How I Built My Deck - Free Kindle Book

How I Built My Deck was a free Kindle book when I wrote this blog post. A great DIY project to save yourself some money.

From the Description: "This is the Story of how I built a deck in my garden. It is a pictorial account of how I went about it. It details the Materials and Tools used and some of the Methodology of getting the job done. Anyone who likes gardening projects will find this an interesting little book."

Emergency Preparedness Checklist

No one knows when disaster might strike or where they will be when an emergency situation happens. It could occur while you're at home, traveling in your car, at work, while on vacation, or while exploring the great outdoors. It could be something that lasts a few hours or a few days. To cope with any type of crisis situation, emergency preparedness is essential.
There are several key components of a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan. How well are you prepared? Below is a checklist that addresses emergency preparedness. See how prepared you are to face any type of catastrophe. Give yourself a point for every "Yes" answer.
1. When you go hiking, mountain climbing, boating, fishing, cross country skiing, canoeing, or take part in any other outdoor activity, do you have a survival kit in case you get lost, injured, or separated from the group?
2. Do you have an emergency preparedness plan so that all family members know where to go and how to get in touch in case a disaster occurs when everyone's away from home, such as at work and at school?
3. Do you have an emergency preparedness disaster supplies kit for your home? For your office? For your car?
4. Does your survival kit include the basics of a three-day supply per person of food and water; a battery powered radio; a flashlight; a first aid kit; an emergency blanket; matches in a waterproof container or a fire starter kit; hygiene and sanitation items; a rescue signal, such as a whistle; extra clothing; a manually operated can opener; extra batteries; copies of identification; cash and change; and other items that you and your family require on a daily basis, such as prescriptions, eye glasses and hearing aid batteries?
5. Do you maintain your disaster supplies kit by changing food and water supplies every six months; storing canned and packaged foods in a cool, dry place; replacing expired items; and updating the contents each year or as your family's needs change?
6. Are you aware of the risk level in your community for possible hazards or emergency situations? These can include floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and lighting, winter storms, earthquakes, extreme heat, volcanoes, landslides, fires, tsunamis, hazardous material leaks, nuclear power plant incidents, terrorism, explosions, chemical threats, biological threats and nuclear blasts.
7. Does your emergency preparedness plan include an evacuation route for you and your family in the event you have to leave your home, work, or school?
8. Do you know how to shut off utility services to your home, such as natural gas, the main water valve and electricity?
9. Have you established an emergency preparedness plan for your pets?
10. Are you prepared to shelter-in-place at home, work, school, or in between, and to seal off a room from outside air in the event of chemical or radiological contaminants?
While preparing for an emergency or natural disaster can be overwhelming, taking emergency preparedness steps will help you and your family better cope with a stressful situation. Emergency preparedness also ensures that you and your loved ones will all make it through the crisis situation just fine.

Survival-Gear.com has survival kits and gear suited to help you prepare for the unexpected. Their emergency preparedness packs are stocked with high quality survival items you can count on when you need it.

