Herbs

I want to tell you a little about something that I just started to get into and study, which is herbs. I never thought that in a thousand years that I would be so interrested in herbs. My got me into it, she exposed to us the benefits and the amazing medicinal properties that herbs have. I bought 2 books that have an intense description of the most commonly used herbs and how to use them and what they are used for. Also, I have found many other resources online that can give you a crash course in herbal remedies. There is a herbal remedy for almost every symptom and condition. It's amazing.

Now I know that when you think of herbs you think of crazy "All Natural" people, because I did. And online, a lot of people that are into herbs are those kind of people. And I think that it is a little extreme to change your whole lifestyle for herbs, but they really do work, and everyone should look into them.

Herbs are not something to be taken lightly, some are very strong and are more potient than perscription drugs. You ahve to be careful with what you are working with, but books can be found in almost every book store.

The reason we got interrested into herbs is becasue since we don't have health insurance, herbs are a cheaper way to treat certian illnesses and syptoms. I found a website http://www.morethanalive.com/?a_aid=b5b8902a that sells bulk herbs for a really reasonable price, and when you click on a particular herb, it tells you what the herb is good for and how you can take it and use it.

If you have any question let me know and I will do my best to answer them or point you in the right direction.

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Saving Money tip

So I know that a lot of people use dryer sheets. My sisters heard this tip and shared it with me and now I want to pass it on. The tip is to cut your dryer sheets in half. That way you buy a box of dryer sheets of 100 count you get double that. Half of one works the same as a whole one.

I have also seen these things called Dryer Balls, you can find them at Walgreen's. You just through this ball in with the cloths as you would with a dryer sheet and it does the same thing a dryer sheet does. You use the ball over and over again and so you only have to buy it once and they are pretty cheap, and you only have to buy it once. I never have used it myself but I have heard great things about it. Try these tips it will save you a little bit of money!

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New Thrift Store Idea...

Ty and I were in a Goodwill store the other day, and if you go to Goodwill often you now that every week they have a specific colored tag that is half off, and every week it is different color. So when we went in there I saw that there was a lot of Men's Jeans that had a half off tag on them. So since they were so cheap I decided to buy a bunch of them, the bigger the better, because it is a cheap way to make a jean quilt. Some people just save their old ones, but Ty wears his out to nothing, he'll have a pair for a few years before he gives them up. Anyways, I did the math and you could make a pretty good size jean quilt for about $50.00 depending on the type of fabric you can find on sale. And don't be afraid to make a quilt because it is easy and if you can sew a straight line you can make a quilt. I started mine and will post picture up here later with the dimensions and brief instructions.

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Canning Beef and Poultry...

I received a question asking how to can meat and poultry. It is really simple once you get the hang of it. The first thing you will need to do is get a Pressure Canner and some empty Mason jars. Then you will need to select the leanest meat you can find, fat doesn't can very well and it can keep you lids from sealing properly. Also, make sure your pressure canner has a pressure valve on the lid, so you can maintain the pressure. And the ones that have a rubber gasket don't last as long as the ones that don't have a rubber gasket.

You will then want to place your meat in the jars, not filling them up too much, and then put the lid on followed by the ring. Don't tighten the ring too tight, you want it to remain loose while in the pressure canner.


Depending on were you live, you have to maintain different pressures. Chicken usually has to stay in the pressure canner for about 70 min and beef 90 min. You can also find the times and canning pressures online.


Your first batch might be a little tough, but keep with it and you'll get the hang of it.

This a really elaborate pressure canner it retails for about $209.00, the one from Walmart online will work just fine. Just make sure you get the one with the gauge.

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Reminder!!!!!

Hey everyone, this is just a reminder that you have until August 8th to sign up to follow our blog to win a 72 hour kit. We get a lot of emails from you guys with questions, so we know you are out there!!!

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THE "MY BOOK"

Everyone should have a My Book, if you don't, you need to get one. This can do so many things for you! For those that don't know what it is, well it's an external hard drive that you can plug into your computer and put any information on it. We probably have thousands of pictures on our My Book and Any important Information that we need. You can Scan birth certificates, wedding certificates, Life Wills, and the list is endless. They are good for these reasons, If there is a Fire, Hurricane, Tornado, Tropical Storm, Bad winter storm and anything where you have to leave your house fast, all you have to do is grab this little book that and run, It saves memory on your computer, you can put thousands of Pictures and information on this. They run anywhere from $100-$200, you can get these at Walmart, Best Buy and any electronic store. Before you go decide where you want to purchase it at and go to Google.com and type in the stores name (Best Buy coupons) you can almost always find 10% coupons for different stores.

