Self-Reliant Saturday-- Living Wills & Health Directives

Being prepared isn't something that is always for some future event.  There are no guarantees that life will be smooth sailing.  Trials and accidents happen to all of us.  But are you prepared to deal with the trial when it happens to you?

From a tragic accident that happened this week in my family, I want everyone to know how important it is to have a Health Directive, "Living Will" Declaration filled out.  None of us want to think that this will happen to us, but life changes...literally...in an instant. And there are so many decisions that need to be made beforehand.  If my mom did not have a health directive filled out with her health care wishes made known, it would've made a horrific situation even more stressful.  Please be prepared with your healthcare wishes known for those in your family who will be taking care of you in an emergency situation.  It is stressful enough to have to deal with an accident, but to not know how to treat someone medically according to their wishes, will be too much for even the strongest of us.  

Keep all vital records and paperwork together in a binder or file folder. Looking for paperwork is almost beyond mental ability when you are in shock from learning about an accident.  Have all information in one location to you can access it and also be able to grab and go in an evacuation type event.  Click here for a previous post on vital record storage.  

Self-Reliant Saturday-- Travel Medicine Bag

Traveling with five children I need to be prepared with several kinds of medicine.  Mostly for "what if", but I would hate to need a fever reducer in the middle of the night in a hotel.  

 My trip medicine bag is nothing fancy, but it gets the job done.  I used a plastic zipper bag that a set of twin sheets came in.  I added adult and children's medicine, and also basic first aid.  We are renting a beach house and you never know what is supplied until we get there.  So I have band-aids and neosporin just in case.  Last year we needed both so hopefully now that I came prepared we won't need them :) Don't let the unexpected illness, sunburn, headache, or fever catch you off guard.  Pack a medicine travel bag for your family!

Self-Reliant Saturday-- Kitchen In A Box Add-Ons

A few weeks ago I made a kitchen in a box to keep with my 72-hour kits.  Click HERE to view that post. I had most of what I needed for my kitchen on the go, but I did need a few more items that I have since added to my box. Have you made a kitchen in a box for your 72-hour kits?

These are the items that I added to my kitchen in a box:

• pancake spatula
• travel size bottle that I filled with dish soap
• sponge
• matches
• spice container (it's a tackle container from the fishing section of Wal-Mart and it was on clearance for $1.96)
• And one more stack-able container to hold the new goods 

First Aid Inventory

Taking inventory of my first aid kits, yes many random kits, has been on my radar for a few months.  I have quite a few smaller first aid kits and a box of random wraps and bandaids that needed to be organized and useable for the whole family.  

This is what I had accumulated over the years.  It isn't pretty and I had no system of knowing what was in the bag or box.  At least it's labeled first aid, right? 

I ran across this fishing tackle box at Wal-Mart for around $39.00 and thought it would make a perfect first aid box. What I loved about it were all the different compartments. 

 After grouping all like items together I started organizing all my first aid items into my new box. On the right and left side of the tackle box are two white smaller boxes with compartments that fit my bandaids and antiseptic wipes perfectly.  They are easy to locate and open. When you need a bandaid, you usually need one right now!

In the top of the box I placed all the gauze pads, triangle bandages, sterile cloth bandages, eye bandages, 2" gauze pads, tape, wraps, ice packs, liquid skin, flashlights, scissors, tweezers, and our first aid books.  

Here she is all filled up with all my first aid goodies.  I have heat packs, hydrogen peroxide, a burn kit, more wraps, vapor rub, antiseptic cleanser, emergency splints, etc.  I removed the original plastic organizers that fit into the middle section to be able to fit in all my larger items. I managed to fit all the basic necessities (I'm not doing surgery here) and I now know exactly what I have on hand.  The daily cuts, scrapes, burns, and minor breaks could all be taken care of at home.  I do have a tourniquet but I would only use that in an extreme emergency. I am sure there are many items that I need to add to our kits, but I feel so much better knowing I organized all of this and that the box is in an easy to find spot.  Now, here's to praying I won't need to use it anytime soon :)

Kitchen In A Box-- An Emergency Essential!

