4,000 miles later . . .
The last 3 weeks we have been driving across the United States and back home, through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. What have I learned from this road trip?
We are all the same with the same hopes, dreams and concerns for the future for our family and country, the possibility of a national civil unrest, how the United States Constitution will be effected in the coming months and years, the unrest throughout the world, concerns about how the natural and man made disasters in our area will effect us and many more concerns. What can we do about them?
As you know this blog is all about being the best prepared we can be for what may come our way, which happen in a second. I learned a lot from my parents who grew up during the Great Depression and World War II and how they strove daily to be prepared the best they could. They remembered what it was like when food and money were scarce and daily things were not available most of the time. My parents were wise and frugal as they learned how to survive these difficult times.
Growing up my parents had a large deep freezer they kept filled with food. Once a year they would purchase a whole side of beef and have it cut up into different pieces of meat. My mother grew a vegetable garden and purchased vegetables and fruit when in season and froze them for the coming year. She purchased canned and packaged foods when on sale and stocked up on them. Even when times were tough and money was short we never went without food. They had a savings account for rainy-days they added to as often as possible. They lived within their means and did not go into debt. We can learn much from the Greatest Generation!
While in Missouri I visited one family who allowed me to see their food storage and take photos. Let me share with you what I found. They are very frugal and continually add to their food storage and rotate what they have.
Shelving: It is kept in the basement which is a great place since it stays cool, dry and dark. This is where they store their canned foods.
Metal Cabinets: Where they store baking goods, flour, sugar, baking mixes, oils, etc. And pastas, beans and rice. Stored in the basement too.
Deep Freezer: Where they store frozen foods they purchase when on sale, meats, fruits, vegetables, breads, etc. When you loose your electricity it is best to use up these foods first. If you keep the door closed and only open as needed they will stay frozen/cold for several days.
Metal Cabinets: They have two other metal cabinets, one filled with cleaning products and hygiene products. Another cabinet filled with school supplies, notebook paper, notebooks, pencils and pens, crayons, tape, paper clips, etc.
This was amazing to see and share with all of you. If you are frugal and take baby steps you will have all this and more in time. My husband's Uncle Win use to say, "How do you eat an elephant?". Answer, "One bite at a time!". Do not go into debt or crazy with your food and water storage and emergency supplies. Make a plan, make a goal and start working towards your goals one step, one bite at a time. Before you know it you will have what you see in these photos. You can do it!
New November Monthly Assignments
Food Storage . . . Meats, Poultry and Fish
Vegans or Vegetarians . . . Add more canned and dried
Beans and Rice
Home canning meats, poultry and fish: Wendy Dewitt is great at this. It does not look so pretty in the canning jars but it is cost effective. Click here to watch a YouTube video from Wendy Dewitt. It takes a regular pressure cooker to do it, you cannot do it in a water bath canner. There are newer much easier pressure cookers on the market now called a "Power Pressure Cooker XL". They come in several different sizes now, 6 quart, 8 quart and 10 quart. I use the 6 quart one and can can 4 pint canning jars at once. It is great because you do not have to worry about the pressure and watching the gauges like the old fashioned pressure canner. And it cost less. I purchased mine and Bed Bath and Beyond for $89 (6 qt.) using their 20% off discount coupon. It is great for many other things too. Meats: Roast beef, ground beef, sloppy joes, corned beef, Vienna Sausage, Underwood spreads (beef, chicken, ham), chili with meat, soups with meat or chicken, stews, etc.. Watch the expiration dates, they can vary on different types of meats. I purchase canned roast beef at Costco for a good price. I use it in casseroles, soups, stews, enchiladas, etc.
Poultry: Chicken, turkey, duck, etc. I purchased canned chicken at Costco for a good price. I use it in casseroles, soups, salads, enchiladas, etc.
Fish: Tuna, wild pink salmon, crab, oysters, sardines, etc. You can purchase them at big box stores and your local grocery stores.
Long Term Freeze-dried meats, poultry and fish: The store, if stored at 70 degrees or less, for about 25 years. It is great to have a couple of #10 cans of meat, poultry and fish. But only store what your family will eat and you will need to store extra water to rehydrate them. They are more expensive. I would just store the commercially canned or home canned varieties as long as you rotate them as needed.
Emergency Preparedness Ideas . . .
Christmas is just around the corner!
Well, it is that time of year again when you are trying to decide what
to buy a family member or friend for Christmas. What do you buy the
person that is hard to buy for or has everything? Why not give them
emergency preparedness supplies? At first they make think it is a cheesy
present but when they need it they will thank you. Here are some
suggestions . . .
72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack with food, hygiene and stresser kits. See the postings on the right, click on the 72 Hour EP Backpack for what goes in each kit.You can also just put together the 72 Hour Food Kit for each family member and, or the 72 Hour Personal Hygiene Kit, or both. Put instructions with the gift to go to this blog website to find out what else they need to add to complete the 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack.
Butane One Burner Stove with several cans of Butane fuel. (I find these at some discount stores, sporting good stores, etc. for about $15-$20. The fuel is less than $2 a can.)
A tent, emergency lighting (lantern, solar flashlight, etc.), cooking
(Dutch oven, Butane Stove, etc.) or other emergency equipment.
A Kaito Voyager Solar and Crank Weather Alert Multi-band Radio. (I found one at emergencyessentials.com on sale this month for $49.95.)
A Basic Food Storage Starter Kit (You can purchase these, an
adult one month supply of Hard Red Wheat, Hard White Wheat,White Flour,
White Rice, Pinto Beans, Rolled Oats at store.lds.org for about $30 or you can go to any LDS Cannery and pick it up for about $22.)
Seychelle Water Filtration Bottle (You can purchase these at store.lds.org for $16.50 with one filter and $22 with 2 filters. They filter out 99.9999% of all bacteria and contamination.
Be creative. You will be amazed at some of the great things you
can give as Christmas presents this year. emergencyessenitals.com and
other emergency supply companies can help with some great ideas.
Christmas Stocking Stuffers . . .
Why not put in things for each family member 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack?
5-1 Whistle, compass, mirror reflector, match holder, flint and steal
Hand warmers
LED small flashlight
Small first-aid kit
Utility chow set (knife, fork, spoon)
Seyechelle Water Filtration bottle (found at store.lds.org, $16-$20)
Space blanket
Plastic rain poncho
Items for the Hygiene Kit and/or Stressor Kit
These items and others can be found on the list under Postings on the right, click on the 72 Hour Individual Emergency Preparedness Backpack.
Emergencyessentials.com has many small emergency preparedness items that are great for stocking stuffers.
Comments and Questions: Please share your comments and questions below. Or, email to "theark.carsonward@gmail.com". We all learn from each others knowledge and experiences. Thank you for sharing.
