Coupons and Clearance = Score!

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Admin

Couponing Cat

Just got back from a day of super sized grocery shopping and couponing. I am exhausted! Momma is happy her pantry is full again with all the odds and ends and my food plan is ready to go!

With all the running around the past month and a half we haven’t been shopping, not since the April run! YES! I haven’t had to go to the grocery store in a month and a half and I still had food to fill every meal of every day!

YEAH!!! This makes me so happy that we have gotten so far in our food storage that a grocery store and check does not dictate our schedule.

I made a large list and added as many coupons as I could to help the budget.

First step is I decide which items I will be buying at the warehouse store.

*anything that is priced lower per item or by weight then I can get at the normal store, even with coupons*

The rest is usually bought at a store where I can use coupons, especially with double coupons, AND I can use a grocery store customer card where I can get special discounts and perks. Every little bit adds up!

The trick with today’s grocery run was I wanted to get a month and a half’s worth of groceries at our normal budgeted price. The warehouse buy was normal, nothing special to report except I found some good meat that was marked down, saved us about $9.

The other store we went to was Kroger. This week Kroger is having a super saver event. Buy 10 and you get money off. Then they double my coupons. This Kroger is a particularly nice one. The workers are nice, the manager is nice and everyone looks as coupons as a fun event rather than a problem.

I bought 118 items. I used 48 coupons and e-coupons. I saved a total of $139.04!

The best deal I got was an on the fly deal. About 6 months ago I got a great deal on dehydrated potatoes. Each potato box had a coupon on the front. We piled the coupons off and I waited for the right time and place to use them. Today was that day.

The potatoes were marked down from $2.84 to $1.84. The coupon I had would make each

Clearance sale

box $.84. Then we noticed that one flavor of mashed potato was being clearanced at $1.10, with coupon $.10!

Great Helper

My little M was helping us and even reached way back into the shelf for the potatoes. What a great helper!

We had a nice day and stretched out money as far as possible. I am going to keep my eyes open to see if the Kroger  super saver deal continues next week I may use food storage money to return and store up on sale products.

Do I have any fellow couponers here? Have you ever run across a deal like this before, or better?

 

 

 

Posted in couponing, Homemaking | 1 Comment

It’s YOUR private information, say NO!

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Admin

You don’t realize how immune this world has become to giving up private information until you say NO to an application asking for all sorts of information.

For me a simple trip to the pediatrician pointed out there is something seriously wrong with the private information we are expected to just divulge. We went in and I watched a nurse begin questioning my child for information. The nurse became very upset that my kindergartner didn’t know the spelling of her last name and date of birth (including year.) Then when she turned to my teen she wanted all that info and a social security number. I asked why did she need the social security number? I got a blank look then, “ahh, because it’s on the paper?”

Guess what that nurse had NO right to my children’s social security number. Medical establishments are the number 1 place to leak your private information to the bad guys of the world. They spend lots of money protecting the health records but not nearly as much time or effort protecting all the paperwork in the front office.

Some medical establishments may say ‘This is so we can access your health insurance.’ That is no longer true. No insurance company private or public can use your social security number as your insurance number (other then the Veteran’s Administration, and they only ask for a portion of your number.) Even with that as LAW some places will not see you as a patient because they are ignorant of the law.

*You can suggest using your driver’s license number in place of your social security number. Much easier to replace if there is a problem!*

Who do you HAVE to share your Social Security number with:

-SOME government agencies  “tax authorities, welfare offices, and state Departments of Motor Vehicles, can require your SSN number as mandated by federal law (42 USC 405 (c)(2)(C)(v) and (i)). Others may request the SSN, leading you to believe you must provide it.”

-Financial business transactions that will require the IRS

-Schools and Colleges They will need your SSN especially if you are getting some form of financial assistance, due to the IRS connection.

-Some job applications Any job that requires a background check, security clearance, IRS check for financial stability, etc will require a social security number.

Then there are the odd on the phone pre-approved credit card transactions. While there are a couple of companies that do legitimately do this. PLEASE DON’T! Never give out your private information over the phone whether that is your social security number, your date of birth, or even your full name.

If that person/company needs you that badly then you should already know each other. Also if they need to get you and have your phone number then they should have your address. A letter in the mail takes only a couple of days.

