VickiG

Looming is a great way to get one's yarn fix! Be sure though, to use two strands of ww when making hats so they are the right thicknes. I like to use contrasting or complimentary colors.

A few years ago I really needed canning jars, but didn't want to pay a fortune. I put an ad on the grocery store board for used canning jars, I had old women from all over calling to give me their canning jars! One replyed, you know your making work for yourself, I was greatful.

Good idea! How did you word your ad? I'm in the same boat, not much cash to work with..

I have friends who are going Pinterest crazy.

 

 

Sometimes, it's useful.

 

Like when it leads me here: http://pinterest.com/orange76501/zombie-apocalypse/

 

They have things like how to make a candle out of a tub of Crisco, skin & clean a snake, and all sorts of other random useful things.

 

They also have one on how to turn a mason jar into a 100-hour candle (note: only lasts for 50 with the way the wick is adjusted on hers)

I've noticed this trend too! I've even seen pins for do-it-yourself 72 hour kits.

Pretty much "ditto" to all of the above comments. I do not clip coupons either, for the very same reasons. As empty nesters I don't need a discount on baby diapers LOL! I seldom shop at WM unless I just can't find it in discount stores. I've definitely noticed the price increases in everything! So for me, keeping my shopping list balanced with the current prices seems more sensible to me than using up my pantry "stock". If I do run out of something (milk etc.) and I go to my pantry, then I re-stock plus 1...sort of "paying back the pantry" for loaning me it's stores! LOL

Even when I had kids in diapers, I usually bought the store brand anyway. The name brands were usually much higher, even with coupons, and I thought the store brands did the job fairly well. Some were better than others though..

I don't use coupons much either. I have a notebook all decked out with sleeves and dividers, but I'm about to repurpose it because I never find coupons for things I really need. I am happy with store brands, and I don't buy a lot of the junk food one usually finds coupons for. I make my own laundry detergent or buy whatever brand Aldi's sells. What works best for me is to have a plan for two weeks and shop accordingly. I try to aim to have some leeway left so I can take advantage of any great deals that might be in the sale ad during the second week of our pay period. What stinks is when the payday ad is sorry. That's when it helps to have a variety of meat in the freezer and a good supply of basics in the pantry. For months, I didn't have to buy ketchup, for instance..but now I'm needing a well placed sale. This weekend, unless my local store has a good sale, I'll probably shop Aldis, Dollar General, and Walmart/Sams.

I've got five trays loaded with bell peppers. The book said 5-12 hours, and I set it on 135. They're still pliable, so I guess I'll try to wake up before the alarm goes off at 5:30. Hubby was grinching about the wattage use, so I told him the only way around that was to build a solar dryer...he seemed interested in that. Tomorrow I have three 2 lb bags of baby carrots to do. They were marked down to $1 per bag..

Vicki - I have a manual Pump n Seal that I use to vacumm seal my jars. In fact, I don't even bother buying the premade air tabs anymore, I make my own from electrical tape. I've also found that I can get a good seal on recycled spaghetti jars and these are what I use to store my dehydrated vegies & herbs. I think I paid around $30 with extra tabs, but it's been several years. In fact, I just opened a jar of dried beans from '07 that where still perfectly sealed.

I've just sent my younger boys on a goose hunt; we have a Pump n Seal I've never used. IF we can find it, the 6 million dollar question is, does it still contain all the parts it needs(not counting electrical tape) to function? Still, far cheaper to purchase than a food saver and bags. I've been saving jars for awhile. (Not easy, when the people on dish crew would just as soon toss them).

You can wait and save up for those items. If you aren't familiar with vacuum sealers I would recommend you purchase a new one, rather than take a chance on getting an out-dated one that may have problems. O2 absorbers aren't needed if you use a vacuum sealer, unless you need to store larger quantities in mylar bags.

Don't worry, I know to pass on the ones with pictures of OLD boxes.. :wink (2):

I was confused about o2 packets in jars because I'd seen some youtube videos where it was mentioned. I couldn't understand why that would be beneficial if we're supposed to hurry up and get those puppies sealed up fast in those mylar bags. Wouldn't it defeat the purpose if they're in a jar one would likely be opening and closing often? Glad to know I don't need them just yet.

Has it been more than an hour since I checked my package tracking?!?

