Three Contingency Plans

Being prepared to weather emergencies--or even just an unexpected guest--by having supplies on hand at home can sometimes make all the difference between panic and calm. But good preparation doesn’t just start and end with the pantry and linen closet. Sometimes preparation is less about supplies and more about planning.

Contingencies
For instance, I’m doomed if I head into Target without preparing a list. Without a written reminder of why I’m there, I end up getting lost in the bedding aisles and coming home with a new duvet. Or a sweater. Or a pair of sunglasses. (Perhaps I should write a Recessionista post about how I’m simply not allowed into Target during this economy!)

Of course, having a contingency plan for every errand and event in life is going a bit overboard. I barely have time to blow dry my hair in the morning, much less copy the contents of my wallet in case it gets stolen, or label the expiration dates on my makeup so I don’t poison myself, or do any of those other crazy things the people at Real Simple suggest!

Drawing the Line at Three Things:
So where to draw the line? Well, considering the pace of my lifestyle lately, I’m drawing it close to my ankles so I don’t have to go very far. In other words, I’m keeping my plans simple and focusing on three things that I consider important. Certainly there are other areas worth planning, but these are currently the top on my list. They are:

* Meal planning. With all of our technology and fast-passed living, it is easy to forget that eating is still one of the most basic and routine things we do. And when we don’t take the time to be intentional about this biological necessity, we tend to a) spend a lot of money and b) compromise our health. Meal planning can help drastically in both these areas. Even planning out a week’s worth of McDonald’s dinners (the healthy options, of course!) is better than just waltzing into the place and ordering off the cuff. And yes it takes time to plan. But what could be more important--or more simple--than eating?

* Financial planning. Specifically I mean prioritizing freedom from debt. Beyond just having a monthly budget, I want us Recessionistas to proactively diminish the debt in our lives, be it credit card balances, mortgages, cars, education, etc. Because without proactivity, debt tends to linger. And yes--retirement planning is important too. But since less money owed means less money needed in retirement, the two go hand-in-hand.

* Emergency planning. I’ve already covered the importance of having emergency supplies on hand, which is crucial. But additionally, I’ve been feeling more and more convicted that knowing basic first aid is something I need to prioritize. Because someday my friend or neighbor or family member might need me to administer CPR, or create a tourniquet, or stop a fever from rising. And I had better know how to do those things!

Needless to say, even though my list is short, I do have some work to do. But this type of preparation seems manageable to me.

My mascara and lip gloss expiration dates, however, will just have to wait.

What about you?
What are the priorities on your list? Maybe you're debt free and a first aid whiz--what next? If you had 15 extra minutes today to create a plan for something, what would it be? Share your comments below!

Previous Related Posts:
Creating a Little Cushion
The Sky is Falling & I'm Stuck in the Sand!
Homegrown Resilience

Saturday Sussie: Dinners Made Easy

Note: Sussies are unexpected treats I stumble across during the week that I share with you on Saturdays.  They are not to be mistaken for "hussies," which are, of course, loose women...  

As I wrote yesterday, this past week I had the opportunity to try out one of those places that prepares nutritional dinners for families who don't always have time to cook.  

Prior to this week, I hadn't really paid much attention to these businesses (which are popping up everywhere these days).  Needless to say, I'm glad for the introduction.  If you are like me, and haven't taken notice, here's how they work:

--You pick out recipes that you like from their menus, including how many meals you want and how many you are feeding.

--Then you visit their kitchen and prepare the recipes with their help.  Preparation goes by fast because they have everything laid out--baggies, food, instructions, etc.  

--The meals are prepared specifically for freezing if you decide to take them home and eat them later (which most people do), although you can taken them home to eat right away, too.

--Most of the meals do require some cooking (they aren't like tv dinners), but it is minimal.  More like "defrost overnight and then grill for a few minutes" as opposed to "nuke for ten."

--If you are on the run and just want something for dinner, they usually have prepared entrees on-hand to purchase on the spot.  

--And most of them will host events.  Like couples date-night, or a baby shower (like the one I attended).  

For working women who are too tired to cook after a long day, this is a great find.  The meals, though pricier than fast-food (but cheaper than dinner-out), are healthy and easy to prepare, and they don't include all those "supplemental chemicals" found in the wares of your grocer's freezer section.  

Or, if you are like me and have more time to cook (but somehow lose all motivation by Friday evening), they are great for storing up a few backup meals for those days you just don't feel like cooking (and save you from spending $40 on pizza delivery!).  

Finally, they are also great for gifting.  Know a new mom who could use an easy, healthy meal?  How about a friend whose spouse and kids are sick?  Or a neighbor who works all the time?  Sometimes the gift of dinner is the best gift of all.