Be polite and respectful and say NO.

Consider this a wall of security for your family that you are building. By not sharing information to the public or spreading this information to several different non-secure places you are keeping your family safer.

Some places I found my information:

Identity Theft And Your Social Security Number 

My Social Security Number – How Secure Is It?

Posted in Organization | Tagged | Leave a comment

Who holds your future? ~Food 401K series~

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Admin

With all the moaning and groaning over the years about ‘You have to put money into 401K plans with your company’ or ‘You are obligated to pay into Social Security. It’s your safety net when you get older.’ ringing in your ears do you feel you future is safer in the hands of others? Are you getting more financially secure or is there something lacking? Is there another way to secure your future?

Lets look at the Social Security safety net. Frankly your retirement check is a hope. The hope is the government that has borrowed away that money you pay in every year will be solvent enough when you get to retirement age to pay you back. As a child I would have said sure the government helped my grandma and she was borderline poor but not destitute. There is some form of safety net there. As I get older and pay closer attention to those entering their retirement years this is not true anymore. Times have changed.

The hope of a check is fading fast, even the government is beginning to suggest that. This article, Will Social Security be there for your retirement? by Janet Novack in Forbes magazine is a good read to let you know where we are today.

In other words, while the money the country has supposedly been squirreling away in imaginary trust funds will have run out, the taxes coming in should still be enough to pay 75% of promised retirement benefits.

Another problem is the strength of the dollar. If the dollar is weak and inflation is rising, like it is now. Then your check even if it is a 100% the promised amount will be next to worthless. Not even able to cover your basic bills and food. The safety net is more like a safety cobweb now.

The BEST possible rate of return on Social Security is between 5.37% (for a couple with children born in 1932) to 1.2% (for a low income male born in 1976) -from Heritage Foundation- I got a headache just reading through all the mumbo-jumbo to figure out basics on this stat. Way too many loopholes and exceptions that take money away from your check to get a true feel of how much you can get back.

Government checks and entitlements rely on a strong solvent government and a strong dollar.

As for the company or your private 401K you at least have a fighting chance. You will have more control over it. That can be great if you know what you are doing in the world of finance or willing to pay someone who does.

401k’s do have some drawbacks they are reliant on certain conditions to grow the best.

IF you stay long enough with a company then you can get matching monies going into the 401K.

IF the mutual funds and stocks the 401k is invested in are strong and rise.

IF there are not the looming tax changes to take even more of your money from you.

Again the last few years of serious economic decline have changed the rules on 401Ks. First the paper you get telling you how much money you have in a 401K is showing a scary loss in money. Second companies are pulling back their matching of your monies to less amounts of money compared to workers in the early 2000′s, or they have stopped matching monies all together.

The AVERAGE return for 401k’s upon maturing is 6-9%

401k’s rely on a strong economic growth of the private economy and less governmental/tax interference.

So what can maintain it’s worth over the long haul? Commodities.

That is everything from gold, silver, precious metals, food, and supplies. Things that you can hold in your hand. These are generally considered a hedge against inflation as part of a well rounded portfolio.

I was floored when I heard this interview. Commodities rate of return is ‘Zero’??? Really?? Since when is an ounce of gold worth nothing? Here is the article you can make your own mind up as to whether or not commodities are worthless.

Long-Term Rate of Return on Commodities, ‘Zero’: Pro  (as an interesting note, the day after this interview was taken the weak jobs numbers for April came in. Suddenly despite Mr Durin saying,  ”People are realizing that QE3* is off the table.”   QE3 is being mumbled about as a needed injection of money to sustain a weak and faltering economy.)

Frankly I am ignoring this man and carrying on with investing in commodities. Whether that be precious metals or straight out foods and materials that can be stored in my home (especially long term).

Just to prove my point check out the US Inflation Calculator. If you bought a $20 item in 1970 it would take you $118.24 for that same item today. A percentage increase of 491.2%!

The 1970′s had a huge increase in inflation. Gas shortages and food supply problems. This economy is starting to look very similar to the 1970′s. Wouldn’t it be smart to be ahead of the curve rather than being at the mercy of the store, inflation, action/or inaction of the government, Wallstreet sharks…. and on and on the list goes. Or is there another way?