Bug Out Bag Checklist for Preppers and Survivalists

A bug out bag (BOB), also referred to as a Get Out Of Dodge Bag (GOOD Bag), is a pack that has all the necessary items for any survival situation for 72 hours or longer. Below I'll provide a detailed checklist that will give you a good understanding of what you should have in your bag. Remember that when you pack to think about the weight of each item and ask if it will be worth carrying it. Most times more gear will be better, but just keep weight in mind.
The most important thing about a bug out bag is the QUALITY of the bag itself. You will be entrusting this bag with your life, so try to get a good quality. The best ones have a place for a water bladder, straps and good amount of outside pockets.
Remember the four 3's:
3 minutes without Oxygen, 3 hours in harsh weather, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food.
Shelter- Shelter is the most important (3 hours in bad weather). If you know how to pitch a tent correctly then all this may mean to you is packing a tarp and equipment to set it up. If you don't then remember to pack something you know how to setup. Also remember to pack a sleeping bag and anything else you might need to keep you dry and warm.
Water- Water is behind shelter (3 days without water). Pack a few water bladders and remember to keep your water bladder filled with clean water (this may mean dumping the water in it and refilling it every now and again to make sure the water is nice and clean if the situation arises where you need to use it). Also, a water filter can save your life if you run out of water. Never drink water in the wild without boiling/treating it. Recommended amount of water intake is different for everyone but a good way to think about is half your weight in fluid ounces. So if your weight 150 pounds, 75oz a day is your recommended amount. 128 fluid ounces is a gallon so that would mean you need to drink a little more than half a gallon a day.
Food-Food is in last at 3 weeks (that's assuming you have water). Freeze dried food and MRE's are recommended for survival because they are high calorie food rations that will provide your body with the energy it needs. Trail mix also has a lot of calories so you may want to consider packing some to eat while you're traveling. Like water, the recommended amount of calories differs from person to person depending on height, weight, gender and more but try to eat 3,000 calories a day. Never eat below 1,200 calories a day.
Checklist:
Here is a simple checklist for your bag (This is not set in stone, everyone has difference skills and this is just to give you an idea):
Flashlight
A good survival knife
Tape (Duct Tape/Gorilla Tape)
MRE's or freeze dried food
Sewing kit
Some form of getting your hands clean if needed (dish soap, bar soap, etc.....)
Bottles of Water (Water Bladder that's filled would be good too. Water purification tablets and a water filter would be good as well)
Multi-tools are very good to have because they take up less room
Radio (Hand Crank/Solar would be best but battery operated is fine)
Rechargeable batteries for your equipment that needs them.
Camp stove (try to find one that uses multiple fuels)
A copy of emergency and important contacts (include addresses and phone numbers)
First Aid Kit
Money (If you have to leave your city for a few days
Maybe an extra copy of your I.D.
Para cord (preferred) or very strong rope
Map of the area
Hygiene necessities (comb, toothbrush, small can of shaving cream, razor, toothpaste)
A waterproof way of starting fire (flint/waterproof matches/etc...)
Extra change of clothes (include socks and underwear)
Can opener (small one)
A list for defensive purposes:
100+ extra rounds for each of your firearms
a form of night vision sight (Sighting scope, a rifle scope that functions in daylight and night, etc...)
Remember to camouflage all of your equipment (including your bug out bag itself)

This is Jeff from Survival Hour we are dedicated to informing the public how to survive almost any situation and providing the best gear to help. Be sure to check out our Survival Hour blog as well for even more in-depth information.
Check here for some good stock bags to start with(you should add a lot more stuff to them though): Bug Out Bags

Grandmother's Critter Ridder (Grandmother's Kitchen Wisdom) Book is a Must-Have

Grandmother's Critter Ridder (Grandmother's Kitchen Wisdom) is such a great book. I am so glad that I found it that I had to share it with all of my readers.It is full of timeless ways to get  rid of bugs in the house, around the house, in the garden, and more. Tons of all-natural ways to rid the pest out of your life. Just go to your kitchen the next time you have a pest problem.

What if the sun doesn't shine??

It has rained here or has had a chance of rain here for the last 3 weeks! No sun at all. Monday was the first day that we had any sun for any length of time. I hurried up and took all of my solar powered items outside. But, it wasn't enough. My lights and radios are all dead! I can't use the cell phone charger either. What do we do when we have no sunlight to charge our solar powered gadgets??? I even tried leaving the light on over the stove with the stuff under it and it didn't charge them. I don't like this at all. No sun all winter and now no sun in the summer time. Blah - this year is not turning out to be very good at all.

Bug Out Bag Practical Guide (Through a Prepper Fiction Survivalist Story): An L.A. Asteroid Impact

When I wrote this post , Bug Out Bag Practical Guide (Through a Prepper Fiction Survivalist Story): An L.A. Asteroid Impact, was a free Kindle book. This is a fictional love and adventure short story about a married couple named Jake and Tina. Tina gets (what she thinks is) the surprise of her life when the pregnancy test she just took turns out to be positive. Thrilled and a little scared, she starts to formulate how she might tell her husband the news – would he be happy about it?

