Handmade Soap

I found a fantastic easy recipe to make soap. The hard work with the caustic soda is already done, because the Lux soap flakes have already gone through that process, but the result isn't bad.

4 cups Lux soap flakes (with the washing machine powder in your Stoopidmarket)
1 cup milk (cows or goats)
1/2 cup powdered milk
Oils etc for fragrance (we used 1 tsp scented Apple oil per cup of Lux flakes)

Spray your soap moulds with spray cooking oil to prevent the soap from sticking.

Measure out 4 cups Lux Soap Flakes. Measure out about 1 cup milk (You'll add this as needed, you may not use it all, or you may need to add a bit more). Add 1/2 cup milk to the Lux Flakes and begin stirring on a low heat (we used a saucepan directly on low heat, but if you're worried about burning it, use a double boiler). It if looks dry, add more milk and so on, until all the Lux Flakes are melted.

Keep stirring until it begins to look like soft mashed potatoes. It may also look lumpy. Add about 1/2 cup powdered milk - the secret ingredient! The powdered milk will make the mixture very smooth and easy to pour.

It's now that we added our Apple scented oil. You can also add colour at this stage (if you want to - we didn't). When all is done, pour into your mould (it will set quickly), and leave it overnight or until dry. Remove them once they're dry and cure them for 1 week on a drying rack (we used a large biscuit rack).

The soap isn't a very 'bubbly' kind, but is absolutely perfect for washing hands. I am doing a trial and so far, it hasn't left my hands dry, they smell nice from the milky apple scent, and the creamy coloured bar looks really pretty in my bathroom, with the other cream coloured ceramic items I have in there :)

It's a fairly cheap way of making soap too. We did this as a family so we could see how easy this recipe could be, before we tried the caustic soda type (don't have kids around for that.

August Storage

I found a Monthly Food Storage Purchasing Calendar compiled by Andrea Chapman, which again is American and has totally different measurements and storage options than what we have Down Under, but you get the general idea. I love how they stress the need to store water.

August
Week 1: 25# Rice
35# sugar
1 #10 can instant potatoes
5 (kilos) salt

Week 2: 1 case tuna or salmon or other meat
2 #10 cans dry milk (powdered milk?)

Week 3: 2 #10 cans dry milk
2 cans shortening (I would store olive oil here)
1 #10 can instant potatoes

Week 4 Looooots of cans of fruit
5 kilos salt

Seems like a lot, but this is if you are still just starting out. I have to confess, I am going a little slower. I like to make sure I have space to store my food, and enough storage containers to avoid rodents etc getting to my food.

Andrea Chapman says at the top of her calendar:-

"If you are just starting out, this calendar can be used any year. Just start with the current month's items.

We have tried to keep the costs down to between $25 and $35 per week. This might seem rather costly, but if you want to build a good food storage in only one year, it will cost you more each week than if you spread out acquiring it over several years. Be certain to buy only items your family will use, and rotate and use the items in your storage throughout the year. Milk is an expensive item and prices keep soaring, so you might need to invest in a bit higher food storage bill to buy it right now.

It is vital to get water storage. If you don't have water, you will not be able to use many of the foods you have that are dehydrated or require water to cook. Many times in natural disasters, the electricity goes down and you will not be able to access your water. Sometimes the water is contaminated from flooding and cross-contamination from sewage. You will need water, at very least, you will need 3 days worth."

"It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark"

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear" Doctrine and Covenants 38:30

I've heard all kinds of scary things lately - Nostradamus predictions, Myan Calendar doom and gloom, comets could crash, meteorites hurtling through space etc. We're obviously on a collision course for disaster!! But then again, haven't we always been?

It doesn't phase me though, rather just makes me more determined to get my stuff sorted out.

A little while ago I printed out an emergency preparedness calendar from The Idea Door titled "It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark". The Idea Door has had a few problems recently, and this calendar isn't available at present. Lucky I was prepared, and had printed it out ;)

August hints are as follows:-
"For the moment we live in a day of peace, but is shall not ever be thus. Great trials lie ahead...and we must prepare ourselves temporally and spiritually. - Bruce R. McConkie.

Spiritual Goal: Have family home evenings with your family every Monday night.

Priesthood Provident Living Goal: Learn to preserve food in a way that you haven't tried before. Make sure your children receive blessings before school starts.

Storage Goal: 100 quarts fruit and/or vegetables per person
24 pints jam or jelly per person
School supplies
Pet supplies

72 Hour Kit: 1 can tuna and 1 can pork and beans per person
1/2 lb dried milk or 6 shelf-safe milk containers per person
2 packets hot chocolate mix and 2 cup instant soup packets per person
Disposable plates, cups, bowls and silverware
Pet supplies - be sure to include dishes, leash and extra water
$25 cash.

I really do love this idea. We do have slightly different measurements in Australia, and I guess the whole point is that so long as you are doing SOMETHING with your food storage, as well as other areas, then that's a good thing.

I have also been following another Emergency Preparedness plan, but I'll include details of that in a different post. Soooo many to choose from on the net these days.

