by Kellene Bishop

Do you have enough toilet paper in your storage? photo c/o scrapetv.com/

Yesterday I came across an “emergency preparedness blog” that was alarmingly incorrect. It was a basic topic, but it was addressed in a very misguided manner. The author wrote about what she plans to use in an emergency for her toilet hygiene—rags instead of toilet paper. So as not to risk educating anyone incorrectly, rather than providing a link to the article I will instead provide a few summations of the article which she posted on this national “preppers” site.

First of all, she was a big advocate of NOT using toilet paper during an occasion in which you had to rely on an outhouse, a hole in the ground, or some other such scenario. She labeled such a premise as useless, expensive, and unrealistic.  Instead she offered up a suggestion of using old rags and then storing the “used rages” in a lidded bucket filled with borax, bleach, water and laundry detergent.  She believes that such an option is “more eco-friendly” than toilet paper is.

While I read the article, I could sense the enthusiasm that this person had for sharing her knowledge with the rest of the world. I believe she was also trying to make the alternative solution as easy as possible for others. I certainly don’t believe that she was attempting to mislead anyone. However, I physically cringed while I was reading it, realizing that she was setting up herself and anyone else who bought into her instructions, for a major sanitation problem—even a deadly one.

To understand why planning on using a rag as opposed to TP or another like product, I think I should first point out a few things about feces and urine that some folks may not realize. First of all, sewer treatment employees receive HAZARD PAY because of the danger of their work. In fact, sewer treatment employees receive more “disaster prevention training” annually than police officers do to improve their firearm skills.  In other words, working with urine and feces is not a task to be taken lightly. The hazard in working with sewage isn’t just about the chemicals used to treat the sewers, but it’s also about working with the unavoidable—the waste itself.

Sanitation...a necessary preparedenss topic! photo c/o www.corecentre.co.in/

Urine contains compounded amounts of toxins, nitrogen, nitrates, and ammonia. As such, it is NOT recommended that it is simply thrown out somewhere uncontained or unprotected.  For those of you who are considering having two containers for solid and liquid waste in a worst case scenario, I beg you to rethink that plan. Solid matter actually needs the liquid to help it break down. Plus, it’s simply not realistic from a physiological standpoint to perfectly separate the two while someone is heeding a call from Mother Nature.  Separating the two compounds will only create more problems which I don’t have room to address in this post.

As urine and feces sit—especially in a heated environment—it develops deadly pathogens, dangerous combinations of microbes, bacteria, and viruses—including the well-known e-coli.  This compound attracts flies which feed on it and then spread it from one location to another. The point being that handling such a compound in any way is not a wise decision.  Staying away from it and disposing of it in all cases is critical.

Ye Old Outhouse photo c/o www.thegreenestdollar.com

Let’s also understand that a scenario that’s accompanied by the symptom of limited access toilet comforts that we’re presently used to is indicative of a serious scenario. Think about what would have to take place in order for a rationing of toilet paper to take place. (Other than the toilet paper shortage caused in 1973 by Johnny Carson jokingly telling his audience that there was a TP shortage. As a result, he actually CAUSED a shortage because millions of people cleaned off the shelves of TP that night. *grin*) Perhaps a natural disaster, a financial collapse, or act of war would cause such consequences.  Any of these scenarios would mean that we could no longer take our present state of sanitation for granted. 

One of most important aspects of establishing a society is to provide a community with reliable sanitation solutions. The reason is because poor sanitation can literally kill an entire community within a 50 meter radius in as little as 30 days. Bacteria, disease, and viruses are no respecter of persons, borders, or bank accounts.  Thus preventing the spread of such must be diligently practiced at the root of its origins. If sanitation is not practiced with the utmost of our capabilities during everyday or dire circumstances, then disease and death will speedily run rampant.  Remember disease is not easily curtailed to a specific environment. Disease is no respecter of persons, boundaries, or social positions Keep in mind that due to our easy methods of travel, disease can spread faster than it ever has in history.  That’s a significant statement considering that the Spanish Flu spread to over one-third of the earth in a matter of only three months—this prior to the availability of speedy international travel.

Anyone want a corn husk? Anyone? photo c/o thefuntimesguide.com

Preparing for alternative sanitation solutions can be practical, comfortable, and realistic.  The use of toilet paper should not be viewed as a luxury that can be easily dismissed.  While we should be aware of alternative options such as corn husks, phone book pages, or newspapers, it’s important that we recognize the need to provide us with a safe distance, minimal exposure, and safe disposal of our hazardous waste. Seaweed is also a good alternative as it’s got healing properties with it as well. The fact of the matter is ALL of these aforementioned alternative options are much safer options for you versus you planning on using rags and cleaning them as you go.