But before she even gets a chance to tell him, they are flabbergasted at a television news bulletin that a previously undetected asteroid is within a half hour of impacting somewhere near their home in Southern California.

With absolutely no time to waste - and no time for Tina to tell Jake her news - they grab their Bug Out Bag, get into their SUV, and high-tail it the hell out of there, even while neighbors are still frantically trying to pack up a few essentials into their cars. Tina wonders while driving passed them if her neighbors will get out in time, and thanking God that Jake had their own bug out survival bag (which he actually prepared in the event of an earthquake) was always on the ready.

But Tina and Jake are far from getting away safely themselves. Fragments of the asteroid strike all around the Los Angeles area, and while they themselves are not hit directly, the freeway system becomes a huge free-for-all as millions of panicked drivers hit the roads trying to get the hell out of dodge – but quickly get nowhere because of the clogged roads. Dust, smoke, fire and devastation blind and choke the area from the thunderous impacts of the fiery rain of asteroid fragments.

Read on to find out what happens, how their Bug Out Bag is their only friend, and see whether Tina ever gets the chance to tell her husband about their unborn child!

Food Storage Recipe - Hobo Fish Dinner

These are so good. I love the foil cooking bags. Makes it so easy to cook up good food.

Hobo Fish Dinner

Vegetable cooking spray

1 teaspoon salt free lemon pepper seasoning

half teaspoon salt

half teaspoon dried dillweed

4 small baking potatoes...thinly sliced

2 medium thinly sliced onions

2 medium thinly sliced carrots

4 halibut fillets

Coat the inside of the foil bags with the cooking spray.

Combine all of the seasonings.  Arrange the potato slices in the center of thw bags.  Sprinle a bit of the seasoning on them and then layer the onions over them. Put some of the seasoning over the onion and layer the carrots. Sprinkle with the remaining seasoning mix. Place the fish over the vegetables. Fold the cooking bag up tight. Do this four times with each fish. Seperate the vegetables evening among the four bags.

Place the foil bags in your preheated oven or grill them outside.

My Little Man Can Grow Anything!!

He is only 6 and has such a green thumb. He has been able to just throw seeds into the ground anywhere and it grow!! Now he has 3 lemon trees growing from seeds that he took from a lemon a while back! So cool. He is going to be the one to garden for us all of the time!!He is wanting to try oranges and apples now.

Food Storage Recipe - Cappuccino Crispies

I woke up at 3 this morning and just could not go back to sleep. So, I am going to need all of the coffee and things made with coffee that I can get my hands on today!

Cappuccino Crispies

1 tablespoon instant coffee

1 tablespoon hot water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 10 ounce package of marshmallows

5 cups of crisp rice cereal

vegetable cooking spray

Combine the first 3 ingredients and stir until the coffee is dissolved.

Put the marshmallows in a bowl and melt them in the microwave or melt them on the stove top. Remove from the heat stirring until smooth. Add the coffee mixture to the melted marshmallows and stir together. Working fast - add the crisp cereal and stir it until it is lightly coated. Press the mixture into a 13X9 pan that was coated with the vegetable cooking spray.  Let this cool completely and then cut into bars. Should get about 24.

A Guide to Buying the Perfect Bike Rack

guide to buying the perfect car bike racks

Food Storage Recipe - Peanut Butter Crunch No-Bake Cookies

Great treat when it is hot! Make some no-bake cookies.

Peanut Butter Crunch No-Bake Cookies

3 cups corn flake cereal

1/2 cup of light corn syrup

1 tablespoon of sugar

1/3 cup of peanut butter

Put the cereal in a large bowl and set it aside. Combine the syrup and sugar in a saucepan and bring  it to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter.

Work real quick - Pour the mixture over the cereal. Toss it lightly to coat all of the cereal and then drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper. Let stand at room temperature until it sets up firmly. Store in an air tight container.

Food Storage Recipe ~ Soup In A Hurry

This is a quick soup that you can make in a hurry. Serve it with cornbread.

