More Frugal Tips

I goofed again. Not sure how this old post was moved up here, but scroll down for today's post  below, titled THE BUTTON BOX.

Every cent you reduce from normal expenses can potentially be put toward your preparedness. Even if your choice is to save, buy food or get out of debt, all are positive steps. Added benefits may include reducing your stress levels and coming together as a family.  So here are a few more tips for those of us who have not reached self-sufficiency or who live a more urban life, at least for now.

Laundry: do less, use less detergent. When I find a coupon for Shout color catchers, I buy them. For me, this allows segregating laundry less.  I now am able to mix the mid-intensity colors and the darks using a color catcher sheet. I occasionally have enough of very light colors to do a load of white and pastels. This allows me to do fewer, full loads.  I also cut the laundry soap by about half. Everything still looks and smells fine.

Bath: We use a bath and shower soap that comes in gallon jugs. It has only a few ingredients and is mild.  I can water it down by at least a third and it works fine. If we want scent, we add a squirt of Dr Bronner's scented castile soap.

Take a look at this great post about Holiday specials over at Planning and Foresight. Many bargains on traditional holiday-related food can be used throughout the year. Even if you don't can, hams and turkey can be made into jerky.

Don't overlook canned pumpkin. It's not just a pie ingredient, but a fully-cooked food.  Half a cup of the humble canned pumpkin contains 300% of the RDA for vitamin A with 5 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein. In an emergency situation, a pinch of brown sugar added to a serving or two of canned pumpkin can keep you going in more ways than one!

Many thanks to K for his great post on these aisle blocking specials.  Maybe this year we should all stop and rethink the bounty in those otherwise annoying holiday loss-leader displays and how they may add to our preparedness. I sure have.

Reduce Costs with Multi-tasking Products

I've been doing this so long, I forgot that I do it. So what's a multi-tasking product? One that has multiple uses in your preparedness supplies, of course, to reduce cost and storage space without losing capability. For your GO bag, it can also lighten your weight.  The obvious item is salt. It can be used for flavoring and many medicinal uses. In larger volumes and with some expertise, it can be used for food preservation.

What are some less obvious multi-taskers? My favorite is alcohol gel hand sanitizer. Most of these gels have between 60% and 75% alcohol so they are flammable within warmer temperature regions.  They can also be used, VERY CAREFULLY, as fire-starter. A small squirt on a piece of cotton, fabric scrap or small ball of  dryer lint can help start other tinder or kindling. It is not as effective in very cold temps (near or below freezing) but can be a lifesaver in damp conditions. I just found the 72% in 10 foil pouches at CVS for $1.99. That will help get around the potential leaking bottle issue.

Candles are another multi-tasker. By selecting your candles carefully for composition and size, you may be able to harness them for both light and as back-up cooking fuel.  A short multi-wicked canned candle is more likely to be a multi-tasker, and beeswax a better choice than miscellaneous waxes. These may not cook a raw piece of meat, but may be enough to warm water to warm you up. Short thin candle ends or small pieces with a wick can be harnessed in the fire-starter arena if needed.  By pullin a piece of string or thread across a candle a few times, you can coat it in wax and make it more waterproof and easier to use -- especially thread.  Waxing it makes it tangle and knot-up less when you sew.

I'm a big fan of net fabric, by the yard, from Walmart or fabric store. It comes in several mesh densities and a few colors. We don't have no-see-ums here, so I get the slightly larger mesh.  Yardage is about 55 inches wide and can be used as-is with a little help from a walking stick or piece of string for a bug net over a sleeping bag or 'screen door' on a make-shift shelter. With a bit more work, it can become a net around your hat to exclude bugs -- up to  sewing some as a tube and putting a simple draw-string on top and bottom. I keep 3 yards of this, in one piece, in both my Emergency first aid kit and my GO bag. One piece is black and the other is a bronzy medium brown.

So what are your favorite multi-tasking items?

Christmas All Year Long

What does Christmas have to do with frugal preparedness? More than you might imagine! Now that savings are earning essentially ZERO interest, and the price of goods is getting higher, starting your Christmas (or Hanukkah) shopping really early might be a good idea. I start mine with the Christmas clearances and continue until the markdowns stop around Halloween.  I do not engage in 'Black Friday' madness. I plan to be done w/shopping and have packages mailed long before that.