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Family Recipe Book

We have been trying to put together a Family Recipe Book so that we can not only have all of our Favorite Recipes from when we grew up but so we can pass down to our kids and they can pass on to their kids and so on. We have been getting recipes all together so that we can put it in a book and have it on the kitchen counter. Some of the recipes are ones that we remember having when we were young, and some are ones the we have started since we have been married. This has been really fun for us and we have enjoyed remembering recipes that have come from our grandmas or even passed down farther than that.

Also we have been getting recipes together that we can make with stuff that we have in our food storage because we need to be rotating that food and making sure it does not just sit and go bad. We have also found recipes online for dutch oven cooking, and solar oven cooking and things like that. You may need to know how to cook using the sun someday. Luckily we go camping enough to know how to cook on the fire, but we need to get some recipes that consist of thing that are easy to store and things that we would have in our food storage.

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Shopping at Discounted stores

Yesterday I went into Burlington Coat Factory, which I usually don't because I don't like how it is always crowded there. We went in there last night cause that is what we do for fun is walk around stores. I was amazed at the prices that they have there, and its not like it was cheap stuff for a cheap price. I got 2 pairs of Seven Jeans for under $50 they are usually any where from $90-$150 each. And I got 2 for less than one would have cost me in a regular store. The brand Seven Jeans is a great brand and I always wanted to buy a pair but would never pay that much for Jeans. What I am trying to say is that there are stores out that we sometimes don't like to go into cause we had been in there before and did not have a good experience weather it had to do with the crowd or the the store was dirty or whatever it may have been. Try again and even if you really don't want to go back into that same exact one find another one in a different area. I am telling you that you can save so much money by going to stores like Ross, Marshall's and Burlington coat factor. You can get Good quality stuff here that you would pay a fortune in a Macy's or Dillard's or any other store where you find brand name stuff. Take the money that you save and put it towards your food storage! :)

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GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

We have noticed that a lot of people have been looking at our blog, but not signing up to follow it. So we have decided that to get people to follow we need to entice them :) with drawings once in a while and give something away. In order to do be part of the Drawing you need to sign up to be a follower of Preparedness With Passion. On August 8th we will be doing a drawing from our followers to give away a 72 hour kit. So sign up as a follower and you may become a lucky winner, if not in August maybe another time after that. We will be giving away different things randomly!

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Smiplify

The title says it all, we need to SIMPLIFY our lives! It is easy to get caught up in the hussel and bussel of the average day. And work endless hours so that we can pay bills for our everyday items. But what are our every day items? Take a second and stand back and look at all the items you are paying for on a daily basis. Are they practical? Are they necessary? The average family probably spend thousands of dollars a year on unnecessary item or things of entertainment. Now I'm not saying that being simple is not fun, it is a lot of fun when you spend your money right.
Some things that an average family pays for that they can most likely get by without is-
Cable TV
Video Games
Enormous Television Sets
Lavish Home furnishings
Brand new Name Brand Clothes
And the list goes on. I bet most of you are probably thinking that I am crazy about the cable TV. But really think about it. Getting rid of my cable was a great thing I have done for myself. It has allowed me to have so much more time to do things during my days. It's like my days ave gotten longer!
Video games are a subject that are fun to talk about with parents. I confess that if I sit down and play a video game, especially a hunting game, I will sit there for hours until I beat it. And when I am done I become embarrassed from the fact that I actually spent that much time playing a stupid game. Unregulated, they can become addictive and a drain on a persons productivity. So put a time limit on them and enforce it.
I used to have a 52" television and it was wonderful, but did I need it? No! I ended up selling it at a yard sale and I still don't even miss it. I now have a 19" television and it works great! It shows the same things that the big one did! I do miss watching movies on the bigger one, but my wife and I found out about a theater her in Dallas that charges only a dollar to get in. And on Tuesdays the charge 50 cents! So when I want to watch a movie I only have to spend a dollar!
And finally about the furniture, there are so many ways to cut the cost on furnishing your house, Craigslist.com has great deals on furniture and again Goodwill is deal heaven. We furnished most of our house in Phoenix with furniture that we bought from Goodwill and we just refinished it with some spray paint. People loved it!
What I'm trying to tell you is that if you just simplify your life you will live much happier, you will find time that you didn't even knew existed. And you will also find money that you didn't even knew existed. So step back and do an examination of your lifestyle and find ways to simplify.

