The REAL Truth : Is This Pantry Affordable? | Let's Talk Numbers
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 28. 06. 2024
- The Economics of Homesteading: "Ok, but are you actually saving money by doing this?" is a question we get asked a lot. Especially during our pantry tour videos. So today, we're going to crunch some numbers, and lay it all out there for you - including how many jars are on my pantry shelves! Did you make a guess in the last pantry tour video? Today you'll find out how close you were.
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I figure I have twice as much canned right now, Rachel as you have. But I can alot more of each kind of thing that I can. That way I might not have to can somethings, like tuna but every third year. Next tuna season I will be almost out, so then I will buy them off the boats. I live on the oregon coast. Just giving tuna as an example. Also I have been canning for 44 years now on my own. So I have jars that I have been using for 44 years now. And I was always on the lookout for used jars in the off seasons. Got great deals in the past. So spread out for 44 years. The costs of my jars now are pretty much zero. Also have had my pressure canner for 44 years Also. One was my grams, one I found for 5.00 at a garage sale 30 years ago. I can, because the taste is so much better. Also I'm allergic to gluten and dairy and a few other things like garlic, corn syrup and a few other things. So alot of stuff like soups, I can't even find to buy. So I can all my own homemade soups. So looking at just starting a canning pantry, yes it can seem expensive. But the younger you start. The longer you will collect the jars etc. And the cheaper each year it will be. So take the advice of a 63 year old canner, that started when she was 19. Just do it. You'll never regret it.
Ooh I'm pinning this comment! Perfect example and wisdom from a pro!
@@1870s thank you. Learned to can from my gram and mom and aunts. Everyone we knew in the 60's and 70's canned. It was just natural that when I got married at 19. That I would can too. I just love seeing all that wonderful put up food in my pantry. I can alot even though there has only been my hubby and I for the 44 years we have been married come this December 9th. I'm a canning addict! They say the first step is admitting you have an addiction. Lol đ
Hi from Canada, I'm 43. Been canning a little more each year since I had 4 Littles under foot. Now that my baby is 16 and the rest are gone, I have accumulated almost all the jars I need used, some free. This is good advice! Spread out over the years, my jar cost is pretty much free. And when I hit something very cheap, ie. Got 2lb bags of lentils near expiry for 75cents, I Canned 7 quarts soup, using broth from leftover chicken bones and veggie peels so a very cheap 7 jars of covienience meals. Plus I find that I REALLY enjoy it now, it's my hobby. After Thanksgiving turkey here in Canada last month, the adult kids played a board game and I Canned up broth, they happily each took a couple jars home after of mom's broth. But I always say bring back my jars!
@@loritanner4478 enjoyed your comment.I turn 62 next month,got married at 18 and started canning solo at 19....Oh yeah and I also live in Oregon more North east..small world
@@kathlenemackley1335 Hey sweet Sister. I love this channel also
and never miss a video. Your post sure reminds me of our younger days when all of our kids were growing up and we were just starting our families. I have some wonderful memories of those days. We were canning and sewing everything in sight. Love you sister. đ
RachelI I just love you and your channel. đđ I am also from Oregon
For me itâs about health. When I was pregnant with each of my 3 kiddos, I had gestational diabetes. I was told that by the time my youngest turned 10 I would be diabetic thatâs âjust the way it isâ. So I went whole foods plant based and tuned up my canning game. My youngest turns 14 next month and not only am I not diabetic, my A1c is so low that theyâll no longer pay for the tests because my risk is nonexistent. I owe it all to eating from my garden, orchard, and bulk store.
I was Dx with Gestational diabetes with pregnancy #3. I changed diet to awesome from pretty darn good. Two more kids, & rigorous testing showed no indication of Gestational Diabetes. Now my youngest is 17. Not diabetic. I homestead, preserve all that I can. I do not go to restaurants, no fast food, & I avoid processed (by others ) foods entirely. We grow and cook our own.
@@katiemoyer8679 Exactly! We also donât eat out, donât eat processed food, etc.
Mine is also for health, I have food allergies and hubby and sis have to be on a low salt menu and those are hard on commercial produce. I rent my home so I hit the local farmers market.
đ you rock! Have you heard of Brittany Jaroudi of The Jaroudi Family? Sheâs my favorite WFPB CZcams channel
@@crystalh1402 thanks! I havenât heard of her. Iâll check her out!
For those in the comments hereâs a take from a single person who lives in the city on the East Coast in an apartment. Canning and preserving food has saved me hundreds if not close to $1k or more maybe since late 2020 early 2021.. probably actually. Anyway, I started following Rachel and Todd, and a couple of other CZcamsrs to teach myself how to do it and Iâm so happy I did. I buy ONE 25lb bag of bread flour for $10 from Sams Club and it lasts me over a year, I bought a bread maker from the second hand store for $7. I have saved an INSANE amount of money making my own sliced bread using the dough cycle. One day a week I make a loaf for myself lasts the whole week. Spaghetti sauce , I get a case of crushed tomatoes for oh idk anywhere from $8-$11 pending on the sale, spices and onions and garlic and peppers whatever I feel like it and can myself a ton of spaghetti sauce in PINTS because Iâm single so itâs just enough for me to make for myself and nothing is wasted. Again that saves me a ton of money. Once I seen the change in just the bread and spaghetti sauce (figured start with the two main things I buy the most for my pantry constantly) I knew I could make even more of a difference in my life. I made Rachelâs apple butter, I can my beans her way too. Spend $1 -$4 a bag on dry beans and can my self a ton of pint jars of beans . I donât buy them anymore. I buy a big bag of baby carrots from Sams and can a ton of carrots, donât buy them anymore. Fresh green beans, chili starter, chicken, salsa, jams.. and so on. My comment is already a crap ton too long đ My point is.. I wish more single city girls like me realized you can be a homesteader too, you can do this and save so much money and eat so much better for yourself. Itâs more convenient than it is hard work in my opinion. I owe it all to CZcams because without all of you showing us how to do it.. we would never know đ€ Iâm forever great full ..
K thatâs enough.. I know đ
Wow! You are awesome! I loved reading this! Keep it going! We have a saying, do what you can right where you are. And you are!
