30 Ways To Save Money
January 3, 2012
Guest post: by ‘Be informed’
Everyone wants to be free from owing money and to have extra money to buy some necessary items, especially for survival, but most everyone will have to learn to budget their finances before this is achieved. So much money and resources are wasted that just blow threw people’s fingers like the proverbial grasping for air. Much though can be done to save, big time, many simple ways that many don’t even give much thought to. Here are 30 ways of saving money that should work for anyone. Extra money means extra security and for those survival minded people, extra survival supplies and food for when the times become awful.
1. Shop Smart. Very few people actually take the time and plan their shopping trip as many are caught into the impulsive buying bug. Don’t go grocery shopping without a list and spend time thinking about what you actually need and don’t need before entering the store.
2. Look For Deals. Coupon clipping, searching advertisements, looking on the internet, it takes time but is worth it, really study it. Buying before permanent price increases is smart. Buying reduced meats before they expire then freezing them for later is wise. Look over the store, there are specials.
3. Ask For Deals. There are so many deals that go unused because people just don’t ask. This goes true with shopping as well as for bills. Many times you can reduce your insurance and other bills just by inquiring what is the best deal can I get. Squeeky wheel gets the grease.
4. Look For Free. NEVER pass up an opportunity to get something usable for free. Even if you can’t use it right now, later just about everything with some value can be used for bartering.
5. Deflate the Interest Ogre. Refinancing, paying off debt, every fraction of interest going out is wasted money. Get your credit score up if you have debt and save, or you if you have to borrow in the future to save on interest rates.
6. Become Aware Of Your spending. People haphazardly sign away their lives without even thinking about what is adding up. Write down or print up everything you spend all the way down to the cost of a pack of gum, SEE IT.
7. Pay Now Rather Than Later. Like becoming aware, try to pay for what you buy now rather than putting off the payment of something until next month or for longer than this. Pay now and you know what you have left to work with.
8. Fix The Minor Before it Becomes Major. So many people will let minor league problems go until they become monsterish, and lose many times more money than they would have if they had just not been penny wise and dollar foolish.
9. Fix It Yourself IF You Can. Learning to effectively make repairs can save the big bucks. Small investements in tools can pay for themselves many times over. How to repair books and attending free classes at hardwar stores is a good place to start. Also admit it to yourself when you CAN’T repair something to avoid making professional repair more costly.
10. Live With It. As long as something works and is not wasting energy, continue using it and reusing it. Let’s face it, do most people really need the new television sets that just came out when theirs is working perfectly OK?
11. Be A Cheapskate. A more friendly word is prudent. People still have a negative feeling about being frugal, like they are not living life to the fullest, depriving themselves, and not sharing enough with those around them. Personal made presents should mean a lot more to someone for example.
12. Cheap Or Free Means Of Entertainment And Enjoyment. There are so many simple pleasures that so many have forgotten about. Spending time with family and friends, walking the park during a warm spring day, renting a video rather than going to the movies, taking a scenic drive, just enjoying something without shelling out a lot of money.
13. Make A Habit of Simple Saving Measures. Try to add a few pennies each day to a jar for one year and see how much you have. This is exactly what you do “in reverse” when you leave on unused lights, let running water run, etc. By making a habit of turning off what you are not using you will save money.
14. Insulate Your Home. Weather stripping, extra attic insulation, wrapping the hot water heater, anything that saves energy saves money. There are also some nice tax rebates available to those that save energy.
15. Watch And Modify Your Home’s Heating And Cooling. A smart thermostat is a wonderful start. Turning down the heat and turning down the air conditoner just a couple of degrees will save much money. You don’t have to roast or shiver, but not being “too comfortable” will cost you less. A nice humidifier during the winter can make the air feel warmer also.
16. Home Cooking. Let’s face it, delivery and going out to dinner is expensive. By cooking it yourself you save a whole lot of money and usually have leftovers that can be packed into lunch packets. If you are a good cook, the food will almost always taste better and be better for you.