Are you looking for a safety net that YOU are in charge of? Let’s open a FOOD 401K

If you have not started to fully stock your pantry then I hope this post helps solidify the urgent reasons to store food and supplies. We are going to be talking about our FOOD 401K how and what to stock up on. Urgent updates if shifts due to governments or weather are going to spike prices. Just keep your eyes out for the FOOD 401K logo to stay updated and informed!

 

Posted in Food Storage | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Surprise Storms! You need to prepare now!

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Admin

Whether we are talking a tornado on Christmas day or a snowstorm in mid May. Weather is at best UNPREDICTABLE!

 

Weather marches onward. We cannot change it or shift it. But what can we do?

BE PREPARED!

It’s all the difference between a mad rush to the store. Possibly getting caught up in riot like situations, or ending up without the items you need. On the other hand being able to check a simple checklist and knowing you are prepared will relax you and let you rest easy.

“A b-b-b-b-blizzard!” Ma chattered, “In Oc-October. I n-n-never heard of…”     from The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

In that book Laura and her family are caught off guard by an extremely early storm. The storm raged for 4 days and froze the head of cattle to the ground because of the cold and wind. It killed their garden and left them in a position that they almost starved to death that winter.

Thankfully we have weather guessers… ahhh… I mean weather forecasters. That give us a better heads up for weather problems heading our way.

Even with all the sophistication of weather forecasting today there are still times when everyone is caught flatfooted. Times when the disasters come so fast you have no time haveto go get what you need. You have to have it NOW.

Here’s a super short and sweet list:

-Light Source

-Heat/Cooling Source

-Medications

-Food

-Way to prepare food (such as grill with charcoal, cast iron skillet, wood)

-Appropriate clothing with STURDY shoes

-72hour kit (which should have all these items in it already)

-Gas up your vehicles (you never know when you have to drive…far… to reach an undamaged area, and safe shelter afterwards.)

Here are some article from other woman prepping blogs (thanks to The Survival Mom):

23 Tips to Help You Prepare for Tornado Season from The Survival Mom

72 Hour Kit Guideline  PreparednessMom’s Adventure’s into Prepping

Band-aids and Beans and Bullets … Oh My! Survivor Jane

 

Posted in Preparedness | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Ladies don’t be gun wimps!

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Admin

Yesterday I was talking on my family’s blog about a quick trip into a gun store. After reading this several friends pelted me with articles about women and weapons. I thought you might like if I shared my experience and the new neat blogs.

First here is what happened while traveling through Tennesee:

Tuesday we traveled through TN. Just south of Nashville there was a really nice gun store we stopped at. I haven’t had a gun in my hands since the stroke. I have asked hubby for a hand gun but I needed to feel them in my weak hand to know what would work for me. We stopped and I got to try some handguns.

***PS for those that don’t know I was a national level competition handgun shooter. I once tried for the Atlanta Olympics but fell just shy of making the team :(  Any way I trained for years. Up to 8 hours a day for several years. I even went to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO for training and competitions.**

The salesman did not know that. I picked up my favored .45 my hand was too weak to hold it securely or steady. The hand started shaking almost instantly. The salesman must have thought that was a sign of being scared. He suggested I get some firing range time in before I gave up on a .45. I was nice to him and told him I had lots of range experience. After trying some other handguns I am happy with my decision on my dream gun. Dear salesman, women can be well versed in weapons just like men can be totally inept. Each person is totally different!

This is not the first time I have run into the ‘woman are lost when it comes to weapons attitude,’ and frankly this man was really nice about. If I had the money in my pocket I would have bought the gun. I have run into a real jerk when it comes to women and handguns.

I excelled in competitive handgun shooting when I was younger. I was on range up to 8 hours a day for years. At one point I shared the range with our local police force. The gun caliber for Olympic competitive shooting for ladies is a .22 so that is what I trained with.

On day my coaching ran over our usual time leaving the range. In walks the local police’s armorer a bit earlier then normal. He laughed at my “puny, girl gun” with the young cops he brought. My coach got a smirk on his face and asked if I could fire with his “big gun” to get the feel of it.

The armorer came over and gave me a long safety lecture. Had me holding the gun two handed with both elbows resting on my torso “so I could handle the recoil”. It was a HORRIBLE position to hold a gun!
He turned to the other cops and snickered loud enough I could hear. “Bet she won’t hit the target. Just hope she doesn’t drop my gun.”