I follow Rachel from Rockville, MD - older single (guessing Rachel's age) and living on no money. Have ginger, beets, turnips, lots of different peppers, tomatoes are doing better this year; growing in windowsill. Bought 10 lb. flour a few months ago with giftcard but don't bake anymore with diet change. Getting fungus, candida and all out without sugar. Cut out pasta, white rice and potatoes. Still can eat! Have brown rice and get wild (YUM) when I can. Have an excellent store of beans. Whenever I have something I love (learned to cook Lima beans correctly to mush) I save enough to plant. The trading box is priceless which is where I get rid of the pasta and take something out. Looking for an organization to sponsor a garden spot, and I will teach them about the mushrooms I've learned (but won't give away the spots!). Will can when I get the spot! Talking with a group now. Rachel, thank you for everything, and was wondering if you were brave enough to talk about the herbs used in doing an inner cleanse and parasites we aren't told about. I'm using rosemary, wormwood, juniper leaf (for the fungal environment they thrive in) and green black walnut hulls in drink, douche, and holding nose in bath 2x week at the moment. A lot of die-off yucky feel, but I know it will pay off. Thanks!
Yes! I live in a city, too and am on a similar journey. It makes a huge difference and tastes so much better, too!
Good for you! Check out Artisan bread with Steve on CZcams. He has simple no knead recipes for bread.
Are you in a regular apartment or one of those micro ones?
I had been diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, it was my 4th time having cancer. I went into remission at the beginning of the pandemic and started a garden, canning, eating homemade meals every day.....the pandemic actually saved me by forcing me to slow down and put myself and my health first .
I know being in lock down drove some people crazy but I thrived. I finally had the time to heal and work through some emotional issues and I'm now medication free.
My pantry looks great, shelves are full, freezers too, cold room is full and I'm very happy.
A few years ago, I hit the absolute jackpot for jars. Someone on Craigslist was giving away cases and cases of jars that were full of their grandmother's preserves and other food items. They gave them away for free because whoever took them had to dump them and wash them. It was over a hundred jars, and I was over the moon! I felt bad dumping all that hard work but the food was over 10 years old. I still think of that little old lady whenever I do a canning project, and am thankful for her.
Something similar just happened to me! One of my very good friends gave me about 100 canning jars from her Mom's cellar and all I had to do was clean them out. It was a fantastic lesson also in understanding how long canned goods last, what it looks like when a seal is bad, checking for cracks and chips and integrity of the jars.
Also, I discovered that most of them are ANTIQUE, well over 100 years old. I found a couple of Atlas jars, some really gorgeous Ball jars and a few other brands of jars I knew nothing about until I looked it up. I wasn't going to use them for canning but I didn't have enough newer jars for the last batch of my tomatoes. They worked perfectly! I have been using them for storage for dehydrated foods and I still have a lot of them left over. I absolutely love looking at them in my pantry -- I have some colorful plastic lids I got on Amazon and the old and new combo makes me so happy!
How did the food smell when you opened each jar? 50 years I've heard, still good. A friend found canned tuna that old. He is a chemist. He said it was delicious. I'm not a chemist. I wouldn't try it.
That food might've still been good. Some of it anyways. Check out Alaska Prepper channel who does a video where he cooks some meals with "expired" food and some he canned years ago. He said it tasted good. His point was don't assume old food is bad.
@@rockyll0508 Old food isn't necessarily "bad", the thing is unless you know her standards of cleanliness there is room for doubt.
I don't want to trivialize the money part because that is important, but I am less concerned about the money than I am the **capability**. To me, the capability to preserve food on a shelf, long term, is priceless.
Skills are hard won, non-refundable, irreplaceable, and yet free to share. My Grandma called all that work and initial expense of "tuition" to the University of Life.
nice, I agree.......also, she mentions that some folks will say "I can get that from a store for $0.75c"....but what happens when the store doesn't have that can of $0.75c beans or tomatoes or corn?.....or flour or sugar......what happens then? What happens when no store in your area has food currently (for whatever reason)...what are you going to do.....and whatever you do, there's 1000 or 10000 ppl doing the same thing.....its too late....(fwiw, I just finished reading One Second After, great read)....for me it's about being prepared....its about walking the self-sufficiency talk....I also like learning a new life skill....this preserving stuff is fun and this is coming from a 49yr old IT geek....:)
If you have been buying jars for decades, it was not expensive. I have jars from the 80âs still being used. My jars have paid for themselves many times over. My water bath canner is over 40 years old, cost me $12. Canning should be considered a long term investment. Itâs not just the cost of a can of green beans. Growing it, harvesting and preserving allows me to eat healthy, tasteful food. And by reusing my jars, thatâs less going to a landfill.
AND just think how many metal cans or plastic bags were saved from the landfill. Thats how I look at it too.
All this!! đ
I was in my Meijer store last week. I found 3 cases of half pint jars on a clearance shelf for $3.29 for each case of 12. I will always buy jars when I see them on sale.
I do food preservation and homesteading so my children learn where food comes from and how to do this for themselves. Also, me doing the preservation lets me put what I want into the food. I don't look at it from a financial perspective.
Same!!
Me too, itâs always been about the control of what is in the jar for me.
My girlfriend Kim who i grew up with through grade school and high-school , Her mom Carol and I follow each other on Facebook too. She always comments on my garden stuff and our canning. Carol contacted me and asked if I needed jars. She dropped off four boxes of canning jars at my house over the summer. My husband was thrilled. He does most of the canning while I'm at my regular job.
Thanks to you, I just canned up my first 12 pints of green beans from my suburban backyard garden! I'm so proud of them and I couldn't have done it without you. Oh, and a Presto 23 qt canner is now about $150...â€â€â€
I canned my first 8 quarts and 1 pint of green beans from the garden and I know the feeling! I went and bought a bunch of veggies to can just because of how fun it was. I even pickled some eggs... now I just need more jars đ€
Congratulations! Great job!!!
Congratulations! Iâm proud of you too!
I have been canning for almost 3 years now. I still like to sit back and just look at my finished product sitting on my kitchen counter while they are cooling. I get a lot of satisfaction and pride from the work I do and the security it gives me.