17. Learn To Do Your Own Grooming. Most people spend between $200 up to $500 a year just on haircuts. Yes you can with practice cut your own hair or have someone in the family do it for you. You don’t even want to talk about the “pampered” beauty shop costs, most of which you can do it yourself!
18. Eat Well. There is really no reason to waste money on food that is not good for your body. Junk food is costly and makes a person fat. Much good tasting food can be enjoyed during football games that doesn’t cost as much and is good for you.
19. Body maintenance. Eating good food and having a junk food ban is so wise. Health problems are associated with a bad diet, and even with insurance, going to doctor is mega expensive. Brushing and flossing one’s teeth consistantly, everyday, will save huge amounts of money and avoid the terrible sound of the dentist’s drill. Also avoiding getting sick by using hand sanitizer and practicing staying well. Exercise and drinking enough water also helps much.
20. Treat And Use Your Vechicle In A Smart Way. Vechicle maintenance is preventing costly repairs that will hurt. Put good quality fuel in your car as some fuel that is mega cheap has many impurities in it that will eventually clog the fuel filter and sometimes hurt the engine. Plan your trips to coincide with other trips. Look at a map and think about how you travel to save fuel and stress on yourself from backtracking, especially with errands.
21. Grow, Grow, Grow, Your Own Garden. Fruit trees and garden vegetables save so much money it will amaze you. Adding water saving measures such as drip irrigation will save on watering. Capturing rain water will also save, plus it will give you water to keep your garden alive should the water faucet go dry for any reason, including disasters.
22. Can And Freeze. When you can store garden surplus and leftovers, you are not only putting away food in regards to survival, but you will save so much money when the prices go up at times of year when they always go up. Putting away food when it is cheaper for when it is very costly make so much sense.
23. Save Those Receipts. Many times you will get bad food or something that doesn’t work and you threw away your proof of purchase and you can’t take it back. You just lost money. Even a dollar avocado is worth taking back, money is money, and every store should always sell what you can use. Too often people just put a receipt in the trash and then regret it.
24. Use What You Buy Or Store It When You Need It. This society has become The Waste Generation, and when you waste what you buy you are doing the same as burning up cash money. Survival items with expired dates need to be rotated. Unused items that gather dust are things that should have never been bought. Shop wisely and make sure you have use for what you purchase.
25. Time Sealed Special Funds Container. This can be a taped up jar with a slot on it, a locked box, whatever, that you will not open until a special time such as an anniversary, Christmas, red line emergencies, etc. This is a collection vessel for extra money, especially change. If you are going to purchase something not practical, instead feed the money into your little bank.
26. Get Yourself A Consumer Report Buying Guide. There are options on all sorts of items that are not needed and cost extra, and advice to avoid purchasing junk and getting the best money for what you buy. The reviews here are from other people that can contest to something being worth the money or not. There is some good advice in these books and can save you a bunch later.
27. Avoid Being Stupid. We all make bad decisions and wish we had thought before we leaped. Common sense and thinking over one’s actions can prevent costly mistakes and avoid accidents that cost a lot, that could have cost nothing. Many people don’t treat the machines around them well, abuse your vacuum cleaner and you will be buying a new one way sooner than you should’ve.
28. When You Have Been Cheated, Complain, Speak Up. Way too many people just do not feel complaining about being overcharged by a dollar or two is worth it. Terrible service, waiting too long for travel, most companies want your business and if you complain enough about when you were wronged you will get something extra for your inconveniences. You can’t lose by trying.
29. One Hand Shakes The Other. If you have a special talent and need something that someone else can do for you, like repair work, trade off and barter your trades and favors and both of you can save a lot of money.
30. Set Priorities, Live By It. The game plan here is not to go without, pay your bills as soon as possible. This should help raise your credit score as being calssified as reliable and hopefully help lower interest on any credit you owe. Necessities should be the next level of responsible priorities. Luxary items should be on the bottom of the list, but with many, sadly enough, this comes first. The key words here are: RESPONSIBLE DISCIPLINE SPENDING.