Soup In A Hurry

1 pound ground beef that you have browned and drained well

2 cans minestrone soup

2 cans chili beans ...Not Drained

a  can of stewed tomatoes ...any kind will work,but the mexican are real good

half  cup of mild salsa..the mild from dollar tree is pretty good

Combine all of this in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about twenty minutes.

Food Storage Recipe - Frugal & Easy Homemade French Fries

Want to save some money?? Make your own french fries!!

It is super easy, healthier, and frugal!!

They are my families favorite. I found out a while ago that a famous brand of fries is a GMO Monsanto company owned brand and I stopped right there buying them. I started buying potatoes from the local farmer's market. Cheap - 25 pounds of potatoes for $7.00!!! You can do so much with potatoes. Our favorite thing is to make fries.

Easy ---

Just julienne the fries and deep fry them until they are golden brown!

That is it - I put them in a bowl with a coffee filter to get all of the grease off of them.

Yummy with sea salt!

Another frugal idea from Prepared For Survival!!

Prepared For Survival - Frugal Food Storage Recipes

I put all of my recipes from this blog into a Kindle ebook - Prepared For Survival - Frugal Food Storage Recipes- it is only 99 cents and you can have all of the recipes in a convenient place. Frugal food storage recipes that will use your food storage in a way that will give your family variety without costing a lot. Food storage does not have to break your bank. You can do it frugally and eat well. I have added some recipes to the blog since I posted that book to Kindle , but I will update it soon with the new recipes.

Emergency Food Storage Buyer's Guide - FREE

This Food Storage Buyer's Guide  is a highly attractive and non-biased view on the different types of food storage. This guide is free for you to download.  The guide will educate you about each type of food storage, their benefits and drawbacks and what roles they can play in your own storage plans.  The guide also covers other various topics associated with food storage such as buying tips, storage, and packaging. This makes an outstanding beginning guide for someone just starting their food storage plan, or for someone that would like to expand what they already have.

The goal of this guide is to provide you with real, beneficial information and allow them to make informed decisions on what to include in your own personal food storage plan and what works best for you.  

Staying Cool When Off The Grid or Without Power

Nothing is worse than having the power go out when it is hot. Can't seem to cool off and get comfortable. I happened to go to the thrift store last night. I was bored and out anyway. Had to run to pharmacy. So run in there and just looking up and down the aisles. I love doing this and just seeing what I can find to add to preps. Like kitchen tools etc. Well, I wasn't finding anything and was going to leave when I seen something sitting in a basket - a hand fan! A light bulb went up over my head and I was like yes, this is something to add to my preps that I had never even thought of before. 50 cents later I have the first hand fan in my preps. Fanning yourself could keep you cooled off , especially if you're under a nice, big shade tree!

Make Your Own Pocket Cloth Diapers!

I found that this Link is a great tutorial for making a great looking pocket cloth diaper. It is very easy and the instructions on the page are very straight forward. I love this pocket and that is all that I have been making for my son the last few times.



Save yourself a ton of money!  Pockets dry very quick also!!!



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The Family Camping Handbook: Real Food in the Big Woods

The Family Camping Handbook: Real Food in the Big Woods was a free kindle book when I wrote this post. Camping is a frugal family vacation and a wonderful tradition for many, but it's not as easy as making a reservation at a hotel. Here's your basic guidebook to a successful trip to the woods and back, nourishing your family with real food all the way.

The Family Camping Handbook will:
* Help families with little ones survive and even thrive out in the woods.
* Share basic steps to preparing for and enjoying time in the back woods - tent camping strategies for rookies.
* Provide recipes and campfire techniques to conquer the temptation to buy a few packages of hot dogs and white bread buns and call it "food."

If you're a camping rookie and interested in tent camping, this book is for you.

If you are an experienced camper but new to real food living, or you just wish you had more ideas for whole foods camping fare, this book is for you.

If you camped before having children and have always wanted to try camping as a frugal family vacation but are nervous because you have little ones, whether they’re babies, toddlers, or preschoolers, this book is for you.