Another attribute to canning is all the packaging you keep out of the landfill by reusing your glass jars year after year. Just think about how much trash you go through in a year by way of food packaging. Cans, boxes, and plastic. Huge impact on reducing waste by canning and preserving.
Yes, good point! Itâs hard to believe how much trash people put out at the curb every. single. week! I think Costco is a huge contributor to the problem, lots of packaging.
I live in a semi rural area with poor thrifting options and few clearance produce deals (just not the population density, everyone uses their jars more or less, extra inventory is donated quickly). I'll be asking my family that live closer to cities to hit up their local thrift stores for Christmas gifts of jars and sale produce to preserve, perhaps together(!). This is not the economic time in our particular lives to ask for a pony. It's the time to be thankful for canning, passed down recipes, and conversation in the kitchen.
I completely agree with you about the food industry. I have been sick for the past 2 years. I canned all our food when our children was young. Then life happened as with everyone. This spring I ask my husband for a garden. He thought it would be best not to have one this year. So I went to the Amish and ordered all my produce. We have canned up a storm. My 7 year old granddaughter loves to can with me. It warms my heart to teach her. The food is so much healthier. Next spring we will plant our garden. I truly believe a lot of the problems the children have today is do to the food they eat. Thank you for sharing
Rachel, thank you this chat. We changed our diet after my 3rd bout with cancer. I knew there had to be a connection with what I was eating. (This was 20 yrs ago and when I said that to medical staff they thought I was nuts.). So thanks to you sharing canning, and gardening, I am growing and preserving our food. So thankful that you and Todd share your lives and continue to encourage us!
Knowing what is in my jars, and how it was grown processed is more important, and healthier way to go, it is so worth it!
If you amortize your canning jars and supplies, you make it even cheaper (say over 10+ years) You have to spend some money on garden seeds and tools, but the tools can also be amortized over a long period. But... when you take away almost all the costs of poor health...what it costs to be sick all time ,from over the counter meds to all medical costs, you gain big time because you also feel helthy and good! It is a win win on every level!
So very true. I know for myself, my doctor has told me whatever I am doing, just keep it up because my numbers are perfect. I credit it to clean Organic foods and being aware of what I put into my body. I freeze dry and powder almost all my greens to add to my smoothies and to my foods. Body needs greens, beets and ginger...those are my super foods. All organic and my water is filtered too, to remove those PFAS chemicals and any other chemicals in the water.
I looked at just tomatoes for the year. I don't start mine from seeds as I don't have room. So I bought $25.00 of plant starts. This provided me with all the tomatoes, tomato sauce, pizza sauce, etc for my 2 person household, for my mother, as well as gave some away to my sister. I noticed one can of canned tomatoes in our grocery store was over $3.00 last week. This was a huge savings. Also, one bag of seed potatoes of about $12.00 supplied our household, my mother and my sister's household for the year. I agree with you Rachel - I also know what's going into my food. Oh yeah - back when I had babies I made all their baby food. Huge savings there too.
Iâve started canning, Iâm in the uk and I had to import my canner from the usa! The jars are about ÂŁ3.50 each! I have found them in France for about âŹ17 for a cash and then extra for the lids.
I like the fact that you know whatâs in the food!
Iâm disabled so my husband helps me with the chopping and packing the canner, this was the reason we make the food as some days I canât cook so hubby can open a jar of something and do veggies or rice! I love your videos!
đ
It always seems that it is more "fun" to chop and peel with someone. I have had two illnesses where cooking wasn't an option. All I could do was open a quart of my vegetable soup and heat it. What a Godsend.
Hi Lesley, I am in the uk as well and have just bought my first pressure canner for my induction hob.
The jars I agree are expensive and I will be getting them off Amazon.
Like you I want to know what is in my foods and plan to can seasonally when food is at its lowest.
I am building my pantry by asking for jars and seeds as my gifts for all holidays! Gift cards for them for those who don't like to shop!
Estate sales have been a great place for us to find jars. At one sale we bought all jars they had, mostly empty but also some with old food in them still. We ended up with almost 150 jars for $30. We dumped all old food out of the ones with food and washed the jars. Often find them thrifting too but, as you mentioned they do run $1.00 a jar.
Growing your own garden and canning the results is so rewarding. Yes you can buy cans in the store, but there's no comparisons to taste.
I got my pressure canner for 10 bucks at a thrift shop. Itâs a Presto, and I did buy all new seals, and weight set which cost $50.00
I try to can (or freeze) everything I can from my homegrown garden. I don't factor in cost of time. Having food on my shelf during these uncertain times, is priceless to me.
I grow and preserve my food purely because of two major reasons, I am sick and tired of 'supermarket quality' as there is no flavour especially with items like tomatoes and the other I can guarantee the freshness of my veggies. Apart from those two I suppose my enjoyment of growing my own food and then getting to eat it and share with my friends really gives me a good buzz. My mental wellbeing is way, way much improved as well. So, like Todd and you Rachel, money does not come into it but it is still economically sound. Therefore thank you Rachel for your inspiration for me to go that extra step!!
Yes..organic healthy food is so hard to get in stores unless you pay some ridiculous price.
I have autoimmune problems..and I have helped myself so much by eating clean from my own garden.
And it not only saves money but I feel so much better, I get satisfaction from doing it..and gardening gives another peace and mental health.
Thanks.
THIS! I spend over $1000 a month on healthy, organic food.
I think canning my own definitely will save money. My daughter thinks I make more work for myself, since I can still get food at the grocery store.
Maybe, but you canât wait till you need something to learn how to make it.
The only way you lose is if you don't grow.
Most people don't realize how many chemicals are used even on fresh veggies. Years ago i found out that I had many chemical allergies/sensitivities. Because the doctor said I probably had food allergies also I decided to put all of us through an elimination diet. My son's were good sports.
Our family had all been very big on potatoes so once that food passed after about 2 weeks of being clean the next morning we were going to have hash browns as part of our breakfast so I had bought a bag of frozen hash browns as a treat (usually we had fresh). By the time we got through with breakfast I was becoming angry to the point of rage for absolutely no reason. I knew something was wrong and after banging things around and yelling I told my son's to go to their rooms to be away from me etc. My oldest son went to the garbage to pull out the hash brown bag. I had never bothered looking at it before because it was just potatoes, right? Turns out they do rinse them in chemicals to keep them from turning black.
