Sustainable People

This blog will not be political, mostly, but this has been a big week of nothing new! So, with that being said, moving right along. I want to talk about getting a bit more independent and self-sustaining. It's November and this is a great time of year to spend just a few extra dollars to enjoy the savings all winter long. Groceries do not figure in to the statistics for increased cost of living in Washington DC. Politicians must not do their own shopping, is my guess. I bet the lobbyists shop for them! Okay that's all I'm going to say about politics, as you can see, I am completely non-partisan in my snarkasm.
Now, on to important matters like our own groceries and the things we can control. Even if you are not homesteading or attempting sustainable farming, November is a big month for stocking up on a few items of value later on.
This month is simply grand for stocking up on sustainable items for the winter. First, turkeys are the best price they'll be all year! And one turkey will not only feed a crowd, but will also. . . make several meals throughout the winter, when cooked and divided and placed back in the freezer. If possible, buy an extra turkey and cook it up. It can even be frozen whole, then cooked when you want a part of it, then boned and refrozen already cooked and in portion packages. Each leg quarter will make a huge pot of turkey and noodles. The breast will make several meals and awesome turkey salad. The back, neck, and wings are the perfect dinner the night you cook the whole turkey. Absolutely delicious! I've got a good turkey pie recipe I'll be sharing in the next week or two, as well. Oh, but that's not all. Just think of the ingredients of everything on the Thanksgiving dinner table, because that's what the sales are based on. Sugar is on sale, flour is on sale, cream cheese, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and coffee are all on sale and usually so are green beans or some vegetables. I buy several bags of cranberries because they are not indigenous to this part of the country and then I can them or freeze them, as space and time permit. I'm not one to invent work for "homemade" but I have chicken entree that I like to serve with cranberries, so I like them on hand even in July. Many of these sales will serve you well, economically, and have a pretty decent shelf life. Don't go groupon! Just purchase things you actually use, but do consider a dozen eggs and half a bag of flour will make three batches of noodles or dumplings. Canned pumpkin will last for ages and it doesn't have to become pie. I have a great recipe for pumpkin butter that can be made from canned pumpkin and is delicious on snack crackers. It's so delicious, my Grandchildren said I don't have to make pumpkin pie any more, they just take pumpkin butter and Ritz crackers and fix themselves up all they want!
I'm not recommending hoarding, but getting the limits on all of the sale items will really only increase the food budget about 25% at the most, and you probably don't want all that anyway. Determine before you go and set in your mind what these items will do to save money in the coming months. If you don't drink coffee, don't double your purchase, obviously, but if you do I can tell you this with absolute certainty. Even for coffee lovers like me, it tastes much better in January at the November sale price than it ever does at regular price!