Before we get to the kitchen in a box, let me give you a little background on why I made one.  If you have read the blog for awhile you know what a big fan I am of the Saratoga Jacks Thermal Cooker. The thermal cooker is great for emergency preparedness BUT it is also one of my favorite kitchen appliances to use daily.  Click HERE to view a post on the thermal cooker. I have had fun experimenting with the thermal cooker but it is always helpful to have a cookbook to guide me along.  Cindy Miller has recently published a brand new thermal cookbook called "Let's Make Sense of Thermal Cooking".  (click here to see her website) 

It is a gorgeous cookbook with color photos, spiral bound binding, and so many helpful tips and tricks to use with the thermal cooker.  There are also recipes that will help you gather and use your food storage.  She has recipes for grains, beans, pastas, meat, and veggies.  It is the most complete book on thermal cooking to date!! I highly recommend you own this book if you own a thermal cooker or wonderbox/oven.

I have attended several classes taught by the owners of Saratoga Jack's thermal cookers, Amy & Jack, and they are always so organized with everything they need to cook, and demonstrate the thermal cookers. Amy calls it her kitchen in a box.  I always thought it was a great idea for them because they travel and teach so often, but I never really considered making one for myself. While reading Cindy's book she writes about using a kitchen in a box as well when she teaches, but it also is part of her 72-hour kit.  When I read that I felt prompted that I really needed to have one of these kitchens in a box for my emergency kits.  

It really just makes sense to have all the basic cooking utensils in a grab-n-go type container.  What was I planning on using in an evacuation type situation to cook our food in our 72-hour kits?  I really hadn't thought this through very well.  The kitchen in a box is very easy, and inexpensive to put together. 

If you have a Wal-Mart or Dollar Store near your home you can find everything you need for your own kitchen in a box.  Wal-Mart had most items for around .88 each.  I bought a stack-able plastic container (in the office supply area of Wal-Mart) and it was the perfect size to fit the longer spoons.  I really want a stack-able container that has separate layers that snap together, but this will work until I can save up for that.  This is what I included in my kitchen in a box.  It isn't finished quite yet, but I found the basics. 

• kitchen scissors
• can opener
• jar opener
• vegetable/fruit peeler
• complete set of measuring spoons/cups
• small knife with a cover
• large stirring spoon
• smaller wooden spoons
• cutting board (found in the camping section)
• whisk
• two dish towels
• plastic gloves
• sanitizer 

I wanted the absolute basics that would allow me to make a meal on the spot without having to make-do with a utensil that wasn't proper for the job.  I still need to add:

• spices
• spatulas
• pancake turner
• camping pots
• hot pads
• cleaning scrubbies and soap
• grater

As you cook your next meal, think of what you use the most to get the meal prepared.  Make a list of these items and keep a look out for them at the store.  We are all different and cook differently, but I think we all use the basic measuring cups and knives. 

My kitchen in a box now sits along side my butane stove and fuel.  They are ready to go with our 72-hour kits.  These along with my thermal cooker will allow me to prepare and serve meals to my family in any situation.  The days following a disaster will be filled with chaos and making meals will be a huge stress for everyone.  But preparing beforehand and knowing that you have a 72-hour kit, food, and a way to prepare the food will give you peace of mind.  

Homemade Body Wash

I have had the recipe for homemade body wash on my to-do list for a very long time. Although time hasn't been on my side lately and it got pushed to the back burner.  Well, when you're down the the last drops of shower gel and you don't want to pay the big bucks for a new bottle, you make time to cook up a batch.

The original "recipe" comes from HERE. It looked pretty straightforward.  I mean if I can follow a recipe for homemade bread I can for sure melt some soap in a pan with some water.  Haha!  I did figure out how to make it but there was some trial and error involved.  

The recipe is as follows.  

Homemade Body Wash

3 Bars of Dove soap

6 C. water

Grate the soap into the pan

Add the water

Heat on low and stir until all the soap is melted

Cool in mason jars (no lids)

Pour into body wash bottles or place lids on the mason jars

So here is where my troubles began....

"Just grate it" they said.  "It's so simple." they said. 

