guest post: How to budget to build my food storage?

by Sandi Giesler

note from Cindy:
Let me introduce my friend Sandi. I’ve known her for about 20 years and in the last few years, as I’ve learned more about WHO she really is, we’ve become quite close. I have tremendous respect for her, to the point that I think she’s a real live super hero (not all superheroes wear capes you know). Sandi came to Edmonton from southern BC, as an 18 year old for a job with ETS (Edmonton Transit System) in their book-keeping department. It was an exciting time despite the homesickness that naturally came being so far away from all that was familiar, and though she didn’t know a soul before arriving, she made a life for herself.

Flash forward these many years later, through lots of ups and downs, including a failed marriage that blessed her with two children, now grown up and much loved grandchildren. She raised her kids on her own, a single mother with no local support system, in the days before daycare subsidies. There were often tough, tough choices to make. Sometimes daycare expenses were as high as rent, and some of those choices were between groceries and childcare, but childcare enabled to her go to work, which paid the rent . . . . so food insecurity became a constant companion.

25 years ago, she started a side business helping other ETS employees with their tax returns, to be able to afford necessities that her current income didn’t allow, and to have some needed financial flexibility. To build herself a ‘community’, she volunteered wherever she saw the opportunity – often bringing her kids.

She wears many hats these days: an administrator (City of Edmonton), a personal tax specialist, a Bookkeeper, a chief trustee (Civic Service Union 52), a board member (ABCU Credit Union), a Thrive Life Consultant, an active church member, an active member of her community league, and a VOLUNTEER many times over. She grows a garden at home, and is actively involved in her local community garden. She helps her neighbours. Okay but that’s not what I want to tell you. That’s just all the preface to this: Sandi is out of debt. Now that in itself may not amaze you, but there was a time when she in her own words, ‘had more credit card debt than she earned in two years’. Yikes. I fear there are many who can relate to that kind of bondage. She went from there to being completely debt free other than her mortgage – which is under control and nearing its last days. For this reason, I think most of us can learn a lot from her.

It should be of no surprise to learn that one of her volunteer positions is the Food Bank facilitator in her local Community Garden. In the growing and harvest seasons of gardening, Sandi is regularly delivering produce to homes she’s come to identify in her community with food insecurity.

In our society more of us are IN unmanageable debt, than are out of debt. Did you know that Canada has one of the highest rates of consumer debt in.the.world!?! Not something to be particularly proud of. In this environment, and with every excuse under the sun to BE in debt, she dug her way out of it. Not only that, but she has a respectable start on her family’s food storage. So I asked her to speak at a local event on FOOD STORAGE that I was hosting. I asked her to address the question “How Can I Afford To Build a Storage?”. I asked her to do that because I hear “I can’t afford it” all the time, and I always think of Sandi.
– Cindy

So Sandi, How DO you afford to build a food storage? And what suggestions would you have for those who would like to.

Sandi’s words below:

My answer – just do it!

Let me ask you this Question: what is your biggest fear or reason for not having a Food Storage? 
These are the worries I most often hear . . . . . 
* I don’t know where to start
* I can’t afford it 
* I have no space to store
* I don’t know how to use the stored items to create real meals
* I don’t think my family will eat that food 

I’ve been a single mom for most of my parenting years.  I have two adult children and five grandchildren.  They are my life. 
As a single mom with limited means, I struggled tremendously with providing healthy, nourishing meals for my children on the limited income I earned when they were little.
I wanted better for my family and I searched out ways that I could afford better options.
Over 25 years ago, I started my home based business of helping people with their taxes, to allow for the extras that I could not afford otherwise.
Over time that transitioned into other earning streams and I utilize all my resources to ensure I have what I need for today, tomorrow and next year with the peace of mind that I have the basics covered.

I continue to learn each and every day and I have a wish list always on the go to ensure I keep that peace of mind and better the lives of myself, my children and my grandchildren. 
Accounting runs in my blood but unfortunately I do not have an accounting designation.  Nevertheless most of what I do for work revolves around finances.  So it is interesting to me that though finances used to be my biggest worry, my understanding of them became my biggest ally. 

I wear many hats in addition to my main jobs of a mother and grandmother.
A year ago, I was invited to teach a class in my community about getting out of debt because – other than my mortgage – I AM OUT OF DEBT. 
It was thought that because I had reached that important goal myself, I might have something to offer people like me – who at one time couldn’t see how getting out of debt was even possible. Some thought that my story might help people feel they could DO IT too.  The truth is – it’s been a tough road but I knew I was the only chance my kids had to have a better life than my own.  I was their sole provider, their support system, and their example – for good or bad.   Remaining in debt wasn’t going to help me be a better mom, and it certainly wasn’t going to help me with any of those priorities. 