You CAN take your babes and your real food to the woods and truly enjoy it, and The Family Camping Handbook will show you how.

With over 35 whole foods camping recipes plus techniques for campfire cooking, menu plans, grocery shopping lists, and ideas to "healthify" many standard camping foods, you won't go hungry out in that big, wide wilderness. You may never want to come home to your regular kitchen!

You're not just buying a book of packing lists, tips for campsite management or recipes...you're buying confidence, and The Family Camping Handbook will have you feeling ready to hit the woods in no time.

Recipes include:
* Sausage and Farmer's Market Veggie Foil Packet Dinner
* Whole Wheat (soaked) Camping Pancakes
* Garlic Veggie Dip
* Campfire Chicken Fajita Skillet Meal
* Homemade Beef Jerky
* Granola Bars
* Cold Spelt Salad
* and lots more!

Gluten free? Each purchase comes with 3 free printable gluten-free camping menu plans and new recipes from the author.

Food Storage Recipe - Easy Homemade Salsa

Great homemade Salsa:

* 2 cans of diced tomatoes

 * 1 little can of diced green chiles

 * 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

* 1 clove of garlic, minced, or garlic powder

* 3-4 whole green onions (stem included) chopped up

* Couple shakes of red pepper flakes

* 1 tsp of salt

 Blend it all together minus the tomatoes, then add the tomatoes and blend a little to mince the tomatoes. Delicious!

Confessions Of A Prepper: How To Plan And Protect Your Family And Friends During Any Disaster

Confessions Of A Prepper: How To Plan And Protect Your Family And Friends During Any Disaster was a free Kindle book when I wrote this.

This Book Will Teach You:

• How to prepare for any disaster ranging from "common" to "worst case scenario"
• The principals each prepper should understand and follow
• How to prepare your home for disaster scenarios
• How to power, heat, and cook in your home during a disaster
• How to create and maintain a disaster food supply
• How to stockpile and filter water
• Proper disaster sanitation techniques
• How to decide whether you should evacuate
• How to create a bug out bag and a bug out kit

  The world as we know it is constantly changing and becoming more volatile each and every day.  From natural disasters, war, terrorism and even violence from our own citizens. We need to prepare for these disastrous scenarios.  This book is aimed at preparing you and your loved ones for any disastrous situation.  We will teach you how to survive common natural disasters and also prepare you for the unlikely worst case scenarios such as terrorism and even economic collapse.  This book contains easy to understand information that will guide you through the beginning preparation process.  If you're already an experienced prepper, this book will contain information to supplement your supplies and may even have tips and tricks that you haven't yet thought off.  Whether you're a new prepper or an experienced prepper this book contains valuable insight for how to handle a disaster should it occur.  Download today and learn how to protect your family and loved ones!

Frugal Organizing - Kid's Room

I have been using rubber made totes in my Little Man's room for all of his toys, but I always noticed that he never really got down into the box and was having trouble finding certain toys. The totes were really just too deep. So I went to the local grocery store and got about 15 good boxes. None used for meat!! They were FREE!! I then went to Dollar Tree and got 3 rolls of this cute wrapping paper to cover them with. Cute and only cost me $3.00 for everything that I needed. Next - We had to get to work.

So we dumped out the 4 rubber made totes! Little Man had fun with that. I ended up doing all of the sorting - he had too much fun playing with toys "that he hadn't seen in a million years!". Took me a while, but I eventually got everything sorted and only used 6 boxes. Now he has a box for each thing that he plays with the most - anything else was left in the rubber made totes and put out in the shed. So now he has a box for his : Army men

Cars

Dinosaurs

Animals

Balls

Anything Else

His room has never been this clean. Now when he gets done with the toys that he is playing with it much easier for him to pick them up. He actually is having fun making sure that everything gets put in the right box.

This could easily be done for any room of the house. Being organized doesn't have to cost a fortune. Get some free boxes and wrapping paper and that is it. 

Dollar Tree Always Has Something Useful!