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72 hour kits

Many of us might go throughout our lives not ever thinking about being prepared, or thinking that we will never be effected by natural disaster's. Living in Dallas and attending school here, I am in contact with a lot of people that were effected by hurricane Katrina and Ike. And they will all tell you that they never thought in a million years that they would be hit as hard or effected by a natural disaster like they went through. My classmates that lived through Katrina are now in school trying to get a new start on life, because they were displaced and everything they worked for in New Orleans was destroyed. I asked them, "Would they have been more at ease if they had a 72 hour kit" Some of them didn't even know what a 72 hour kit was. I explained it to them and they told me that anything would have made it easier for them. One guy told me that a one roll of toilet paper would have made his day!

After hearing them talk about Katrina, I think I need to talk a little bit about 72 Hour Kits. 72 Hour kits are kits that have your very basic necessities that should last you for a 3 day time. They are not made to hold everything that you use on a every day basis, remember that they are for emergency purposes. Here is a list of what I have in our 72 hour kits-

1 Ramen Noodles (vacuumed sealed)

1 Bar of Soap
2 Granola Bar (vacuumed sealed)

2 Fruit Roll up (vacuumed sealed)
5 hard candies (vacuumed sealed)

1 Bar of Trail mix (vacuumed sealed)

1 Roll Toilet Paper
1 Rope

1 Army Knife
1 Game Book

1 Pen
1 Flashlight

2 AA Batteries
1 Essential First Aid kit

6 Pairs of latex gloves
12 Masks

1 Kleenex Packet
1 Elastic Bandage

1 Wash Cloth
1 Bottle Hand Sanitizer

1 Small Box of Matches
1 Tube of Super Glue

8 Excedrin Tablets
1 Sewing Kit

1 Rain Poncho

Kits can be modified for your specific needs, but remember that they have to be kept small enough to grab in a hurry and not strain you if you have to carry it.

All the stuff listed above, I have compacted it in to a smaller bucket. Some people have ask us to make them some, so it has given us the idea to make them and sell them here on our blog. You can buy them by clicking on the "Buy Now" button on the right side of the page.

If you have any suggestions as to what we can also put in the kits, comment and let me know!

The bucket looks like a 5 gallon bucket in the pictures, but it's about a 2 gallon bucket, smaller and better size for storage.

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Thrift Stores

I am going to step away of from the dehydrating subject for a bit.
I mentioned in a prior post that I found dehydrator for $3.00. This is just one thing that I have found at a thrift store that is a great buy. A lot of you out there might be afraid of the thrift stores or grossed out by the smells or the thought that other people owned these thing before. Get over it!!! Everything can be cleaned to you satisfaction. Don't get me wrong, I still get grossed out by them, I even carry a little bottle of hand sanitizer in my car for when I take trips to the thrift stores.
These Stores can be a great way to find ANYTHING for your home or for yourself, like clothes. Let me tell you about some great buys I have found- Wendy Bellisimo Diaper Bag Retail $80.00 Goodwill $3.00, Ethan Allen Writting Dest Retail $1400.00 Goodwill $150.00, Ralph Luren Shits for Ty $2 to $3.00 a piece, the list goes on.
Baby clothes are the best find, I think and I don't even have kids. You can find baby or kids clothes with the original tag still on them. Remember, everything can be put right into the washer when you get home, so don;t be afraid to buy clothes there. Plus, you can brag to your friends about how little you paid for it.
And get This, They even have 50% off days, usually on Saturdays, to where everything in the store is 50% off!
Even if you don't feel like buying anything, go into a thrift store and look around. I dare you!!!! You might even like it!!!!

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Starting the dehydrating process

You can pretty much dehydrate anything you can think of. There are different processes that you have to follow with each type of food but you will get the hang of it. Like, most of you fruits that turn brown, you will want to spray them with lemon juice, which will prevent them from browning. Potatoes, Carrots and any other root type veggie will need to be blanched, which is either boiling them for about 1 to 2 min. or steaming them. This softens them up so that the water will be drawn out easier. If you have any questions you can leave a comment and I will try to answer you the best I can, or at least point you in the right direction.