Our community thought my story provided me with some credibility, and that along with my practical advice, I might be able to provide hope.  I don’t know how much influence or credibility I might have in those areas – but I know one thing.  I LIVED THE LIFE.  I DID IT.  I GOT MYSELF OUT OF DEBT.   For all those same reasons, I am here to address the problem many people think they have when it comes to Food Storage. The “I CANNOT AFFORD IT” mindset.  That is a DEFEATIST statement and I spent my share of time with that kind of defeatist attitude.  It got me NOWHERE.  Long ago, I decided that I had to be stronger than that.  When one really thinks something is important – when it Really IS important, then it’s amazing what you can do to make it happen.  You will do whatever you need to! 

I admit, when I first became serious about it, Food Storage was not foreign to me, but when it became important to me, it became a PRIORITY.  I knew that I would find a way and I found a way.   I’ll share my secrets with you.  Hopefully you may find some of them helpful.

FOOD STORAGE Rules I live by:

1. Never, EVER buy food storage with money you do not have!  

2. Set a monthly budget and stay within it – if you don’t have one yet START now! 
Keep your grocery receipts for a one month period and write down an itemized list of what you bought.  Were those items on your grocery list?

3. Shop the Sales but only purchase what you use – don’t add in exotic or one-of meal add-ons to start off with. 

Consider making a multi-family purchasing group so that you can buy in bulk and each family gets a share of the discounted product. 
ie: I can’t use a case of store bought soup in my food storage but I would like to have 4-6 cans and can share the rest.   
This could also be preserving equipment that could be shared between a group (ie meat slicer, vacuum sealing unit, pressure canner, etc). 

4. Make your money work for you – I purchase on a credit card that gets paid off each month but I earn air miles on my purchases or scene points that I can redeem for other items my family can use during the year: cash back, points, aeroplan miles, store apps for discounted/coupons, etc. 
WARNING: This only works if you are IN CONTROL of yourself and DON’T GIVE IN TO THE TEMPTATION to overspend.  

5. ONLY STORE WHAT YOU EAT.   When you do otherwise, it is wasted money that you could have used to buy something more useful. This also includes your grocery store fruits and vegetable purchases – only purchase if you are using it in your meal prep that week.
Stats say 47% of food is wasted in Canada.   That’s a shocking $47 out of every $100! 
As a single person I am in a risk category for high food waste, especially when it comes to produce.  Because of that, I take precautions to avoid waste. 
I want to buy food that I never have to throw out.   That counts big time in my books.  

6. EAT WHAT YOU STORE.  You need to be rotating your stock and have confidence that every item is usable to you and your family.
Space is at a premium when you are building a 6 month to 1 year food storage – don’t waste that space on something you won’t be using. 
Make sure your food storage takes many different forms – a single form (ie freezer), may not be that convenient and long lasting if you lost power for a few days.
Frozen, canned, freeze dried, cold storage, home preserved – these all have a place in your food storage as they all have varying lengths of storage life and costs. 

Slow and Steady wins the race.  
7. Be patient, and long sighted. This is a long term goal.  You will never reach it if you give up. Dedicating a portion of your budget to Food Storage is moving forward constantly.  Use it and rotate it so that it becomes ‘groceries’.  
When you have extra money – devote it to Food Storage.  Those bulk purchases are a GOD-send. 

Make it a lifestyle.  It is my choice to have a food storage – with all that goes into that choice.  With it, comes PEACE OF MIND in a troubling world where nothing is certain.  It is worth it to me. 
In the end, my food storage isn’t quite where I’d like it to be, but I am content with my continued progress.  

The average Albertan spends almost $300 per person on monthly groceries.  I tend to fall right into that average. In the summer, I garden, which helps with fresh produce; in the winter I purchase more fruits and vegetables so my spending may go up an additional $50 per month. I also buy freeze dried food on a monthly basis, which I use regularly. This keeps my waste to a minimum (wasted food = wasted money).

When I have extra money, I set it aside for the bigger sales (which I’ve learned come every spring and fall). During those bigger sales (for which I budget extra money) I buy more expensive items that get higher discounts at these times.  
Make no mistake, I eat very well.   Nutrition is a priority with me.   I have made some big health changes in the last couple of years that I’m very happy about.  And I am committed to moving forward with them.

When I started really getting serious about building my food storage, I knew that freeze dried food was where I wanted to focus my energies and resources. I do it gradually, adding to it every month, and so it made sense that I’d want the biggest bang for my buck. I decided if I was going to buy monthly anyway, I might as well get a kickback in the way of commission on my own purchases that I could turn around and reinvest if I wanted to. So I became a consultant. My original intention was not to work the business, just to benefit from available perks, but I found myself dabbling in the business and enjoying the process when I told others about it. You never know where something like this will lead you, and I’ve been around enough to know I enjoy new adventures.

I enjoy sharing my resources as well as my knowledge, but I don’t consider myself an expert at Food Storage.   I’m just a mom who wants the best for my kids, doing what I think is the best. 

Sandi Giesler
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