This is but 30 suggestions on saving money, by looking around your home and closely observing your spending habits you will be able to save money and cut costs at all sorts of points in your life. Saving money will make your life better (NOT WORSE), it will quicken your goal of getting out of debt, free you up from the worries of not having enough to get what you need, and help you to purchase truly the necessities of life, both in and out of survival situations.
Ken adds: I absolutely love “Avoid Being Stupid”. I laughed my ass off when I got to that one… it sums it up nicely 
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Best Gifts For Survival Preparedness?
December 12, 2011
Guest post: by ‘Be informed’
It should be remembered that gift giving is a year round event, not only for Christmas, but birthdays, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, anniversaries, wedding gifts, or just for that person who helped you out. The best gifts are those that people can use over and over again and make their lives easier, as many of these gifts can and will also benefit someone in survival situations.
Have you ever gone out and spent the better part of a paycheck on gifts, used all day wrapping those gifts to almost showpiece perfection to only be disappointed later at the lack of use of what you felt were nice presents? Happens to all of us and probably most of us did this to our parents at sometime. Many people initially will give you “the face”, a polite and courteous look at a gift that doesn’t have all the flash and is not the “end” gadget, but if this item serves someone with continual or even occasional use, they should appreciate and be grateful to you and for the gift.
Many fine gifts that have a nice practical everyday use can also double as wonderful survival items. The gift receiver does not necessarily have to be told that this item can also be used in a disaster situation, though you will know it will be. Now “pragmatic gifts” such as multi-packs of toilet paper and bars of soap, economy sized jugs of hand sanitizer, garden and kitchen plastic trash bags, case of toothpaste and a mile long of dental floss, you get the idea, would be used by the person but with consequences, In many cases such “gifts” will become the blunt end of jokes and roaring laughter around the neighborhood and water cooler at work under, “guess what, or you won’t believe what I got for Christmas, or my birthday!” There are however plenty of practical things that make terrific gifts.
Anyone that enjoys going into the outdoors should enjoy almost any camping type gift. Simply put camping equipment is survival equipment. When you give a gift from the sporting goods section related to camping, you are also giving someone an item(s) that will be added to any survival supplies that they have.
A lot of people enjoy cooking, and there are a lot of items that can be given as gifts that people will use again and again in the kitchen and in true survival situations. Here are some ideas:
- Air tight durable food storage containers, all sizes.
- Heavy bottomed pots and pans, people love these, food doesn’t burn so easily.
- Vacuum bag package sealer for food preservation and storage.
- Non-electric drip coffee maker, people would use this even with power on.
- Pressure cooker, useful for canning and preparing meals.
- Cutting boards, especially the ones with bottoms that avoid sliding around.
- Manual knife sharpener, outdoor and indoor use for knives remaining sharp.
- Kitchen cutlery set, this is an item that comes in handle all the time.
- Hand cranked meat grinder, to make meat more easy to cook in all situations.
- Manual spice grinder and perhaps spices to go along with it.
- Home canning kits, fermenting crocks. The money you can save when you can!
- Instructional books on food preservation and with recipes.
- Tea kettles. Nice way to boil water, could include favorite teas with gift.
- Kitchen seed sprouter, becoming a lot more popular with people.
- Movable storage units for kitchen equipment and or pantry food storage.
- Temperature resistant oven mitts. Nice to have in regular times, but even nicer to have if you ever have to cook frontier style.
- Meat thermometer. Helps properly cook meat especially if you ever have to cook without an oven that has temperature controls.
- Ice maker. Ice is something taken for granted, as long as you have a small generator for power or regular power, these units are small enough to move anywhere, can produce small amounts of ice in minutes and much more in hours.
For those people that like giving personal gifts, there are many things that can double as very practical survival items. Rainproof jackets, warm coats, gloves, hats, headgear, thermal underwear, waterproof shoes or socks, wool sweaters, so many other clothing items for everyday comfort and style, can be tremendous survival value when needed. Try to get things that look really good on the person as they will be less likely to exchange it and take it back.
For those fortunate to have “a lot of money” and want to give a meaningful special gift:
- Give the special person, without health insurance, the gift of being insured for a few months or longer.
- Help relocate them to a safer area.