To be blunt, planning on using cloth or rags is not an ideal “plan B.” Just by nature of the rag method you are more prone to come into contact with the fecal matter. The longer it “hangs around,” being stored in buckets, being washed, etc, the more likely that contact is.  Additionally, the rag method requires storage of the fecal covered rags until you wash them. The storage—especially with any heat involved, will compound the hazardous toxins as the bucket of used rags sit. Something else I think we underestimate is that smells, especially unpleasant ones, strongly affect our morale. Unpleasant smells are not simply an affront on the senses. They are also an inhalation of dangerous microbes and airborne bacteria. If you’re storing the used rags, the smell lingers throughout your entire living environment. Instead it should be burned or broken down with something like Chemisan. It would definitely stink (excuse the pun) if you couldn’t enjoy the smells of sautéed garlic and onion because the wafting aroma of the outhouse overpowered it.

Use Thieves essential oil, or other essential oils instead of chemicals. photo c/o www.ylessentialoils.com

Lastly, in order to use rags for this particular hygiene care, most believe they need to use heavy chemicals such as borax or chlorine—neither of which are eco-friendly.  Where can you safely dispose of those chemicals?? If you absolutely HAVE to use rags, consider instead using essential oils to clean the rags with such as lavender, Thieves, and tea tree oil.  Exposing yourself to potential contact with fecal matter is such a bad idea, that even the reusable toilet wipe companies don’t recommend their product for use for anything else except straight urine. Additionally, it requires much more physical energy and water to take care of than does TP. You can never underestimate the importance of conserving physical energy and maintaining as much “normalcy” as possible during a crisis scenario.

On the other side of the debate, toilet paper can easily be broken down or safely disposed of.  It can easily be burned or buried. My favorite method of breaking down fecal matter and TP is the use of Chemisan. Chemisan eliminates a great deal of the smell, deadly pathogens and breaks it down completely in as little as two weeks leaving behind the equivalent of a soil.

Portable toilets use Chemisan photo c/o www.fivestarpreparedness.com

Contrary to some opinions, toilet paper does not have to be expensive.  For over a year now, thanks to coupons, I have put my mandatory price point on toilet paper at 25 cents a roll.  I don’t pay any more than that, ever.  But when I get it at that price, I do purchase as much as my budget that week will permit me.  I also use that same strategy on anything else I purchase and bring into my home. I set a price point and stick to it. This means that I don’t have to choose BETWEEN having wheat or toilet paper. I get to have what I and my loved ones need for every anticipated event. Planning well everyday means that you don’t have to choose between one vital necessity and another. Knowing you have all of the bases covered means more mental strength for you to deal with the other aspects of a survival scenario which may test you.

Also as an alternative view of the blog I’m referencing, toilet paper is a multi-purpose product. It’s often used by cost conscious individuals in lieu of facial tissue. It’s also used by some as a source of cooking fuel (along with isopropyl alcohol)—a waste to me considering so many other cooking alternatives, but to each his own. And hey, TP has even been used by the US. Military as camouflage during the Gulf War!

The comfort factor of toilet paper should not be underestimated either.  Promoting familiarity during a crisis scenario is as important as your medical supplies. This is why a survey two years ago revealed that over half of all of the respondents said that they would choose food first, then water, and then toilet paper as their supplies on a deserted island. In other words, it’s more important to peoples psyche and comfort than perhaps this author realized. I suspect more people didn’t mention toilet paper simply because it was off their radar. Perhaps a gorgeous companion and their favorite rock band made the list instead. When there is any kind of an “ick” factor involved, it’s much harder to expect persons to change their habits, even in a survival scenario. Trying to do so will inevitably bring about stress. If you’re using moss and leaves right now everyday, then you won’t have any problem with those items in the future—unless you don’t stock up. Otherwise, having what you’re familiar with for such an inevitable part of life is critical to your mental health.

Bottom line, in the event of true emergency scenario, having ample toilet paper will NOT be the least of your concerns. It falls in line with the Physical and Medical aspects of preparedness which puts it in the position of priority number 3 and 4 out of the Ten Areas of Preparedness.  So, watch for the sales, know how much your family uses in a week, and plan accordingly.

