'Cause we'd still like to eat...

So I've never been majorly concerned with the importance of food storage, despite it being preached pretty much all the time, especially lately. To me, it's was just one of those things that I'd get around to someday, just like I'll get around to finishing my wedding scrapbook and I'll get around to going to the gym on a daily basis.

But then I started to realize that Judd and I have it a little too easy and that we're totally used to it. We're both working, we can pay for school on our own, and we have a really nice apartment. The only dependants we have to care for are three sugar gliders and two turtles (the duckling is in her new home, which will be another blog!). We go out pretty frequently and make a lot of impulse buys. I'm not trying to brag or anything, we work really hard and I guess we feel the need to reward ourselves. I always hear nightmare stories about being newlyweds and being totally broke and wonder where we got off easy.

But with the crappy economy, we can lose this lifestyle we've grown so accustomed to very quickly. Judd especially is in a field that is very shaky at the moment, fortunately he continues to educate himself so he can stay on top of the game. I'm safe as long as people continue to care for their pets. Unfortunately many of our family and friends have been laid off recently. I started to worry about having a backup plan in case it happened to us. Our idea of food storage was buying a couple of extra cans of corn here and there and tossing it on the top shelf of our hall closet...

I wanted something that would last longer and be a lot more substantial. They have Relief Society Canning Days, which I have always avoided basically because I'm having a hard time admitting that I'm eligible to go to Enrichment meetings at family wards. In Singles Ward, Enrichment meetings were more like ice cream socials at some one's house. Here, they're about making aprons and cheesy/cutesy crafts. I am trying very hard to not become frumpy/housewifey/Molly/etc, so I try to avoid the exposure. The Church is true...but sometimes the people are a bit too much.

But I know that I need to humble myself and accept that I still belong to this otherwise awesome organization (heck, now they just made me a RS teacher, karma!) and that they have good intentions to help me out. So I went canning. And I canned. And canned. I realized that this is the cheapest way to store a lot of food for a long time. The macaroni and rice I canned is supposed to last 30 years! (Not that I'll wait that long to eat it, but still, 30 years!). And it was funner then I thought it would be. The Relief Society gals that went were sweet and were interesting to talk to.

We also stocked up on really cheap staple foods such as Mac and Cheese (50 cents a box? Beat that!). I'm trying to find some healthier alternatives that store well. I did get a can of dried carrots when I was at the cannery. I'd rather not live on carbs if we had to, and I don't like beans, so I'm looking for some other healthy options. Any ideas? I I didn't want to forget my cute little pets, so we built a food storage for them as well. I'm glad I'm getting on top of this now before we really need it.

This really needs to go under the bed, but I was so proud of myself for taking care of us that I made a tower! I never thought I'd say it...but I could get into this!