After 10 minutes of grating the first bar of soap my arm muscles were burning, my grater felt like it was going to break, and the soap was melting in my hot hand.  It was literally a hot mess!!  I turned to my trusty food processor.  I had read that some people grate their soap in it, so I gave it a try. 

You can't really see it in the picture, but the soap wouldn't budge and I ended up with soap all over the blade and nothing in the bowl.  I pushed the soap harder through the chute and my processor literally stopped.  I think I broke it, but I'm too scared to try and turn it on again. It got cleaned and put back in the cupboard.  (which by the way you would think soap would wash right off of kitchen appliances...it doesn't!  It's so sticky!!)

 I resorted to chopping it up the old fashioned way and what I noticed is that the soap just breaks apart naturally.  I tried to cut the pieces into similar sizes so they would melt all at once.  

 After chopping all three bars of soap I added in 6 cups of water and brought the mixture to a low simmer.  I stirred pretty consistently with a whisk.  Now, I have to warn you.  If you do not like the smell of the soap in it's bar form, then you will be forced out of your home for several hours while the smell permeates your residence.  It was strong!!  It took about 15 minutes for all of the soap pieces to fully melt.  I then poured the liquid into mason jars to cool.

I filled two quart mason jars and let them sit for several hours while they cooled.  They will turn from a runny liquid to a thicker body wash type gel.  I then poured one mason jar into my leftover commercial body wash container and placed a plastic mason jar lid on the extra body wash.  

 I haven't done the math, but I am sure this is a great deal compared to purchasing Dove body wash for upwards of $6.00 a bottle.  It was a messy, soap smelling process, but I will try this again.  I learned what worked and what didn't.  I have been using the body wash for just over a week now and I LOVE it!!! I use one of those poof type spongy things and it foams up just like the store bought stuff.  And the Dove soap really moisturizes my skin.  I have not had that dry itchy feeling after my shower.  I am sure you can make this with any bar soap, I just had Dove on hand.  This was a to-do list win!!

Eton Radio and Smartphone Charger

It's amazing what you can find in your 72-hour kits when you go through them.  Remember my funny story, click HERE if you missed it. We found many outgrown items, like diapers and baby formula, and I also found an old manual cell phone charger.  After looking it over I decided that it could almost be called a vintage piece of technology :)

This manual cell phone charger was purchased about 8ish years ago when I had a basic flip phone, and smart phones were few and far between.  The adapters in this kit wouldn't even fit the newest flip phone we had in our junk drawer. And with the smartphones we now own, I needed a new cell phone charger.  

After doing a google search I decided to purchase the eton hand turbine AM/FM/Weather Alert Radio.  What sold me on it was the USB charger on the back of it. It will charge both my Android and the Apple phones in my household. Plus, I can plug it into my Goal Zero unit for charging!  It has a radio, a flashlight, headphone jack, clock & an alarm clock, and is compact enough to fit into almost any backpack, car kit, etc.  Plus it helps support the American Red Cross. 

To charge a smartphone, plug the phone charger into the USB port on the back of the unit. The power from the internal battery will dump the charge to your device.  Once the eton battery is dead it will stop charging your phone.  The hand crank can also be turned to charge the phone, but I imagine that would take forever.  

There are several ways that the internal battery can be charged.  The solar panel on top of the unit, the hand crank, and the USB port.  The first time that I charged the unit I used my Goal Zero unit and the USB port and was fully charged in about 2 hours.  But you can use the hand crank or the solar panel as well.  If the unit has a low battery, turn the hand crank for 90 seconds you will have 5-7 minutes of radio time with the volume on low, or 20 minutes of the flashlight available.  Fully charged you will be able to listen to the radio for 3-4 hours with the volume on low. Using the USB adapter it will take approximately 2 hours to charge. To fully charge the unit using the solar panel it will take 10 hours.  

I purchased my eton radio from Amazon for around $50, but there are other websites that sell them. Click HERE to view the eton website.   Technology changes so quickly these days but I am hoping that this unit will serve its purpose for a while.  So use my mistake as a reminder to check your food storage and 72-hour kits for outdated items.  I don't want anyone to have to say "if I only had taken care of this while I could" in an emergency!

