Using coupons and sales to get your stockpile built up....

It is truly amazing what you can do when you combine coupons and sales. You truly can cut your family's budget way down. You can even build up your year's supply very quickly spending as little as $10 a week! For example, this week laundry detergent is on sale for 50 cents with a sale and coupon. If you can get multiple coupons, you could stock up on this item. I plan to get 12 of these. Each bottle contains 28 loads worth of detergent. So, for $6, I will have enough laundry soap for 336 loads of laundry. There is my year's supply of laundry soap right there...all for $6. I also have store coupons to cover that cost. Every item you can stock up on cuts one more item off your grocery list each week. Pretty soon you will find yourself shopping from your own shelves at home and hardly spending anything at all.

Save money knowing what goes on sale each month...

Here is a list that will help you know when to get the best deals on certain things.

January

•post-holiday sales
•fall merchandise
•furniture
•home appliances [li[cookware
•bed and bath linens
•rugs
•sports equipment
•computers and other electronics

February

•jewelry
•perfumes
•gift items
•electronics
•floor coverings
•housewares
•furniture

March

•spring clothing
•wedding gifts
•air conditioners
•washers and dryers
•garden supplies
•outdoor winter sports gear
•luggage
•china

April

•spring clothing
•yard and garden supplies
•bridal gowns (save up to 70%)
•furniture
•cruises
•European vacations
•paint and wallpaper

May

•gifts for Mom
•silver
•watches
•athletic clothing and shoes
•linens and towels
•wedding gowns
•furniture
•cruises
•European vacations
•home maintenance items

June

•gifts for Dad
•fishing and camping gear
•men's cologne
•summer items
•storm windows
•summer clothing
•televisions
•building materials

July

•air conditioners
•summer items
•school supplies
•school clothes
•summer sports equipment

August

•school supplies
•school clothes
•summer clothing (bathing suits and sandals)
•linens and towels
•lawn and garden equipment

September

•winter wear (winter coats, gloves, scarves)
•summer clothes
•outdoor grills
•lawn furniture
•bicycles
•housewares

October

•winter wear (winter coats, gloves, scarves)
•last year's car models
•fishing equipment
•houses
•crystal
•silver
•glassware

November

•houses
•quilts and blankets
•space heaters
•winter clothing

December

•clothing
•appliances
•gifts
•wrapping paper
•holiday cards
•other holiday items

Getting your 3 month supply...

Many of us tend to get overwhelmed with trying to get a year supply of food and supplies for our families. A good place to start is to begin stocking a 3 month supply...those foods and supplies your family will use in a period of 3 months. If your family goes through a jar of peanut butter each week you know that when the right sale hits you should purchase 12 jars instead of 1 to build up that 3 month supply. Most sales tend to run on a 12 week cycle. If they are super cheap with sales and coupons and your budget allows, go ahead and buy more. You will be amazed at how quickly your pantry will be built up when you do this. You will also be even more amazed at the level of peace this brings to you and your family.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins recipe....

This recipe is amazing. Here is the link to it. It's a Taste of Home recipe.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Blueberry-Streusel-Muffins

I have also made this in bread loaves and it turns out awesome! ENJOY!

What kinds of items should you be stocking?

As you're reading my blog, you may be asking yourself where to begin, what kinds of supplies should you be stocking, etc. You should be stocking things your family likes along with a few other things as well. I coupon very heavily so I tend to stock up on whatever I can get free or close to free that week. I then add a few things each week...such as powdered milk, oil, eggs, milk, yeast, etc. If your kids love Hawaiian punch, then by all means grab a few of the big containers of it. I was at Meijer today and they were $1.98. Instead of grabbing 1, grab 3 or 4 and put all but one in your food storage. Set up some shelving in a basement or room or closet and stock up. After you've done that, don't let them run out before you purchase more. Each time you're at the store, grab another bottle and stock it in your food storage. That is obviously just an example of one item folks. Do this with each item your family loves, as the budget allows. You will be simply amazed at the blessings and results that come from doing this!

The amazing peace that comes with stocking up....

It's amazing what stocking up does to your budget, peace of mind, etc. Imagine not having to go to the store to shop for almost everything you need for the week. Imagine knowing that in the event you could not get to the store that your family would be provided for and fed. Imagine if you sat down to do the bills and realized there was absolutely no money for groceries or any household items that week. Imagine now walking to your pantry and freezer and seeing it full of items you have stocked up on. The feeling of seeing that is incredible. Does it take some work? Yes it does....but so does doing a full grocery shop each week. Everything in life worth doing takes work. It may seem mundane and boring while you're beginning to stock up. However, when that "ah hah" moment hits...the moment where you realize that all the work you have done is going to be a huge blessing to your family, the moment when your spouse comes home and announces he's been laid off or let go, the moment when your family gets hit with huge medical or house repair or car repair bills..THAT, folks, will be the moment where you will breathe a sigh of relief and tears will come to your eyes and you will know that with full bellies and supplies to weather the storms of life that have hit you that everything is going to be ok. With a full belly and supplies in the house, you can weather any storm life throws your way. Begin today folks. Start small if you have to. Do what you can each and every day...whatever that may be to you.