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Choosing A Dehydrater

To get started you will of course need to get a dehydrator. Shop around online and see whats out there to best suit you. I started out with one from LEM I bought it from Bass Pro Shops. It works very well, and I like it. I am pretty sure that when you start looking online for dehydrators that you will come across the brand Excalibur a lot. These machines work very well and are probably the best bang for the buck.
My husband and I went to Goodwill and found a brand new Snackmaster Jr. Dehydrator for $3.00 and it actually work well also. It does not have a temperature regulator on it so it works best on fruit instead of vegetables.
Temperature control is a must have feature on a dehydrator. It makes it so much easier, even though might never go above 125 degree. And make sure that the fan is to the back, and blows across the trays.
Look around the Internet and find one that you think will work for you needs. I have even seen some online that are solar and I might have Ty draw up some plans that I can post for you.

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Farmers Market

Ok, Before I get into dehydrating I want to let you now about places that might be available to you to get cheaper produce. Here in Dallas we are fortunate enough to have a great Farmers Market. The produce there is almost always fresher that what is at the grocery store, and almost always cheaper. We try to go every Saturday when possible. We always take $40 cash and we walk away with a ton of produce, and we never spend the whole $40. Check to see if your city or town has a Farmer Market, most every big city has one!

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Storage Area

Now when you get all this food you are probably wondering where you are going to put it. I have known some people that have added a room on to their house to accommodate there food and preparedness items, but you do not have to do this. You might have to start by cleaning out a hall closet or your pantry. I just went out to Target and found some wire shelve, like the ones in bakeries, and bought them for what I believe was about $39.99 a piece. Right now they are in my bedroom. Under the beds in your house are great places to store stuff.
You can store food in sheds but make sure they don't get too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. Another problem I find with sheds besides rodents, is that when your food is not very accessible, you don't use it. Food storage is not meant to be set aside and never used untill something drastic happens, it is meant to be rotated and used in you every day cooking, in small quantities. This also helps you learn how to cook with food storage items, like dehydrated foods, and preserved foods. And if you have young kids that are picky, this will get their pallets used to this food, although some kids love dehydrated foods because the flavors are more concentrated.
So, it at all possible, you need to keep you food in your house and accessible. Just start buying stuff and I guarantee that you will find a place to put it! Leave a comment about your storage places or with any helpful hints.

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Getting Started and Saving Money!

The first thing to do is to prepare yourself to get ready for a long commitment. Unless you have a unlimited amount of money, you will have to build up your food storage slowly. This is fine though because when you do things over a long period of time, it won't take over every minute of your life.

What got me and my husband into it is coupons. In Arizona there is a website call Couponsense.com which is a community of expert shoppers. For a small monthly fee, and Sunday papers, you can go on there and they tell you what is the best buy and what coupons to use to get the best deal.
When I started this I would buy large quantities of one item because they were really cheap, next thing I knew was that I was building up a food storage. So you should look into a website like Couponsense.com, it isn't available in every state but there is usually some sort of website available.
Coupons are a great way to build up your food storage. I used to get 6 Sunday papers every Sunday. This was so that if there was a really really great buy, I could buy 3 of them. I say 3 because, at most stores you are limited to 3 per purchase, but I could go back later that day and buy 3 more. Fantastic!
Now don't get scared away by buying a lot of Sunday papers, the money you pay out on the papers and on joining a website, if you find one, you will get it back in the money you save on you food purchases.
Also, it's not just food you can save on. You can save on toiletries and other household items. Try It!

Other thing that we have done to save money is we have created a email address separate from our other email addresses, specifically for coupon, memberships, clubs, and special offers. By this I mean that we went to every website of every store we shop at and signed up for special offers, promotions, coupons, memberships, and emailings. We also used this email address to sign up for free websites that send us offers for free samples, this one is fun, we got a lot of cool little stuff for free. Try It, there's nothing to lose, email accounts are free through MSN, Hotmail, etc.

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About Us.....

My name is Ann and my Husbands name is Ty, and we are in our 20's and have been in to food storage and preparedness starting shortly after we got married. We have learned about different things and techniques that make the long road to food storage and preparedness a lot easier. We want to share this info with all of you, and we hope to have a Etsy store up and running so we can sell some of our items that we put together for our preparedness pantry. Also, in this hard economic time, it isn't easy to find low cost ways to start you food storage, but we have found some helpful hints that we will post on this blog. I will blog some and my husband will also.

If you have any suggestions on any cost cutting secrets comment or email us.
Enjoy!!

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