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Conspiracies--Fact or Fiction? photo c/o www.corrupt.org/

I’ve probably said this before, but one of my favorite bumper stickers of all time says “Just because I’m paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after me.”

I find that there is a dangerous and debilitating stigma in our international society.  If a proposed theory has anything to do with the fact that a person or group of persons has actually conspired, plotted, and planned to bring about the demise of another person, then the proposal is discounted as audacious and mentally deficient. “Conspiracy!” they cry—as if calling something a conspiracy eliminates the validity of any proposed belief of supposition.  Can I just ask a perfectly blunt question?  Why is that?  Why, when we have such an abundance of proven conspiracies is it considered a social and mental faux pas to propose that something is a conspiracy to do harm to others? I firmly believe that in doing so we are discounting the reality of danger. We are exposing ourselves as vulnerable as a fresh animal wound at night in the land of South Africa.  We are playing into the designs of bloodthirsty predators as their willing prey. To be naïve of the scope and determination of conspiracies, we make ourselves far too vulnerable and dependent, thus negating the maximum effects of our preparedness efforts.  Let me share with you why such a negative stigma against the reality of conspiracy is so illogical.

Al Qaida is an admitted conspiracy group.  I doubt that most of us would dispute that. But can I just say that the reason why we don’t dispute it is because it’s socially and politically acceptable for us to view them as crafty conspirators? Whether you look into their conspiratorial designs on the surface or in depth, they make no secret of the fact that they have truly conspired to do irreparable harm to all Christian nations.  Fortunately for us, the mainstream media feels that painting them as the bad guy is beneficial for their own designs of conspiracy and as such we are able to easily see them as “the bad guys.” As such, we are better able to swallow that they regularly engage in “conspiracy.”  But what if the conspirators are those who we otherwise rely on or trust?

USDA--can we trust what they say? photo c/o www.fns.usda.gov

Now, let’s talk about the USDA.  No upstanding American would portray them as conspirators, right? Oh, how I hope that we’re not really that naïve.  The USDA told us for months and months that we could expect a bumper crop this year. (Bumper crop, as in at least a 20% excess of what we need.) The USDA continued to post such information on their official website even well after the abysmal destruction of crops such as corn and soy beans commenced.  If you look hard for it, you will also find a report which concurs (finally) with the fact that as early as November of last year, the USDA granted special emergency fund approvals to various Midwestern and Eastern states due to “widespread crop damage.”  Just so you know, “widespread crop damage” is defined by the USDA as at LEAST 30 percent damage to a particular group of crops. 30 percent damage to our corn, soybean, and even wheat crops.  This, when we already have exported ALL of our wheat reserves from our nation.  In spite of this, the “bumper crop prediction” still stands front and center on the USDA website.

So the question is, WHY would the USDA and the mainstream media not be forthright in bringing this information to its proper light? Let’s continue to explore this.

Are you aware of all of the food items which rely on corn, soy and wheat?  If you ever eat out or if you ever purchase something prepackaged, then you have most likely ingested ALL of the above.  Every cake mix, loaf of bread, syrup, peanut butter, pasta mix, etc. is affected by these ingredients in some way or another. As such, we can expect the kind of financial increase in such goods as we shortly experienced in wheat and rice in 2007. The problem is also that since wheat, corn and soybeans are affected, we can also expect the price of rice to go up, as demand for it as a substitution will rise as well. We are currently looking at rising fuel prices, a diminishing dollar, tanking residential and commercial markets and oh, by the way, your food bill is about to double or quadruple.  Yup. We’re not hearing that.  Why?

Impact on Wall Street--HUGE photo c/o www.diversityjobs.com

Well, to put it plainly, it’s because the Wall Street markets can’t handle a hit like that right now and if there is a run on the grocery stores of only a 20% increase, then such a run and panic would trigger a domino effect that would impact Wall Street. Regardless of what end Wall Street is at on such a panic, they would crash.  Our administration can’t take the heat of such a crash right now.  The USDA is a government run entity. Our wheat, rice, corn, and soy commodities are some of the main backbones of the Market right now.

Let’s put the 20% run on the grocery stores in perspective for a moment. When a coupon comes out for a particular product, that product is cleared off of the shelves within the first day by eager couponers, in spite of the store attempting to anticipate higher demand for the product. Just so you know, couponing accounts for only 14% of all sales in a grocery store.  Whereas if you perpetuated the idea that there would  be an astronomical increase in wheat, soy, or corn based products, that could also trigger a demand…not a coupon euphoria either. A bona fide panic demand.  Even at only 14%, it would clear off of the shelves, and the panic would lead to a domino effect of most other products carried by the grocers as well.  The domino effect of a panic on food would be just as fast to disrupt and destroy your way of life as a police car simply pulled over to the side of the highway—complete stand still.

