Smart Shopping

When you're on a strict budget (which we all should be) then it's important to get as much out of a dollar as possible, right? One way you can stretch that dollar is to be a smart shopper.

Here are some tips:

1. Know what things cost. For example: Once I bought a case of 24 cans of pineapple for $.99 a can, and then saw that the were $.92 a can at Wal-Mart. Not the end of the world, but I might not have bought the whole case. (Side note: Today I saw pineapple at Wal-Mart for $1.00 a can! For the cheap stuff! Hopefully that will go back down soon.)

There's a lot to keep track of so make a list and keep it in your purse or wallet, so if you see an unexpected sale you can decide whether or not it is REALLY a good deal. On your list, you may want to use the price per ounce for comparison since some items are packaged in different quantities.

Click HERE for more information on Case Lot sales and a price comparison sheet created by Prepared LDS Family. (The prices reflect stores in Northern Utah, but you'll get the idea.)

2. Stock-up price. When something that you want to have in your storage is pretty low, you might call it the Stock-up price. It means: Get a bunch! For example: When ground beef goes on sale for less than $2 per lb, I get at least 10 lbs and then I package them into small portions and use for a while.

Note: To keep your storage replenished, replace items used as you go. Sometimes it's hard to pay more than your stock-up price, but buying a few items a week to keep up with your storage is less traumatic to your bank account.

3. Pay attention to sales. Every week, our two local grocery stores come out with an ad of their weekly sales. Grocery Smarts is a website that matches grocery ads with coupons...

4. Use coupons. A few years ago, I did the whole 4 Sunday paper thing so I could get 4 sets of coupons. With the price of the papers and all the literal PAPER I ended up with, I decided that it wasn't for me. BUT I do save the coupons that I get with my ads in the mail, and I use online coupons that I find through Grocery Smarts or another site called Freebies 2 Deals.

5. Use a list...and stick to it! This can be even easier when you have your meals for the week (or more) planned before heading to the store. If you know what you're making the next few days, you can make a more efficient shopping list, hopefully eliminating those last minute trips to the store.

Click HERE for more information on couponing.

Click HERE for some great tips on quick shopping.

Debt

“Those who structure their standard of living to allow a little surplus, control their circumstances. Those who spend a little more than they earn are controlled by their circumstances. They are in bondage” (N. Eldon Tanner).

First of all here some simple, yet important points:

-Avoid Debt. In the world we live in, this might seem impossible. Obviously debt from buying a modest home and car is understandable. Sometimes student loans are also unavoidable. Other debt should be avoided when possible.
-Distinguish between Needs and Wants. This is also a hard one in a world that tells us to do what makes us feel good. When making financial decisions though, especially big purchases, it is crucial to decide if it is a necessity or not.
-Use a Budget. See previous post: Financial Self-Reliance.
-Build a Reserve. Even if it's $5 per paycheck, having a little cash on hand is important!
-Teach Family Members. This culture of buy now, pay later has got to stop somewhere. If we can teach our children, other family members, friends, etc. how to live within their means, the next generation will be much better off.
(Taken from All Safely Gathered In pamphlet.)

OK, but what if you are already in debt?

Use a budget! Track your expenses.

Once you know how much you have going where, you can make a plan to eliminate the debt as fast as possible.

Dave Ramsey has a lot of information on getting out of debt. Click HERE for more info. One of the things he talks about is the snowball plan. Check it out!

Also, HERE is a debt planner from CNN.com. This one shows you how much interest you will pay if you only make minimum payments without snowballing. It's crazy how much interest you end up paying!

My husband and I started our marriage in debt. I had a student loan and he had medical bills. Not the best way to start out. We ended up getting into come credit card debt the first few years too. So basically what I'm saying is, that I have dealt with this issue for the last 10 years. Not cool. BUT when we were finally free of the credit card debt, you would NOT believe the relief we felt. It is indescribable! So much better than having stuff.

So take my word...get out and stay out!

72-hour kit: Food

For years, I have been looking at lists and lists of what food should be in a 72-hour kit. I'm sick of it. I have finally come to the conclusion that for our 72-hour kits, we will have the lightest food we can.

Here's what I have:
1 tuna salad snack
1 Mylar package of tuna
1 box raisins
1 packet of powdered drink mix, the size that fits in a water bottle
1-2 package ramen noodles
2 packs instant oatmeal
1 protein bar
1 cheese cracker snack
1 fruit snack
2 spoons
A few hard candies
(I have a Pasta Sides in the photo, but I took it out of my kit because you need butter and milk for it.)

I also have 1 fruit melts package for our 1 year old.

I want to add next time:
1 small package beef jerky or beef sticks
1 fruit melts or dried fruit

As you can see, I store my food in a gallon-sized freezer bag. I also have my water purifiers in each kit.

OK, so I also have a jar of peanut butter and some Vienna saugages in my kit, just in case. I also have bowls in my bag, but may put one in each kit next time I rotate.

I used to rotate my food every 6 months, but some of the items I added this time expire in June so I am going to rotate this every 4 months. The kids enjoyed eating the things I took out, so if I rotate the food more often, it will be more fun and more tasty.

Hope the ideas help, but remember, do what works for you and your family. Any amount of food will be helpful if you have to take off and not be able to shop for a few days. You could honestly just pack a few protein bars for everyone for now, just to have something.


This is Step 2 on the PLAN 9 pamphlet put together by the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.

