Hi there,
How are you holding up? We're doing good for now. Here in South Carolina, our numbers are still low compared to other parts of the country. Slowly, but surly things are starting to shut down and the shelves in the grocery stores are starting to look bare. We are well stocked and prepared, and will be okay no matter what happens. That said, I think we will start to see more fully stocked grocery stores once this initial storm on stores starts to slow
down.
Schools are closed, many retail stores are closed, restaurants are able to do take-out food only, and police are starting to break up crowds on the beaches. Compared to California and New York, life still goes around here. People are out and about, going to work, out for a walk etc. I'm sure this will change over the next week or two.
How about you? How has your life changed?
To help in a little way, I've decided that from now until the end of this crisis, the HBHW cookbooks will be available for 99 cents. If you are looking for frugal recipes to help you get through these lean times, pick up a book or two.
You can find them all here:
I'm glad you found the blog post I shared last week about how we are preparing helpful. I'm working on a few additional ones including a collection of recipes that used dry beans, peas, and lentils, along with other pantry staples.
One thing I'm hearing over and over from readers these days is that bread is hard to find. If you're staying home, and you have a little extra time on your hand, now is a great time to learn how to bake bread. The Beginner Bread Recipe is a great place to start and something fun you can do with the kids while you're stuck at home.
For something quicker and easier, give this simple flatbread recipe a try. You cook it right in your skillet on the stove. I use one of my trusty cast-iron skillets.
Of course bread isn't the only thing we need to stay nourished. I'll share some of my favorite frugal "from scratch" recipes with you over the coming days and weeks. For now I thought these homemade soup recipes would come in handy. Many of them can be made with pantry staples.
Last but not least, let's talk about our mental health for a minute. It's important to make time to relax and tune out for a little bit. This is causing all of us added stress. What can you do today to distract yourself and your loved ones? Maybe it's baking bread, maybe it's a simple craft, maybe it's watching a family movie together.
If books are your favorite form of escape and how you relax, now is a great time to sign up for Kindle Unlimited if it's in your budget. You can get the first two months free using this link. (And if it's not in your budget, you could still sign up and make a note to cancel before
your trial ends.) All my HBHW cookbooks and the clean romance books I write under the pen name Susanne Ash are part of Kindle Unlimited.
That's it from me for today. I hope you stay safe and you're doing everything you can to stay healthy. Keep your distance from others and stay home as much as possible. Together we will get through this.