The bottom line is that the prevalent antagonistic programming that so successfully skewers anyone who has the audacity to claim “conspiracy” is effective. Many normal persons have hung their head in shame and embarrassment simply for asking a simple question. But keep in mind that it’s counter-intuitive to believe that conspiracies aren’t rampant and real in our everyday world.  Where there is virtue, there is selfishness. Where there is charity, there is thievery.  We simply can’t believe in people who have beautiful motivations and not believe that there are also people who are motivated strictly by greed and control.  Yes, I agree that conspiracy theories can be taken to the extreme. I’m just not sure we are fully aware of what that “extreme” is. After all, the private banking industry taking over our nation’s entire currency flow was pretty extreme if you ask me. Yet nearly a hundred years later, many still are in the dark about it, ashamed of being labeled as a crazy conspiracy theorist.

A smart move is to start paying attention to what goes on around you photo c/o www.usfirst.org

The point of me writing my article is to attempt to have more people shed the stigma of questioning what is going on around us so that they can see the real state of things–so they can be properly prepared.  The use of the word “conspiracy” has been, by design, altered to portray a stigma of the mentally deranged, paranoid, or irresponsible.  When in fact, the reality of those who would conspire to harm or destroy is truly abundant.  I think that questioning and researching and verifying the research is one of the smartest things one can do to properly protect their family.  I think newly discovering such conspirators is alarming, whereas understanding their presence and motives and planning on how I’m going to counter such plans gives me a great deal of peace.

As a parting, but somewhat disjointed comment, I just wanted to express the following. Forgive my somewhat ornery rant. What I don’t understand is this: why is it ok for the mainstream media to pummel us with a litany of meaningless murder, rape and robbery statistics, 95% incorrect weather predictions, the “five year anniversary of the floods in St. George”, Islamic New Year celebrations, and the latest string of lies and insincerity from political officials and yet they can’t share with us the kind of critical information that would actually HELP us to wake up and better prepare?  I don’t really like being manipulated.  And I loathe selfish panic control.  Et tu?

Copyright 2010 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to www.PreparednessPro.com & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

This Saturday is our LAST Coupon Training Boot Camp of the year!

I’ve been winding down my Coupon Training Boot Camp classes for this year. This Saturday will mark the last one I teaching this year before I start charging folks to attend this particular class. As a result, the classes this week have been quite full. (Many, of course, waited until the last minute to register only to have to be told that we were full to capacity—bummer.) In spite of full classes, I’ve still been a bit disappointed in the turn out. Let me expound on why I feel that way.

In our local news lately I’ve been following the case of a major scam artist. (Or am I supposed to say “accused scam artist?”) This guy Koerber has been accused of scamming local folks out of over $100 million dollars over the last couple of years by promising them a 50-100% return on their money. He simply applied the age-old ponzi scheme by taking the investments of some to pay “returns” to the investments of others to lend credibility to his scheme and thus entice even more people into the program. Many, many individuals who are otherwise wise and frugal were duped into this program. Many tapped into ALL of their retirement program to participate in his promised returns. To make it even more offensive, he used his affiliation with the more predominate religion in this area to gain credibility. (Note: Anytime someone says you can trust them because they are such and such religion—RUN AWAY! I live by a saying that says “if you have to claim it, it probably isn’t so.”)

OK. So tons of people were tapping into their hard-earned money simply to get a 50-100% return. Why would they do that when there is a MUCH simpler, legal, risk-free way of getting that kind of return on their money WITHOUT having to pay fees, deal with the egos of Wall Street big whigs, and carefully watch the news every minute of every day? When I teach someone about using coupons, I’m teaching them how they can increase their buying power by 500%! And you don’t to have to risk anything to do it either!

Look at it this way. A 1.5 Liter bottle of Listerine is regularly priced at about $6 in my area. (Though I did see it “on sale” for “only” $7.59 while I was in Vegas, so clearly pricing is relative to the area you live in.) However, through coupons I was able to purchase that same 1.5 Liter bottle for only .99 cents. At $6 the price breaks down to $4 a liter. But with a coupon I am able to spread my money further and pay only .66 cents a liter—a  price I’d much rather pay considering I’m just putting Listerine in my mouth and then spitting it out. All I did to compound my buying power was to print and cut out a simple little coupon. No middle man to pay commissions to. No fine print to comprehend. No attorneys to hire. And no risking my future. In fact, once I get that Listerine home, it is guaranteed to stay at only .66 cents a liter! The shenanigans of Wall Street won’t ever have an effect on that. No presidential administration will ever alter that price. And no war will ever affect that price either.

