Good Morning All,

It's Spring break! My kiddos are driving me cuckoo. It is so hard living in an apartment without a yard. It is hard going outside because the grassy areas are muddy & inundated with dog poop (I think I'm the only one in the complex who owns a pooper scooper)...We are saving & saving to buy our home with some land using cash....We are aiming for next Summer (not the one coming up).

Now to answer a couple of questions.

Why am I looking for pre 1965 quarters? Silver content, good if something happens to the almighty US dollar & my son collects coins.

Coupons...They work for some people depending on your area & commitment. I have a store 1/4 of a mile that doubles. I get a lot of items less than the storebrand/bulk brand cheap or free. I base my purchase off unit price (per pound, ounce etc...). This store also sends our storebrand coupons & FREE milk, yogurt...etc,..because we still live in an apartment & they don't allow cows...I can't get my own.

I dehydrated some corn to make some room in my freezer for my Angel Food order I pick up tomorrow. I just might be getting that additional small freezer this weekend : ). I am loving my Seal-A -Meal...Keeping that freezer burn off my stuff.

Thanks for the info on the Red Feather canned butter Jim...Now if I can find a place that has it in stock (that kind of worries me hmmmm).

I haven't been sleeping well, I keep thinking I'm going to miss something big in the news....

I hope to post more often, I have lots of things to talk about...I even made a list...Now if I could just find it! LOL

Enjoy your day!

Canned Butter, Quarters & Coupons...

Good Morning All...I'm impatiently waiting for my coffee to be done. I'm tired because I worked until 11PM, I could not wind down & my husband is still snoring like a bear, so I ended up on the sofa.....

I have a few things I wanted to mention/ask .

1. Canned butter, has anyone tried this? I'm not interested in canning it myself just yet. I'm thinking of ordering it, but I don't want to order it if the taste is horrid and we end up not using it. So if you've had it let me know what you think.

2. Pre 1965 quarters. I have tried in vain to find these. At my weekend job I see over 100 quarters a day & not a pre 1965 coin to be had. I have a few pre 1965 (mostly dimes), and have been trying to find a local coin shop, I'm not totally comfortable purchasing these from someone I don't know over the Internet, so if anyone can recommend somebody trustworthy, I would appreciate it.

3. Last but not least... a little rant....Coupons, I've been having trouble matching the "crappy" coupons I've been getting in my Sunday paper to any sales....I don't use a coupon unless it's for a product I regularly use , I'm getting it FREE , or getting it for less than the storebrand.


That's all for today..comments, suggestions...etc are greatly appreciated. I read at least 20 blogs before bed & always try and keep up with all the states on the APN...Man I end up crossed eyed sometimes LOL.

Enjoy your day!

Well we had an unwelcome guest in our home this week,...bronchitis. I slept on the couch to try and get some sleep between my husbands coughing & snoring...so not fun. I bought a can of Lysol, opened the slider & window, and hopefully bronchitis left to bother somebody else....but of course I now hear coughing coming from the 13 year old son.

We were able to pick up a few more preps this week. I found this cute little lantern that holds oil or kerosene , some replacement wicks, found some butane for our lighters, a first aid kit for our bugout/hiking backpack, and some tablets you add to water to clean it. We tried to buy ammo, but they were out (I wasn't surprised just hopeful they might have some)

Every week I add to our food storage using sales & coupons (except what is cheaper in bulk) . This week I'm picking up some more water, because of the feedback from you all, and that is the one thing I'm always concerned about.

I'm still reading The Encyclopedia of Country Living (Carla Emery) and everytime I pick it up I know again I made a great choice for a reference book for my collection...so much information...it makes me so excited to move off grid & work to live not live to work.

Enjoy your night!

Feedjit

So I just went to one of the many blogs I read and saw this http://wretha.blogspot.com/2009/03/privacy-and-feedjit-rant-and-request.html

I will remove mine right after this post. I was just so excited to have my very own blog, I wanted to see if anyone was reading it. That doesn't matter to me... if this little widget thing is going to make ANYONE leery of visiting me, it's gone. Sorry if anyone saw it and it offended anyone.