The Many Uses of Vinegar

Vinegar is quite the versatile liquid.  It's used in cooking, cleaning, first aid, and it's green! Not green in color, but it's a safe, non-toxic way to clean your home.  Because of how versatile vinegar is, I feel it is one of the most important items to have stocked in your food storage.

I have a few favorite ways that I use white vinegar in my home.  Years ago I found  some easy "recipes" for cleaning, and they were so easy to make, because who wants to spend all day making cleaning solutions. These mixes are so simple, you'll be thinking that making homemade cleaners should be more involved, but that is the beauty of using vinegar.  Simple and easy!!!  We have also been conditioned to think that if a cleaner doesn't smell toxic, it isn't sanitizing.  Vinegar, when sprayed along side with hydrogen peroxide, will sanitize surfaces.  Yes, vinegar has a smell, but it won't harm your lungs like bleach or ammonia.  It dissipates after drying.

 Wood Floor Cleaner/Window Cleaner

The ratio is 2/3rd's white vinegar to 1/3rd water.

I marked my spray bottle on the side with black lines so I know where to refill it when it's gone.  

Add a few tiny drops of Dawn dish detergent.  

Shake before using.

Use on glass, wood floors, laminate floors, stainless steel appliances, etc. Wipe surfaces dry with cloth or paper towel. Use a microfiber mop on floors.

Disinfectant Spray

Fill one spray bottle with white vinegar

Add a spray topper to a hydrogen peroxide bottle.

Spray both onto counter top surface. 
Let sit for one minute before wiping.
Wipe with paper towel or cloth towel.

It doesn't matter which is sprayed first.  

DO NOT MIX VINEGAR AND HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IN A SPRAY BOTTLE AND STORE IT!! IT CAN BE HARMFUL!  
Overtime it will also become less effective when mixed together in a spray bottle.

But when applied using two different bottles it will sanitize surfaces. 

Other Uses For Vinegar

• This idea is for a situation when we are doing laundry manually.  Have a spray bottle of vinegar on hand and use it to refresh your clothes.  Doing laundry by hand will be tough, so to stretch the time between doing laundry shake clothes to free loose dirt and debris, hang up the clothing, spray with vinegar. Once dry, the vinegar will have deodorized the clothes and you can wear them awhile longer before a deep cleaning is needed.  The vinegar smell will dissipate after it dries.
• Use a mixture of vinegar and a small amount of water to clean blinds and shutters.  Place an old sock on your hand, dip into the vinegar mixture and run your hand over the blinds or shutters. 
• Place a bowl of vinegar on your kitchen counter  overnight to absorb the smells from cooking dinner.   
• Add a small amount of baking soda to your drain and pour in vinegar.  This will bubble and clear out small clogs in the drain.
• Spray straight vinegar onto weeds around your garden.  It will kill them! Be careful not to spray the plants that you want to keep alive :)
• Run a cycle in your dishwasher with vinegar in the detergent cup.  It will clean and refresh the inside of your dishwasher, especially if you have a stainless steel interior. 
• Add a cup full of vinegar to your rinse cycle when doing laundry.  It breaks down the alkalies in the detergent. 
• Spray your fruit and veggies with vinegar and then hydrogen peroxide, let sit, rinse with water. This will remove unwanted pesticides. 
• Spray a mixture of water and vinegar on a sunburn to soothe.
• For minor kitchen burns. Run cold water over the burn for a few minutes, then place a cloth that has been soaked in one part water to one part vinegar, place on burn to soothe.  Repeat as necessary.

The ideas above use white distilled vinegar but there are so many other uses for other vinegars, like apple cider vinegar. The internet will fill you in on all those benefits.  But my love for vinegar in everyone's food storage is because it has an almost indefinite shelf life and it's cheap!!!  Everyone can afford to store vinegar.  Stock up the next time you head to the store!  Plus it's so liberating to skip the cleaning aisle. 