On a technical note, we attended the Dinner Fork, which is a locally owned business, so you won't find one in your town.  But I'm sure a quick Google or phone book search will help you find a similar place (like Supper Solutions) close to you.

Happy Cooking!

My Feet Hurt, and other tales of my cooking extravaganza

My feet hurt.  I mean really hurt.  I wince a little when I step on them.  Not because of new shoes.  And not because of working out (although I really should do that...).  No, they hurt because yesterday I stood on them for 15 hours straight.  

That's right--15 hours.  From 8 am until 11:00 pm.  

You see, I went to this baby shower earlier in the week where, instead of doing those usual oh-so-fun baby shower games, we went to a local business that prepares dinners for families on the go.  We all put on our aprons and gloves and made our friends (there were two preggo ladies) about 30 premade frozen dinners.  Great, tasty, healthy frozen dinners.  

Not only was it the Best Baby Shower Idea Ever! but it also gave me the idea to try the same thing on my own.  So I scavenged through my cookbooks and made my lists and headed to the grocery store.  I woke up the next day all ready to work.  15 hours later, these are a few things I learned:

1.  Planning to make 30 meals is great when you have the guidance of professionals and about 15 friends.  It's just plain crazy when you are by yourself!

2.  Small kitchens will not work.  Lots of counter space is required.

3.  Cooking for that long trashes your nails.  Mine have never looked so bad.  

4.  Food processors are a must. 

5.  Garlic and onions are in about every dinner recipe on earth.

6.  On that note, just buy the prechopped garlic.  Four bulbs later I was seriously wondering why I hadn't considered that...

7.  Make sure you have some strong scented lotion that you like, because at the end of the day you Will Not want to smell food anymore.

8.  Marinara sauce--when simmering on the stove--can shoot tomato up to your ceiling!

9.  Oh, and did I mention that cooking 30 meals by yourself is just plain crazy!

These are just a few of my thoughts.  I'll probably share more in the days to come about my cooking extravaganza.  Now if you'll excuse me, I still have to wipe tomato off my ceiling.

Project #1: Meal Planning

Yesterday I mentioned my two-part strategy for getting into domestic shape this fall.  Well, for my first project I decided to set aside some time and plan out dinners and grocery lists for the next 6 weeks.  Ambitious, I know.  It's just that I hate working all day (I know...I work from home, but it still counts), and then opening the fridge only to find the sad remnants of meals gone by.  Then my husband walks into the room, and the conversation goes like this:

him: so, what's for dinner?

me: well, I'm not sure.  what are you in the mood for?

him:  I don't care.  whatever.

me:  that doesn't help.

him: I can just microwave a tortilla with cheese.

me: but you had that last night.

him: so?

me (concerned by this point for his nutritional health, but still unmotivated to cook): alright.  what's on tv?

The thing that bugs me the most about this scene is that I know better.  I know that homemade meals tend to be more well-balanced and healthy.  I know that cooking makes me feel better.  I know that the food I prepare tastes better than take-out (okay, maybe not all of the time).  And I know that it costs less.

I also know from experience that planning menus ahead of time, with accompanying grocery lists, greatly increases our chances of eating real food (contrary to popular opinion, tortillas and cheese do not count).

My most recent epiphany in this on-going challenge is to create menus ahead of time, and then keep them on file for the next year.  Normally I just throw them away, along with the grocery lists once the week is over.  But I'm going to try to start a "menu notebook" and see how it goes.  I figure that if I liked it this year, chances are good I'll like it next year too.  Perhaps I'll get into a food rut, and the plan will backfire.  But if it has even the potential of saving me time, money and that damn tortilla conversation, it's worth it!

Incidentally, there is always a ton of resources online for grocery shopping and menu planning.  Check out this link to Good Housekeeping on saving money in the grocery store, as well as my go-to place for recipes, MyRecipes.com.

Recipe Resource

Since writing about wellness yesterday, I thought I would give some kudos to a great recipe site that I discovered earlier this year, myrecipes.com.  

This site has not only helped me to organize weekly menus and shopping lists, but the recipes are tasty.  It is easy to search for healthy fare, and most of the ingredients are simple and easily located in the aisles of your average grocer.  And it's free!

Last week I blogged about my growing conviction about food waste.  Incidentally, after exploring some of the ideas on www.wastedfood.com, I was not surprised to see that menu planning is one of the easiest ways to prevent loss.  Fortunately, websites like myrecipes.com make menu planning easy.

All of this highlights an important theme that I keep pondering as I post: intentionality.  The lifestyle of a modern housewife is an intentional one.  And the fruits of this intention are (you guessed it) greater wellness, less waste, more creativity, more resourcefulness, more relationships, and apparently better food.  Cheers to that!