Went to Dollar Tree yesterday and they had these cute little solar powered lamps. Unfortunately they only got one case in to our store , not getting anymore. I was able to get 4 of them. They are as bright as the other solar powered lights that I have gotten from there. But, these are cuter - look like little lamps! The shade comes off.

Grandma's herbal and homemade remedies

When I wrote this post , Grandma's herbal and homemade remedies (Grandma's Series), was a free book for your Kindle! A very useful book to have in your survival e-book library! My Kindle is full to the brim.

From the Description: This book is a tilt of the hat to my Grandma's Herbal and Home remedies which were a big influence in my youth. She had a the theory that mother nature had a cure for every ailment and disease. The book informs you how within your garden and pantry, you have an easy pratical and natural first aid box (with no chemicals or sell by dates). I also look at the origins of the herbs, who first used them and how to actually grow the herbs and spices yourself. Also we look at how to prepare the remedies to treat ailments for use at home. 

The herbs in this book treat all the following ailments:- Acne, blood pressure, skin health, morning sickness, IBS, kidney damage, headaches, liver damage, digestion, infections, cramps, colic, alleviate insomia, slows cancer grwoth, treat colds / flu. helps stamina, sexual stimulants, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammation, and treating digestive disorders, coughs, stomach ailments, measles, diphtheria, typhoid fever, arthritis, scabies, and bruises. dry skin and dandruff, lessen anxiety, clean infections of the mouth, sooth aching feet, ease ear infections, relieve nausea, heal kidney bladder infections, migraines, colic, vertigo, ailments, bug bites, burns, canker sores, treat scabies, head lice, psoriasis, burns, scars, skin infections, high blood sugar, diarrhoea, exhaustion, spasms, indigestion, menstrual cramps, and tooth and muscle pain, treating worms, cramps, heartburn, bloating and gas, high blood pressure, stop heart attacks and internal and external bleeding, insomnia, anxiety, depression, insomnia, female disorders, stomach ulcers, and bladder and ear infections, weight loss, e-coli, natural food preservative, warts, blisters, constipation, digestive aid, treatment of menopause symptoms, UTIs, yeast and blood infection, and strep. treating sexually transmitted diseases, reducing inflammation, bronchitis, impaired lung function, foetal growth,birth defects, energy levels, depression, anxiety, creation of red blood cells, cholesterol, strokes, motion sickness, improve memory, antioxidant,fight cancer, heart disease, burn fat, lower cholesterol, aide in the prevention of diabetes, reduce the risk of strokes and dementia, stimulate hair growth, neutralises poison and snake bites, and much much more.

What Do I Do When I Have A Bad Cold....

I grab a good book and just lay around reading. The book I grabbed off of Amazon wasAshes The Ashes Trilogy Book 1. It is starting out pretty good. As any reader of my blog knows by now, these are my favorite type of books.

It could happen tomorrow . . .

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.
Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

Gripped me from beginning to end – dark, creepy and suspenseful.  James Dashner,
New York Times Best-Selling author of The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials       
             
A haunting and epic story of survival in a shattered world, ASHES is a must read.  
Michael Grant, New York Times Best-Selling author of Gone

Awesome Yard Sales!

Had another great day this past weekend going to yard sales. This time my hubby went with us and he must have been good luck...everything I have been wanting ,even some from my wish list on Amazon, I found. And for cheap!!

Rundown of treasures:

Brand new fishing rod and reel - $12.00

Treadmill - an older one,  but for $5.00 I couldn't pass it up!

Cast Iron double sided grill - Like this one - Double Reversible Grill/Griddle that I have had in my wishlist for a few months.  $0.50

A water cooler for my 5 gallon water bottles!! Great thing is that it works at giving out water without being plugged in. Makes it so much easier to use the huge bottles. $1.00

Oil lamp - $1.00

Stack of Cookbooks - $2.00

Coffee Pot For Hubbies Big rig - $0.75

and some other stuff too, but this "prepper" stuff was the best!!  Can't wait til this weekend to go on the yard sale hunt again!!

