Planning

Yesterday I got a steroid injection into my spine. I had such great plans for today. I had intended on getting my lemon/lime/grapefruit curd on to canning. I was going to make some chicken soup and can that up. Then make beef fajita's for the girl since she loves them so much.

Then. Well the shot didn't do as well as the last one did. For a week after that shot I was up and about and running like crazy. This week? Well...not so much. Just standing made me want to curl up in a ball and cry. So I popped two of my pain killers, which is above the recommended dose but damnit I needed to get stuff done. I go back to school August 11th for crying out loud. Times getting short.

So instead I'm doing research. Things I should be stocking up on right now. Like paper, pencils, other back to school items. Not just for the upcoming school year, but in the "just in case" type scenario.

I spend time watching shows like Doomsday Preppers. Each of them seem to be prepping for just one catastrophic event. I don't view it like that. I think of things like "well...we could have a financial collapse, or an emp pulse, or...etc" but in reality I prep for "Crap we have extra bills this month and can't afford to go buy food." well then I have a huge storage of food that I can just tap into. 

This to me is vitally important. In ways I cannot begin to explain. 

My 6th grade year, my step dad was in Denver having cancer treatments. We were so unbelievably broke. Mom had happened to kill an elk that was easily 10 or so years old. His meat was tough as old boot leather. Somehow we ate it down. We ate eggs. I hate eggs, I've hated them since I was little. But when that's all you have to eat. Then that's what you eat. I always ate breakfast and lunch at school and then I would barely eat at home, just because I knew mom who was working two jobs desperately needed to be able to eat and sustain herself. Weekends were the worst. 

I made myself a promise that winter, that I would never...ever, be in that situation with my own kid. I have no idea why my mom didn't get on food stamps that year. Or why she didn't seek out the help I know we would have qualified for. It might have been because she just flat didn't have the time to do that. I admit. I am on food stamps, so my odds of not being able to afford food is minimal.  But I still obsessively prep. I can. For every item we eat, I attempt to put back two. It doesn't always work out. Thankfully with the help of several apps on my phone, such as checkout 51, receipt hog, Ibotta, grocery smarts.  as well as inbox dollars,   I end up being able to buy much more value than the dollar value of my food stamps. I do buy name brand items, mainly because with my food stamps and my coupons I'm able to buy those and save money. I easily get at least 1/3-1/2 more than the amount I'm given. This means I'm able to put food up. To store it for the future. 

Strategic planning is essential. Several months back I wasn't paying attention and ran out of toilet paper. I had a week left before I got my pension check from the death of my husband, and we had less than $5 to run us. With coupons I managed to get us enough toilet paper to run us for less than $1.50. It was Quilted Northern at that. It was cheaper, much cheaper than the store brand. For the same size it was $2.50 of the store brand. Seriously, coupon like you have no option. 

I realize this post has no pretty pictures. But I hope it does give some valuable information. 

Oh! I should explain the inbox dollars. 

you get $5 just for signing up. Then go to the "deals" section. In there is coupons, they print from coupons.com BUT inboxdollars pays you $0.10 for each coupon you use. It's not a lot extra but I average at least $2.50 or so a month extra. It adds up. A lot.