Local Sale - Sav-A-Lot

Local Sales - Sav-A-Lot has ground beef on sale .99/lb.  This is a great deal.  Check your local Sav-A-Lot and see if ground beef is on sale where you live.  (Thanks Angie for pointing us to this deal.)

Homestead Blessings - The Art of ...

I wanted to recommend a wonderful DVD set that I would love to own myself.  http://www.homestead-blessings.com/.  The series features a mother and her three daughters.  There are several DVDs in the series:

The Art of Bread Making
The Art of Candle Making
The Art of Soap Making
The Art of Canning
The Art of Gardening
The Art of Herbs
The Art of Dairy Delights
The Art of Cooking

I just viewed The Art of Gardening and it is full of wonderful easy tips to make gardening easier-even a way to grow potatoes without dirt, right on top the ground.  This is the best tip I have ever received.  Our garden is clay.  It is so bad, I have seen seeds push a clot of dirt up as they come up.  I have amended the soil for years without too much success.  It was strip mined at one time, we believe, so the top soil is buried deep below the surface.  But with this wonderful tip, I will have potatoes this year!

Do yourself a favor, check with your library and see if they have these treasures.  If they don't request that they purchase them.  I did and that's why our library has them.  Or, better yet, visit the West Ladies online and purchase your very own set!

What do you recommend to help heavy clay soil besides move?  LOL...

2010 Re-Skilling/Food and Gardening Calendars are Now Free!

Sustainable Berea has their calendars free of charge, you only pay shipping.  Follow the link below to get your calendar.  I ordered mine and they are full of tips and hints.  I think you will be happy with your purchase.

http://sustainableberea.org/blog/upcoming-events/2010-re-skilling-calendars-for-sale

You can now follow The Prepared Household on Twitter

You can now find us on Twitter.  Just look for PreparedHouse and keep up to date.  Happy Twittering!

What is a disaster?

 

What is the first thing you think of when I say the word "DISASTER".  Naturally, you will probably think of recent natural events such as Katrina, or the earthquakes in Haiti.  Those were widespread and devastating occurrences.  However, you may even think more locally, such as the recent  "snowpocalypse" or "snowmageddon that has poured out over the Eastern United States that has left so many without power.  Some cities have been without power and one North Carolina town was placed under curfew due to the snow.  http://news.oldva.org/ (The small article is about halfway down the page.)  

However, let's define disaster.  Websters says that a disaster is "any event that overwhelms existing resources to deal with the event".  That makes sense, and covers a lot of ground.

So, would unemployment be considered a disaster?  Yes, unemployment is a personal disaster if you do not have the resources to deal with it.  Then under the same definition, the sudden death of the breadwinner of the family could be a personal disaster.  A devastating illness that depletes your bank account and throws you into bankruptcy.  A snow storm that prevents you from going to the store for food and supplies or knocks out your heat and electricity.  Anything in your life that is unplanned and unprepared for is a personal disaster.

Please do not rely on help to always show up.  My husband is a volunteer firefighter.  We had another snowstorm last night on top of ice.  Around midnight, the call came.  Fortunately, the call was just a fire alarm going off.  Because, when my hubby went to start his 4-wheel drive truck, it was missing and chattering and he couldn't get out.  We don't know why it suddenly decided not to work, but it did.  As we listened to his fellow firefighters on the roads, we were glad the call turned out to be nothing.  Both firetrucks ended up in the ditch because of terrible road conditions.  Neither truck made it to the scene.  Had it been a real fire or a real emergency, no one could have shown up.

Don't  be dependent on others to help you out.  It won't always happen.  Especially in a personal emergency that isn't planned for. 

Let's take the unemployment scenario for example.  There are a lot of people unemployed today.  No one wants to plan for unemployment, but it is an ugly happening - I should know, my husband lost his job last May and I followed in June.  One thing that helps us is the unemployment insurance.  But with the way our government is throwing money at this and that, (and Heaven only knows what else) I am not sure how long that will last and we know unemployment insurance is temporary...So, this IS my personal disaster.

However, Webster's definition of disaster is "any event that overwhelms existing resources to deal with the event".  Fortunately, while I was working, I woke up one morning to the news screaming about food shortages and I demanded my husband to take me shopping for food.  I purchased over $300 worth of canned foods.  At that time, it filled the bed of our truck.  (I would have purchased more, but my husband wouldn't let me.)  Over the next couple of months, I also squirreled away shampoos, dish liquid, cleaners and anything I could get my hands on free or cheap with coupons.  I knew my job would be ending, so I put back.  Not as much as I should have, but I put back some.

Because of my putting back, we are using our unemployment to pay our bills and supplement the foods we have put up.  If we didn't have this supply of food on hand, the story would be very different.  Being partially prepared for this personal disaster has helped, but if only I had been diligent in my preparations, life would be soooooo much easier right now.