 I thought I'd share some of my frugal ways to keep the holidays happy but not break my bank account.  We're still suburbanites, and I'm only a few months into getting back to health after my retirement so I'm not yet geared up to make the gifts, which is usually the most cost-effective method other than opting out.  I'm already thinking about what I can make for next year. Most likely black currant preserves or hardwood cutting boards.  It may not be too late for these this year if you have some nice wood left over from a project.  If you have scraps of maple or oak (at least 4 inches wide, 3/8 or 1/2 thick, and 6 to 10 inches long) square them up, give them a good sanding and wipe them down with mineral oil. These are wonderful.  Even if you buy the wood (solid, clear if you can afford it) they are only a few $$ each. Try to find a cutting board made of solid wood in the stores. Virtually all are laminated scraps these days. I made a three this year as 'gifts' but liked them so well I couldn't part with them.  Perhaps I can do better next year.

For now, this is about conventional holiday giving. We set cost limits for most people's gifts. With the exception of what DH and I exchange and DH's Mother, we have a limit of about $50 per person for close family and $20 for close friends for a projected monthly budget of about $50 per month. If I find a quality gift for less, then I don't keep buying for that person.  With careful shopping I can find nice gifts for much less than the 'limit,' especially when I have all year to shop.

Your List:  Our definition of who is on the list as 'close' is also stringent-- usually immediate family like a sibling or child. 'Friends' are also carefully enumerated and usually are in the single-digit range.  For gifts between DH and DW, we usually defer a higher-cost item for Christmas, often a home improvement that continues to give enjoyment. I've been asking for a dual-pane window on the western side of the house for a couple of years, maybe this year! I have gotten wonderful gifts like my dog-proof 'burglar door,' after our crazy dog broke through yet another mended screen. It lets in the cool air but keeps the dog and the bugs on the correct side of the house. Because DH is very handy, installation is 'free' and part of his gift to me.

Packaging: We've used gift bags, often the same ones, rather than wrapping paper for years. My sister's family gets together with us, usually late on Christmas morning for gifts. Reusing those gift bags has become part of the celebration.  Some go back 10 years or more and are like old friends. We exchange gifts then pack the bags back in the Christmas bin for next year. Tissue that isn't ready for window-cleaning duty is included.  These originally cost 1$ or less at an after Christmas clearance and now $3 to $5 each if bought new.  This practice alone had easily saved us each $20+ every year.

What to give: I try to give useful but consumable items, or very useful durable ones. (I'll address the useful durable items in a later paragraph.)  Rationale is that a gift often creates some sense of obligation for the receiver. I've gotten the occasional gift of a durable item, especially a dust-collector or wall-hanging item that makes me wonder what the giver was thinking.  Must I now hang or place this somewhere that they can see it when they come over??  Not meaning to seem ungrateful those items are usually not 'us' so I try to avoid being that kind of gift-giver.  My sister keeps her 'what to get me for Christmas' list all year, so I usually have no trouble getting her something she wants. I've learned from her and now know exactly what to request for my 'big present' from her: something on my preparedness-needs list. Another consideration is whether I need some of 'that gift item' too? This year is a little different than most, as I've discovered that many people in my small circle of gift-giving also maintain preparedness supplies. One of my favorite supply sources gives discounts, some of which are really large, when you order a case of something. These may or may not be listed as buying-group specials.  Here's an example: If I wanted 4 cans of an items at $11.50 per can (total of $46) and the price is $8 per can if I order a case of 6 cans (total of $48) and the shipping cost is the same, then it's essentially getting 1.8 cans free if I order a case. That's 2 cans that can be considered as Christmas gifts for those friends or family members who will appreciate them, all for $2.  That's $1 per 'gift' can with a retail value of $11.50. Some of the case discounts have break-even prices under 4 cans, but that's about the norm. Useful and consumable gift for $1: SCORE.