Now, let’s look at another side of this. When it comes to groceries, diapers, wheat, and other items that you absolutely need, the use of coupons has a tendency to INCREASE the value of your goods as well as increasing your buying power. Let’s take diapers for example. Anyone who’s had a child in the last 20 years will most likely agree that diapers are at the top of their list when they go shopping. No matter how many boxes of macaroni and cheese they have at home, they’ve got to get some diapers. Unfortunately, diaper manufacturers recognize our dependency on them and price them just as high as they think they can get away with it. However, recently I was able to use a sale on Huggies diapers with a manufacturer’s coupon, coupled with a store coupon, along with an electronic coupon and brought home a package of diapers that I paid only $1.50 for. Now, Kmart had those same diapers “on sale” that week for $10—regularly priced for $23.99. No matter how you slice it, using the regular price or a comparable sale price, I was able to significantly increase my buying power on my $1.50 either by 600% or by 1500%! If I’m able to take advantage of such a scenario more than once, then even a year down the road I have still managed to compound my buying power…but wait…

Diapher photo c/o thedailygreen.com

During the Teton Dam break, the most often requested item was diapers! So what if I am sitting there with some diapers! I can trade them with someone for something else I need. What if I could trade them for some wheat, fresh eggs, milk, or ammo? In a survival mode, Listerine may not increase in value, but necessities certainly will!

Tell me any other scenario in which you can increase your buying power this much. Not only that but I dare you to share with me an instance in which you could accomplish such an increase during any market ever in the history of our nation! Not even Trump can see that kind of a return on his best real estate investments. And for those, he has to continue to pay taxes on them, maintain them and hire staff to oversee them!

With the decline of the dollar, our taxes rising, and all of the other negatives that are affecting our buying power, why in the world wouldn’t folks make a RUN to any free event in which they could learn how to increase their buying power more than the Federal Reserve could possibly do for them?!

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

Beware the fire breathing dragons in the coupon world! Art by XxArashiXx

As you all know, I love, l-o-v-e, LOVE couponing. It has truly brought a world of plenty to my home today and for the future when food may be in short supply. It’s almost like a fairytale for me when I go into a store, load up my grocery cart, and leave with supplies for me and others that I paid less than 20% of their original cost for. But just as in every fairy tale, there are always the fire breathing dragons or wicked witches who make things tough on the heroes and heroines. Today’s article is to warn you of the fairytale nemeses in all of their ugly forms.

Villain of the Coupon World #1. First of all, I love it when I go into a store and see a tear pad of coupons offering to send me money in the mail if I simply buy what I already planned on buying. For example, Albertson’s had lobsters on sale for only $5 each. That’s a heck of a lot better than any seafood restaurant is going to charge me and I can assure you that I won’t overcook the little buddies. So I bought them—and even paid for them with $10 worth of Albertson’s store coupons which I had received on previous shopping ventures. I then sent in my receipt to Budweiser Beer and received a $10 rebate in the mail 5 weeks later. Yup. Even though I didn’t buy a drop of alcohol, Budweiser bought my lobsters for me. Where the wicked witch comes in though is when she goes by the same tear pad in the store and feels that she could make an easy buck by stealing the entire tear pad and selling it on e-bay. As a result, only a few of us fairy princesses got to take advantage of that deal. This is why some stores have to keep all of the tear pads at the customer service counter—to keep them out of the hands of the wicked witches in the world.

This princess bit the poison apple. "Snow White and the Poison Apple" by Cyril Helnwein

Villain of the Coupon World #2. Next, you have the villain in any fairytale that’s all about the power and profit. In the world of coupon fairytales, this is rampant. If you read the fine print of just about any coupon around, it clearly says that the coupon is NOT to be bought, sold, auctioned, etc. And yet there are countless villains who swipe and sell coupons. Unfortunately there are plenty of trusting heroines who naively purchase the poison apples. Some villains try to go so far as to say “we don’t sell coupons, we simply charge a handling fee.” Really? Then why is your “handling fee” based DIRECTLY upon the dollar value of the coupon? I mean does it really cost you more to “handle” a $1.10 off one item coupon than it does for you to “handle” a .55 cent off one item coupon? And if you really think about it, a drug dealer doesn’t sell drugs either. They only charge a handling fee. Right. Not only that, but when you buy coupons, you simply cannot trust where they have come from. Are they counterfeit? There is not a single household in the U.S. that is legitimately provided with 839 “.55 cent off Duncan Hines Cake Mix” coupons! So, my fair maidens, don’t buy coupons. You’re only keeping the villains in business and there is already plenty that you can do with what’s already FREELY available.