When The Lights Go Out

There have been several times when the power has gone out at my house, but never longer than a few hours.  And most of those times were in the middle of the night while we were sleeping and we didn't need an alternate source of lighting.  I took note the other day of how often we used the lights in my house, and the switches are flipped without a second thought. The habit of turning on a light switch when we walk into a dark room is engrained into all of us.  We take for granted that with the flip of a switch we have light.  

What Do You Use For Light When The Power Goes Out?

I live in earthquake territory and I have a feeling that with my luck we will have an earthquake in the middle of the night and flashlights will be a prized possession.  (that is totally my own opinion and I have no idea when the earthquake will hit, but with my track record of bad things happening at the worst times, it will :)

Flashlights
It is recommended to have flashlights by every bed in your home to be used during a power outage.  With kids it may be harder to keep those flashlights by the bed, but I took a few photos of the flashlights/emergency lighting in my home.  This will show you what types we use, and also give you some ideas on what types of lighting are out there.  It is by no means the only way to have lighting in an emergency, but maybe you'll find a new gadget that will work for you.  I am always finding new gadgets to add to our flashlight collection.  

  
Under the Bed-  Keeping a flashlight under your bed, inside a pair of sturdy shoes, allows you to grab and go in a disaster.  I need to take this one step further and put my shoes and flashlight in a bag that ties to the bed post.  If there was an earthquake, objects would be falling all over the place, and hunting for my shoes and flashlight in the middle of chaos would prove difficult.  

LED flashlight

 Flashlights in the Children's Room-  Each of my children have a flashlight that hangs on their beds.  Yes, I know what you are all saying and it's true.  They play with them, and lose them, and to be honest 5 out my 5 kids didn't have a flashlight hanging on their bed when I went to take a picture today.  I had a challenge to see who could find one first so I could take a photo.  I need to stay on top of things like that and make sure they keep the flashlight within reach.  It's one more thing to have to remind the kiddos to do, but it's necessary in an emergency.

Shake flashlight

 My son keeps his shake flashlight on his window sill.  (And yes his bed is next to the window and under a large shelf,  and that is probably breaking every earthquake safety rule out there.  I'm not perfect and this proves there is always room for improvement.:)  The flashlight in his room is a shake flashlight.  I don't recommend this kind of flashlight because it takes so much physical power to light the darn thing that it's frustrating.  But my son is 9 and loves things that work and so he chose that one.  My girls have regular LED click on flashlights and also the squeeze flashlights.  Those are similar to the shake variety but you squeeze the handle until you have enough energy for the light to work.  Still not my favorite, but a little easier than the shake kind.  Also note that I don't have a picture of the squeeze flashlight, none of the kids could find theirs :)

 UV Paqlite-  
These reusable glow sticks are one of my favorite gadgets on the market.  I found these at the Self Reliance Expo last year and I was sold on the idea.  The stuff (real technical I know) in side of the tubes and the plastic case glow after being held up to a light source.  They can be used over and over again and any light source will work to give them their lighting ability.  Hold them up to a car light, the sun, indoor light, campfire, etc and they glow for a very long time. I hang mine in our central closet so they don't get played with or lost.  They aren't bright enough to use like a flashlight but in a tent or small room they would give off enough light to see what was going on.  Think of a nightlight in your kids room, that kind of illumination.  Click here to see my previous post on the UV Paqlite. And click here to visit their website and view all of their products.

 

Solar Lighting-  
I really like having a solar version of a battery operated flashlight.  I leave the one above hanging on my refrigerator to keep it ready to go.  It is also a radio.  Having batteries on hand for flashlights is a great idea, but you do need quite a few batteries for any extended power outages.  It's a great idea to have a back up plan. (Remember having a plan B for your plan B.)   Solar flashlights come in all sizes. 

I keep a small solar flashlight on my nightstand, and it's a great option when the lights go out.  Solar powered garden lights are an inexpensive, easy way to have light without power.  Group them together in a #10 can or mason jar to light a kitchen or family area at night.  Set them outside, or in front of a sunny window to soak up the sun during the day, and light your home at night.  