It never occurred to me that what I was eating could cause things like rage. How many behavior issues do our family members experience that may be caused by the processed foods we eat?
On fresh foods even lettuce can be an issue. There is a chemical bath that much of the non-organic lettuce is washed with that they don't have to list as an ingredient . It first started being used by hospital, restaurant's and other food service facilities to keep lettuce crisp longer and reduce costs. It used to be if I went out to dinner I enjoyed having a salad. Then it got where the number of places could have it decrease until now I have fewer digestive issues eating a McDonalds cheeseburger than a salad at a nice restaurant.
Your health is priceless so if you are growing your own produce and processing it you have that assurance you aren't accidentally consuming something you didn't intend to.
Love your pantry.
You can add to your stock gradually, I try for 8 cases a year which is around 100 jars. This year I'm at 150 and I only bought one case of wide mouth quarts. The rest were gifts or yard sale. Total cost under $50. My husband doesn't hesitate to ask at yard sales if they have canning jars they want to get rid of. He knows they might say they haven't cleaned them up... his response is my wife doesn't care, she cleans them anyway!
Most of my jars are second hand. I put a post out a few years ago on FB, and received about 10 cases of jars of varying sizes, all free! People knew Grandma, Mom, Aunt, or themselves that had some.
Mason jars are popular for holding flowers at weddings. After someone got married I bought their jars. 104 jars for 20 bucks. It was trash to them and treasure to me. (Facebook marketplace)
They didn't know what they had, lol
I echo your statement. Once people knew I was canning, jars came out of the woodwork. Coworkers, friends and neighbors have all given me jars or returned them. My parents and I cleaned out my grandmothers old shed and we found hundreds!! So exciting and such a gift she had left me almost 20 years after her passing! Our local thrift store also has jars 25 to 50 cents so Iâve bought probably less than a dozen flats of new jars.
In February I bought a lot of jars. I had plans to can everything I could get hold of. I knew prices would rise this fall and winter and my heating bills would be higher. For the past two weeks, I have hardly purchased any groceries because the sale are not sales anymore. So relying on my jars.
Agree! It's not about saving money for me, it's about knowing what's in my food, knowing it's clean and truly healthy for my body!
I have a similar story with my dear auntie. She was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer, 6 yrs ago. through organic diet, eliminating bread and processed sugars, along with all the treatments the drs recommended she is cancer free today. Itâs been a long fight for her but when chemo therapy started killing her tiny body she stopped using conventional medicine and focussed on holistic living. I decorated her Christmas tree with her yesterday this was the first time in four years that she has been well enough to help! †In our province, being a farming community. You can basically get jars for free around every corner. Still much like anything⊠I would say itâs worth it to spend the money and build slowly some food is better than none. Love your channel â€
I have Crohn's disease and nothing calms it like homemade broth and chicken soup that I have canned up!
It is an investment....but SO SO worth it!!! I am loving my canning journey. Always canned with my mom....but never on my own. Now I do both!
One of the benefits i love is that we can make things to suit our tastes and have things in the pantry that we can't buy in the shops.
True story- for years I was annoyed at all those pricker bushes on my property. Then one day I saw a big, beautiful Berry sticking out of those pricker bushes. The Lord let's you see things when you are ready.
After some research, I found out they are dewberries. I harvested them, froze them and made jelly.
This prompted me to start gardening. Lots of failures lots of successes since then.
I've found that canning is a labor of love. I don't look at it as work. It's security and convenience. I love knowing exactly what's in my food. There are no mystery ingredients.
Yes there is up-front cost involved but it's so worth it.
I spent $20 on my water bath canner (so wanting a steam canner now)
And around $100 on my 17 qt pressure canner. Well worth it. Thank you Rachel for sharing your insights. đ„°
I agree with you completely! We have to take control of what we put in our bodies and that is the reason I started on this journey. Another reason is supply chain. Itâs fragile and depended on decision makers that donât always have our best interest in mind. Thank you both for sharing your journey with us and encouraging us that we too can do this ourselves.
Made up oil shortages. We can all see right through their games. We buy from local dairy, butcher, farms. I'm in blue state of commie Connecticut. Egg farm told me they are regulated and can't sell to the public. Grrrr.
Absolutely a money saver! Most recently our local store had fresh pineapple for $1.00 each, I bought 7. From those 7 pineapple, it made 9 pints of slices, 9 pints of chunks, and 2 pints of juice. Big savings! Also, watch for meat sales, pork butt roasts go on a good sale about twice a year and average $7-$9 a roast. I buy a handful and cook down in the roaster, add bbq sauce and can in quart jars for ready to go pulled pork sandwich meat. I average 5 quarts per roast so very affordable if you can stock up when they are running sales.
It has definitely saved me money at the grocery store. Not to mention that it is healthier, you are prepared for an emergency and your food ALWAYS tastes better than the stuff from the store. It is just a win win for me. â€
I am in Michigan as well we have lots of online auction services that you can get jars cheap and you can also go to community pages for your town. I bought my first canner at auction and then bought a bigger canner new. I have probably as many jars or more canned up and grateful for my pantry
I started growing and canning after doing alot of research about the health benefits. Being a diabetic and overweight with feet issues I had to figure out how to change my health. I watched my numbers in all my blood work go down the longer I ate what I canned from my garden. In two years I have reduced all my meds and lost weight and loving how I feel. The beginning cost is so worth it. I have friends who have seen my health issues that are wanting to learn how to can. I love watching your videos and learning new things to can and make for dinner. Keep up the hard work.
My mother doesn't can anymore, she is in a senior community now. But she does shop at local farmers markets.
I nearly fell off my chair reading the label on a pint of pickled veggies. Mom paid $6.50 for a pint!!!! Now calculate how much money your pantry saves đ
I started 3 years ago and started buying food and increased size of my garden. I have about 2 to 3 years of food...so with canning jars and other food my cost is little under 5 thousand dollars over 3 years. I have around 150 cases of jars.