Enjoy your day,
Warm Regards,
Josselyn

Supplies

One of the things I am continuously concerned about is if I have enough supplies. I had been reading a lot of blogs, and felt totally inferior to the survival gurus. My philosophy (for lack of a better word) is I need to make sure I live life in the here and now, as well as prepare for the future. Having a 13 year old with mild Cerebral Palsy & Aspergers, as well as a 9 year old with Autism means I have to make sure their quality of life in the present is taken care of , as well as their medical & educational needs. At the same time I want to make sure we have a good quality of life in the future, and their needs are met as best as can be when either the SHTF, a natural disaster occurs, economic breakdown, job loss etc... Roof over head, food on table, clothes on back and our health.

I am always in awe of what people are able to do in other blogs, they seem to be able to dehydrate food with their left foot, while bathing their multiple beautiful children with their right, at the same time they can put together a home cooked meal using their preps, sew a hole in a sock and with that extra arm (I swear they have one LOL) blog and share their knowledge with their loyal fans! I'm just trying to keep my house clean, and take care of my kids.

So anyway, this is why I really would like to get out of our apartment, live rurally, away from the drama of people, prep & spend time with my family. I would like to share what I have accumulated and run by you all what I think I need. I will definitely be stocking up on water (Thanks guys). I know that I am way behind others who are already homesteading or are well prepared, but I do have a lot of supplies your average Joe doesn't have which gives me a bit of a head start. I also have storage restrictions (apartment living) that prohibits me from storing more propane. I wouldn't want to blow my neighbors up. (Or would I? ..music at 4 in the morning ; )...LOL)

Thanks for "listening" to my rambling this morning...comments are sooo appreciated. enjoy your day all!

Hey Everyone,
First I'd like to thank all the people who have commented on my posts since I started my little blog. I truly appreciate it.

One of the things I get concerned about is trying to take in and try too many things at once & overwhelm myself. I am also concerned that I am not prepared for much of anything...For example I have plenty of cereal...not enough water. Any suggestions on how to know if I'm doing okay(prepping) would be greatly appreciated...(Did that make any sense? LOL). This is the only place I've found people who have a bit of a clue...& like talking about it.

I'm enjoying The Encyclopedia of Country Living, it's hard to put it down. If I can get rid of this headache tonight I'd love to read more.

Finally, tonight, I'm an avid couponer, that's how I stock up. I went to Kroger I got $81.25 for $47.01...Good deal.

Have a nice night!

Books....

Well tonight is my TV night, pretty much the only night I watch TV. I watch Ghost Hunters and UFO Hunters. During the TV shows & commercials, I either read, clean the bedroom, or surf the net (really bad ADHD...can't sit still...LOL). So tonight I'm going start to poke through my newest book The Encyclopedia of Country Living (the 35th anniversary edition) by Carla Emery. It's a book I've been wanting to get for a long time. While my husband was on vacation last week he took me to a huge local book store & I found it. He bought How to Stay Alive in the Woods (Bradford Angier) & Edible Wild Plants (Lee Allen Peterson)...

I tell you he's come a long way, the hard way. I'm so glad keeping up with the Joneses isn't his priority anymore. It took a lot of long talks, gentle persuasion, and catching him reading some of the blogs I had bookmarked. I knew he had it in him, and it makes me sooo happy.

He was thinking of buying some more books, and was pleasantly surprised to find out we already owned some of them. Root Cellaring (Mike & Nancy Bubel) and Seed to Seed (Suzanne Ashworth).

A few weeks ago I found Emergency Care and Transportation of the Sick & Injured (American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons) for $1.00 at our local Goodwill store. It's an old edition but for a buck...

Another book I've had for years, and actually started me on a frugal type lifestyle was The Complete Tightwad Gazette (Amy Dacyczyn). This book is awesome, it taught me how to save so much money. It definitely should be a book in everyone's collection.

Well off I go to try to get my kids settled...Have a great night.

Not much today

Today I had to work. I have to work all week. I usually only work weekend nights 2nd shift, so this is different for me. Basically I got up, got the kids off to school, went to work, kids came home...here we are. I get to do the same thing tomorrow....I'd rather be dehydrating fruit, prepping a garden.....I hope to get something accomplished this week.

A Little bit of Everything...

Hello All,
Sorry the post might be a little scatterbrained tonight, the ADHD is winning and my husband lost my keys. UGH!

Anyway...The apples came out good, the problem....Eating them as fast as my little dehydrator can work. My husband watched the videos on dehydrating I posted earlier & actually offered to buy me one of those Excaliburs. We'll see if that's in our future. The only question I have about the apples is.... For long term storage do I dehydrate them until they're "crunchy/crisp"? If anyone knows I would greatly appreciate it.