Solar powered garden lights

 Another option on the market are products from the Goal Zero company.  The generators charge using the power of the sun (they can also be plugged in an electrical outlet). I own a smaller unit that charges phones and has power for smaller devices like computers dvd players.

Goal Zero generator and camping light

Goal Zero also carries a variety of solar lighting.  I own the lantern accessory and I highly recommend having it to go along with a Goal Zero solar generator.  Click HERE to view all of their products.  

Battery Powered Lanterns and Oil Lamps- 

I bought these lanterns at Walmart for around $10.  I do have to store extra bulbs and batteries, but they are one more way to have light in an emergency.  The Emergency Essentials 100-hour candle is also a great resource for light and they are inexpensive. Another option that uses regular cooking oil is called the Safer Emergency Candles.  Click the link to read about I tested out the Safer Emergency Candles, READ HERE.

Candles- 

 Candles are inexpensive, easy to use, and are a great item to have on hand. They give off a great amount of light and are probably the most common item people have for lighting in an emergency.  Use caution with candles, especially around children and pets. To keep my candles from rolling all over the place I made a candle holder out of an old mason jar.  It holds a burning candle on top, set in a PVC cup,  and the extra candles and matches are stored inside. After you are done using the candle, all the supplies store neatly inside the jar.

All the items needed can be found around your house and at the hardware store. The mason jar is from my storage room, and the candles and matches were both from the dollar store. A small piece of pvc pipe is needed to hold the candle in place, but it was under one dollar at the hardware store.  I placed the matches inside a small bag, and in another bag I placed the striking strip from the match box.

You Will Need:

quart size mason jar

canning lid and ring

candles that fit in mason jar

matches and strike strip

small PVC cup (from sprinkler section of the hardware store)

E6000 glue, or other permanent bonding glue

Glue the PVC sprinkler piece (from the sprinkle section of the hardware store), onto the underside of a canning lid, this will become the candle holder, and let dry.  (When not in use the lid is turned over and the PVC piece is stored inside the jar.)  Once dry, store the candles, matches, strike strip in the mason jar.  Close the canning lid with the PVC piece inside the jar, and your emergency candle is now ready.  When you need to light a candle, flip over the mason jar lid so the PVC piece is facing upwards,  tighten the ring around it, place a candle in the PVC holder and light it.  So easy, but so useful too!!  I love that my candles aren't all over the place and I have a safer, steady holder for them. Just a note- take your candle with you to the hardware store to save a ton of time from having to drive back for a different size that fits :)

PVC sprinkler piece glued to the canning lid.

There are many options for lighting in an emergency.  Find what works for you! Having multiple sources of lighting will only make your life less complicated when you need to use them.  It doesn't necessarily have to be a natural disaster to need a flashlight.  The other day I needed to look under the stove for a my kids bouncy ball and I knew right where to find a flashlight.  (obviously not from my kids' room :)  Take stock of your flashlights and batteries and make sure you know where they are. Being organized and ready NOW will pay off when you need to use your lighting for an emergency!

Back-To-Basics Financial Reserve

The last focus for the big three of the Back-To-Basics series (1. Water, 2. Food click on the back-to-basics tab above for all the back-to-basics posts)  is Money.  Not necessarily the easiest topic, but here we go.

We all use money, everyday.  Our lives depend on how much is coming in and going out.  Why do we need it in our food storage?

• money is needed to buy your storage
• money is needed in times of stress such as: job loss, extended sickness, bread earner in college, economic distress
• small amounts of bills will be needed if there is ever an emergency that knocks out power.  No ATMs will work and neither will credit card machines.  

Today we live in a society of thinking that we can just go buy a new one, of almost anything.  We need to retrain the way we think, and hold onto what we have for a little longer.  Sew clothes instead of getting new ones, hold onto our cars for a few years longer, learn to cook from scratch and not buy convenience foods, make do with what we have.  So many of us are not prepared for "a rainy day".  We haven't saved up a reserve of money to help us through a tough time. And the rainy days that I am talking about are not zombie apocalypses.  The fridge, washer, dryer, car, house, they all seem to have a problem, and at the most inconvenient time!  Kids need money for school, soccer, football, tennis, new shoes, birthday presents for friends, doctor/hospital visits.  The list could go on forever.  A serious illness or extended hospital stay can devastate a family financially. Having money set aside for these events will give you peace of mind because you won't go into financial ruin to pay for them.