Anytime that you can get to yard sales, you have got to go. You can always find ton of "prepper" items at them. Plus it is fun!!

Food Storage Recipe - Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

I love easy and cheap cooking more and more. I have gotten so busy that half the time I don't even feel like cooking. This is a quick soup to make and good.  

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup


1 package of chicken flavored ramen noodles - you will need the seasoning packet

1 can of cream of chicken soup - a staple in any food storage!!

Diced onion - I use my freeze-dried ones in most recipes.

 sliced carrots - freeze-fried again. I love that stuff! The Ready Store is where I get most of my freeze-dried items from.

sliced celery

Cook up the noodles and drain. Prepare the soup in a saucepan as it states too on the can. Then add the seasoning packet and all of the vegetables. Cook for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are done.Add the noodles and simmer a couple more minutes. This only makes a couple of servings, but you could easily double it or whatever. 

TIP GARDEN: Make Your Own Sweetened Condensed Milk

TIP GARDEN: Make Your Own Sweetened Condensed Milk

Having this recipe on hand can really come in handy. 

The Tomato Cookbook: Tomato Recipes From Soup to Grilled

The Tomato Cookbook: Tomato Recipes From Soup to Grilled - The Ultimate Resource for Cooking and Preserving a Bountiful Tomato Harvest (Hillbilly Housewife Cookbooks) was a free Kindle book when I wrote this blog post.

A collection of 28 tried and true family recipes for using up and preserving fresh tomatoes.  A great way to use up the tomatoes that you have growing in your garden.

When you have too many tomatoes that you don't know what to do with them , this book will help.

4 Ways to Involve Your Kids in Food Storage

Starting up a collection of food for storing can be difficult when you are a mother during the summer. When the kids are home from school, your role tends to be more of an entertainer than food storage extraordinaire. Do not fear- there is a way to stay on track with your goals for this project without shipping your kids off to your parents’ for the summer. Here are a few ideas…

1. Age Appropriate Learning. Depending on what age your child is, think of what they are learning at the time, and use it to help you! If they are learning to read, have them read the recipe card for practice, and then run around the house and storage bringing you all the ingredients. If they are younger, have them dump the ingredients into the mixing bowl, or stack cans in the storage area. If you have older kids, have them write labels or get half of the list at the grocery store for you. You can also test them on their fractions or math when stacking things or doubling a recipe. (One hint that might help to motivate: Kids will do anything if you make it a race or game of some kind!)
2. Cooking Lessons. So much of food storage involves cooking. You’ve got to use the food the food every once in a while and cycle through it in order to get your money’s worth, and you’ve got to know how to cook with the emergency foods that you’re storing. So, instead of plopping the kids in front of the tv and having the kitchen to yourself, make it a family activity! Teaching kids how to find their way around the kitchen and make food early on is an excellent idea. It is a fun learning and memorizing activity for kids, and it makes it less work for you once they can make food on their own.
3. Gardening. Many food storage junkies also like to have their own garden that they can live off of in case of an emergency. This is a great idea for getting your hands on fresh produce when your town or state is in crisis. Your kids can help you out in the garden by weeding, planting, digging holes, watering, or fertilizing. Just give them a lesson on what to do and they will love feeling like an important helper. You can also teach them what ripe fruit or vegetables look like and have them help pick. Not only does this help you, but it is a valuable learning experience for kids to be outside with nature in a world where they are surrounded by technology all the time.
4. Pick their Brains. Many times I have been surprised by an idea that my child had that I would have never thought of. If you have limited space and money, food storage is all about creativity. Kids are in the prime state of life for being imaginative, so have them help you solve problems with your food storage. Teaching problem-solving skills young is important for their overall growth and it will also help you get more ideas for how to store your food. Show your son or daughter the pile of food you need to find a place for, and walk around the house together on a hunt for a new food storage spot. Older kids improve your original organization or build proxy shelves out of plywood and cans.

Whatever you do to get them involved, I can guarantee you and your kids will have a bonding experience and make a new memory. You can get more done this summer if you just set your mind to it! Click here for more tips on food storage.

