$2.25 Emergency Menu plan part 2

today I continue my thoughts on the $2.25 menu plan. this plan used to be called the $2.00 plan. basically all you do is buy rice and beans! or pasta and tomato sauce with meatballs. however, i thought about it. if you are only able to buy two items worth at a time from the discount store weekly, per person consider this idea:

week one; buy two grain items
week two; buy two protein items
week three; buy $1.20 in canned veggies and $1.00 in canned leafy greens
week four; buy two cans of fruit...preferably the 29 oz. cans.
week five; buy two liquids such as soy milk, soda, coffee/tea, etc...
week six; buy two items re: fats/oils/sweets
week seven; buy $2.20 worth of baked goods
week eight; buy $2.10 worth of one gallon of water!
week nine; buy $2.00 worth of spices!

if each week you plan to spend$2.25 but don't use all of the change then save it in a piggy bank until you have enough change saved up to buy an item, or two, or ten.

at nine weeks worth of items to buy, and rotating the purchases you would cycle through this plan at least 5.77 times a year.

what's the worse that can happen if you do not purchase a variety of shelf stable food? well, worse comes to worse you buy beans and rice once a week! it may be boring and bland (heck yeah!) but at least you will survive.

$2.25 EMERGENCY MENU PLAN

this is it... THE BARE BONES DEAL. any cheaper than this would be one dollar for one can meals. with only two dollars and possibly twenty-five cents the combinations are ENDLESS (LOL). you want to get the most bang for your buck...litereally!

1. grain/protein combo
2. water/liquid

1. grain
2. protein

hmmm....choices, choices.

i already gave an example in the $4.25 emergency menu of canned meals combining grains and proteins. here is one more i'm sure many people would recognize.... beef stew. it has grains, proteins, and more! it has vegetables as well.

as time goes on you will definitely want and need vegetables and fruits to compliment your diet. both of these categories supply needed vitamins andminerals to help keep the body balanced. if you believe you will not be able to store fruits and vegetables, might i suggest a vitamin supplement to be taken immediately after eating your meal. a vitamin supplement will only work with a full stomach. why? it needs the fat from the foods to help break down the supplement for better digestion.

btw... the 99 cents only store also sells supplements.

$4.25 EMERGENCY MENU

back in the late 80's and 90's $4.25 was minimum wage. it would have only taken you one hour of work to buy these items at the 99cents only store! for those subsisting on minimum wage today and still want to prepare this may be the plan for you: especially if there is more than one person involved.

1. grain/protein combo
2. vegetable or fruit
3. fats or baked goods
4. liquids

notice how suddenly you have to choose between one or the other. in #1 there are many canned goods that can be boought with both grain and protein combined. examples are....

a. mac n cheese
b. beef n mac in tomato sauce
c. red beans and rice
d. black beans and rice

all you need to do is look in the canned goods aisle of your dollar discount/loss leader store.

REMEMBER...ROTATE ROTATE ROTATE!

$5.25 EMERGENCY MENU

a condensced version if you are on a tighter budget and have more people to prepare for.

1. grain
2. protein
3. vegetable
4. fruit/oil
5. baked goods/liquids

this one was originally titled $5.00 emergency menu

$7.25 EMERGENCY MENU

this was the original menu i planned for myself and my sister after she got on the bandwagon. we both are in agreement that cali is due for a MAJOR QUAKE! one that could shut off our water supply for days if not weeks. therefore we want to plan accordingly. however, my sis was on a very tight budget. both checks were going to completely pay her two major bills: house and car. and her dh was laid off because his assignment in construction had run its course.

well to help her i reminded her of the 99cents only store. to get her started i created this menu, originally titled $7.00 emergency menu. then i went to the store and got her a gift card for $9.99. also i got her a gift basket for the family. the basket was of a cheap plastic bucket. in the bucket i put in $7.00 worth of food to start off her pantry. i got her one of each of the following

1. grains
2. protein
3. vegetables/soup
4. fruit
5. liquids
6. oil
7. baked goods

so waht did i get her? same thing i get any of my friends to start their pantry with

1. rice
2. beans
3. senecal vegetables (2)
4. applesauce
5. soy milk---shelf stable and didn't expire for ONE YEAR!
6. vegetable oil
7. pancake mix--no eggs required just add water. perfect for camping out or for emergencies

at the time everyone had the flu in their homes. my sis' family was on the BRAT DIET. so i tried to give her food that went along with it. BRAT DIET is a bland diet that will help bind and not cause bowel movements. it is a low fiber diet for when people, especially children, have a stomach virus.

B Banana
R Rice
A Applesauce
T Toast

and don't forget now you can by pedialyte at the 99cents only store!!! it comes in four different flavors there!

$8.25 emergency grocery

1. grains
2. protein
3. vegetables/soup
4. fruit
5. liquids/powder mixes
6. fats/oils/sweets
7. baked goods
8. WATER!!!


i personally have used the dollar store (99cents only store) to store up my pantry. since it is canned goods it is considered mainly short term food storage. short term food storage is good for people who are just starting to store food for emergencies. the idea is to change out the food within 6 months to one year. eventually you want to expand to storing long term storage (lts) foods. however, that requires more income and a working credit/debit card. of which i have neither! SO FOR NOW short term food storage works for me.

the $8.25 menu plan was the latest creation i made for my endeavours. i originally started with a $7.00 menu. water was included in #5 along with milk, sports drinks, juices and powdered mixes. finally i said, just add a dollar more and have the gallon of water included automatically! that way you can still have your flavored drink or other beverage of choice.