Tada's Goal: Week 2 and how to rotate correctly

Tada's Goal:  The rules

1. Each week buy the items listed and store them.

2. Use a permanent marker to write the date purchased to aid in stock rotation.

3. Buy the largest quantity you can afford and store, don't go overboard and stay within your budget.

4. If you miss a week, skip it and go on.  Don't get behind.

5. Replace items as you use them

6. Share good deals with your friends and family.  Everyone loves discounts

7. Store properly

Week 2:   Laundry Detergents; bleach, laundry soap, fabric softener, stain aid, oxi clean, etc....

Make sure that it is laundry products that you and your family use and prefer.  If you make your own that is great too, now is the time to make a new batch to have on hand.  As you can see in my picture I don't have bleach (I am not a good bleach user and I have found that the mixture of tide and oxi clean works great for us.)  My stain aid is also,  just tide..... If my little ones get spaghetti sauce on a white shirt and I put a little tide on it and even if I don't wash it for a few days the stains still come out.  Another different thing is the dawn dish soap,  I use that for tough grease or when I accidentally wash and dry a whole load with chap stick in my pocket and get those grease marks... just squirt a little in with the wash and they come out nice and clean. This is what works best for me.  But do whatever works for you!

And now for a little lesson in rotation:

(If you have questions, feel free to leave a comment and we will answer as soon as we can!!)

The ultimate goal is to eventually have a years worth of everything,  or 6 months, or 3...depending on how much storage you have.  We are not saying to go out and buy a years worth of Tide in one week!!  That is could get crazy and expensive and overwhelming!!  A little at a time is fine:)

I have been doing this type of food storage on and off for a few years.  The first time I did it, I bought a couple extra of everything and used it till it was gone,  so I was back to square one with nothing to show for it.  The next time, I did really good and rotated properly and added when I could.  So when I had to quit my job and go from having 2 incomes to one and have twins and have them be in the NICU for 39 days, this is basically what we lived off of for a few months until we adjusted to the cut in finances.  (Food storage is not just for when a natural disaster strikes, it's also good for when times get tough.)

Here is that basic lesson in the rotation and the stocking process.

This week is laundry detergents,  we all know that they can get expensive.

So lets start out small...

Lets say you had a half of each bottle in your cupboard right now, so when you run out-you're out and that is normally when you'd go buy new.

To start, get one of everything you use, that way you will have 2 bottles in your cupboards.

We'll focus on just fabric softener to make this a little bit easier....

When you bring your new bottle home I would immediately mark your first bottle some how (with a star or date so you know that this is now something that needs to be rotated and stocked)  Then, write the date you purchased the new bottle, on the new bottle.  Put everything away and then forget about it for a bit....

[The reason for the dates is so you know what needs to be used first and also when you work your self up to having a years worth, the dates will let you know how often you are using something so you can estimate how much you could use in a year.]

In a week or so when you empty that first bottle of fabric softener and you go to throw it away you will notice that you have a mark on it and you will immediately write it on your grocery list (even though you have a new bottle right behind it... I know it's tempting to just not get a new one but make sure you stick to the plan so you don't end up at square 1 again!!!).  This way you will always have two bottles in rotation.

I usually put a star on my grocery list next to the food storage type items. And I put two stars next to the actual food storage item of the week. That way I can keep track of everything and know what is for the week and what is just part of regular rotation.

Also, my reasoning for putting a star next to these items is so that if I find a great deal,... Lets say that the fabric softener is buy one get one half off this week, Instead of just the one I would get an extra one and add that to my rotation and will stock up at the same time....  So when you get home and put the dates on the new bottles you now have 3 in rotation and are happily on your way to a good supply. 

Are you starting to see how this works?  

If you find yourself actually having to use the storage (like I had to) instead of building on it, don't get discouraged!!  That is what it is there for and it should make you happy to know that you are able to provide for your family even if your budget it tight.  When you are able to work on it make sure it's what you can do and you are not going out of your means just to say you have a food storage.

The whole reason behind Tada's Goal is so that you can build on your storage a little at a time in a simpler, easier way.

As we work on our storage we will let you know of great deals we find, and we hope you do the same! :)

Have a happy week everyone!