaining a well-stocked pantry.  I share my reasons HERE! I also believe that a well-stocked pantry encompasses so much more than just food.  You can read what I consider my pantry HERE!

patsi

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.'

You can follow A Working Pantry on Facebook and Instagram. 

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting this site via one of these ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Our Journey to a Mortgage Free Home: #1

What do you do when you want to be a homeowner, but you don't want a mortgage?  
You get ready to get creative!

Let me back up, several years ago we moved to the state we live in now from a different state.  We owned our home in the state we moved from, so we put it up for sale shortly after moving. When we sold our home, we essentially broke even after our mortgage was paid off, which didn't give us anything to start over with. That was okay though, because we had decided that we never wanted another mortgage.  We were so glad to not be paying a mortgage on a house in one state and rent for another in another state that we didn't give much thought to the monumental task we had set before us!  Since we had nothing to start over with, we had to get creative if we wanted to be homeowners again. 

Our creativity started out looking like this ... 




... a burned-out house and a grown-up lot.



 We did a lot of praying and with the help of a dear friend putting in a good word for us with the owner (someone else was interested in buying the property too), we were on our way to home ownership again, this time mortgage free.  We paid $3000 for a little less than an acre of land and this burned-out house.

Let me say from entry one of this series that we give God all the glory and praise for the help and helpers He provided for us along the way.

So, what did we do with this mess ... that's what I'll share in the next entry!

Until next time,
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

Items I use in keeping my pantry well-stocked:

Dehydrator

Dehydrator Teflon Sheets

Dehydrator Cookbook

Food Saver Vacuum Sealer

Herb/Coffee Bean Grinder

Manual Food Chopper

Pressure Canner

Canning Supplies

Food Scale

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.