$20 in 20 mins food storage FHE

I stumbled across this idea last night, although I added a few bits in. The game goes like this:-

1. Divide your family up into groups.
2. Head all together to the supermarket.
3. Give each team $20 and instructions that they have 20 mins to buy as many useable food storage items as they can with their $20.
4. Meet back at the checkout in 20 mins with their goods.
5. The team with the most food storage items wins.

You could do $10 in 10 mins. The point is to teach children about food storage and being money wise all in the same short space of time.

Hubby was quite keen on the idea, and we're going to try it next time I have a spare $40 (for two teams).

He added a varation on the idea:
1. Two teams
2. Head to the supermarket
3. Each team has $20 to buy ingredients in 20 mins for dinner that night (or over two nights).
4. They have to cook dinner at home using only the ingredients they just bought.

Just one problem honey, isn't that what I do normally during the day?? ;)

Lochgary Lamb

For the last couple of months, there has been a Lochgary Lamb van parked on Fridays in the Liquormart car park outside Winston Hills Mall. Curiosity got the better of me a few weeks ago, so I wandered up to find signs stating "$95 1/2 lamb/box" and "Fresh farm lamb". I was intrigued, so I asked the poor guy a million questions "How long had they been in business", "Were their lambs organic", "Were the lambs free range" (dumb question, I know, but these days... some people are really cruel) "Can I have a look?". He was more than happy to answer all my questions.

So Lochgary Lamb has been in business for 3 years. They are family run company. The lambs are free range, and would be certified organic, except they drench them. I got to have a look at the contents of one of the boxes (1/2 lamb) and it looked pretty good. The same quality as Spring Hill Beef, but I liked the look of the Lochgary cuts better. Lochgary made a seasoned roast out of the flap (which was very nice, I have to say. It is a very, very fatty cut of the lamb, and most people don't know what to do with it. Usually ends up being fed to the dogs). $15 cheaper than the lamb from Spring Hill Beef, no scraps (however they do sell dog food separately if you want that - I don't have dogs)

I bought a box last Friday, and the lovely gentleman carried the box to my car!

Overall I'm very pleased with Lochgary Lamb, and will be purchasing from their vendor from now on. Still getting my beef from Spring Hill Beef.

On a side note, Lochgary is having some troubles with their phone and internet. A female member of the family usually mans the phones and email, but her service provider was giving her grief, so she cut off the internet connection, not realising her phone would go as well. They are fixing this up at the moment.

A box ($95) of lamb from Lochgary contains the following:-

10 forequarter chops
3 lamb steaks
2 lamb shanks
1 leg of lamb
10 short loin chops
2 neck chops (I got 4 in my box)
1 rack or 8 cutlets
1 rolled lamb roast (this was the flap seasoned roast)

"Every box contains at least 8kg of farm fresh lamb, and all meat is butchered to meet halal requirements".

My box got a big thumbs up from me :)

www.lochgarylamb.com.au

Eddited 23//9/10 to add that Lochgary Lamb appears to have vanished :( They no longer have a van at Winston Hills and it doesn't appear that you can purchase from them any more. If anyone has any other info, I'd love to know as their lamb was REALLY tasty.

$150 Challenge

Hubby and I were discussing what would happen if we were to not have an extra $150 each week, ie it would be spent on something else, like rent.

We decided to try it and see if we would actually be able to handle it. Then use that $150 where we see fit, either to save for something I need before things get tougher, or to put onto credit cards.

We're only on the second week of this challenge so far, and it has been successful.

There was an emergency at the end of last week and I was very glad I had that cash on hand, but I would have been able to get it from another source if needed.

This week I have another $150 set aside, hiding this time. Out of sight, out of mind! I think this week's $150 will go towards our holiday next week. A night out to a romantic dinner with hubby sounds like a wonderful idea.

We did the $150 challenge, because that's how much we'll end up being out of pocket for if circumstances change, but you could do a $50 a week challenge, and set that aside for whatever you want.

The Experiment

The last little while I have secretly been doing an experiment on my family. Just how long can we get by on Food Storage?

It started mainly to start saving for, and to clean out the fridge before the big celebration we had a few weeks ago for my son's 8th birthday. We ended up with a fridge full for a couple of days after that and gleefully lived on roast beef, pork and salads until that ran out.

Then the lack of food in the fridge hit, and my refusal to buy any more (because I've been saving for other things) and I really wanted to see how long my family would be able to handle living just on what we have available. Apparently the answer is "Two weeks". Poor hubby cracked today and is craving all sorts of things, which just aren't in the cupboard any more. No more chips, soft drink, cordial, meat (we're having the last of the bacon tomorrow), fried chicken, 'normal' soup (he likes brand name soup).

Heaven help us if we actually have no choice but to live off our food storage!

So, would your family be able to complete this challenge? Would you be able to survive on just what is in your pantry cupboard? Do you have appropriate food in there that you can make complete meals out of? Would it be a reasonably balanced diet? Do you know how to make bread/pasta/tortillas etc without running to Google for help?

The 'two weeks' was a bit of a lie. We actually have survived for a few months, with a $100 spend in the middle of that for fresh fruit, veggies, milk, bread and sandwich meat for hubby to take his lunch to work (plus washing powder, tissues, toilet paper, dishwashing detergent etc that I hadn't stored up on, all in that $100 too).

Not a bad experiment, if I may say so yourself.

Try it, you may be suprised!