Question: I'm waiting(not very patiently,I must admit) for my new dehydrator to arrive, and it was all I could do to afford this machine. Do I HAVE to have o2 absorbers or a vacuum sealer to protect my food right away? Can I start building up 'stock' and get some o2 absorbers soon(next check, maybe)? I'd have to save longer for the vacuum sealer, since even on Craigslist, they're running about $40-45. Haven't had a chance to scope out the local Goodwill stores for a while. I have a few jars and lots of ziplock freezer bags, and straws are still cheap..

Whichever bar soap you plan to use, leave it unwrapped for a couple of weeks or more, and it will grind to a powder.

2-year old Noah told me this afternoon that he had "a surprise for me". He was insistent, saying it several times.

 

I asked, "Where?", since he was so excited.

 

"In your purse!"

 

I asked him to bring it to me, then asked where the surprise was.

 

He pointed to the zipper where I keep my change, and apparently the "surprise" was that I was "giving" him some change for his bank!!!

 

 

:24: :24:

 

 

(And yeah, I did... LOL)

The force is strong in this one!

Vicki, since you mentioned facebook, you may have success by looking to see if there is a group in your area that has stuff for sale -- there are two Facebook groups in our area that are sort of like online yard sales. Some of the stuff is outrageously priced, while others are reasonable. There may by chance be someone with one for sale inexpensively. Along those lines, there are also some Yahoo freecycle groups around, there may be one of those in your area. That way you could put what you're looking for via a yahoo account that is more private than your Facebook (which may keep your husband less likely to say anything if no one knows who it is upfront).

 

 

If I had the room, I'd can up a storm, esp. meat. I just need the space. There is just no way we could shelter in place at this location, we're in an apartment right on a main highway, that would be disastrous. So until we find a place of our own where we could stay throughout a situation, dehydrating has to do (with some smaller scale canning being my goal for the winter).

I'm in the local fb buy and sell group, and I've thought about asking if anyone has some of these things.I don't see anybody requesting items with this group though..it's all stuff to sell..looking closer at them right now. Craigslist is pretty spotty on this stuff. There are three listings for dehydrators that have been there for two weeks. Only one looks remotely like something I'd want, and this person didn't answer my email asking for the brand. They photographed it upside down for some stupid reason.

Edited to add: I CAN do an ISO for the local buy, sell, and trade on FB.. just need to figure out the wording. Don't want a Ronco brand, for instance. All I can think to say is: ISO food dehydrator w/fan and adjustable thermostat. Anything else I should say?

I'd do another post for the canner, I'd think.

Thanks everyone for your advice. I just measured my old canner, and the base is 12 in. in diameter. That rules out using it on my glass cook top, and probably the Coleman camp stove too. I might be better off just buying the 23 qt Presto model that's in my Amazon wish list. To satisfy my dh, we might try boiling water in it on the green wonder. The only other way I can think to use it would be to buy a propane burner or Camp Chef Stove, which would allow us to can outdoors or without electricity, but would cost more cash up front. As for the dehydrator, I've thought about using Facebook to see if any of my friends have one they no longer want..of course, my dh might be mortified.

I have an old National #7 canner I've been afraid to use, partially because I could not find a manual for it. the other day I found out where to order one, and the racks to fit too. I don't have any garden produce to can right now, but would like to start canning meat. The cost for the book and two racks would be about $28. We have some canning jars in the garage to get me started. The canner may or may not work on my glass cooktop, but i have Coleman camp stove we can experiment on. BUT, I'm also wanting a dehydrator. the one I'm looking at is about $65 ..can't buy everything at once, so which direction would you folks suggest?

Is that a desert horned lizzard?

 

Wow! Fortunately for this little guy, there aren't lots of people tromping all over his home turf. He'd get stepped on since he blends so well with the ground..I bet he can move fast when he needs to though.

My maternal Great Grandmother was said to be pure blooded Indian..depends on who you talk to whether she was Cherokee, Blackfoot(said that way, NOT like the tribe from the NW), or Chickasaw. Census records do not indicate she was other than white. But a cousin plans to do the DNA testing to see if we can get some answers. I think if she was of some Indian decent, it goes farther back. Matters not, but inquiring minds kinda want to know. We DID find out that on husband's mother's side, they have Nancy Ward as an ancestress. I always admired her..

 

 

I've got almost the same story in my family!!! My paternal grandmother said her great grandmother was Blackfoot. The cousin that did the family tree argues it was Cherokee because of location. I don't think he has taken in to account that many tribes traveled in Ken-tuck to hunt including the Blackfoot. I've thought about a DNA analysis, maybe one day.

 

My great grandmother on my mom's mom side always said Mark Twain was her cousin. I think it was her grandmother and his grandfather that were supposed to be cousins.

