by Hope
Last week, the governor declared a state of emergency and our pantry was EMPTY! We had been eating through our pantry prior to our trip to see my parents, so it was pretty bare around here. With the imminent arrival of Joaquin predicted and our empty cupboard…I may have overspent on groceries, spending our entire monthly budget in one fell swoop. (I did not spend the weekly amount allotted for fresh, organic milk delivery.)
I wanted to be prepared for the storm. (They compared the predicted results to a storm here in the Fall of 2003 when we lost power and clean water for almost 2 weeks.) I stocked up on gallons of water, batteries for flashlights and canned/non-refrigerated food.
And I wanted to fill our cupboards for our regular meals. So I restocked the freezer with frozen meats and veggies, brought fresh fruit and sandwich makings. I realize this was counter-productive if we had faced significant power outages, but with grills and cooler and ice, this has worked for us in the past.
The food overwhelmed our tiny space and our counter tops are covered in cans and boxes. It looks like the olden days when we had plenty of room to store food.
We are very thankful that the storm did not come ashore here, and that we kept power for the most part during the 6 days of solid rain. And we are truly enjoying having a bounty of food to choose from during our days to cook the family meals (we rotate through the week based on our ever changing activity schedules.)
But I’m doubtful that the groceries will last the month, especially the fresh fruit. I guess only time will tell, but for the first time in some months I may go over on a grocery budget by a pretty penny.
On the flip side…got a call about a potential job which means I may bring in some extra money this month. Woot, woot!
