The following is an email from a HBHW reader in response to my article on Emergency Preparedness. She shares some recipes and ideas that may come in very handy.  Thanks so much for sharing them Michelle. Enjoy! – Susanne

In your current issue, you had some ideas on being prepared. My church put out a booklet on food preparedness and there are a couple of recipes that I wanted to share. I have tried both and was amazed at how easy they were and how well they worked. NO ONE in my family knew the difference when I put them to the test.

Preserving Eggs:

Carefully crack each egg into an egg separater that has been placed over a small bowl. After the egg separates, place the whites into 2 sections of an ice cube tray, and place the yolk in another bowl. Repeat until you have 4 yolks in the bowl. Then, using a fork beat the 4 yolks together with either 1/8 tsp salt OR 1/2 tsp sugar. Pour the yolk mixture into 4 sections of the ice cube tray. (Your tray will have 8 whites and 4 yolks.) Place in freezer and freeze. After they are frozen, place the contents into a Ziploc freezer bag and store.
TO USE: Place the cubes in the fridge overnight to thaw. 2 whites and 1 yolk will equal one fresh egg.

NOTE: FREEZING THE YOLKS WITHOUT ADDING THE SALT OR SUGAR MAKES THEM TURN RUBBERY AND UNUSABLE!!

Canning Butter:

Heat pint jars (without bands) in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes. One pound of butter will slightly more than fill one pint jar, so if you melt 11 lbs of butter, heat 12 jars. While the jars are heating, melt the butter SLOWLY (in a large kettle) until it comes to a boil. Using a large spatula, stir the bottom of the pot often to prevent scorching. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Place the jar lids in a small pot and bring to a boil, leaving to simmer until needed.

Stir the melted butter from the bottom to the top with a ladle or measuring cup with a spout and handle. Carefully pour the melted butter into the heated jars through a canning funnel. (less mess) Leave 3/4″ head space in the jar.

Wipe the tops of the jars, then place the hot lids on and screw on the bands tightly. Lids will seal as the jars cool. The butter will separate into three layers: foam, oil, and milk solids. Once the lids “pop” and seal, shake the jars to mix your butter. Do this every 15 minutes or so, until the butter retains more consistency throughout the jar. (This may take up to an hour or longer.) When just slightly warm, move jars to the refrigerator. Check and shake every 10 minutes until they are hardened in the jar. Once hardened, leave in the frig for at least an hour.

Canned butter should store for 3 years or longer on a dark cool shelf. It does not need to be refrigerated once opened IF used within a reasonable amount of time.

NOTE: I bought unsalted butter for .99 lb and then added my own salt to it. Recommended amounts to add are 1/4 tsp per cube of butter. You can add more or less to suite individual tastes. When we used this, we used it on things such as toast or other items you could spread it on. You could also use this in place of butter-flavored shortening in your basic food storage

These recipes have been great for me and I hope that your readers will also find them useful.
Michelle T.

You have a great deal of control over how much you spend at the grocery store, gas station, hair salon, and clothing store, but your monthly bills?  I know you’re thinking that your “fixed” expenses, like  housing, utilities, insurance, and the like, are set in stone.  Well, not so much.  Especially in this economic climate when everyone is competing for your hard-earned money.

Most folks have a handful of  bills that they receive regularly each month.  Some of these bills fluctuate a little, like the phone, power, and water bill.   The bills that typically stay the same month-after-month are the mortgage, rent, and insurance.  Whether you’re looking at your fluctuating or fixed monthly bills, it’s worth your time to investigate these expenses and see what can be done to reduce or even eliminate some of them.  This will take a bit of creativity, persistence, and perhaps a willingness to make some real changes in your lifestyle.

Your fluctuating monthly bills are usually easier to change than your other fixed expenses.  Investigate your options for utility companies.  If you have an opportunity to switch companies, get estimates from each company and do your homework.  If you can save money, and the service is reliable, switch.  Water, phone, electric, and gas companies are all vying for your business.

What if you don’t have access to more than one utility company?  There are many simple techniques to reduce your usage in order to save you money.  Set your thermostat a few degrees warmer for air conditioning and a few degrees cooler for heating.  Insist that all family members wear seasonally appropriate clothing inside the house rather than adjusting the thermostat for comfort.  Is someone in the family still letting the water run as they brush their teeth?  Are there still thirty minute showers going on?  Find out if your power company offers a reduced rate during off-peak hours and, if they do, use those hours to do power-hungry things like drying clothes.  It all makes a difference in your bill.