(Step 6 from PLAN 9 is "Can Opener" but I don't pack food that needs a can opener, so I skip this step.)

If you missed Step 1, click HERE.

We will be going through the rest of the steps over the next few months. If you follow along, you can have a complete 72-hour kit by September!

Next week's post: Debt

3-month supply: Grains

Let's talk more about our 3-month supply of GRAINS!!!

How much? 75 lbs per person

What? Wheat, flour, rice, oats, pasta, corn meal, and more!

Use this 3-month supply worksheet OR figure out what your family uses in ONE month and multiply it by 3. For some things, the latter is more realistic. For example, boxes of instant oatmeal and bisquick might be more realistic for you than regular oats or wheat. Either way, it is nice having a storage of food for you to "shop" with.

Here's the basics on some of the grains...

Many grains have LONG storage lives, but it depends on how they are stored.

WHEAT- Don't be scared. It's not that bad. First of all, wheat is relatively inexpensive. It also has a long shelf life. Wheat is very nutritious and some quality wheats can contain up to 18% protein.

There are two types of wheat: White and Red. White is lighter not only in color but also in texture. Red has a stronger color and flavor. That's about it.

To really be able to use wheat, you need a grinder. I got one a few years ago for my birthday and have loved having it. I don't use wheat a ton (I need to use it more) so I grind 5 or 6 cups at a time. I just add a cup or two to breads or goodies I'm making and there is not a significant taste difference.

FLOUR- Doesn't have a lot of nutritious value but is more for calories and bulk. One thing I have learned about flour (and it may be the same with wheat) is that it takes on the flavor of metal cans but if you dump it into a plastic container and leave it for a few days, the smell and metal flavor will be gone.

RICE- A great grain to store. It contains complex carbohydrates, fiber and more. Rice is a great thing to have when you have a young family because babies can digest rice before other grains.

OATS- Another nutritous grain which is usually well-liked by the whole family. Oats contain fiber, iron and many other vitamins.

There are two kinds of oats: Quick and Regular (also known as Rolled). Nutritionally, regular oats are less processed and thus contain more nutrients, but both are a good addition to your food storage and daily use.

PASTA- With this grain there are LOTS of choices and pasta can be stored for a long time. Pasta, like flour, is mostly for calories and carbohydrates. This might not sound the greatest, but we do need calories and carbs in times of emergency.

CORNMEAL...or popcorn. You can grind popcorn into cornmeal or just store popcorn for popcorn. Popcorn is a whole grain and contains fiber.


Remember, variety is the key to having a balanced, nutritious grain storage.


Here are some prices that might help as you start looking at grains. (Remember that it is cheaper per pound to buy the regular items in the store, like a bag of flour, than it is to buy flour that is canned. BUT if you want to build up your long-term supply, the canned stuff is a good investment.)

From lowest to highest:

Flour: $.23-.25/lb. is a great price. That's about $1.25 for a 5 lb. bag.
Canned flour is about $.71/lb.

Rice: Less than $.40/lb. is great. (Look at Costco or Sam's.) Canned= Abt. $.70/lb.

Wheat: $.46/lb. is a good price. That's $11.45 for 25 lbs. Canned wheat might be closer to $.60/lb.

Oats: Less than $.70/lb is great. Canned= Abt $.93/lb.

Pasta: Less than $.80/lb is good. Sometimes Smith's has pasta on sale for $.50 each package and they are usually abt a pound. Canned= Abt $1.15/lb.

Cornmeal: Around $1.16/lb. Less than $.74/lb for popcorn.

If you get around these prices, you could get your 75 lbs for less than $40. Keep a look out!

Here's the plan!!!

OK, so I think about this blog a lot. I have tons of posts ready and waiting to be posted. BUT, one of the things that I haven't liked about following blogs about food storage type stuff, is that they give SO much information, have long posts, and multiple posts each week. I don't have time to read everything I'd like and I don't have time or money to get all the things done they suggest.

So...here's the plan. I am only posting ONCE a week, starting next week. I will focus on one or two areas per month on our 3-month supply and one area of the 72-hour kit stuff. There will be a few posts on organization or finances or something relavant on the other weeks of the month.

Here's my 3-month supply schedule:

January- Water
February- Grains
March- Sugars
April- Milk
May- Other beverages
June- Fats & Oils
July- Meats
August- Legumes
September- Fruit
October- Veggies
November- Condiments
December- Snacks

January- Soups and Meals
February- Toiletries
March- Cleaning supplies
April- Baking items and Spices
May- Paper Goods


(I will be using the 3-month Food Storage Template from Prepared LDS Family for lots of my information.)

If you haven't taken inventory of your items, (or even if you have) you can simply count the specific catergory we are focusing on that month.

Here is the 72-hour kit schedule:

January- Water
February- Food
March- Clothing
April- Medication
May- Flashlights
June- Can Opener
July- Radio
August- Toiletries
September- First aid
October- Misc items
(I will be following the guidelines from the PLAN 9 Pamphlet.)

This one will be much easier and affordable to compile each month. I am going to update my items as we go and by September we will have awesome 72-hour kits!

So, I will be posting again next Tuesday!

Work on your water in the meantime. It doesn't mean go spend lots of money and get everything. Have a plan. Watch for sales. (Less than $3 for a 24 pack of water bottles is good.) Fill up your old bottles. Something. But make it simple.