Sit down with your family and assess your preparedness levels.  Think of every possible and plausible scenario that could go on in your life and set goals to prepare for them.  A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Lao-tzu.  Begin your journey to preparedness now.  Take those small steps to prepare you and your loved ones in everything.  There WILL come a day when you will be glad you did.

Local Community Garden Opportunity

LOCALS ONLY (sorry)
Community Garden Opportunity
If you are interested in growing your own foods, a grant program is developing for this summer for a community garden in our area. Families needed. This is a community event. FREE, plus you get to keep the food you grow.
1. 10x500 plot to grow produce on; (possibility of more than one)
2. Plot will be plowed for you;
3. You plan what you want to grow and the plants and seeds will be provided;
4. Tools will be provided on a loaner program. If you complete the program successfully, you will be able to keep the tools;
5. If you grow excess you cannot use, the Farmer’s Market has made an agreement with the sponsor to allow those participating in the program to sell their produce at the market for free.
Also, if you have a son in Boy Scouts of America, there is a gardening merit badge. http://www.usscouts.org/usscouts/mb/mb055.asp
If interested, or you know someone who is interested, please REPLY TO THIS POST and I will contact you for further information. This is a wonderful opportunity. I hope a lot of families get involved.

If you are not local, please contact your local extension office to see if someone is sponsoring a community garden or organize one yourself. www.thepreparedhousehold.blogspot.com/

Gardening to Stop Hunger

I recently stumbled across a great site, www.dinnergarden.org.  Their purpose is to stop hunger by promoting gardening and they will send you free seeds to get you started.  Just a few days ago I sent my email to them and they sent me some free seeds.  I got mariana tomatoes, basil, grano onions, fenugreek, kale, spinach and mustard greens hybrid, mustard greens, hybrid red head cabbage, rocket herb, broccoli and dill.  They sent them to me without cost, not even shipping charges.

Along with the seeds came business cards from ampleharvest.org and worldfoodgarden.org.

Ampleharvest.com is place to donate your excess produce.  Their website says:  "The AmpleHarvest.org campaign diminishes hunger in America by helping backyard gardeners share their excess garden produce with neighborhood food pantries."  If you garden and you have extra, please look for pantries in your area that accept produce.

The other website, worldfoodgarden.org says that "Individuals empowering themselves and each other to grow small food gardens worldwide."  It has planting times, how to's, garden books and much more.

So, grow your gardens and share your bounty with your local food pantry through ampleharvest.org.


www.ampleharvest.org 

Local Events Tab

Be sure to check out the events tab to the right of the blog for local events and classes that will help us to become more prepared and self-sufficient.

 For those who are not local, check with your local extension office.

History Channel airs After Armageddon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlcYpgfI564&feature=relateThe History Channel recently aired After Armageddon.  This is a good program to watch to help you prepare for emergencies.  There are nine episodes on Youtube.  I hope you watch them all and prepare yourselves mentally and physically, just in case.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlcYpgfI564&feature=related

Local Sales Ads - Aldi

I am being a REAL chatty cat today, but I had to let you know about the great local deal at Aldi this week. 

Broccoli .99 1lb pkg
Avocados .49 ea (I've been told these are great for the heart!)
Baby carrots .49 1lb pkg
Cauliflower .99 ea

I am trying to figure out how to use avocados besides in dip and on salads.  Any ideas?  I know you can freeze cauliflower and broccoli, but any more ideas?  Thanks.

How to Engineer a Debt Free Life

I faithfully follow a couple of blogs and one of them is Engineering a Debt Free Life. http://www.engineeradebtfreelife.com/

A big part of being prepared in today's economy is to save money and you will save money if you follow this blog.  At Christmas, I was able to find a deal on photo Christmas cards because of EADFL.  I got 50 photo Christmas card totally free from snapfish.com.  No shipping!  No kidding.  The only thing my Christmas cards cost me this year was the postage.

Not long after, another site had a deal for a photobook loaded with my photos free.  This "gift" is on my piano right now.  EADFL advised me of more deals than I was able to take advantage of at the time.  They are on top of all the great deals out there.

EADFL also helps you match up coupons with sales.  Again, a great part of being prepared.  I supposed that now that they know they have "preppers" visiting their site, they will probably be on the lookout for deals that anyone who wants to be prepared could use.

So, check out EADFL, they are on Facebook too and you won't regret it.  You will find many deals that will help you save money, more than you can keep up with.

Garden Seed Shortages Predicted

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35184731/ns/business-consumer_news/

According to MSNBC, we could be seeing seed shortages on the most popular garden foods.  "Seeds for what's known as open-pollinated cucumbers seem to be most scarce, but carrots, snap peas and onions also could be in short supply."

So, if your plans include gardening, get your seeds as soon as you can, especially for those listed above.