One utility in particular is a troubling, and possibly unnecessary, expense.   When is the last time you actually used your home phone or “land line”?  If you’re paying even a minimal fee on your home phone, that adds up to several hundred dollars a year.  Put that money into better cell phone service if you need to, or use it to pay down credit card debt and you will see that money finally put to proper use.  Honestly examine the feasibility of disconnecting your land line and see if this might be an option for your family.

Car insurance, homeowners insurance, and typically every insurance policy should be reexamined once a year.  Many savvy folks switch insurance companies every year or so to take advantage of the new customer rates that some companies offer.  Of course, you can always give your old insurance a chance to give you a better “customer in good standing” rate.  If you have a personal relationship with your insurance agent, visit them first, but don’t be afraid to get into a bidding war with other companies.  This is the sort of thing that will save you big money.

When it comes to mortgage payments, you will  need to prepare for a possible battle.  Begin by arming yourself with knowledge.  Educate yourself about the details of your mortgage because it’s foolish to go into a negotiation without knowing what the terms of your mortgage are.  Then, call your mortgage company and ask for a meeting to discuss lowering your monthly payment.  It may be time to refinance your mortgage at a lower interest rate.  The scenarios for lowering your monthly mortgage payment may seem overwhelming at first glance, but if you do the research thoroughly, you’ll be ready for the fight.

If you are renting a home, condo, or apartment, talk to your landlord.  A warning here; do this only if you are in a position to move and/or have a very good relationship with your landlord. Some landlords are willing to give monthly discounts for tenants who have consistently paid their rent on time, rather than risk losing them as tenants. If you are handy around the house, can do yard work, or painting, would your landlord reduce your rent if you did some simple maintenance or repairs?  Just be sure to write up a new rental agreement after your deal has been struck so there are no misunderstandings on either side.

If worse-comes-to-worse, and you cannot renegotiate your rent, you may want to consider downsizing and moving to save money.  That may seem harsh at first, but this is the reality in many family’s lives today.  Fortunately, there are many opportunities right now that may make moving a good decision.  Consider lower rent, plus any “moving in specials”, as it pertains to your family budget, aside from the emotional aspects, and this may be a good option for you to cut back on your fixed expenses.

These fixed expenses are perhaps the most difficult area of your budget to face.  But, you are on a crusade here – a crusade for your family’s financial freedom.  If you try even one of these cost-cutting methods, I guarantee you’ll feel like you’re starting to take control of your money.  And, taking control of your money is what a tight-fisted budget is all about!

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Cooking for a family requires that you become a relatively well-educated nutritionist.  You know what foods are good for you and what foods are not.  But, do you find yourself falling into bad eating habits because of what the rest of the family likes or needs to eat in order to maintain their level of activity?

When our children are very young, we often find ourselves cleaning up their plates and calling it dinner.  We know we all do it and we know it’s not a good habit to fall into.  When our children grow a bit older, we start cooking foods that they like and foods required for their growing bodies and active lives.  These foods are not always the same foods we need in our diet.  We often sacrifice our own dietary needs for that of our children.

That’s not to say that we’re feeding our children junk food, it’s more that we’re feeding our children food meant for producing a lot of energy;  foods typically packed with energy-producing carbohydrates and sugars.  And, our bodies don’t normally need the same “fuel” as our children’s bodies, nor can our bodies burn that fuel as efficiently.  So, we have a dilemma.

What I propose is that today you plan your family’s meal around your own dietary needs.  If you are following an actual diet plan, cook the same meal for the whole family.  Chances are your family won’t even notice the difference.  If you are on a low-glycemic or limited carbohydrate diet, a grilled chicken dinner with a big salad will satisfy your whole family as long as you make sure to have large portions available.  No one will miss the mashed potatoes if the salad is gigantic!  Keep a big bowl of cleaned celery sticks with a spicy yogurt dip in the middle of the table so everyone can nibble all night if they wish.

Of course, your family will catch on after a few “Mom’s on a health kick” dinner nights.  But, by the time they do, you’ll have them in your corner and they’ll be happy to eat what you want to eat.  Turn-about is fair play though, so be prepared for your kids to have a night of their own.  I’m thinking pizza….