- Buy them a dependable means of transportation or fully repair their death trap they are driving.
- A really nice gift is several months of prepacked survival food.
- Pay for legal counsel as a gift for someone having legal problems.
- Have a crisis safe room built for them.
Other items that make useful gifts related to survival and everyday life:
- All terrain bicycle, one item that will likely be used a lot.
- Tire inflator, compressor. Tires all loose air, a very good gift for all.
- Good medical book. Self diagnosis is not always a good idea, but still much information is in these books and excellent after a disaster to have.
- Countrywide map book. Necessary for the traveler and any evacuation.
- First aid kit. Always nice to have, we all injury ourselves at one time.
- Hand tools. Can’t go wrong with giving someone a tool to fix something.
- Backpacks. Eventually most people will need to use a good quality backpack.
- Hydration pack water reservoir. Imagine someone actually having enough water the next time they go hiking, or have to get somewhere.
- Multi-tool. Too many uses to mention.
- Flashlights with extra supply of batteries.
- Satellite GPS messenger. Survive a bad situation and signal out and get help.
- Coolers. Most people need coolers, but coolers can also be used to prevent food from freezing when needed to.
- Survival kit. While not used usually in non-disaster events, it can be.
- Car battery emergency charger. A dead battery in a car can be a dead car.
- Blankets. There are some really beautiful warm blankets that can be used on the beds and for staying warm when you have to, or all around blankets.
- Self defense items. Giving “legal in your area” this present of someone being able to protect themselves, could be a life saving gift.
- Nice large jug of honey. Here is an item that lasts forever and most people would be grateful to receive, and when really needed, even more grateful.
- Gift of safety. Gift certificate for emergency car rescue, tow-truck services.
- Garden. A gift that keeps giving, seeds, fruit trees, garden equipment, anything that has to do with growing good tasting food.
- A gift certificate for the many different stores and web sites that sell survival related items. Almost everyone will find something they need and want.
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Winter Thermostat Money Savings
December 8, 2011
During the winter, a great opportunity to save some money is by reducing your heating bill. How? By turning down your thermostat! Simple enough, right? Even better is to utilize a programmable digital thermostat – the type that can be set with multiple programs to automatically adjust the temperature for nighttime, weekends, etc.
Try turning down the thermostat 5 or even 10 degrees at night, and then turn it up again in the morning while you brew the coffee. If you can get used to that, you’ll probably save up to 10 percent of your heating bill.
When you’ll be out during the evening, turn down the thermostat. If you’ll be away for the weekend, lower the thermostat significantly. You’ll save on heating without risking a freeze-up of your pipes.
Whenever you can lower your thermostat significantly for a few days or more, you’ll even save some operating costs of the refrigerator and freezer, which won’t need to work so hard to maintain their cool.
A common myth is that when you lower the thermostat for a few hours, it will take more heat to bring your home back up to the desired temperature. This is not so. You will save money and fuel because your heating system will not have to keep your home so warm. You will use less energy overall even when you warm up your house from a cooler temperature.
For greater savings and comfort, install a programmable thermostat. They are available for most every type of heating system. With this type of thermostat, you can have the heat turned up before you get up in the morning and lowered just as you get into bed. Most of these thermostats come with several adjustable programs allowing you to set the home for multiple situations (at night, while at work, weekends, etc.).
The most popular Honeywell digital programmable thermostat
So, while modern survival includes the notion of frugality during today’s uncertain economic times, what are you going to do with all that money you’ll save? Maybe buy a few more preparedness supplies?
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Costco Survival Food Items
October 7, 2010Permalink
Yesterday, Lauren and I made one of our periodic shopping trips over to Costco warehouse, where there are always great price deals to be found. We approach the occasional Costco visits with two objectives, to find deals on items that we consume on a regular basis and to find deals on items to add to our long term storage as part of our overall survival preparedness plans.
Costco is a membership-only warehouse club chain, the largest in the United States, with other locations in the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. They are the third largest retailer in the United States, and the ninth largest retailer in the world. This gives them extremely powerful leverage for price discounts.