Villain of the Coupon World #3. Speaking of counterfeit, yes, there is always the ugly witch who attempts to pose as a beautiful princess, even in the coupon fairy tale. It is FRAUDULENT for you to copy a coupon. Coupons have a cash value. Just as it is a serious crime to copy U.S. currency, it is a COUNTERFEITING CRIME to copy your coupons. If a web site only allows you to print off two coupons per computer, then so be it. Worst case scenario, you can go to other cottages in your village and print coupons off of their computers. At least then you haven’t committed a crime.

Villain of the Coupon World #4. There is also the enchantress who attempts to cast a spell on you and make you believe that something is “free” when it truly is not. Don’t fall for it. Understand that if you have to PAY money in order to obtain something “for free” it is no longer for free. There are many villainous websites who “rate” or “score” savings levels when you use coupons. Be suspicious of the ones who mistakenly tell you that something is “free” simply because when you BUY one thing, you get a store credit or a rebate that you can later use on something else. That’s not free. That’s giving the store an interest-free loan until you remember and actually use the store credit you earned for the purchase or until they remember to send you your rebate check. If you’re not willing to take the money out of your pocket to obtain the so-called free item, then it’s not a purchase worth making. Don’t fall for the enchanted promises of something “free” in the future.

How to cope with the a cashier who's not so fond of coupons. Photo c/o ehow.com

Villain of the Coupon World #5. Last, but definitely not least, there is always the villainous side-kick whose own ignorance and cowardice, combined with a smidgen of power, becomes your worst enemy. These folks tend to disguise themselves as cashiers for large corporate villages. Their ignorance is fostered in a village that is so large that no one attempts to educate or properly oversee the dealings of the townspeople with the coupon fairies. As such, they forget that if it wasn’t for the protection of the coupon fairies in the land today, 14% of all grocery retail and food manufacturers would be crushed by the recession giant. Unfortunately, the sidekicks don’t know any better, and as a result they try to cast worthless spells on the townspeople such as “you can’t use this coupon on a trial sized item” or “you can’t use a store coupon with a manufacturers coupon” or worse “if your coupon beeps, it’s invalid.” Here’s a little trick, my coupon friends, to help you battle the Igor’s of this world. Arm yourself with the coupon policy of the village. When there seems to be some ridiculous statement brought up such as I’ve mentioned here, simply wave this magic piece of paper and it will usually rid you of any vexing. (By the way, the villages of Target and Wal-Mart have the largest population of villainous sidekicks in them. So always keep the village Coupon Policy on you when shopping there.)

Ultimately, I look at it this way. Couponing is just one more magical way that I have to provide for my family and others in the future. I really am not about to taint such a blessing by making use of ill-gotten gains—nor am I going to cower in the midst of a villainous threat. Arm yourself with knowledge of right and wrong, and then do right—period. I don’t know about you, but I can use all of the blessings I can get and with what I’m able to achieve legitimately, I already feel like there is truly enough and to spare.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

How to feed your family for less and stay sane. Read on! Photo c/o ehow.com

Today I’m going to share how a shift in the order and prioritization that we give to the ritual of feeding our families can save us sanity, money, and time.

Most of the households in the U.S. are highly reliant on the convenience of the grocery store when it comes to making their meals. This is actually a bit sad to me because it’s a habit we should all eliminate just as proactively as a bad health habit. In the Philippines, refrigeration is a luxury in most homes and thus the families there HAVE to go to the market on a daily basis for their meat, produce, and dairy. But here, we’re quite spoiled. When we have a particular craving, we know it will be met by the local grocery store or restaurant. When we’re tired and lack the energy or time to cook, we know we’ll be saved by some unknown cook behind a cash register, so long as we are willing to pay the premium for the use of someone else’s time. When we lack the inventiveness or creativity, we can simply browse our local frozen food section for a solution, right?  

