could you survive? challenge

**forestdale** · 07-05-2005, 04:46 PM

I am going to be very busy over the next three weeks, so busy that I've decided not to waste any time shopping.  I decided last night that we'll survive on what we have in the house and the backyard for those three weeks.

Does anyone care to join me in this challenge?  How long could you survive without going out to shop for groceries, bread, milk etc?  I see it as a very useful exercise to test my stockpile, my abilities for planning and resourcefulness and just making do with what I have.

Every day I'll post what we had for breakfast, lunch and dinner the previous day.  I'll also tell you if we need something we don't have and if I make do with what we do have.

Last night I made a huge pot of vegetable and barley soup with herb dumplings.  DH is now having tea and tomatoes on toast for breakfast, I'll have crumpets and tea soon.  I'll post about lunch tomorrow.

Anyone else onboard?

**mom2matty** · 07-05-2005, 05:33 PM

I am doing something similar but it won't last as long as you are going for........we leave on vacation on the 14th and I am not shopping for anything or bringing any new groceries into this house until we are back on the 24th.........we are camping on this vacation so I will have to shop once we go but not before! I plan to make as much use of my pantry and freezer as possible for this vacation as well!

**forestdale** · 07-05-2005, 05:42 PM

good luck, Blanche, I hope you all have a great vacation.

It doesn't really matter how long the challenge goes for. I'm guessing everyone will set their own time period. The challenge is to stretch ourselves and make do with what we have on hand rather than running off to the store. It's practising the dicipline needed in times of hardship and also if we had a big disaster.

I'm pretty sure I can last two weeks but I'm challenging myself to go three. I'll do it or die trying.

**homesteadmamma** · 07-05-2005, 06:02 PM

Rhonda has much as I'd like to do this I just can't. I can't justify using up my stockpile and then having to go out and buy more to build up my stockpile again along with my regular pantry. We're limited here has to how much we spend both on our regular groceries (pantry) and on my stockpile.

I'm also in the process of adding more to both my stockpile and pantry because in another couple months, fall will be here.

Good luck in your challenge.

**forestdale** · 07-05-2005, 06:10 PM

Thanks CJ. I plan on using what I don't spend for three weeks on building up my stockpile again. I'm really not sure how much I will use from the stockpile - if I have too much of somethings and not enough of others. It will be a very useful exercise in that regard. It will also be useful to learn how to make do when I do run out of certain things.

Good luck adding to your stockpile. Stockpiling isn't really a seasonal thing here, like it is for you over there. Everything is available year round here. I do like the idea of canning and preserving our harvest for later in the year though and I hope we have another bumper tomato crop that I can make into sauce and relish.

**homesteadmamma** · 07-05-2005, 06:24 PM

Rhonda stockpiling isn't a seasonal thing here either. The reason I really begin stockpiling at this time of the year is because of our severe winters. We can purchase pretty much anything any time of the year (just more costly at certain times).

With our winters such as they are, many times you can't get out to the city to do a major shopping. I also don't like driving on icy roads. Thats my main reason for stockpiling.

I do agree with you in that it can be very useful on making do. We lived on our stockpile for almost 2 years a number of years ago when dh was out of work. It can be done if you've planned well.

**QuilterMom** · 07-05-2005, 07:16 PM

I would love to try this, another time. We have to get milk and bread a couple of times a week because I go through both of them so fast now. LOL

**gkp1031** · 07-05-2005, 09:06 PM

I've been working on using what I have here and so far its going good! I have been buying perishable items weekly, fruit, milk, yogurt and veggies, but nothing else!

**jlxian** · 07-06-2005, 09:10 AM

We could probably do this but would run out of milk and bread in no time flat. I haven't tried powdered milk on the kids yet, but I don't think they would go for it. Our garden is just beginning to produce enough to supplement our meals (carrots, zucchini, new potatoes, and beets at this point), but isn't enough YET to be the entire food source.

I will look forward to hearing how it goes for you Rhonda! Great idea.

**Darlene** · 07-06-2005, 01:24 PM

I could do it but would need to go for milk for the kids and beer for Jack, lol.
If that's OK, I'm in.

**forestdale** · 07-06-2005, 02:49 PM

Sure it is, Darlene. Good luck.

Lunch yesterday for me was a piece of toast with grilled cheese and black tea. I had an orange for afternoon tea.
Dinner with DH was vegetable and barley soup (already made) and herb dumplings. DH had an Amish Apple Brownie and custard and I had a banana.
Breakfast this morning will be crumpets and tea for me, DH will probably have eggs on toast. We'll both have black tea.

I've got enough soup for tonight's dinner too. I've also put some of it in the freezer for next week. I love milk but I don't like powdered milk so when the milk runs out, probably on Friday, I won't be drinking fresh milk for the rest of the three weeks. I have a few kilos of powdered milk for cookng or an emergency hot chocolate

.

I think I'll miss tomatoes the most. I have enough until the end of next week and although I have a few small green tomatoes on the bushes out back, they won't be ready for harvest for another month or so. I do have tinned tomatoes.

I'll be baking bread today. Everything else is still in good supply.

**forestdale** · 07-07-2005, 03:31 PM

That last sentence was wrong. We might not have enough tea!!

I have about 30 tea bags and some loose tea leaves. We also have several fruit and herbal teas but I don't really like them. I NEED black tea. This will be a problem for me if we run out. Let's see how that goes.

Yesterday's lunch for me was a tuna sandwich and a cup of black tea. I had water during the afternoon and an apple. Dinner was the veg and barley soup (again) lol.

The challenge today is that it's a work day for me. I'm having tea and crumpets for breakfast. DH is having eggs on toast, and tea. I'll take the following to the store for lunch and snacks: a bottle of filtered water, a thermos of tomato soup, a cheese sandwich on full grain bread, one banana.

DH will cook tonight's dinner. Erm, it's soup - so it just has to be heated up. That will be the end of the soup. There is a small loaf of bread dough in the freezer, he'll bake that for some nice hot bread. We'll have strawberries from our back yard patch, and cream, for dessert.

It's going really well so far, except for the tea scare. I know that this is the easy period, it will get harder as the weeks progress. I'm still confident we can do it.

**Darlene** · 07-07-2005, 04:07 PM

How about some soup Rhonda?

Oh no about your tea, that is something to be concerned about. I'm sure it will all work out though. Maybe you have a secret stash you forgot about or someone will gift you some.

Yesterday was baked ziti and today will be pork & rice casserole all made with things on hand. Dd made a chocolate cake to enjoy.
While Dd was out she bought some milk so that'll hold us with that for a few days.

**MandiDawn** · 07-07-2005, 04:31 PM

I'm just interjecting here - I filled out my grocery list last night (I go shopping every 2 weeks) and the only things I needed was:

milk
eggs
dog food

I have enough for 2 weeks worth of meals stocked up

this is such a turning point for me, and it only took 2 months to get to this point.

I'm going to be increasing my stockpile this shopping trip, but it still makes me feel good that I can easily go 2 weeks without shopping.

**forestdale** · 07-07-2005, 05:02 PM

that's great Mandi. I think it's a healthy thing not to be shopping so much at the supermarket.

I think my downfall, if there is one, will be that this challenge wasn't planned, I just decided on the spur of the moment. If I had planned it, I'd have a lot more fruit and tea on hand. It will be very interesting to me to see how I get around those two important requirements in my life.

As my wonderful mum would have said: what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.