No matter your objective, buying products for survival preps or for every day consumption, shopping at a major warehouse chain store (e.g. Costco, BJ’s, Sams, Makro, or Price Smart) can definitely save you money. You will be forced to deal with larger quantities at these stores, but that’s Okay if you shop smart. That is, don’t buy something that will spoil before you can consume it all, or otherwise have a way to re-package into smaller quantities for later (this does not work for everything).
Here are a few examples of some things we purchased during our last Costco trip, and why.
Costco (Kirkland) Roast Beef in a can
These 12 oz. cans are a good choice item to add with other foods in a 72 hour survival kit and are also a good item to keep in with your other longer term food storage items. The price was $2.50 per can.
Some reasons why this is a good food storage item
- It is Beef (meat – protein)
- No refrigeration required
- It will last years (I recently consumed the contents of an older can that I had, dated “Best By” 2 years ago. It was absolutely fine)
- It is Fully Cooked (perfect for a survival kit)
- Each can contains 320 calories
Jif Peanut Butter Twin Pack
These are seriously big jars of peanut butter (48 oz. each) that we bought for $8 for both. That seems like about half what we would pay at the local grocery store. We buy peanut butter for regular (occasional) consumption and also for survival food storage.
Peanut Butter is a very good survival food because of its very high calorie content. If you eat too much of this, it will be showing up on your waistline before long… each of these two 48 oz. jars contain more than 8,000 calories! I keep a smaller jar of peanut butter in each one of my 72 hour car kits along with the rest of the variety of foods.
White Rice
We picked up two 25 lb bags of white rice for $7 each. White rice will last a very long time, especially if packaged properly (freeze for 24 hours kills any possible buggies, return to room temperature, 5-gallon food-grade pails with oxygen absorbers). Do not use brown rice for long term storage because it will spoil quickly from the oils it contains.
Gallon size Ziplock freezer bags
This has to be one of the greatest inventions ever. We use quart and gallon size Ziplock bags for all kinds of things, not just foods. We picked up this monster box of 152 gallon size bags for $10. That’s only 6 cents per bag! You will pay a lot more than that at your local supermarket.
So, although I advocate supporting a locally owned community grocery store (if you even have one in your area these days), there are times when saving money on items is just a bigger priority. Warehouse clubs don’t have everything, but it is well worth an occasional trip to extract the deals that fit with your needs and budget.
Shop Smart.
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Buy In Quantity Buy Generic
June 19, 2010Permalink
The other day, I was digging through the medicine cabinet for a few Ibuprofen tablets to ease a few aches and pains from having just finished putting up a new drywall ceiling in the kitchen. Normally we have a big bottle around but they must have all been used up. I did manage to find a new small unopened bottle, so I proceeded to open it. To my surprise, although the bottle was small, after pulling out all of the cotton stuffing, 70 percent of the bottle was empty! I looked at the label and then realized that there were only 40 tablets in there, but once again I shook my head and muttered a few choice words towards something that I see all too often, large packaging with little product inside.
It is one of those things that aggravate me to no end. I know that you know what I’m talking about… you’ve all opened a bag of potato chips only to discover that two-thirds the bag had been pumped up with air or nitrogen to make it look full. How about a box of cereal that is gigantic, only to discover that the box is only half full. I know, it’s been going on for a long time, but I swear it’s getting worse.
My experience with the Ibuprofen inspired me to write up a quick post to remind everyone to buy in bulk, the products that you will consume over time. You will be amazed to discover the huge markup that you are paying for most products packaged in small quantities versus large quantities. Normally we do buy products in bulk that we use often enough to justify the up front price, but somehow this particular small bottle of Ibuprofen was purchased under the radar
It also reminded me of the fact that you can very often purchase generic or store brand products rather than name brand products, and they work just as well, or even consist of the same exact ingredients! We all know that we will pay a premium for name brand.