I looked at my coach and said “I’m one handing it” Before the armorer could say anything my coach said that’s fine go ahead. I took aim and fired a grouping that was easily less then 3 inches across. New gun, .45 hardball.

**This is not a pic of the grouping from that day. This is the target I keep in my case to encourage me to do better.***

A good solid foundation in learning to fire a gun will translate to any gauge. The only thing you must be aware of is the weight difference (changing the balance point) and the amount of kick varies.

I believe everyone should have a solid education in weapons. The safety basics. The handling and cleaning of a firearm. Finally the ability to fire the weapon.

A simple course in safety and self defense will make for a safer community for everyone.

Here are some blog that you might enjoy:

Preparing Your Family for Violence  Written by Greg Ellifritz on April 6, 2012

For the Ladies – Getting Started with Firearms (Part 1) Brigid writes at Home on the Range – www.mausersandmuffins.blogspot.com

For the Ladies – Getting Started with Firearms (Part 2) Brigid writes at Home on the Range – www.mausersandmuffins.blogspot.com

Posted in Preparedness | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Monthly menu planning Top Do’s and Don’ts!

Posted on April 3, 2012 by Admin

I have continued to plan each month’s meals since last November’s post, Monthly Menu Challenge. That was my first month going all in. I have to admit that I have had varying levels of success with the menu.

I was really good for the first couple months. Then the new year hit and I got super focused on buying a half of cow. Silly me no matter where my food money is going 3 meals a day need to be prepared and ready. I have 5 hungry kids and a hubby to remind me :)

Now I am back in the saddle and ready for April! Time to get our meal planning back in order. Our money savings rising. And the ease of having a meal already decided on at my finger tips.

I hope you will join me in monthly menu planning. Here are some tips and trips. Ways that I have sabotaged myself and some ways to keep the menu planning on track!

Top 5 ways to sabotage yourself:

1) Don’t plan the month on the 1st- Sounds simple but March snuck up on me and I didn’t have my menu until the 4th. Obviously I was days behind, meals on the fly. All that with a large trip looming. We ate out more in March then all the other months combined.

2)  Don’t forget to plan for your pay schedule.  If you pay up to May 1st but you don’t have the food to make it through until May 5th when you are paid. You will end up out of food, and rushed to get the next month’s groceries. Rushed grocery store runs tend to mean less savings and more forgetting.

3) Plan into a week or day too many new recipes. Spread the new recipes out over the week and month.

4) Take into account holidays, birthdays, and other special days. You can easily add this into your menu IF you remember. Be sure to work off a the calendar where you mark all the special and different events happening in your family.

5) Letting poor timing catch you off guard. I understand forgetting to thaw food and having a mess at dinner time. That is why I always have a couple on the fly meals up my sleeve. Spaghetti and meatballs can be fixed super fast. What is your super fast meal idea?

Top paths to success!

1) Plan the entire month with enough time to shop. Like I said before a rushed grocery trip tends to be stressed, and frustrating. Less money savings and less coupons used. And the worst problem, forgotten items meaning more trips later in the month.

2) Plan enough money for one mega shopping trip. At first this can be very tough. It’s okay to work up to it! Plan for the full month’s trip and get what you can afford. Using the food at home, not eating out, will save money. Using coupons and sales to fill in the blanks in your pantry will also save you money.

3) Plan enough time to shop for that much food without child meltdown ;) Grocery shopping time is a great time for the kids to stay with daddy or grandma. A couple of hours quiet in the store could save you as much as a hundred dollars of sticky fingered, nagging mommy for items, non-budgeted spending.

4) Use your crock pot, and other kitchen gadgets! Use crock pots for any meal in the day. Use your food processor to cut up loads of onions and make freezer meals all at once.

5) If you have gone to the trouble to plan a menu then COOK the food! Also keep notes of the recipes that are a hits and not so great. The great ones get rolled right into next month’s line up of meals. Making your job on meal easier! The not so great ones need to be noted so you don’t waste money on them again. I have little comments and marks ALL over my cookbooks rating them or adjusting the recipe.

