Food storage ala Starbucks...

Think outside the box. I work for a purveyor of fine coffee, I have been with them for a long time. In fact in another year and a half I will be able to "retire" with the continued benefits of that free pound of coffee I talked about in this mornings post, plus my 30% off discount.
I used to give a lot of coffee away. I still give some away, but after I started preparing I started thinking about how to utilize my "perks" more wisely.
While I have shared some of these items before, partly I am writing this to encourage you to think outside the box about your preparations. But, to tip you in on a few ways for you to use items. You don't even have to purchase them at Starbucks or their products.

Coffee to go
This isn't instant or freeze dried coffee. These handy little packets are made with a new technique. Microground coffee, so the taste is better than instant.
Personally, I love to use these for making coffee custard (recipe) from storage.
PLUS, this is a nifty home remedy for poison ivy. You add just a tiny bit of water to make a paste, which you apply on the poison ivy. Allow to dry completely, then gentle pat off with a washcloth with warm water.

Yummy fruity caffeine drink
These are fairly new. The ones of the left are instant lattes, which I am not really a fan off, but got for free. So, I are storing them for barter.
The ones on the right are called Refreshers. The caffeine is extracted from green coffee beans and mixed with juices, then dried. Low in calories.I always have a couple of these in my purse and in my get home bag.
I like these for when I don't particularly want more coffee (flavor), just the caffeine boost. 

Freeze Dried Fruit
Actually, these are very tasty freeze dried fruit & convenient! My personal favorite is the one on the left with the mandarin oranges. Not a fan of the ones with kiwi (not shown), too tart. I always have them in my purse and my get home bag. You might want to pack them in a stiffer container, simply because they will get crumbly as time goes on.

(Home Ready Home shared this photo on facebook )

Freebies
Plus, I get free drinks when I work. So, I utilize that to bring home lattes and milk which I dehydrate of can.

"Best by" dates

Plus, I occasionally get items that are beyond their "best by" date. This would include blueberries (which I dehydrate), freeze dried orange and lime slices, powders, syrups and more.

Sales

Everyone is able to watch for sales. I always look in clearance items. I just happened upon 60% off sale on these instant drinks on the right. Plus a 50% sale on some other items, which I scooped up. Watch for sales at the end of various holiday seasons.

Tea bags

Great for drinking to invigorate or calm you down. Medicinal purchases or even a great treatment for sunburns, like I used last week.

So, there you have just a few tips you probably already know. We would love to have you join our community on Facebook @ Perky Prepping Gramma. Honestly, there is so much good information that we all share together. Not a lot of drama, just sharing the journey.

Top Products This Week: These are some of the products I have used this week in my preparing. I just reviewed the UCO Candlelier, which I love, love, love. Plus, I had to reseal some of my vacuum sealed foods during the move. (158)

              
I participate in the Amazon Associate Program. when you choose to purchase something I recommend, I receive a small percentage & it doesn't cost you any more. I only recommend products that I personally use and like.