Author Bio- Dirk Puckett has been in the emergency preparedness industry for more than 20 years and is a proud family man.

Yard Sale Find - Cast Iron Skillets

 I went to a yard sale this past Saturday and found both of these cast iron skillets. I paid only $5.00 for both of them. I am really hoping that I can get the rustiness out of them and get them seasoned up.

I am thinking that all I need to do is scour them real good and get the rust off, then re-season them.

I hope they turn out good, but for only $5.00 it was worth the chance since they are cast iron.

ANY TIPS WILL BE APPRECIATED!

The Free List- Free Homeschool Curriculum, Links and Websites for Kids

The Free List- Free Homeschool Curriculum, Links and Websites for Kids

Great list of free ways to homeschool. 

Start Your Home based Winter Business Now! Or Just Stockpile for self!

Now is the perfect time to start a home based business that will be making you money this winter. You pretty much start it for free - using all of that junk mail, catalogs, and newspapers that you get. Make paper bricks that will be used for fireplaces and wood burning stoves. They can burn up to 2 hours at a time. ( This also would be a good time to stockpile some up for yourself.) This is the perfect home based for a teen. The start-up cost is low. You just need to get one of those Paper Log Makers and the other items that you need are free or you should already have on hand. A 5 gallon bucket, gloves,and bleach.

It is pretty simple to make the bricks: shred or tear the paper, fill a 5 gallon bucket with water, add a tablespoon of bleach, stir and then the paper. There are two ways to proceed, either leave the paper to soak for 10 days, or mulch the paper in the bucket for an hour using something like a toilet plunger or stick.

Once the paper is pulped, fill the Paper Log Maker with the pulp and squeeze the arms together to remove the water. You will be left with just the brick. Carry on this method until all the paper is used. Find a warm and dry area to allow the brick to dry and hey presto - you have free solid fuel to sell.

Make these up all summer, storing them up some place where they will be dry.  As soon as it starts to cool off place an ad in the local paper and start selling them. Great home based business that is almost free to start and would be a great one for a teen to do.

Food Storage Recipe - Quick Creamy Mushroom Soup!

This is what Little Man and I had for lunch yesterday! Yummy and fast!

Creamy Mushroom Soup

1 package of ramen noodles - it doesn't matter the flavor, you do not use the flavor packet.

1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup

a handful of sliced mushrooms, I used my dehydrated ones this time and it turned out great.

salt and pepper 

Cook the noodles as it says to on the package. drain.

Prepare the soup as directed and then add the noodles and mushrooms to it. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper this and eat! Just enough for the 2 of us.
 

Homemade Pizza Sauce

Bacon In My Pocket: Saucy!

Found this , on Pinterest , of course. I now cannot wait until my tomato plants start producing.

I am going to make up a bunch of homemade spaghetti sauce also.

Yard Sales & Homeschooling!

It is my favorite time of the year! Finally - it is starting to get busy around my small town with the lovely sight of yard sales! I love going to them to find camping gear, kitchen ware, survival gear, & tools. But another thing that I have been finding the last few weeks at the yard sales is Homeschool items. Well, not really specifically made for homeschool stuff, but I have been finding textbooks, flashcards, paper, craft items, learning toys, etc. Great way to homeschool on the cheap. Frugal homeschooling is the best.

I also use it as a learning tool for my Little Man - He has learned a lot about counting money going to yard sales. I give him $5.00 and then he can figure up how much things are and how much he has or has left. Fun way to teach money skills, budgeting, counting of money, etc.

Prepared For Survival

Prepared For Survival is on Facebook.

Crayon Candle

...and chaos ensued: Crayon Candle

I am going to be able to make a few of these! We have a lot of broken crayons in our house. Plus I found this just in time - I am out of actual candle wax and have about 80 wicks left!! YAY!!  

Plus I always save all of my glass jars that I get from anything, like pickles, spaghetti sauce, etc! Great way to reuse items and get something out of it that is useful.