***6)*** The top path to success with monthly menus is to be adaptable. If you need to flip days then do it and mark it on the planner. If your potatoes are starting to get old roast them all, then save them for a Roasted Potato Soup.

This month I found a new free, printable monthly planner. It even has the 2 snacks a day we need to keep sugars level steady.

Free Monthly Planner Template

My monthly menu is planned the shopping is done. The only other time I will need the store is on the 15ish for a refresh on rice milk. Even Easter dinner is planned and waiting in my refrigerator for Sunday! YUMMY!

Posted in couponing, Homemaking, Menus | 1 Comment

Know when to walk away!

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Admin

I am not a shy violet to lay down and allow myself or my family to be pushed around. I am choosy about when to draw a line in the sand and get vocal about it or not. I have limited energy, budget, and time.

clipping coupons

First understand I am NOT a super-couponer or anyone that would ever make the Extreme Couponing tv show. I do use coupons to cut about 40%-60% off my general grocery bills. It’s good stewardship of my household.

In pursuit of that I use coupons that I cut from the newspaper, get in the mail, and print off the internet (at safe sites). A local store several months ago gave me quite a run around in using my coupons. I left a comment at the store’s main office.

I talked to the manager of the store. I was told exactly how she ran her store in regards to coupons. One they try to scan them. If that doesn’t work then they type in the unique number code on the bottom of the coupon. If that doesn’t work they don’t except the coupon. Also if at anytime I wanted a manager one would come to the aisle.

After that conversation I went back to the store and shopped there just fine up until 2 weeks ago. I had another problem at the same store (talked about in Great Shopping Run to Share!)

Today the store refused to take internet coupons. Including 2 that had specifically marked for Walmart. I decided to make a formal complaint.

The following is a couple portions of my complaint:

“The clerk turned down my internet coupons. (as per the manager’s conversation) I asked for a manager. The head clerk stepped over and told me they didn’t need a manager, she never did call one, despite my asking for one. The clerk and head clerk both said they can only try to scan my coupons once. If they didn’t scan they were fraudulent.”

That was a big issue for me. How can I get a problem resolved if the clerks won’t call the manager? (A fellow couponer suggested that I call the store from the aisle on my cell. I don’t know if I am that aggressive about my coupons but it’s a good solution to not getting a manager when you ask for one.)

“Today my husband returned to the same store. This time they rang through the internet coupons. Many error coded saying we didn’t have that item. The item was pulled out of the bags and was clear to see we DID have it. The clerk was pleasant but refused to ring up the coupons, even with the head clerk there.”

Here is the other big problem I had with this situation. On the phone the manager said that they would scan the coupon, or run the numbers on the bottom of the coupon to verify if it was a usable coupon or not. Neither time would the clerk or head clerk run the numbers. Several coupons did scan through and were still not used because they were internet coupons (as per the head clerk.)

“My family and I will NOT be returning to the local Walmart’s store. They clearly lack education in dealing with coupons and won’t call the manager when a customer asks.”

Frankly I feel like this store is using any excuse they can to get out of accepting coupons. I can’t risk my tight budget on them taking or not taking my coupons. I and my 7 member family are taking our money elsewhere!

Posted in couponing, Homemaking | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

2 hours till the storm hits and you aren’t ready!

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Admin

You’re not a doomsday person. There is no major collapse coming or any major issue that you can see in your area of the country that would require you to store up food and supplies even for the recommended 72 hours. You have some cans of unknown veggies in your cabinet that you think could help you make it through a rough spot. Some food in the freezer if things get a bit tight money-wise. The refrigerator thinning quickly until your next paycheck. In short you live paycheck to paycheck not really concerned about tomorrow’s food. If all else fails there is Taco Bell or McDonald’s to cover the gap.

Today I would like to question that comfy spot you have built. I would like to encourage you to think of a VERY plausible situation that would change your world in a heartbeat.

The major storm coming takes a last minute turn and puts your home in the cross hairs. That recently happened to my house the weather report went from ‘a dusting to and 1 inch’ up to ’3-5 inches’ and in the end we got 6 inches. Weather is fickle and it’s the number one reason why you might be stuck in your home without the ability to get out for days.

Think of New Hampshire a year or so ago. There were people that were iced into their homes for almost 2 weeks! That’s with National Guard, police, and all state workers going full force 24/7.