Where I live food is expensive, I can what I grow to help offset the expense. My 23 qt pressure canner was over $200, 16 qt was over $100 as well as the electric. I also have a steam canner, and water bath canner. They have paid for themselves with amount of food I have canned. I really enjoy your channel, the wonderful recipes, pantry and garden tours. â€ïž
LOVE this. I guarantee your food tastes a million times better than the commercial industry's good also. Homegrown is always best.
Commerical industry's food*
Like your first tip, I would say it's worth it to put out the call for jars on social media, Facebook, whatever. Several years back, I asked if anyone had any I could purchase off of them, but what ended up happening is that people just dropped boxes off for free. đ€·đŒââïž I'm at a point now where I'm declining jars, because we have an unbelievable amount and storage in our basement is now an issue. People are still asking if I want them, though!
Find a way to bless new canners with them!đ„°
I started preserving and growing my own food when my kids were small but ate a lot. It was a lot of work but it was much cheaper. When they all left home, for a bit I started eating from the grocery store. My health went south quickly. I went back to growing and preserving my own food and took out the chemicals and my health is much better. I don't spend much at the grocery store either. I would say if you are comparing apples to apples Organic, clean and healthy even paying yourself for your time it is still much cheaper to grow and preserve your own. Not to mention healthier for you. My jars, some are 40 years old, STILL using them. Yes some have broken or the rims have chipped, those get saved for things that don't need a good seal. Over the years I have added to my "stash" I still buy jars when I find them new or used. Very seldom do I throw out a jar. My pantry isn't as nice as yours but it holds probably as much. Has helped enormously since my daughter and granddaughter have moved back home, plus it is teaching my granddaughter how to grow and preserve her own food.
Growing and preserving food for sure saves me tons of money. Yes it takes time but honesty when you factor in the time saved on food prep on the back end (like for soups, beans etc.) and the time it takes with frequent visits to the supermarket, I really don't think it is that much more time (once your are used to the process). Depending on what I am canning, I can multitask quite a bit once things are in the canner. And yes jars came out of the woodwork as soon as I mentioned I was canning things. Hands down my biggest single cost saving item has nothing to do with canning. It is growing salad crops. If you are a salad eater like I am, it truly is the biggest bang for my buck. At around $5.00 per one of those plastic containers for organic greens (half of which you throw away because they go bad so quickly), growing your own is like gold.
I'm in Australia and prices are so expensive for us. like a 12 pack of ball pint jars is $55 average, 12 pack of quart jars is $90. To buy a presto canner, $300. Our Australian brand of preservers (Fowlers Vacola) is $200 for the cheapest preserver and their 12 packs of jars ranger from $60 to $100. I am so jealous its so cheap for you in the US.
Cheers to your best friend. My personal story is very similar and now I'm a Functional Nutritionist helping others. I work with cancer patients everyday who were told to go home and die and are thriving on whole food nutrition. â€â€
It's a choice.....a mega-healthy way of living. I am in my 60's and have to stay away from processed food or my body 'TELLS ME' via increased inflammation to eat more naturally. In other words, yes, we definitely do suffer for eating junk. A lot of what we call food nowadays, isn't even real nourishment but rather a means of making money for thousands of companies.
Keep speaking truth from your heartđŻ Rachel & Todd and don't be discouraged if a few of your followers aren't 100% on board. Like you said, everybody has their own set of circumstances for growing their own food! Loved this video!đ
100% right! The Standard American Diet (actually itâs prevalent in most of Europe, where Iâve always lived) is the single biggest threat to health and people just donât make the connection. They refuse to believe they can prevent disease or heal themselves by eating the right foods. My own family are terrible, popping pills and feeling miserable and unwell, all the while unwrapping packets of processed food, sugar and refined carbs. Iâm no saint but I recognise that I feel worse when I stray from good real food. We recently downsized and moved a long way to afford to retire in a place with good land and climate to grow food, live stress and debt free. I intend to live a very long and healthy life!
Yes to the video on growing costs for you!đ đ
Maybe I've missed this in a previous video, but have you looked into reusable lids? When it was so difficult to get lids in 2020, I bought a bunch of reusable ones (Tattler brand, in case anyone's interested, although I'm sure there are others). It took so long for them to arrive that I couldn't use them in time for that years harvest, but I've finally started using them this year, and they work really well. I'm excited at the prospect of reducing the number of single-use items I'll need to keep buying. If you're gifting canned items, you probably would want to still use the disposable lids for a few jars in each batch, but otherwise, seeing as you reuse your jars, anyways, I'd think reusable lids would be an attractive option and the next step. Interesting video!
Thatâs what Iâve been doing now that they seem to have them stocked is buying them every paycheck and in 2020 I bought 2-4 cases of jars so Iâm slowly gathering jars and my hope is to fill them next year as much as I possibly can
Those estate auctions are awesome. I picked up 8 cases of pints and 4 cases of quart jars from one auction this summer for $40! Now I dont just can. I also dehydrate and fement too. I dont know how old these jars are so I used them for that and saved my newer jars for canning. I spent about $2000 on new jars this year which I do about every 10-13 years. I can for myself and my kids at home as well as for my grown kids families too. Growing your own food and preserving will save you a ton of money and its so much healthier. I know exactly what is in my kids food and we dont have to worry about commercial recalls. The kids just come over and shop in moms basement and I get to see them every week or two! There is a method to the madness LOL
Budget is not my reason. Good food and health is it .â€
I cannot thank you enough for taking the monumental effort in crunching the numbers on your pantry. It has given me some options to expand my pantry ( especially jars), and preserve organics. Frankly, cost isn't a big issue for me as I live in the Arctic, so any fresh, organic, preserved food is a treat and blessing. I have gained so much knowledge and confidence to get into growing, canning and meal planning just from your videos. Thank you so much!!