A Measure of Value. When I see an item on clearance or sale that is a really good bargain, I will consider whether it's a good match for someone on my short list. Often, it is a very useful durable item as mentioned above. If there's a match, I buy it and put it away with their name on it with a sticky note. Local shops going out of business or seasonal markdown? Could be something there. This year's top item was from Sierra Trading Post. I found a high-end kitchen knife with sharpener (not made in China!) during a special discount offering ( they send via e-mail about once a month, if you sign up) that cost about $26 each, with a 'retail value' of over $100, slashing the $50 limit gift in half. I also found some Smartwool socks at STP for about $4 a pair early in the year.  I bought myself 2 pairs to try them out. They were great, so during a later discount window I bought some for gifts for the ladies who I know will wear them. That's $9 (pro-rated shipping included) for 2 pairs of socks that would normally cost upward of $15 a pair, also cutting the $20 dollar limit gift in half. By the way, with socks as gifts I always buy at least two identical pairs. That way if one sock gets lost or worn out, you still have a pair and a spare. (Remember that when packing socks for your GO bag.)

One more thing: If you have a friend or family member who is struggling financially, consider a token gift and cash or a gift card to a discount grocery store (I'd go with Target, of course!). I usually write something like "I hope this is the right size and color! Merry Christmas!" on the card. A gift card to a store where they can purchase groceries can free-up their cash for other necessities.  A gift card to an expensive store or one that only has specialty items (Victoria's Secret?) may leave them wondering what universe you're living in.

Today is the 20th of October. I'll need to double check my list, but I think everyone except DH is covered for this year. It's a good feeling. Gifts are ready to be bagged or mailed, I have no credit card bills to greet me for the new year, I haven't overspent or reduced getting what we really need, and everyone is getting something useful or edible.

Frugal Tips

Two of my pages at the top of this blog, Resources and Favorites, have some tips on frugal ways to increase your available cash for preparedness.  Yesterday's great post by Patrice Lewis provides 25 home and lifestyle tips for reducing your cost of living.

During uncertain economic times, reducing your overhead and increasing your prudent reserve with cash, food or other operating supplies is a good idea.  If you are employed in a business that is hard-hit by the soft economy, the extra preparedness supplies will provide peace of mind about possible wage reductions or temporary layoffs.  In case of personal emergency, you will be able to feed your family from food storage.

What are your big recurring expenses? Is there something you can do to reduce them? Do you have homeowner and car insurance? If you are a active duty military or a veteran, check out USAA.  If you were listed on a parent's USAA policy when you first drove, you are also eligible. Ask for quotes for the same coverage you have now with your current insurer.  We saved several hundred per year when we switched our policies to USAA.

If not buying in bulk from Costco or Sam's, don't forget to cycle your buying and comparison shop (Patrice mentions the price book method). In my town, Target and Walmart are the low cost grocery stores.  On many items under $5 each, these stores can cost as much as $1 less PER ITEM than the national chain groceries. The combination of buying on the low cost point of the quarterly or annual cycle, at the lowest cost seller in town AND using coupons when possible, can reduce your grocery bill by 20 to 30% without becoming a crazy coupon lady.

For example, last week I bought toothpaste on special. It was $3.08 per tube and you would receive a $5 gift card if you bought 3 tubes. I also had a coupon for the product from Crest. The combination would result in a price less than $2 per tube, and we were low on toothpaste, so it was time to buy.  When I buy the specials with the Target $5 gift card incentive, I make 2 purchases.  I buy the items providing a gift card(s) incentive FIRST as a separate purchase from the remainder of my cart. (In this case there were 3: the toothpaste, Advil and toilet tissue for $15 worth of gift cards.) I then immediately apply the gift cards to the second purchase of the remainder of the items in my cart. That method, along with other coupons and using product price cycles, saved me almost half of that second purchase total.  It is important to buy only what you normally use, not get sucked into buying just to get a 'bargain.' 

UPDATE: I forgot one $ saving tip that I use everyday.  I keep a big bag of USA-made size 64 rubber bands that allow me to reuse bags and containers that fruits, nuts, etc. come in. They reduce the need for plastic zipper bags, 'tupperware-like' containers, etc. by a significant amount. These cost a fraction of a cent and until they break or you just plain wear them out, they last a long time.  I wash and reuse them.  I got the idea from saving the grocery store rubber bands on broccoli.

Building Your Emergency First Aid Kit

NOTE to Readers: The Google Blogger now adds double underline to words or phrases in my posts to send you to their advertizers. I haven't found a way to stop it yet. Please know these are not advertizers I recommend, in fact the '37 things' link is one of the most annoying ads I've ever seen.

