You will be thankful for every effort you make....

Every effort you make will bless your family in the future. Whether it be canning, freezing, stocking up with sales and coupons, purchasing bulk items and pouring them in to storage food grade buckets, etc....you will be glad you did it. When you go through tough times, whether it be cut hours at work, a job loss, a medical emergency where the bills pile up, etc...you will know that you have worked hard and that your family will be alright. Do what you can. If you have the funds to buy a bag of rice or a thing of oatmeal or some extra canned goods this week...do it! Learn to can and make enough jam for your family for a year. Go pick blueberries and apples and other things and can them up! Buy some extra potatoes when they are on sale and store them in a cool dry place. They will last a few months like this. Make every effort you can to put food and other supplies away for your family for the future. You'll be very thankful and glad you did.

Are gifts a major expense for you each year? Prepare early.

For many families, Christmas seems to come around unexpectedly each year. Even though it is always the same day each year, many of us tend to find ourselves running out frantically trying to find that perfect gift. How would you like to make this year different? How would it feel to be able to relax for the whole month of December? One thing I would suggest you do is to create a "gift closet". This can be kept anywhere that you have some room. Create a designated area, box, etc. Shop all year round. When candles go 75-90% off, pick up as much as your budget will allow and put them in your gift closet. Even if at the time you don't know who this item will go to, these items are always useful for giving around the holidays. You can do this with anything from coffees to candles to bath items to kids toys, etc. Are bath towels on clearance for a few dollars? Pick some up! You will be glad you did come Christmas. Make it a challenge this year for yourself and your family to not use credit cards for Christmas. Shopping year round will allow you to relax and be at peace, knowing you are prepared for gift giving.

Preparing for the winter...

I know it seems early to begin preparing for the winter right now. It's hot, it's summer, and all you feel like doing is hitting the beach. Now, however, is the time to begin preparing for the winter ahead. For many seasonal workers, winter brings reduced pay. Winter also brings about a time when storms hit and we may not be able to get to the store or even want to go out. Another thing to be prepared for is the flu outbreaks. When these hit, you want to stay out of the stores. Having your own store in your home can protect you from all of these things.

What if something happened today?!

How prepared would you be if something happened today? What if your income was cut in half or even lost today? What if your boss called you in and said they were downsizing today? What if a massive outbreak happened of some kind and trucks were not delivering to stores today...or for weeks to come? What would you do? How prepared are you? How long could your family live on what you have in the house? Really give this some thought, look around your home, and do some planning to be better prepared today.

Here is a link to a great site I discovered recently.

http://thesurvivalmom.com/2010/07/06/skype-interview-with-preppin-com/

Be sure and check out her site.

Going to the grocery store less often....

What kinds of things keep us running to the store each week or even several times a week? To name a few things...bread, milk, eggs, produce. Wouldn't it be nice not to have to go to the store as often. What if you couldn't shop for a week or even several weeks due to not having the money for groceries or an illness or whatever the reason may be? First off, let's deal with the bread issue. If you find a sale on bread, stock up. Bread actually freezes very well. Also, learn how to make bread. Generally when I can get bread for around 75 cents a loaf or better, I stock up. I will buy about 10 loaves and put them in the freezer. This keeps me from having to purchase bread for a month or more. Eggs can be bought generally for a month to a time or more. Next time you go to the store, instead of purchasing one dozen, stock up. Grab 5 dozen or so...depending on your family size and the amount you go through each month. Also, there are different sites online that sell powdered eggs, which could even help you go longer without having to go to the store. Milk also freezes well. Purchase several gallons each month and freeze what you don't use before the expiration date. Just be sure to pour a little off the top to allow for expansion as your milk freezes. There is also the option of having powdered milk in the house to help you keep from having to go to the store. This is great on cereal, in hot chocolate, mixed with some chocolate syrup, etc. Produce can be a little more tricky. Purchase enough produce for a month to a time. Use up the stuff that will rot faster at the beginning of the month such bananas, peaches, pears, etc. Save the stuff that will last longer...like potatoes, squash, apples, oranges, etc... for later in the month. Be creative. Store canned fruits and veggies. You can also buy many frozen veggies and fruits. Try freezing and canning some of your own also. There is so much you can do in an effort to go to the store less. It will save you and your family time and money and be very helpful when the storms of life come, those times when you're not able to go to the store.

Stockpiling can save you time as well!

Who doesn't need more time in today's busy world? Stockpiling goods your family uses can save you a lot of time. Imagine if you had a year's supply of goods your family uses in your home. You could then just rotate and replace those items your family uses to maintain that year's supply. You could also just keep getting those items that are free or close to free each week using sales and coupons and spend nothing or very little. Keep working on that stockpile and work towards a year's supply of goods your family uses. The peace will be worth it...I promise.