 

One that is true is that my great uncle designed the gas cap on tanks. Cousin that was a tanker in the Army confirmed his initials are on the caps.

There was a Shawnee chief named Blackhoof, who lived in the late 1700s-early 1800s. It's not a far stretch from Blackhoof to Blackfoot..considering my maternal Georgia roots, and that one possible line for this grandmother goes back to Kentucky in that timeframe...it's possible. The other part of the story goes that my great grandmother's daddy was a chief and granddaddy got lots of land when he married her..now, Cherokees figured land ownership/control through the ladies..it's possible my legend is a white interpretation of al that. Even so, I have a feeling this grandmother was not full blooded..she died fairly young, so my grandfather and his brothers might have had sketchy memories of her.

My maternal Great Grandmother was said to be pure blooded Indian..depends on who you talk to whether she was Cherokee, Blackfoot(said that way, NOT like the tribe from the NW), or Chickasaw. Census records do not indicate she was other than white. But a cousin plans to do the DNA testing to see if we can get some answers. I think if she was of some Indian decent, it goes farther back. Matters not, but inquiring minds kinda want to know. We DID find out that on husband's mother's side, they have Nancy Ward as an ancestress. I always admired her..

Save tons on bleach (and yes, the liquid will go bad in a very short time) by buying bleach tablets. One tablet makes a gallon...and there's 32 in a bottle, which costs me $2.97...available at WalMart in the laundry section, usually on the bottom shelf area. Here's a pic...

And THIS is why we have these little chats! I did not know such things existed. Economical AND saves space. Def a

doing to my Walmart list. I wonder if they are safe for stored drinking water...thanks for sharing!

This is a wonderful forum...let's not let it get too old! Recently (not today) our local Big Box store had huge bins with all kinds of OTC's for 88 cents! Stocked up big time on Diphenhidramine (?), mucous relief, acid reducers, Ibuprophen, low dose aspirin, just alot of goodies!

My Walmart has a tiny section close to the baby lotions in the health and beauty area, that has aspirin, ibuprofen, acetomenophine, generic Zyrtec, and some other generic otcs for $.88. I've started tossing two- four of something into the cart whenever we go. Walmart also has Fels-Naptha for $.99, which trumps my local grocer,who charges $1.69.i ont remember the exact price of washing soda and borax, but it was cheaper than my local store too. I bought one of each box and three bars of the soap. Paid $10.23 w/ tax. That's not bad for a year's laundry laundry detergent. More than a year, really. The borax and washin soda will make maybe another three batches, even with me using one cup per instead of one half cup. I still had half full boxes at home, and 6 other bars of soap, not counting the home made bars of lye soap I inherited when mil moved to assisted living.

How do you know that a canning book doesn't have recipes that will kill you?

 

How do you know they've been checked out properly and aren't just "what Grandma used to do"?

 

I have a book called "The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving" that seems okay to me, but that doesn't mean I actually know enough to know whether the recipes in it are alright.

Good question! I see posts all over various prepping/frugal sites about canning all sorts of things like soups and meats that not in the Ball Book...doesn't mean they aren't safe,but a newbie like me worries...

This is one of those places with So MUCH to take in...So many variables to think about, and so many different ways to tackle any given topic.

Hey everyone! I'm so glad to find a lady-centered site for preppers. My husband and I have done a little prepping back in the days before Y2k, in fact, I still have a few buckets of wheat in the basement that I still use now and then. It's a good thing for us that Y2k didn't amount to anything, as we were nowhere near ready. We were in better shape then in some ways though, our chicken house is now a storage shed, and we haven't had a garden for several years. On the bright side, I still have my electric grain mill and my dusty Country Living Grain Mill, my Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living, and the stuff to make our water pump solarized. My job now is to draw my husband back into the preparation mindset. He's never totally left, but he'd rather ride his bicycle than deal with a garden or animals. We have friends who want to get together and plan how to help eachother prep for whatever's down the road; I'm trying to talk dh into joining that little group. Prepping today is more complicated than it was 12 years ago when all the kids were home. We have a large family, ten kids. Three are married or cohabitating, and we have 2.2 grandchildren and an elderly mom inlaw to plan for. I counted 20 people this morning, not counting one son's gf who lives with her parents. One dd and son inlaw live about 100 miles away, some events would make it tough for them to get to us. How do you know how many to prep for?!? And how do you prep for so many you don't feed on a regular/daily basis? Anyway, I'm enjoying settling in and look forward to getting to know you!