Snow is in the Air

So, this year is projected to be a snowy one for the NW states, and where there is snow there are also power outages, impassable roads, and frozen pipes.
The question is: How do YOU prepare for this?

What do you have a year supply of?

Kevin went to Home Depot last night and got really excited over finding the energy efficient light bulbs on sale for 1/4 of the price. He stocked up and got 6- 12 pack boxes of them.
He was pointing out to one of our friends that now we had a year supply of them. She giggled and said, "Yep, I'm certain they will be very helpful when the Apocolyse hits and the power grids go out."
It was kind of funny, but it did make me stop and think. I now want to make sure I stock up on some candles and matches.

I would like to mention that I do have a year supply of:

Laundry Soap
Light Bulbs
Frozen Berries
Cake Mixes
Frosting (Thanks Debbie for the tip)
Salt
Yams (I have 3 cans of yams that were given to us, so really it is like a 3 yr supply)

I have a 3 month supply of:

Mac & Cheese
Flour
Sugar
Rice
Pastas
Granola Bars (Snack Items)
Oats
Juice Drinks
Corn Bread
Pancake Mix
Pumpkin Pie Filling
Salad Dressing & Various Condiments


I know it is kind of obsure, but most of the foods can be cooked by itself or with only water.

What do you have in your storage?

Emergency Tool Kit

Kevin has been watching a show called The Colony. It is a reality show about a colony of people who have found each other after a massive virus has (supposedly) wiped out the population. It takes place in wiped out Katrina destroyed Louisianna. The people are half starved, with no electricy and dealing with invading groups of people who are also fighting to survive.
What caught my attention was how handy a basic set of tools would have been to this group. What are your thoughts on an emergency tool kit within your year supply or even 72 hour kit?

Recap- Homemade Laundry Detergent

I did it! I made my own batch of homemade laundry detergent... and I now have the components to make a years supply. Yeah! I have tried it out and it works great! It smells clean and has really no odor when it comes out of the dryer. There are no perfumes or dyes to irritate the skin. It really is great. Here are some pics:

These are all of the ingredients.
When you grate the soap it looks like shredded cheddar cheese. I have also heard of chopping up a block and running it through the food processor.

When you melt down the soap melt it super slow.

After you mix the batch and let it sit it will gel up like runny jello.

















A good tip is to funnel a portion into a recycled milk jug or detergent container. Then you just shake the container each time before you add it to your washer instead of stirring the 5 gallon bucket each time.

I also found this site that makes it in the dry form:
http://www.knittinandnoodlin.com/2008/07/homemade-laundry-detergent-a-tutorial/

I then went to Freddies and found a Mr. Steamy two pack for under $14. I just fill one up with water and throw it into the dryer with my wet clothes. This eliminates the need for fabric softener.

Because sometimes it's hard to be a Mom

We had enrichment last night and it was all of self-preparedness. My favorite tip was how to make your own laundry soap and store enough components for a years supply.

Recipe:
1 bar Fels Naptha soap (grated with cheese grater)
1 cup Washing Soda (Arm & Hammer, not baking soda)
1 cup Mule Team Borax

Put grated Fels Naptha in a saucepan and cover with water. Heat on low until dissolved. Put dissolved soap in 5 gallon bucket and then add hot water to fill the rest of the bucket. Stir. Add Washing Soap and Borax and mix well. As it cools it will thicken. It helps to mix it every now and then as it cools to reduce thickness. If mixture becomes too thick, add hot water to thin to desired consistency. May be used immediately. Mix well before each use. Use 1/2 cup (normal) to 1 cup (heavy) or 1/4 for HE front loading washers.

Cost:
Winco has everything
Fels Naptha- $1.12 / bar
Washing Soda- $2.70 / about 6 cups
Borax- $3.76 / about 12 cups

To make a 5 gallon batch- $1.88
1/4 cup per load means 5 gallons will do 320 loads of laundry
Each load would cost $0.005875
For a family of five that made a batch about every other month a years supply would cost $13.08 and still leave you with half a box of Borax.

A tip for easier use is to find one of the juice pitchers that has a mixing paddle in it. Fill it with recently mixed soap and just pump it once or twice before each load. Refill as needed from the big bucket.

Cheap deals of the week.

If you have just $10 to spend on food storage this week, I've got some ideas for you:

Fred Meyer has a coupon this week for cans of tomatoes or beans 2/$1, limit 10. If you had 2 coupons, you could stock up on 20 cans. I love that Fred Meyer usually has tons of extra ads at the store early on in the week - so it doesn't matter if you don't take the paper, you can still take advantage of the coupon savings.

Another good deal at Freddy's this week.

Albertsons has a deal on for Betty Crocker cake mixes and frosting - $1 each, if you buy 10. That's a pretty common sale price for the cake mixes, but a slightly better deal than usual for frosting.

What deals have you found this week?

Taking Stock, Re-Stocking.

The holidays are over...the wedding has been celebrated...Alex had his birthday.  All my excuses for living in the bunker for the last month or so are done.  Time to refill the shelves.

Steve and I made pretty good progress yesterday with restocking the shelves...I still need to go to one or two stores to finish up...then we'll be good to go.  For us, this is an ideal time to get our bunker in order - there are no big financial commitments for at least a few weeks, so all of our household discretionary funds can be used for stocking back up.

Is it time for you to examine your preparedness?  If not, when?