I know it's difficult to just get by every month, but lets look at a few ways to start saving money:

• Pay yourself first every month.  No matter how little it may be, take out money for yourself and put it in a savings account.  It may seem difficult at first, but it will become habit.  
• Don't use credit cards, unless you pay them off every month.  
• Don't try to get out of debt while still going into debt.  You can't get out it if you are still buying the latest and greatest thing.  Hold off on those impulse purchases!
• Save a few dollars every month and put it in your 72-hour kits.  If you only have large bills, a bottle of water may cost you $20 in an emergency when there isn't any electricity for credit/debit cards.
•  Live within your means.  Don't watch your friends and neighbors and try to keep up.  This one is really hard, but you have to remember the long-term goal of having money set aside.  And most of those people with fun toys are probably in debt to pay for them.  Don't get caught up in the hype!
• Having food storage will always pay off in a situation where  money is tight.  Cutting the food budget is the first thing you can do.  If you have food storage you can do that!  Learn to cook from scratch and always have basic food ingredients on hand. 
• Discipline! You have to exercise control when spending!
• Make and stick to a budget.  Writing things down makes a huge difference rather than thinking you know how much you spent.  There are a TON of apps you can have on a phone or tablet to keep track of your budget.  I find it really convenient and it's so easy to pull up and look at what I have spent.
• Speaking of phones....is it a necessity?  Think about a cheaper phone, or phone plan.  Do all of your children need a phone?  This goes for tv's, satellite plans, insurance plans, there always seems to be a better deal, and switching companies can save you money.  There are also so many ways to watch tv and movies, whether it's online, or renting, there are ways to cut back the costs. 
• Wants vs. Needs....be realistic on what your wants are.
• Become financially independent over time, gradually.  Just as with food storage, this is a process and not a one time event.  Be patient with yourself and save a little at a time.  It will add up.

These are just a few ideas of what you can do to save money for a rainy day fund.  It takes time and patience to accomplish. Get your whole family involved in saving money.  Teach your children about money, working, and budgets.  Keeping the communication open about money will alleviate the stress level for children.  They know when we are stressed, talking about it will help them feel safe.  It is really difficult, and expensive,  to raise children, but communicating with your children will teach them valuable life lessons when it comes to money and hard work.  Dealing with money is HARD, and we ALL stress about it, but make saving money a goal and commit to that goal.  Be ready for that rainy day!

Here is a link to view the pamphlet from the LDS church on having a financial reserve.

Back-To-Basics Water Storage 3: Bathing & Filter Options

If you missed the first two posts on storing water click HERE and HERE to review.

One of the ideas I had for conserving water in an emergency would be to use a solar shower.  Owning a solar shower used to be pricey and I didn't want to pay a lot for one but, I found something that works for me.  I have tried using a 2-liter bottle to wash my hair, and it's really difficult to angle the bottle over your own head and rinse without getting water everywhere.  Taking a shower is something I don't want to do without in an emergency, and a way to clean up when so many other things will be out of control, will be comforting to those in your family.  A few years ago I discovered an attachment that fits on a garden sprayer to create a shower.  

This was before solar showers became more mainstream and a little more afforadble, but I think it's still is a frugal way to create a shower in an emergency.  It's not heated by the sun, but it could be painted black to absorb the heat from the sun, or add heated water to the base. (that would use up fuel in an emergency)

Four years ago I paid $13.00, with shipping, for 4 shower heads.  I gave two of them to my sister and kept the other two.  I bought the sprayer in the picture for $8.00 during a sale at Ace Hardware.  I have two of these emergency showers because there are 7 people in my household.  They will conserve our water, each sprayer holds a gallon of water, when water will be at a premium.  Controlling the water flow is as easy as letting go of the handle. When the handle isn't held down the water stops flowing.  It was easy to hang it on a branch outside, but it could be used inside in a shower/tub if your house wasn't compromised by a storm or earthquake. An outside shower tent is on my preparedness wishlist.