When I was a child an ice storm ripped through my section of the country. It left all the utility workers out and working 24/7. It took days just to chip the ice off our cars and the walkway to the car. Right as it looked like life would resume. Another ice storm roared through. The temperature dropped sharply afterwards. No power. No way to ever get to a shelter. Nothing but what we had in the house. I believe the whole ordeal was 9 days of mostly no power, heat, and only the food we had in the house before the storm hit. It is an unpleasant time that stands out vividly as a hungry, cold, miserable experience.

This could happen to you.

Let’s say you get the heads up that the ice storm that was going north of you just shifted. The ice storm will start in about 2 hours.  You have minimal money. And no prep at home.

STATS:

time- 2 hours to prep

money-$100.00-200.00

people in home- (lets go for the average) 4 people

1) Plug in ALL your rechargeable items immediately!

2) Go gas up your vehicle!

3) If you have prescriptions that MUST be refilled within the next week and a half. Call them in. You can get them faster by talking to the pharmacist directly and telling them your concern of being caught at home without your needed medications.

4) Go to a store where you can get ALL your items at once and quickly.

Your goal is to have your shopping done and be on the way home before everyone else descends on the store.

Alright you are ready to go but what do you get? Remember you have a large possiblity of losing power and having to totally take care of yourself and family for several days. Time to get serious and basic!

There are several areas of the store you need to focus in on. Grocery, Non food supplies, and Pharmacy areas.

Grocery: This changes as per what you already have in your home. I am giving you a general list you can adjust to what meets your needs.

-Potatoes (can be wrapped in foil and placed in a fireplace for a warm filling meal)

-Eggs (easy to cook even over a fire)

-Ground meat (low grade meat gives you more meat for less money)

-Water- “The Institute of Medicine determined that an adequate intake (AI) for men is roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day. The AI for women is 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day.”

-Bread

-Peanut butter

-Drink mix that doesn’t require adding sugar (keeps down the fumbling in the dark and makes for a nice change from water)

-Cereal

-Milk

-Baby formula/food/diapers/snacks as needed

-Hearty soups/stews/beans

-Canned fruit to finish a meal

-Animal food

Non-Food supplies

-Hand can opener

-Toilet paper/feminine pads…you DON’T want to run out!

-Zip-lock baggies/trash bags to keep your area clean (like dirty diapers) and keep food covered (such as you meal is done and you put  extras in a zip-lock baggie to set on the porch in the freezing weather, then you reheat tomorrow.)

-Bleach (great for keeping the bathroom clean and bacterial free, also with great care can be used to sanitize water. NOTE: They are talking DROPS of bleach per gallon!)

-Flashlight(s)/Camping lanterns/Candles

-Radio (battery operated)

-Batteries for above flashlights and radio!

Pharmacy

-First Aid Kit (you can get a simple one for about $15 premade for you)

-Pick up all those prescriptions you called in earlier

Finally thing you have to consider is how to keep warm. Running out to get a generator and run off it is very impractical and most likely impossible. Generators are expensive and you need to work with them to use them correctly.

If you have a fireplace you can buy bundles or wood. Borrow wood from a neighbor. Look for wood to use in the area around your house (given the time restraints not very likley.)

You can also use propane heaters or kerosene heaters. Please be very cautious about ventilation.

Another thing to do when you get home to keep the heat in is to close off all non used rooms. Line doors to the outdoors to prevent drafts. Close curtains to keep the wind and cold out.

In a wind storm where we lost our power and ability to get out of the house due to electric lines down everywhere for 4 days. My kids had a blast building a sheet fort. The opening was towards our fireplace so the heat went in and kept the play tent nice and warm. 

Just because you haven’t done any preparing doesn’t mean you can’t get through an emergency situation. If you decided to start with a minor amount of stocking your pantry now, you would be much better off in a future emergency.  

Think ahead and start your prudent pantry today so you aren’t in a rush situation in the future!

 

 

 

 

Posted in Homemaking, Preparedness | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Great Shopping Run to Share!

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Admin

I had a plan that ROCKED! It was going to be a super special run for giggles to lighten my mood after being sick and laying in bed for over a week. My daughter and I had planned about $100 of items but the cost would be under $20.