Now for my intended posting:

It's one thing to have some bactine and band-aids in a pouch for everyday boo-boos, but a first aid kit for your emergency preparedness supplies is a different animal. By its very nature, it may be first and ONLY medical aid for 72 or more hours. Band-aids and bactine probably won't do the trick.

As a reminder, this is your Emergency FAK. See previous post about your Personal Med Bag (PMB) which is equally important.  Don't put stuff in your EFAK for others to use that you can't spare from your PMB, only those general use and critical care items should go in here. For example: if you regularly take a pain medication and have enough in your PMB to last you through a reasonably foreseeable emergency,  you may wish to contribute a few 'excess' to the EFAK. In doing this, you relinquish claim to them, and they go to whoever needs them first.

Thinking through your specific needs requires going back to basics.  What were those potential emergency situations again? Earthquake? Flood? Tornado? Wildfire? Based on which ones apply to your location and situation, and who the kit is meant to support, you can start to frame what goes in it. Remember family, friends and your level of willingness to be a good Samaritan to strangers in the process.

Some bloody traumatic injuries are to be expected in many disaster or emergency situations. That also means open wounds.  So start with self-protection including gloves, some masks and eye protection if you don't wear glasses. Add some of that alcohol gel hand sanitizer for good measure. Now, what about the victim?

If your budget is tight, you can improvise some items, but they should still be in the kit. I'm not taking things in order (i.e. this is not medical advice) so add a first aid class, or better yet some sort of emergency or trauma training, to your list. There may be some free ones through your fire or police department. In any injury situation where an open wound is involved, you'll need something to stop bleeding. Clean bandaging and a way to secure it to the site are important. If your budget allows, you can get a quick-clot impregnated bandage for $10 to $15 from several mail order sources. These should be for those really scary bleeding wounds. Whether secured with a larger pressure bandage from a package, made from a strip of sheeting or from high quality medical tape, you'll need something to hold the bandage in place and maintain some pressure. Consideration for cleaning the wound and preventing infection is also important.

 If and only if you are willing to move a patient for professional care OR you need to save a life by potentially causing someone to lose a limb, include a tourniquet.  Read about these well in advance, as they are very serious medical intervention with a lot of potentially negative impacts.

Clearing and maintaining an airway is also a major issue. Some military surplus kits or backwoods hiking suppliers can help you there with specially-made disposable airways. Otherwise, gloves and some alcohol pads may be better than nothing.

A wilderness or special forces medical text is a good idea. Some can be downloaded from the web. Pay attention to how to suture a wound. Worst case, a curved fabric needle and some sterilized upholstery thread may suffice. Keep your antiseptic and matches in the kit -- matches in a water resistant or waterproof container. You may not be able to create a true sterile field, but do what you can if professional help is not an option.

Do your research on burn treatments and have something for those as well, anticipating that there may be some large burns, not just a finger tip.

Have the usually triple antibiotic ointment, tweezers and adhesive bandages in multiple sizes for the more common splinters and scrapes -- or for picking foreign debris out of scrapes and injuries. I also keep campho-phenique liquid. It is messy and smelly, but it kills some nasty stuff and relieves pain unlike most other OTC antiseptics.

A few hours after the injury has been treated to the best of your ability, pain is likely to start. Some victims may not be able to swallow meds. Both oral meds and pain patches should be stocked if you can afford them.  Tylenol may be better than aspirin if there is potential for internal bleeding. Baby aspirin should be on hand for possible heart attacks.  There may be little else to offer other than keeping the patient quiet and comfortable.

Antiseptics and antibiotics are important.  Speak with your MD and ask for generic antibiotics for each member of your family for both a broad spectrum like azithromycin and a course of generic flagyl for problems like giardia. If your MD has a favorite for dysentery, ask for that as well. Another good source of common antibiotics is addressed very well here, if you want to have a more robust capability to really weather a storm and its aftermath. Throw in some over the counter probiotics for later in the treatment to stop diarrhea that can result from too many intestinal organisms being killed.