Time of Harvest...

One of the ways that I am able to build up my food storage without spending a lot of money is through canning. I absolutely love to can! It can be a lot of work but the effort is well worth it. Right now I am focusing on jams and marmalades. I have canned 120 jars so far this year. If you don't have the money in your budget to can, be creative. Maybe a neighbor or relative has produce that is going to waste this year. Go pick it and can it! You can also offer to help them clean up the yard in exchange for produce. Watch for jars on Craigslist or Freecycle. Put out requests for them. Many people have stopped canning and may have these sitting around. Everything you can do will be a blessing to your family. Having things in your home that your family loves will help everyone get through any future tough times.

Duggar Family homemade laundry soap recipes...

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups - hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!



Powdered Laundry Detergent - Top load machine

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!


*This is taken from the Duggar Family's site. They make large amount of homemade laundry soap to save money for their family. Make up several batches of this stuff and have enough for a year for very little money.

Easiest ever pumpkin cookies!

Ingredients

* 1 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix
* 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
OPTIONAL: You can also add chocolate chips or walnuts to these cookies. I love to add a cup of mini chocolate chips. White chips are also wonderful in these!

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix and pumpkin until well blended. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Inventory your food storage and supplies around your home.

How long do you think you could live on just what you already have in your home? Let's say your hubby came home tomorrow and had lost his job without any warning. Crisis mode sets in. All expenses are cut and we begin living on a hope and a prayer. Even in crisis times, we need to eat, stay clean, etc. Why not start today and do an inventory of what you have in your home to live on in case something happens. It would be much better to plan ahead and be prepared for anything. If you do this, you will be prepared in case of unexpected bills, medical expenses, job loss, etc. There are so many things that can happen in life. Build up several weeks of food and supplies in your home. You and your family will be thankful you did.

A great book for information on preparedness...

Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook

Amazon.com

Looking for some new books to take to the beach this summer? Check out Amazon.com for lots of great selections.

Giving a man a fish versus teaching him to fish....

This is one of my favorite sayings. It's so true. If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a meal. However, if you teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime. The same is true with so many things in life, including preparedness and food storage. If we teach people how to provide for their families and how to get their own families prepared for the future and they take it and use that knowledge to do something about it, we will have succeeded in preparing another family for anything. If we just give a family a bag of groceries and some wheat, they will go through it (if they even know what to do with all of it), and be hungry again and have an empty pantry. Therefore, I am a firm believer in teaching a man to fish, or teaching a family how to get a basic food storage built up to weather the storms of life.

SavingsAngel.....

I have been doing an online program called SavingsAngel since August of 2007. SavingsAngel has been an amazing program and has helped my family and so many others. Using this program, I've been able to get SOOO many items for free and very close to free. I have also been able to help a lot of other struggling families. There is a lot of need right now in the US and SavingsAngel is doing their part in a mission to end hunger. Coupons are not just about saving a quarter here and there. You truly can save thousand and thousands of dollars every year with couponing. SavingsAngel can aid your family in living with a sense of peace, knowing your family's basic needs are met. SavingsAngel can also help you fund your dreams, whether that be saving enough money to adopt a child, purchasing a home, giving to others in need, paying off medical bills, taking a dream vacation, etc. SavingsAngel matches all of the deals of the week with the coupons that match the deals. This program also has the most amazing community of angels I have ever seen. These are not just a group of coupon clippers. These are people that are willing to go out of their way to help you, send you coupons, pray for you, etc....whatever the need is. I truly believe that is one of the amazing things that makes this program so different. It is centered on a mission to end hunger and is filled with people that truly care. Using SavingsAngel, there is no reason for anyone to go hungry and be without. They say no one can do everything...but everyone can do something and this is so true. We can all take steps to change the world and make this world a better place.

Stockpiling...

Building a stockpile in your home is a huge key to weathering almost any storm. Stocking up on things your family uses on a weekly basis when they are on sale will help you get through weeks or even months when your family may not have any income for groceries. We all know what those weeks or months are like. The air conditioner goes out, the car needs repairs, the roof is leaking, medical bills need to be paid, insurance goes up, propane needs filling, etc. By having a stocked pantry and additional shelving with supplies to live on during these times, you can have a lot of peace in knowing your family will be fed and clean, etc. Remember that stockpiling does not have to be expensive either. This can be done little by little, with coupons and sales, etc. Here is a site I have been using since August of 2007. It's called SavingsAngel. I am able to get so many things free or nearly free each week using this program.

http://savingsangel.com/amember/go.php?r=3187&i=l8

When the tough times come, you will be thankful for every item you have taken the time to stockpile in your home.

Storms? What storms?

My new blog, weathering the storms of life, is designed to help get you and your family and loved ones prepared for the future. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. On my blog I will share food storage tips, money savings ideas, etc. With an adequate supply of things your family needs in your home to get you through whatever life throws at you, you too can weather the storms of life. This could be a job loss, illness of any kind, reduced hours at work, national distaster, etc. My goal is to help you weather those storms that march in to your life without warning.