I was listening to a speaker at a symposium about 6 months ago, a doctor somebody from some national bureau of health and human services. As you can tell, I wasn’t impressed with his credentials necessarily, but I sure did pay attention to a statistic he provided. “Less than 2% of the households in the U.S. have a two weeks supply of food.” This was just food he was talking about—let alone water and the fuel and knowledge necessary to prepare the food in less-than-ideal circumstances! No wonder so many people get a bit loopy or desperate when they hear of a winter storm or hurricane forecast!

Here’s the snag though. In a long-term survival scenario, we will regularly find ourselves confronted with a lack of energy, an abundance of cravings, and a lack of creativity. The scenario will also be compounded by ill-timed or unexpected events. So how we handle these scenarios now, in the days of our comfort, are actually critical to our mental and physical endurance in a time of crisis. What I’m going to share today will actually assist you, not only in preparing for a survival scenario, but it will also pad your wallet and your day with a little more luxury while ensuring that you also avoid a padded room.

So what’s the solution? Make a few changes in your order and prioritization.

Create your meal plan based on what you already have! Photo c/o marthastewart.com

1.     Yes, plan a weekly menu, but don’t base it on what’s at the grocery store. Create your weekly menu based on what you already have on hand. You see, while planning a menu may give us a sense of purpose and direction during our weekly meal creations, it will actually cost us more money. Why? Because when we put something on your menu and go out and get it, we’re paying whatever the best price is on that item right then and there. If it’s not on sale we still buy it because it’s on our dang menu.  Whereas if we prepare our meals based on what we already have on hand, then our grocery budget isn’t exhausted with the “I want.” Instead it’s used on the “I need” or some really great deals. You’ll understand how this method feeds into the other method in just a moment.

2.    Go shopping only once a week (and even less as soon as you are able) and only go shopping based on what you have coupons for or what’s on sale. I can tell you from experience that your shopping may actually verge on “fun” if you are only getting great deals. But more importantly, this strategy alone has the ability to save you 50-80% on your weekly grocery costs. Not only that, but when you create your menu based on what you already have on hand, you will always be getting that meal for a great price because everything you bring into your home will be obtained via a coupon or a great sale price.

Don't forget comfort food! Photo c/o ehow.com

Here are a couple more strategies to help in this effort as well. Make sure you have comfort foods on hand. When I say comfort, I’m talking about foods that will be great when someone is sick, but also when someone just needs a little emotional pick-me-up. Also be sure that you and your family are familiar with the preparation of the meals and that they are “easy” to all persons who may end up making them. I may not be blessed with children of my own, but if I were I’d be certain to make sure that they could all prepare at least 5 basic meals for the family. I see many moms put themselves in a precarious position of being the only one in the family who can cook. What happens when they are ill (or worse) during a disaster? How will their family eat? And last but not least, be sure that the meals you have planned require little or no physical or mental effort to make. That criteria really comes down to practice. I have a friend on Facebook who posts her dinner dish for the day. She usually has it all ready by noon so that she can just put it in the oven at dinner time. To most housewives/husbands this appears to be time intensive because she always seems to have some fabulous muffin recipe to go along with dinner that would make any professional chef drool. But the fact of the matter is, she’s “practiced” making these dishes so many times during her days of comfort that making manicotti is old hat for her now. 

This past weekend I was definitely sick. Nope, it wasn’t the H1N1, and I’ll spare you the details. But suffice it to say it hurt to move or think or do anything. But…I wanted something to eat that a was a bit more advanced than my husband’s macaroni and cheese repertoire. So, I psyched myself up to handle a whopping 5 minutes in the kitchen and made some real food. All I had to do was open, dump, stir, and I had a satisfying casserole. More importantly, I had everything on hand that I needed, and I had made the dish enough times that it was a “no-brainer” to concoct. Did you pick up on those two criteria? Everything was on hand and I was experienced in making it. Being able to say that about anything you prepare for your family is an important preparedness strategy.

I realize that in the beginning this may require expanding your horizons to come up with recipes to use based on what you already have on hand, but there are a lot of great websites to help you with that. Supercook.com allows you to simply input ingredients that you have on hand and it will provide you with a recipe to go along with those items.

If you employ this strategy regularly, I assure you that your supplies will increase very quickly, you’ll regularly obtain your supplies for 60-80% off of regular price, and you’ll find your mind and body more free to focus on the other ways to ensure your family’s safety and well-being.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

This will be a short one, folks, as I have 5 hours of teaching and 3 hours of traveling to do today. Which brings me to my point.

There seems to be a mythical view of how I get prepared… as if I spend every waking moment doing so. And as a result I perhaps have more time than others.