One example related to my little Ibuprofen experience is how I used to always purchase a name brand, in this case it was Advil. Well, years ago, my wife suggested that I try a store brand because it had the exact same ingredient which is ‘Ibuprofen’. So long as I bought the same milligram dosage, all would be exactly the same. So I tried it and sure enough the result from the medicine was the same. Why is it that so many of us pay to buy a name brand? I know, it is because of the constant onslaught of marketing and advertising. We get brainwashed. The point is, be aware of the fact that we all are brainwashed to some degree. Question your purchases! You will be surprised how much money you could save by being conscious of our preconceived notions about products that we purchase by habit.
So I thought I would do a little exercise to discover the price breakdown of this generic Ibuprofen, if purchased in larger quantities.
The bottom line is, the difference between the lowest quantity and highest quantity pricing for this Ibuprofen is huge, 700% !
You might think that buying such a large quantity is silly or you will never use it, but think about it. If it is a product that you normally use, and you are simply used to re-purchasing it every month (or however often the regular interval is), then seriously think about large quantities. If you think this way for all of your consumable products, you will be able to save a substantial sum in the long run.
Oh, also, the difference between the name brand ‘Advil’, and this one, was 20%. Again, why pay a 20% premium because the label looks different. Do you have any idea how much research goes into name brand labels to attract your attention and to ‘fit’ the product to your mindset? Colors, text, layout, design, case studies, consumer research studies, on and on…
Don’t let big corporate names brainwash you. Give generic a try. Think quantity. Think local – community. Buy local. Don’t forget your local farmers market. Support your neighborhood store and community with your purchases. Just like it used to be…
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Economic Recovery and Survival Preparedness
May 12, 2010
economies-of-the-world-are-like-a-house-of-cards
Don’t let an ‘apparent’ economic recovery fool you into spending more of your money foolishly!
Economic Recovery? Are You Kidding Me?
If you have pulled back on your spending during the past year or two since the meltdown of the stock market in 2008, go ahead and keep on scrimping and being smart with your money. The main stream media and government politicians want you to believe that things are much better now and they are hoping and planning that you will start spending more of your money.
There are ongoing efforts to maintain the philosophy of a throw-away society, and a society where we should keep up with the Joneses by buying the latest shiny things, bling, new cars, gadgets and toys. Instead, in our opinion, you should be spending your discretionary money on survival preparedness, a well stocked and secure home, and on tools and skills for self-sufficient living.
Not a whole lot has actually changed to justify the Wall Street comeback since March, 2009 other than massive company layoffs and other tricks to maintain or squeeze higher profit margins. The majority of consumers have not much, if any more money to spend than they did immediately before the 2008 crash. So why then does the main stream continue to spout off that things are getting so much better? Maybe the bankster gangsters of Wall Street are flush with money, but Main Street is not. How many vacant store fronts do you see around you in your travels? Lots, I’m sure.
Don’t let the attempted brainwashing get to you. Stick to your plan and keep preparing for worse times ahead. The economies of the world are teetering, and are essentially intertwined as a stacked house-of-cards that could come tumbling down at any time, and very quickly.
Many (or all?) fiat (paper) currencies are currently being challenged for their worth. Governments are severely in debt and owe billions and trillions of dollars. Lenders are realizing that there is little or no chance of being paid back at present levels of value. Governments would like nothing more than to continue to dilute the value of paper money (print and create more out of thin air) so to pay back existing debt with future money which is worth far less. This means that your money will continue to purchase less and less product as time goes on. Governments will (are) also looking for new ways to tax us. Hide your wallets.
What Should We Spend Our Money On?
So, what should we be doing with our money? In my opinion, first and foremost, check for spending hemorrhaging and stop the bleeding! Are you shopping for essentials or wants? Are you shopping smart?
Any debt should be paid down, especially any non-house-mortgage debt like credit cards, car loans, or other higher interest rate loans. Debt is THE life blood of the beast that keeps people shackled.
Thinking back to the days of our grand parents and great grand parents, debt was unheard of. People knew how to take care of themselves back then. What I mean by that is, people were able to survive without the help of government and social programs. They were largely self-sufficient. It is incredible what has happened in just a few short generations. The problem is, it is so bad now, that those of us who are somewhat self-sufficient will be adversely affected by those who are not – when TSHTF. Desperation will lead to unrest and violence.
