Wondering why you are seeing this post on a couponing site? View my posts here and here to find out why I believe these issues are important.
Stockpiling-- Here are the weekly “best buys” I found for adding to your stockpile. Some of the stores are regional. If you do not have a store listed in your area, or if you do not eat the items mentioned, then consider taking $1-$5 from your weekly grocery budget to use for building your stockpile.
If you find some deals I missed, please post in the comments section. The scenarios are from the websites I’ve linked for the sales and match-ups.
Ingles--
- Old El Paso Products are reasonably priced this week
Buy (2) Old El Paso Products, get FREE Old El Paso Seasoning coupon on select products
-.60/2 Old El Paso products printable
- Check this link to find out about free dog food and free Kashi cereal.
- Stores may vary pricing and availability, but chick on “Target” above to look under ongoing deals for more cheap or free toiletries
- Pick up some free first aid supplies—Neosporin, Murine Ear, Listerine
- The True North nuts become a money maker with the printable coupon
- Pick up some cheap Lindsay Olives with coupon
- Geisha Chunk Light Tuna with ad coupon 59cts
- Walgreens brand nuts are $1.99 each
CVS--
- 3 day deals—Dyna Pep Micro Energy Shot and Listerine free after ECBs and coupons
Kroger--
- Jell-O Instant Pudding or Gelatin *$.77¢ ea
Selected Varieties, .6-6 oz
- $0.50/2 Jell-O Gelatin Boxes, exp. 9-30-09 (SS 7/26/09)
- $0.50/2 Jell-O Printable
Final Price = $.27ea after coupons & Instant Mega Savings - Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Shapes *50¢ ea
Selected Varieties, 5.5 oz - Nestle Toll House Morsels *$1.99
Selected Varieties, 10-12 oz
- $0.50/1 Nestle Toll House Morsels, exp. 11-1-09 (RP #2 9/13/09)
- $0.50/2 Nestle Toll House Swirled Morsels Printable
Final Price = $1.49ea after coupons & Instant Mega Savings - Planters Peanuts *$1.99 ea
Assorted Varieties, 16 oz
- $1/2 Planters Products, exp. 9-13-09 (SS 6/28/09)
Final Price = $1.49ea after coupons & Instant Mega Savings
Three Rivers Market/Co-op Advantage Stores--
Emergency Preparedness—A friend forwarded me information they had received from the state of Tennessee about National Preparedness Month. I posted this information last week, but I’m including the note again in case anyone missed it. I’ve included another tip from the flyer on planning for care of pets below. Here is the note from the Tennessee Department of Safety Commissioner:
Today marks the kickoff of National Preparedness Month, a time set aside each year to promote emergency preparedness. I encourage all you to take the simple, yet necessary, steps to make sure you and your loved ones are ready for an emergency.
Being ready for an emergency goes beyond making sure the batteries in your smoke detector work or that you have extra food in your pantry. Emergency preparedness includes assembling an emergency supply kit, making a family emergency plan, staying informed, and getting involved in your community preparedness efforts.
Tennessee's Office of Homeland Security is taking the necessary steps to prepare our state for any emergency, and I urge you to take this month to do the same at home. Check out the two attached brochures which provide details on creating an emergency kit and plan. Also visit www.tn.gov/homelandsecurity each day during National Preparedness Month for a tip on how to enhance your own emergency preparedness and to explore ways that you can get involved in your community. For additional help on getting your family prepared, call 1-800-BE-READY or visit www.ready.gov.
Remember, emergencies can happen at anytime, anywhere to anyone. Take the time this month to get your family READY!
The flyer gives some ideas for planning care for pets in the event of an emergency:
- Plan how you will care for your pets in an emergency.
- Store extra food, water and supplies for your pet.
- Pets should not be left behind, but understand that only
service animals may be permitted in public shelters.
We have stored some of the free canned dog food and dried dog food from use of coupons in our 72 hour emergency kits. Because our dog was adopted from a shelter, he also has a locater chip which would help if we were separated from him.
Food Security—For our family, food security and gardening go hand in hand. Having food growing on our property allows us to go no further than the back yard for sustenance. While we supplement with grocery shopping, farmers markets, and our CSA basket, the garden greatly reduces our annual food expenditures. Here are some ideas for the garden this week:
- Update your garden journal, and if you do not yet have one, start one. While the season is still fresh in your mind, make note of what plants need separating or moved, what worked well and what didn’t, and what you hope to plant next year. Jot down what seeds you found grew well in your microclimate and which ones you will not try again.
- Check mail order catalogs and local stores for end of season sales. From time to time you can find seeds discounted in the late summer and early fall. Also check for discounts on farm and garden supplies.
- Before we get too late in the season, hang some herbs to dry for use in the winter.
- If you are in a zone where a fall garden is doable, be sure to take advantage of this late growing season. Salad greens (Mesclan mixes, Mache, Spinach), Southern greens (turnip greens, collards, mustard greens), and cooking greens (kale) require very little effort or room.
- Pick up some garlic so that you can plant it in the garden as the weather cools.
- If you are not planting a fall garden, plant a cover crop for the winter months for your vegetable garden.
- I’m terrible about this one, but I’m trying—As you finish using your garden tools at the end of the season, clean, sharpen, and/or oil them as needed. My grandfather would make a habit of painting the handles of his tools a bright color each fall so that he could find them when working in the spring.
- Glean—I’ve gleaned berry bushes, used imperfect tomatoes for canning, and have pulled pears to keep trees from breaking.
- As the nut trees continue to become ready for eating, collect them and store. We have black walnuts on our property that my husband and daughter love to eat.
Thank you for sharing this information. Coupon truly is the perfect way to assemble food storage and emergency preparedness supplies. Like you, I have gotten many of my supplies for free with some savvy couponing techniques. In the event of an emergency, one of the biggest things we'll need to preserve is our energy. Unfortunately, maintaining a garden can waste precious energy that may need to be preserved. http://bit.ly/F6HL0
ReplyDeleteYep, I read your post on conserving energy and reliance on gardening in an emergency and believe you are correct in what you have said there. I think we are on the same page even if I may not have articulated it well in my original post. We use our garden and the perennial plants we have on our property as a way to build up our food stores BEFORE we have an emergency. I find some security in the fact that we have edible plants on our property that require little effort or energy to harvest in the event of a longer term emergency. I find even more comfort in the food I've preserved that can be used whenever it is needed. The stockpile of food, toiletries, etc is very much like a rainy day fund as you mention in your blog.
ReplyDelete"Minor" emergencies (by that I mean no EMP, major physical health problem, or natural disaster) occur relatively often that might require a person to depend on gardening for food security where the energy expenditure might not be as much of a concern. For example, relatives and friends I know who were out of work found great comfort in having a garden.
I stress the importance of gardening and food preservation because I want people to be more like ants than grasshoppers. (From everything I've read of you, I believe you have a similar emphasis). I want people to use what resources they have NOW to build security so that when an emergency occurs they will be prepared. Notice I said "when" and not "if". ;)
Thanks for the great comment! I'll probably refer to your gardening and energy post next Monday when I do my weekly review.