Love your candidness and willingness to be vulnerable on camera. You have inspired me to can for first time this spring, now I look forward to canning most weekends - once my garden was emptied out itâs store bought veggies getting canned - or meats. I started canning this year; to get ready I watched a lot of videos (thatâs how I found you!) spaced out the purchases of jar cases and finally the canner and a dehydrator. Iâm an avid master gardener but shied away from growing much food as I wasnât sure what to do with the bounty once family and friends were exhausted. I bought and read a couple canning books, practiced and awaited my tomatoes, bush beans, green peppers, carrots and herbs. Iâm thrilled to share with you I did freeze (temporarily) the excess tomatoes as you had in your video, made marinara and spaghetti sauce - this is an overdue thank you for that guidance! Now I have a small bookcase with preserved meats, vegetables, soups and sauces. I emptied out the bottom half of the hutch and itâs filling up with potatoes, carrots, bush beans, and soups. I dehydrated all my herbs and those are labeled and on the kitchen shelves. I look forward to whatever else you may share with us in the future. đ
Same. This is my first year. Garden didn't produce much but have about 1000 jars canned up or dehydrated. Next year is going to be a focus on the garden and learning that! Good job on your canning.
Absolutely it has saved us money. Our budget past and present is exactly as yours is, as itâs just two of us. You could throw in the purchase of canners and equipment and still come out ahead. Rachel, I have to say, I was coveting you Amish water-bath canner, but yesterday I went upstairs looking for things to donate and saw my old oval copper canner. The wheels in my head started turning! I will research it first, but I could use that to water bath large batches. Iâm so excited!!
I am not on the same sized scale as you, but I have saved money by investing in a canner, water bath canning, cooking from scratch, saving scraps for soups, saving carcasses for broth, making home remedies (less meds), etc. I buy in bulk, all organic and now I sleep better, have more energy and clearer mind. I can only grow so much on my patio in this condo, but supporting local farmers makes me feel good (also saves money and closer to my food). Thank you for the honest look at the investment. There were some ideas in your video that I had not considered. Have a wonderful day!
I save money but I also know what is in the jars and quality of products. The soups and stews are superior and shelf ready. I take pride in my pantry and share with family and friends. You also donât need a garden as the market is a great source to purchase from. Give it a try.
I started buying jars in 2020. I would buy a couple cases at a time. Got my Presto pressure canner for Christmas. Bought a water bath canner and then another. I felt stuff was going to get worse. I kept buying lids too. The pints used to be $8.97 and $11.97 for quarts. I can't bring myself to pay the prices on them now. Thank you so much for this video. Appreciate the time you took.
Everytime I buy cases at Walmart, I buy triple the amount in extra lids to store away.
@@livenletlive7537 I bought extra lids also every time I bought jars.
@@livenletlive7537
Buy the reusable lids instead. Way more cost effective!!!
Great video! I grow a lot of my own food in a small backyard
Also have 5 chickens for eggs
Iâve been canning for years You know how your food is grown and when you open your jar of that fresh nonprocessed no chemicals added food you feel great !
For me, it's about knowing where my food comes from, and reducing food miles. A tomato that is picked and preserved 20 feet from the house is better than one that's grown in a greenhouse 100 miles away, for sure.
i find taking authority over the food we eat is wise and a step toward independence and good health. I had someone make fun of my pantry, but I asked them to think what the size of their grocery purchases for 2 years would look like compared to my pantry. No more was said.
I have found most of my jars in 2 separate buys off facebook marketplace. They were both brides who used them for desserts, drinks, vases etc. And then cases/ asst lots here and there also through marketplace, varage sale, craigslist
Oh my goodness I was way off with my guesstimate with the number of jars youâve canned. How ever many jars youâve put up in the pantry is absolutely amazing. For me it isnât about cost saving in $$$ terms but the benefits to health is huge when growing and cooking your own produce. Not being reliant on stores is an additional benefit too.
Overall I feel like I save money preserving and growing my own food. Taste better and I know what I am eating. I also enjoy it. So overall it is a win win situation.
I agree. Itâs not about saving money. In our area, we have several bent and dent stores that you can save money on food. It was all about us knowing what was IN our food. I know what I plant, how I plant, what I make, and what I put in my jars. I like to control our food
Thank you for the pantry chat! Your numbers and perspective was very useful.
I just got into canning this year and I do it to have control of what goes into my food. Slowly we have been buying less processed food and buying more organic food and cooking from scratch.
For those of you reading this:
I was at Costco yesterday waiting in line to make a return. While waiting I was looking at what people have in their carts as they leave the store.
Every person was taking cancer and disease back to their house and feeding to their family.
The commercial food industry is in bed with the pharmaceutical industry - when you get cancer/get sick - they all make more money.
Once you realize how expensive it is (loss of health) to buy food at the store, you will see how economical it is to grow and preserve your own food.
Very well put!
In Australia canning isnât very common. I just bought a presto pressure canner and some jars to get started. The canner was over $300 and the jars start around $5 each. Iâm looking for second hand jars but they are hard to find. I believe itâs an investment for so many reasons. Canât wait to build up my pantry.
Hi Rachel. Thanks for the info. I have always believed that I saved money, but have never put pen to paper on it. There is also an amazing sense of satisfaction that I get from planting a seed, nurturing it, harvesting it, and putting it on my shelf. I feel blessed each time I do it.
The flavor of home canned food is far superior in my opinion.
I was Blessed earlier this year.. I responded to a listing on FB marketplace for 20 jars.. 10$.... Then HERE comes the Blessing after meeting with the lady, we made arrangements to meet the next day and I was Gifted over 140 jars for FREE... God is Good ALL the time . I too want to get away from commercial foods. God Bless you and your family from middle GA đ Kendra
I was blessed to start with my grandmaâs jars and added from there. My daughterâs coworker just gifted her an entire basement of jars. Sheâll be starting off with those.
Well, I thank you for "Saying way too many words" haha. I love hearing other people's reasoning, especially when it's aligned with why I've started eating organically and am starting my own little homestead.
I'm in the UK and have only been canning (US style) for a couple of years but it has enabled me to preserve so much of my garden produce without having to use my freezer. It's also enabled me to take real advantage of good deals on meat which I wasn't able to before. I reuse a lot of jars that many would be horrified at but they can beautifully and I don't have the original outlay of canning jars (Ball-type jars run at approximately $6 each, over here!)
I still have to shop at the store for a lot of things, but definitely less than I ever had, and I feel that I'm feeding my family with good, wholesome food that will serve us all well health-wise. Your channel has been instrumental in giving me the confidence to pressure can and I'm already planning my 2023 garden to maximise what I can put up. Thank you!