Pay down all debt beginning with the debt with the highest interest rate. Pay the most you can afford on that one while paying minimums on whatever else you have. It is extremely important and beneficial to pay more than the minimum payment itself, the extra of which will go directly to the principal balance and greatly reduce the time to pay it all off. Once it is paid off, move to the next highest interest debt and continue until it is all gone. Being debt free will bring on an amazing feeling of joy. While you are paying off your debt, it is important to visualize and imagine this feeling. It will help tremendously. Believe it! It will happen!
While you are paying off your debt, it is advisable to spend some extra money on developing at least a minimal food storage supply. Your survival is more important than that of the bank. The amount of food storage is a personal decision and will depend upon the number of people in the household that you will be supporting. It should be fairly easy to save up at least a one month supply of extra food that could be used in the event of a minor disruption. Once you have established that minimum, go ahead and build up more if your instincts tell you to. I personally would recommend a next goal of a 3 to 6 month supply before challenging yourself for even more.
If you buy the foods that you normally eat, and if you rotate your stock, you will be saving money in the long run because food prices will always continue to rise. The more usable food storage that you have, the more money you will have effectively saved. The peace of mind of having significant food storage will surprise you. Knowing that you have in your possession, a quantity of an essential element of survival, you will discover that you have a new outlook and attitude towards life. You will feel empowered like you never have before. You can snub your nose at ‘the system’ and continue to move on towards other self-sufficiency preparations. It really is a rewarding way of life, and one that will give you a calm sense of happiness and satisfaction. You will sleep better at night.
A warning though, if you take the Red pill and go down this road of survival preparedness, your eyes will open to many things including what is really going on around you in this crazy world. Once you see it, there’s no turning back (for those of you that have watched The Matrix). If you would like to remain ignorantly bliss, just take the Blue pill and go down with the ship…
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Cheap Breakfast for Surviving Hard Times
May 4, 20109 Grain Cracked Cereal Mix
Nine Grain Mix is a very nutritional, good tasting healthy and economical breakfast. For only 10 cents per serving, you will save lots of money and will enjoy the side benefits of the ingredients.
Many people today are affected by hard times and are searching for hints and tips to squeeze a bit more out of their money. With rising food prices and inflation, even small changes in our spending habits can add up to big savings over time. This particular breakfast tip is one that I take advantage of several times throughout the week. It tastes good, and is healthy!
9 grain is just that, a mixture of nine cracked grains. There are many brands and varieties available out there. One that I like is available from Honeyville Grain and contains Spring Wheat, Winter Wheat, Soft White Wheat, Corn Grits, Barley Grits, Steel-Cut Oats, Cracked Rye, Millet, and Flaxseed.
The most economical way to purchase this is in a 50 pound bag, which as of this post is priced at $54. As with anything, your money is stretched much further if you buy in quantity.
To calculate the cost per serving, which is 1/4 cup,
- 50 pounds = 800 ounces
- 1 cup of this mix weighs 6 ounces, so there are 133 cups in this 50 pound bag (800 / 6)
- 4 (servings per cup) x 133 (cups in this 50 pound bag) = 533 servings per 50 pound bag
- $54 / 533 servings = $0.10 per serving
Simple 9 Grain Recipe
Add 1/4 cup of nine grain to 1 cup of water and heat slowly for about 20 minutes (or microwave for 2 minutes – let stand for a few more).
After cooking, you can add additional toppings for added flavor such as a pinch of salt, butter, sugar, or honey. My favorite is to simply add a tablespoon of honey.
Not only does it taste good, but this small quantity of grains will keep you feeling full for many hours and entirely eliminate cravings (a great way to help lose a few pounds!).
One serving contains
- only 140 calories
- only 10 fat calories! – 1 gram
- 28 grams total carbohydrate
- 5 grams fiber
- 5 grams protein
This 9 grain mix is a great survival preparedness food to include in your food storage because it is easy to store, inexpensive, and has over 500 servings per 50 pound bag!
Be aware of allergens that may affect you and check with the manufacturer (some people may be allergic to wheat products, nuts, etc…)
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