 After filling the base with warm water, simply pump the handle a few times until you feel resistance, and press the handle down on the attachment for the water to being flowing.  I timed how long the water ran before having to pump again, and it was around 35 seconds.  Now, that doesn't sound like a long time, but in-between shampooing and conditioning you don't need the water to be flowing.  It's long enough to rinse your hair, or your body, off.  Pumping the handle isn't difficult either, a child could easily do it. It won't take a lot of effort to take a shower. 

 The original source that I purchased my shower head attachments from is no longer available, but I found another source HERE and they are still reasonably priced at $5.20.

There are also solar showers available from emergency supply stores and online.  Check them out and see what would work for you.   

  This is something that I learned from a friend.  Store baby wipes and use them as a type of sponge bath. Use your shower as a weekly cleaning and the baby wipes as a daily refresher.  You will feel clean and more like yourself.  Nothing refreshes a person like being clean!!

 How are YOU planning on bathing in an emergency??

Water Filters

My last thought on water for this week:  Have a PLAN for when your stored water runs out!

Research filters both homemade and manufactured:
 The Berkey water filter
The Survival Still
An affordable ceramic gravity fed water filter
Other Water Filter Ideas
Low-cost homemade options 

Filter Water From Natural Sources:
  Know how to filter water from streams, lakes, and rivers.  

Life's Little Speed Bumps

When did life get so crazy?!?!  I thought after my move that I could settle down and get back to my "normal" routine.  Well, life can throw you curve balls at any moment.

 I half stepped off a bottom porch step and broke my foot the other day. This has slowed me down and is quite frustrating when I have so many people dependent on me.  So, cooking has been not so adventuresome and I have just been doing the bare minimum around the house.  I could totally look at this in a preparedness viewpoint, but I am just going to be so grateful for modern medicine right now.  I am so grateful for doctors down the street from my home, that work in a clean and fully stocked medical center.  I love knowing there is electricity and x-ray machines available at all times.  I will not take for granted these modern conveniences, but a small part of me really does think "what if?", and so maybe I'll stock up on some splints, just in case :) At least I can add a boot to my medical supplies now :)

Preparedness in the Right Direction

I try to make preparedness a part of my everyday life, and accomplishing smalls things everyday allows me to live a self-reliant lifestyle.  I thought I would list a few of the things that I did this week that either used my food storage or my emergency preparedness items.  Not everything that I do is some big spectacular project, it is mostly small things that keep me going in the right direction.

Charging my Goal Zero unit.

• I used dehydrated strawberries and apples in my children's lunches this week.
• My dinners this week included many cans from my food storage, corn, beans, pears, mandarian oranges, mushrooms, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste.
• I made homemade hamburger buns for sloppy joes.
• We ate M&M's for dessert that had been sealed in a mason jar. 
• We eat farina (cream of wheat) for breakfast every morning.
• I bought 15 dozen eggs that were a great price at the grocery store. Eggs store for quite a long time and with Easter coming up we will go through these quite quick.
• I used canned applesauce in place of butter in our chocolate chip cookies.
• My daughter hurt her back and I have heat packs in my medicine stockpile.  She was able to put one on for some relief.
• Another child has a cold and needed cold medicine.  One look in the medicine stockpile again and she found what she needed.
• And the biggest project that I did this week was to charge my Goal Zero generator unit. It needs to be charged every 1-2 months to keep the battery going strong.  I started it in the sun and then moved it inside to plug it into the wall for faster charging.  The solar panel will charge the unit in about 8-10 hours, but I was running out of sun.      

As you can see, nothing major accomplished this week, but even just using a few cans here and there will rotate my stockpile.  I will look through the sale ads tomorrow as usual to see what drug store items are a good buy.  Then I will look through the grocery store ads on Wednesday to see what item are a great price and I can add them to my food storage.  I am constantly keeping on top of my preparedness so I don't get behind and become overwhelmed, and it doesn't take much to keep doing that.  Just think of something you can do everyday to keep you moving in the right direction!