As you probably know, things are getting more and more expensive each and everyday. It feels like we are on the verge of another recession.

So, what are we do to?

I was in elementary school during the last recession, I don’t remember much, but I do recall eating some frugal meals with my grandparents, after being gifted old cookbooks from my great great grandmother I realized one of my favorite frugal meals was actual a meal they ate a lot during the great depression, I’ll get to that in a bit.

This isn’t a post telling you how to become a hoarder, of things you will never use but I hope after reading this you feel just a little more prepared for the *potential* days ahead. That you don’t live in fear but place your hope & trust in the Lord, Jesus Christ. Okay let’s get to it, shall we?

Step 1: Do not live in fear.

Do not live in fear, YES I’ve already mentioned it, but this is important, so hear me out.

I think back to 2020 and how so many people rushed to the stores to panic buy toilet paper, it’s nice to have, but it was a good example on how fear can make us do irrational things, like buy all of the toilet paper in the store.. Let’s not let fear control us and to do that is to get ahead of things can cause us fear. So, with the possible of a recession, what makes you the most afraid? Write it down, get it out. Spend some time in prayer, that the Lord can calm those nerves, anxieties and that He can equip you with the knowledge and tools you need to get through tough times to come.

Step 2: What do you usually eat?

It would be silly to buy food you won’t even eat, just to be “prepared”. Super silly! So take a moment, and think about the foods your family actually eats. A lot of my family meals consist of a meat, a grain & a veggie, also a lot of soup. We’ve stopped eating pre-packaged snacks so that helps a lot when trying to prepare my kitchen for a recession.

Let’s break it down in to chunks.

Step 3: Bulk Grains

If you enjoy bread, pasta or anything with flour then I would consider investing in a grain mill, I purchased a refurbished nutrimill and it works great, you can also find affordable hand crank ones as well if a grain mill like the nutrimill or other brands doesn’t fit the budget right now.

I purchase 25lb bags of grain from azure standard and store them in 5 gallon buckets with gamma lids. You can purchase everything through azure standard but I’ve heard others even finding used food grade buckets from local bakeries & restaurants.

Buying & milling whole grains can seem intimidating but I promise it’s super easy. If I can do it with 4 kiddos running around, I have faith you can do it too! If you want a walk through on how to mill grains I talk about that here. ( )

Top grains to consider to keep in stock:

1. Whole white wheat – This grain is pretty versatile, it’s the 2nd grain I started with and the grain I use the most. I use it for my sourdough bread, cookies, you name it.
2. Buckwheat, if you didn’t know buckwheat isn’t actually a wheat, or a grass. It’s a plant and the seeds are what we eat. Buckwheat was the driving factor to purchase a grain mill, our friends brought their grain mill over one weekend and make us the best pancakes we’ve ever had. They were buckwheat pancakes! This is a grain we will always keep in stock! Truly if needed we could live off of this, it’s so filling!
3. Einkorn – If you struggle with digesting gluten, freshly milled einkorn might be a good option for you. It still has gluten, but is a ancient grain, if I had to guess, probably a grain that Jesus ate, how cool!
4. Spelt- Is another ancient grain & easily digested by those with a gluten sensitivity.

Step 4: Dried goods

Rice & beans are a staple in almost every household, I know they are in mine! They are cost effective and you can make so many different meals with beans & rice. These are the first things that come to mind for most but let’s dig a little more.

1. Dried fruits- Fresh fruits may be hard to come by in a time with tariffs and a recession, this is where dried fruits will be such a treat to have in the pantry. Again, think of the fruits your family eats, you don’t want to have a bunch of raisins if your family doesn’t even really enjoy them. You can also buy extra fruit on sale and dehydrate your own.
2. Nuts, these will probably continue to rise in prices, so add them to the list if you enjoy them.
3. SUGAR, HONEY & MAYPLE SYRUP – These are important, a sweet treat will be so special from time to time.
4. baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract (make your own here)
5. SPICES: salt, pepper, onion, garlic, Italian, cumin & paprika to name a few
6. OATS – you can do so much with them!

Step 5: Learn how to grow your own food from seed

This may be a little tricky if you live in an apartment BUT it is still doable! You could set up a spot with grow lights and pots. Again, only grow the things that your family will actually eat.

tomatoes are good because you can turn them into so many different things. ( Ketchup, tomato sauce, freeze them, can them, dry them.

beans, potatoes, corn, onions & garlic, carrots, winter squash & cucumbers are a few other great ones to learn to grow & preserve.

Step 6: Find a reliable farmer for meat

It’s hard telling where most of our meat is coming from nowadays. A lot of it unfortunately is coming from overseas and with tariffs in place prices are going to go up and quality is probably going to go down. Finding a local farmer is going to be huge! Not only will you know where your meat is coming from but there will be no middle name needing to be paid, you will be supporting a local family who is also more than likely feeling the effects of a recession.

I hope that this was helpful for you! I would love to hear what you would add to this list.

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