My presto canner was $100.00 from westlake/ace hardware store about 2 years ago. Very interesting. It's nice to see for possible future homesteaders to see what it might take. Nancy from nebraska
A couple of weeks ago my husband asked me what my grocery bill is per month. I told him that's it's pretty much zero, apart from the luxuries (like you said) of cheese, cream, alcohol, oh and pork and chicken as I don't have a homestead source of that yet. And flour/grains, oats, rice .... like you. But I am so proud of what I achieved this year, after 4 years of working up to this, AND I know exactly what has gone into my food. Like others have said in these comments, so much of this lifestyle is about health. I haven't been sick for years, maybe 8 years now? And that is primarily due to what we put into our bodies. The commercial food industry is killing us, but not any more for us.
Thank you for your inspiration Rachel, and your stories. We love you.
Quality of food is much better then buying at the grocery store. I hadn't canned for years and I started again 2 years ago. I couldn't believe the taste of the tomatoes! They were like as if i picked them fresh from the garden. Also, it is easier to avoid certain things if you have diet restrictions like salt or sugar or just the preservatives that are added. Canned food, whether from the garden or your farmers market is so worth it.
I personally think it's a big savings once you have equipment and not having freezer space and being able to have a stash of meats is fantastic for myself. I love to garden and putting that up just feels great and a fun journey all while knowing what's in all my jars and food .Cooking from scratch is were it's at . Love the breakdown of this video a valuable teach !
Thank You for this video.
I cannot afford canning jars or the equipment. I am a poor old lady. I live rural. I live alone. My intuition told me to stock up almost 5 years ago. My budget was tiny. I had to do it for a few dollars a week. I had to come up with low cost recipes. I make it work on my budget. I also have health problems that makes life difficult to do as much work as I need to get done.
I have 30 of the #10 survival cans. I purchased 15 of them for under $8 each. The others cost me $15 each. Many of those cans are going for around $80 and higher online.
I was given 3 of those 30 day buckets as a gift. They were around $100 each but are now over $200 each this year. I also purchased 2 buckets of 10 pound single ingredient buckets for $20 each. I DIYed 3 food grade buckets for less than $20 each filled with 25 pounds of a grain in each.
For equipment, I have a dehydrator, vacuum sealer and a few small appliances that can be plugged into my truck. I have a simple indoor salad garden set up with a grow light. I have backup lights of battery operated from Dollar Tree as well as a solar power inverter light that can keep my winter salad garden growing no matter what. The total grow setup was $25 for the lights and containers. I get my garden seeds on clearance for 5 cents a package on clearance in the late fall. I store them in a cheap back to school sale pencil box. I get about $5 in fresh salad fixings in the winter when I have the indoor salad garden running.
I had to setup backup ways to cook and prepare food. I had to make space to store food. I had to clean out the linen closet and other areas to make room. I worked hard at filling up my linen closet with food.
For some things, the investment of being able to grow and process your own food can be worth it. It has been baby steps for me. Eventually, I want canning equipment setup but I am not there yet.
After years of saying I wanted to learn how to can, I started canning last year with just tomatoes and this year did enough jam for the entire year, along with the tomatoes and peaches, pickles and salsa. My goal is to have a pantry just like yours in 5 years. I love that you talked about saving money, but it really is more about getting free from the processed food. The food that we can ourselves tastes so much better than anything you will find in the store. I wish I had started sooner, but so glad I did start at all. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us and the story of your friend who was healed by changing her food.
Thank you Rachel!!
I don't do it for savings..I do it for our health. I was type 2 diabetic..my husband has Crohn's disease..in remission for last 9 years. We cut out all the chemicals & "preservitves" that are in commercial products!
I can't put a price on that!
Plus..we don't put junk in landfills!
No styrofoam from meats, no plastics, no metal cans.
I've been gifted over 700 jars in last 3 years. Granted I had to empty & clean them throughly.
Wow! A few years ago I sat down and calculated I needed about 1500-2000 jars for a years worth of food for my family. I asked in a canning group if that was correct and people thought I was crazy. We moved to land and I do not have a place for a panty, yet. Thank you so much for doing this. It gives me a great idea of the size of space Iâll need and that I was pretty close in how many jars to shoot for. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Excellent topic, Rachel. I caught a glimpse of an article,I didn't read through it, but basically those who grew small gardens during covid, grew an average of 600.00 worth of produce. My garden bc of drought didn't do as well this yr, but we ate fresh every night and canned or dehydrated every last bit of it. Tomatoes here were 1.99lb at grocer, lettuce was crazy. I do look to see prices and grin bc I don't have to buy any. To my family gardening and preserving is our grocery store especially in wintertime. My time spent growing and preserving, is like cooking, it's a labor of love!! My pay is a healthy, well fed family. I cant put a $$ amount on that.
You are such a love, I have built a 2 to 3 year pantry on an income of about 1400 to 2400 a month. Social security and a part time job. ( I'm now 76). It can be done!
I agree, let folks know you need jars. So many began during the pandemic and found it wasnât their glass of iced tea. Turns out my grandpa had a PC he never told me about. Wish I had know I could have saved some money. I often have folks bring me jars, just to get them out of their home.
I love this video. I was just sharing with my coworkers yesterday about the reasons I can. Where we live I am really struggling with having a garden but we have apple houses everywhere that sell local produce and I have really been taking advantage of those. My husband is a cancer survivor and I an a heart attack survivor so knowing what is in but more importantly what is not in our food is very important. That being said there is a financial savings as well as a huge difference in taste. I am so glad Iâve learned this skill and thank you and Todd for showing us ways to use our canned goods. Keep it up, we love yâall!
Bought 50 pounds of red skin potatoes from the farmers market for 25 bucks we dehydrated and used slightly blemished jars for vacuum sealing. Also got some great winter squash super affordable and will can those
dont forget! DO NOT jump in with both feet. spread it out. It takes time to learn what your family will eat and how much. I have been switching for two years now and just now understanding what is gonna work.
For my boyfriend and I, this is our dream, and I know having an entire homestead is a long way off for us. Like I'm still working my way through college, we aren't married yet, and we haven't bought a house or anything. But watching videos like this make me excited and helps me learn. I'm always sharing with him what im learning. I was worried about the cost of getting a homestead off the ground, but it's reassuring to know how much it pays off in the long run. đ thank you for this video.