I keep several other items in my EFAK. These include 2 or 3 Mylar emergency blankets, 2 bandannas,  a pair of 'trauma' scissors (can be cheap kitchen scissors -- just heavy duty enough to cut through fabric like someones pants), fire starter, Gatorade powder, water purification tablets, glucose tablets, a forehead thermometer strip, 3 yards of fine black netting from the Walmart fabric center, a collapsible cup, 2 ace bandages, individually packaged Wet Ones, OTC meds and a good pocket knife.  Much of this I scavenged from around the house or from my own past injuries (ace bandages!).  I bought 8 Gatorade packets for $2 at Big Lots, put 4 in the kit and fed the other 4 to my husband as a reward for doing yard work. He like it! These gathered things can be used to treat shock or deyhdration, sprained or broken arms or ankles, low blood sugar, and to make someone more comfortable (netting can be a bug-exclusion tent).  OTC meds include treatment for allergies, diarrhea, nausea and flu symptoms.

I'm saving up for a pulse-oxygen meter, the finger tip kind. Not sure why, but it just seems like one should be in the kit, and maybe a blood pressure cuff. These may be beyond the scope of such a kit.  Gives me something to think about before I make the investment. What do you think?  What do you think I'm missing?

My EFAK is in an old carry-on bag -- a red one. The color makes it easy to pick out in the pile of emergency supplies so I can get to it more quickly. It also reminds me to pack it where I can get to it easily ... in case of emergency!  It has 3 external zippered pockets.  I put a Ziplock bag with STOP THE BLEEDING supplies in one of the pockets, another Ziploc with BREATHING supplies in another pocket, and some of the comfort and SHOCK supplies in the third pocket. This allows fast access for the most critical needs.

 Think about what is likely in your potential emergency situations, research and build or refine your EFAK. Then remember to review at least every September as part of your annual preparedness update.

AND WELCOME TO FRUGAL PREP, MISTY!!

Have you tried it yet?

8/28 UPDATE: Today is your opportunity to order for pick up this coming Saturday. If offered near you, time and location will vary in your area. This week's optional additional items (which seem to be offered only west of the Mississippi) include Utah peaches or Hatch chiles for $18 per 25 lbs box, limit 5 boxes. There is also a fajita veggie pack for $5 along with the usual breads and granola offerings. Oh, and did I mention that for an additional $10 you can upgrade your basic basket to organic?

Original post:  A couple of months ago I wrote a short blurb  (#11 on the Resources Page) about the Bountiful Baskets food cooperative. They serve locations in 19 states, mostly in the west and central US, but GA and KY are in the mix. It takes a little planning to order Monday or Tuesday and pick up your loot on Saturday, but for $16.50 you get a huge amount of fruit and veggies.  They also have add-ons that include breads, tortillas packs (about 10 doz w/ 65% flour -35% corn), extra fruits or veggies in season. Prices for add-ons will vary, but the breads are usually 5 loaves for $10 or $12, which is a max of $2.25 per 18 ounce loaf. You only sign up when you want to -- for us it's about every 2 week because there is just more produce than we can go through in a week.  The normal weekly amount would be about right for a family of 4.

This week I picked up the following for my $16.50 (weights are approx):
1 head cauliflower, 1.5 lbs fresh green chili, 3 lbs onion, 4 tomatoes (approx 1.5 lbs), 1 very large fresh head of romaine, about 2 lbs Brussel sprouts, 4 pink grapefruit, 2 Asian pears, 2 lbs each: cherries, grapes, nectarines. Basket items vary with the season and which crops are coming in.  Some of the items are what the big chains might not want.  We received the most incredible, delicious plums for about a month, but they were smaller than what I see in the stores. Perhaps the small size does not sell as well. In April and May we received a pineapple almost every time -- and they were wonderful.  We are eating more healthful food, planned around what's in the Bountiful Basket. 

If you are a canner, they offer cases of some fruit or veggie each week.  Probably not as inexpensive as U-pick, but it is a good deal for your preparedness food storage.

The produce is a lot fresher than the grocery stores, probably because several 'middle' steps have been eliminated.  If you find a badly bruised or split item during pick up, they will replace it or provide a substitute item immediately.  Occasionally a delivery truck is late -- last week one was stopped for a DOT inspection and set the schedule back by more than an hour.  Normally the produce is available on time.  It's sort of like a produce flash mob -- truck drops it off, volunteers load the laundry baskets, people pick theirs up and the whole thing is done and gone in about 2 hours!  It really is a marvel of cooperation that works.