First step was to gather tons of coupons to match the items. Then to find items that the coupon was worth more then the item giving me an overage. It took about 4 hours of clipping, matching, and working with my calculator to be sure we were ready.

We went to the local Walmart and started!

Cost .98 cents with a $1.00 coupon!

 

 

More money makers with .97 cent cost and $1.00 coupons!

That was the end of our Walmart run. Walmarts didn’t have 2/3 of what was on our list. We also had a problem with coupons when we got to check out. Despite what the manager said to me when I had a similiar problem last year the clerk and head clerk would not help me. They wouldn’t even call the manager!
I actually stood there and told the head clerk to pull up another cart if she was not going to take my coupons because I was returning most of my cart. In the end they didn’t like me and I wasn’t happy with them or their customer service. I will not be coming back Walmart. Yes, that is right my family of 7 will no longer be shopping there.

Next we turned to CVS for a wonderful deal.

ALL FREE!

You read that caption right, FREE! The deal was a 4-pack of toilet paper for $1.00. My coupon was a $1.00! I used every coupon I could get my hands on to stock up. The bottom layer in that picture is a couple deep!

Here are a couple deals we got along the way at steep mark downs and/or with coupons. I am trying to stock up my homeschooling supplies so these items really made my day!

 

Tons of high quality pencils on steep mark down

 

Paper tablets on super sale

This is why I coupon, to save my family money. To stock up on items that we need. I am learning that I need to be careful to have a well rounded pantry, not just food.

Couponing helps me feel better about buying items that we don’t have an immediate need for but we do need to store. Afterall a Prudent Pantry is a well rounded pantry that you can run your household from for at least a year!

 

 

Posted in couponing, Homemaking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

No power, lighting ideas!

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Admin

There are lots of neat ways to light your home when the power is out. Everything from good old fireplace, candles, to flashlights, solar power, and generator power. Lets start simple and work our way up.

Sunlight it is the most reliable and abundant source of light when the power goes out. When the power goes out I pull my curtains closed and will even cover them with blankets because heat becomes a problem as well as light. Pick the window with the strongest light coming in and open only that one. That means if everyone wants light you need to gather together. (one of the great perks of power outages!)

Candles are another source, though limited. If you look at the old lanterns candles often had polished backs. We don’t need polished metal we can do better. Place a mirror behind the candle and reflect the light into the room you are using. Again this should be a room where everyone is gathered and can keep an eye on the candles.

*You can get super cheap @$4.00 candles that are 100 hour candles. Great to put in your emergency supplies and easy to bring along.*

Flashlights are mobile easy to use but reliant on batteries. Just because you have a shoe box full of batteries does NOT mean you should use your flashlight recklessly.

Conservation is a must during any time of emergency. While you can guesstimate that the government and power company will have your lines up and working withing days. It is not smart to rely on that. What if something as simple as another storm blows in? CONSERVE!

I use flashlights for outside searching, where there is possible wind. Moving through the house, again no fire risk or risk of blowing out candles.

The Amish have used oil lanterns just fine for hundreds of years. That is always a wonderful light source. Be sure you oil is stored in a temperature neutral site that is well ventilated. Store’s like Lehman’s have several options for lanterns.

The camping area has a large assortment of lighting. I have found that most options are short term or based on batteries. A new trend that is wonderful is solar powered lighting.

Outdoor lighting went solar first so if you are having trouble finding lights based on solar power go cruise the gardening section!

The final surprise section to look for lighting is the PAINT section! You can use photoluminescent paints to write EXIT on doors, or a line on steps for safety.  I have even thought about writing something special on my kids wall that they can read as they go to sleep.

Using a generator for lighting. I personally would not use it for something as simple as lighting unless absolutely necessary. Again conservation of the items and goods at your hands. Gas is needed everytime you use your generator. I would much rather use that for temperature control.

Lighting can be found in many ways and many levels of safety. If like me you have a child that is not capable of understanding to keep her fingers off a candle (autism).  I plan to use garden solar lights for an ambient lighting in the room were we stay during a power outage. Any open flames would be at adult eye level with a highly secure base.

Think ahead get your lighting. Plan ahead and place it where you can easily get to when the power goes out. Stay safe my friends!

Posted in Preparedness | 1 Comment