Another tip when buying used jars, sometimes there are old glass mayo-type jars (not really canning) so be careful and ask for pictures. You can tell the shoulders and threaded ring part is different than a standard canning jar. You can still use these of course, lids and rings will fit, but I don't believe the glass is tempered enough to withstand pressure canning. I always just use them for water bath or fermenting projects. You can find jars at estate sales, garage sales, auctions, thrift stores, and buy/sell/trade groups. Your best bet though, is definitely put the word out to friends and relatives you are looking for jars.
Another take on preserving your own food is the amount of waste you are saving from going into the landfill. Think of how many packages, cartons, tin cans, and wrappers go into your trash can from store bought food, plus the plastic/paper bags your brought the food home in. You can recycle a lot but not everything is recycled and ends up buried somewhere anyway.
I use jarred food as a bartering tool as well. I've traded for things as simple as farm eggs up to senior pictures (along with carpooling their daughter home).
I started canning and preserving foods about 7 years ago. I was tired of throwing food away because of freezer burn. So, i started slowly with a couple of cases of each size from 1/4 pints through half gallons. Bought a presto 23 qt pressure canner, water bath canner, funnel, jar grabber and 2 canning books. Learned recipes for canning. Every year since then, the cases of jars have increased, as I became more comfortable with making my own foods and preserves. Then I bought a freeze dryer and a dehydrator. I buy lids every year through walmart. Most of my organic veggies and organic fruits have been bought at farmers markets or local organic farms in bulk and i process them at home. I do grow some food, but not enough to support my family fully on our own grown organic foods. There are weeks in August through Oct, I am canning, or dehydrating or freeze drying 3 days a week, sometimes more. It all depends what has come in. I can my own grape juice and tomato juice as well. My total of jars is about 1900 jars, which includes all the canned foods i have done, plus all my dehydrated foods that i put in glass jars. In addition to that, mylar bags of various sizes with freeze dried foods, spices and powders. Plus food grade buckets filled with bulk items of rice, wheat berries, dried beans, rolled oats, grits, amaranth, quinoa, dried corn, sugar, raw honey, and teas. The teas (different types) I put them in separate mylar bags and keep them in the food grade bucket. This is not counting the meats I have in my freezers. Everything is dated the date it is jarred or packaged. I now spend about $100.00 per month in groceries, and that's for milk (sometimes, because i have freeze dried whole milk and freeze dried heavy cream), cheese, butter (I have lots of ghee jarred up too), coffee beans, ricotta cheese, pasta, lettuce during the season I can't grow it, tylenol, bandaids, vitamins, etc...I have my own hens, so eggs haven't been bought in a while. 90% of my jars were bought. Prices on the cases have varied every year, as they go up. This year, I bought 10 cases of jars. That's because every year, I have been adding more foods to our pantry for variety. I can't really give a good estimate as to how much it cost me to begin with, because every year, I added to my inventory. My largest purchase was my freeze dryer, which when I purchased it 6 years ago, it was under $3,000.00 for the largest one. Now it's more. If I had to estimate on the cost, without the cost of the freeze dryer, because I saved for that....about $2000.00 over 7 years. Every year I spend about $300.00 in lids and another $140.00 in additional jars. Is it worth it and do I save money? YES. Plus, I know exactly what is in my jarred foods. There are no chemicals in my food and I know if we go into another lockdown, or if grocery shelves get empty, my family has healthy food to eat.
Wow...just wow. Please don't advertise what you have. This is an absolutely amazing stash, and inevitability someone will come looking for some of it. God bless.
@@kd5499 We are not worried about it. My homes, working dogs, animals and family members are very well versed in protection. This is another reason why I don't ask for jars or assistance. My dog's are trained to not take anything from anyone other than me, my adult kids or my partner and they are trained in
another language.
Iâve been canning for 42 years. My Presto canner was a Christmas gift 42 years ago and I still use it. My mother-in-law taught me and provided me with my first jars and an extra Presto canner. I purchased canning jars at yard sales and auctions. I have had to purchase some jars through the years. My expense yearly is for canning salt and lids. My local hardware store is the cheapest on lids so I am stocking up for next year. I compost produce for my garden. As I downsize in my canning, my daughter is inheriting my jars. I also save seeds to plant the next year. If you are starting up, look at the off season to purchase jars. My local farm store puts jars on sale in late fall.
Hey Rachel, over here in the UK, pressure canning (aka bottling) is expensive to initially start with. Getting a hold of a pressure canner is difficult. Even trying to get a hold off a used one is exorbitant. I have been collecting jars for years before I got my pressure canner. So I have possibly 60+ vintage jars going back to the late 1940s, many with original glass lids and that uses rubber gaskets (seals). The main way I have managed to acquire these jars has been through, bootsales, ebay, gumtree and very occasionally facebook. Iâm still chasing for more of these as I believe that they present a greater return of investment, as the metal lids are expensive also. Otherwise to make it affordable, I and other UK canners, have taken to using lug lidded jars, clip jars and weck jars and buying when possible, in bulk.
Basically, things are pricey in the UK. I have a very small garden (living in the city), so I try to grow has much as I can of foods stuff that I mostly eat and try to buy as much as possible, when there is sales, or offers and the bootsale market and the fruits and veg are in season. Currently, I have started reading a book about how to make the most of food cut off from peels to scraps and so on.
But my primary intention for home preserving despite the initial cost, is and will always be about health. Growing and trying to eat well, controlling what is going in my foods, creating foods for my enjoyment as well is important. Having the knowledge and skills to do so I believe is vital on many, many levels. The more self sufficient you can become, the more wealthier you become in terms of living life and not simply hoarding money. So by, actually, starting and doing some aspects of self sufficiency, I feel a sense of achievement and drive to move further in that direction for myself and family. Iâm even trying to coax and teach some of my family and friends how to go about putting up some foods as well as encourage those who havenât grown any thing, to grow at least one thing including giving them a start or two to get them started.
The immediate drawback for me in the city, is where to store all the food, I preserving. LOL.
The initial investment can be a kicker but its so worth it in the long run , at least you know what's in it