I really don't like feeling so out of control. Everything I thought & grew up with has been a lie. I wish it didn't take me so long to figure some of these things out, then I would already have the kind of life that was truly important to me, and not the kind of life that "everyone else" thinks is important to have. I always knew something wasn't quite right & I hope I'm not too late.

I had my sister (she lives 20 hours away from me) read my blog. She said "I don't quite get it...why is this fun? & who would read it?. ... (I think I bit a big hole in my tongue)

All those "super cool bloggers" got me off my butt, thinking & doing. Maybe someone will read my blog & pick up an extra can of beans...LOL

Pictures of food storage

Hello All! Wow this time change really kills me. My kids are all messed up. "But Mom it doesn't feel like bed time...."

Anyway....We had a great day yesterday, the weather was beautiful, the kids were great. I'm sad my husband has to go back to work tomorrow, we really got a lot accomplished this week . I can't wait until he can stop working the stressful job, and do something he enjoys...with a lot less hours. It took quite a few years for him to get on board my "stocking up thing". He likes his gadgets & toys...But now he's all for living off grid, gardening, stocking up...and having a simple life (thank goodness). He bought an edible plant book & how to survive in the woods (LOL). I laugh because he couldn't live without his ipod thingy last year.

So tonight we are dehydrating some apples. I'm a little disappointed because the dehydrator only fit 5 apples. (after slicing) and we have a peck LOL. I'm not sure how long they'll take but I'll keep an eye on them & rotate them. Our first adventure in dehydrating was lemons (on sale) a couple weeks ago...those took 24 hours for 4 lbs. Here is my first attempt at a picture:

Since we are limited on storage and are temporarily in an apartment, this is how I'm storing some of our dry goods...as decoration, (see picture above) people have actually asked me if the stuff in the jars are edible ...LOL. When we go "rural" I'll have many different types of storage...some out of sight.

I'll post pictures of my apples. I hope they turn out okay. Enjoy the rest of you night!

Family Day

Good Morning All!

Since my husband goes back to work Monday and tomorrow we're getting some rain, we decided to drive out to a nearby historic little town, take a walk around, get some icecream at their local soda fountain, and spend some time together in the 75+ degree weather. We haven't been out together as a family since October.

Husband and I are going to prep and dehydrate apples tonight/or tomorrow. I hope everyone is getting nice weather today!

New Hobby LOL

I seem to have this new little hobby, that I'm sure will become an obsession. Dehydrating food for every day use & storage. Tonight I will dehydrate apples. This link... http://www.youtube.com/user/Dehydrate2store has the "most excellent" videos on how to dehydrate. There is so much information & instruction, I had to ask my husband to watch, so I could have a second set of ears. He thought they were great as well! The key is to buy what you want to dehydrate at the lowest price possible, buy it in bulk & prepare for storage. Another super cool addition is this women shows you how to use your dehydrated foods for cooking & baking in "everyday life", not just for emergencies.

Moving On...Today is supposed to be 72 degrees (Spring fever) & Saturdy 76 degrees. I hope to be able to spend some time outside today. Fridays are shopping day, The day I gather all my coupons (another obsession), prepared lists , envelopes & ...power shop. I save at least 50% off my grocery bill by buying in bulk when on sale & using coupons. I'll always post my $$$$$ saving totals for all to see.

Well enjoy your day, I need to get the big boy out the door to school.

Journey To Self Sufficiency

Good Morning!
Husband is still on vacation from work. Yesterday he put together a small free-standing storage pantry for me. We put it in our bedroom. It looks like a small wardrobe so it blends in pretty well. I do have a small galley kitchen so food storage is difficult. When I get our camera up and running I'll post some pics on how we store our food and other supplies.

I decided on more dry food storage instead of a freezer because if we were to lose power, ( IE ice storm) we would have lost what was in the freezer. Unfortunately we live in an apartment right now so storage of fuels, generator... etc is not doable. I am so happy to be able to stock up. Through further posts you'll learn how I save money & pinch pennies in our household. Our goal is to live mortgage/debt free and homestead (possibly off grid).

My husband and I are spending the day together running errands and headed out to lunch. Enjoy your day all!

Good Morning

So this is my first post...My husband is on vacation from work and is still asleep. The kids are at school and I have decided to start blogging...because... it's cheaper than therapy. I have a lot of ideas and opinions overloading my brain and nowhere to put them. So stay tuned it could get very interesting ; ).