Photo c/o blogs.zdnet.com

Well, let’s be clear. I have a JOB, just like all of the rest of you. My JOB involves teaching, writing, researching, and communicating. I easily work 12 hours a day. Then when I’m finished I have meals to plan and cook, groceries to buy (not to mention the couponing I do), time to “veg” by going to a movie or being social, church responsibilities, and being an accessible family member. Additionally, I have all of the added responsibilities of running a business (legal stuff, taxes, employee issues, etc.). Oh, and somehow I manage to put preparedness priorities in there as well. As you can see, I don’t have any more time to dedicate to preparedness than the rest of you do. In fact, in some instances I may have a great deal less. The difference in what I do and what others may do has nothing to do with time. It has EVERYTHING to do with priorities.

The same holds true with money. My husband and I have been through some doozies over the last 2 years. I certainly don’t have an excess of money–which is exactly why I’ve picked up on couponing. Since preparedness IS a priority to me, couponing aids me in accomplishing that goal as well as being able to afford some other preparedness priorities. Again, it’s about priorities, not money.

With a little creativity, food storage can be done in an 800 sq ft apartment. Photo c/o move.com

Space is the exact same thing. While I don’t live in an 800 square foot apartment anymore, I used to before I got married 10 years ago. And yet even then, I still had a year’s supply of food and water in my 800 square foot home. It was about priorities, rather than some aesthetics. I still entertained in that little apartment and thoroughly enjoyed my surroundings. But I made all of my aesthetic judgment calls based on being able to be an independent, prepared woman, rather than just one more single, helpless female. I got creative with storing item under the bed, behind the clothes in the closet and made it work.

Knowledge is a priority to me as well. Yes, I need a fluffy mental break periodically and I would also give up nearly any time to enjoy the company of my nieces and nephews. But when I have a choice between a good novel or a book that will help me to be more informed and reliable, I choose the latter and I love it. I feast on it. It’s not about gloom and doom for me, folks. It’s not just about being able to “say” I love my fellowmen, but actually PREPARE to love them in every sense of the word by possessing the skills and supplies to aid them if and when it’s necessary. Believe me. I have family members that worry me to no end because of their lack of awareness about what’s going on around them. But I don’t stop in my efforts to prepare and teach them because they ARE my priority.

Recently I had a friend who had been ill for several week. She was also having some serious financial hang-ups and couldn’t even afford to go to the grocery store to get some items for her household. Well, I didn’t have any money that I could share with her at the time, but can you imagine how happy I was that I could give her FOOD? Lots and lots–even food that she loved and enjoyed.

Forgive me if I offend anyone by bringing some scriptural aspects into this topic. (I try to be sensitive to the beliefs of a very general base of readers.) Most who read the Bible believe in prophets and prophecies. That being the case, isn’t it obvious that we cannot pick and choose which prophecies we believe in? We can’t possibly believe in a Second Coming of the Lord and not believe in the Armageddon that is sure to precede that coming. Hopefully we strive everyday to be ready for that Meeting with the Lord. That said, it’s equally important to prepare to survive the prophesied turmoil and chaos so that we can be present AT the Meeting. Ultimately, preparedness is the ACTION that comes from believing in the prophecies.

So there you have it. Preparedness Pro shows you that she’s got a life and challenges just like you. The question is what we do with those challenges and how we prioritize.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

Coupons = $$$. Photo c/o insidesocal.com

As you may already know, the use of coupons is mandatory for my personal preparedness of food and medical supplies. I have truly obtained a bounty of free or dirt cheap goods over the last 6 months that has nearly doubled my original supplies. As a result, it’s really freed up money for items such as solar ovens, fuel, pressure cookers, butane stoves, foam, etc. When I share this information in passing (read: Outside of the confines of my 3 hour Coupon Training Boot Camp) I frequently get a lot of negative comments with a touch of whining such as “coupons are only for junk”; “I can’t find coupons on items I use”;  “It’s not worth the time and effort it takes” or “I shop at Costco instead.”

I’ve got great news for you. These comments are misinformed perceptions, pure and simple. Let me share a little bit with you. 

 1)      I only spend 2 hours a week couponing. However, these last three weeks I’ve been doing so many classes that I literally have not even been able to invest that much time and so I haven’t even bought any groceries. And guess what? We didn’t even miss it! We still had all we needed because of all that we had previously from couponing.

 2)      I don’t just use coupons on “items I use.” I try new things many times—especially when they are free or cheap. I have three key rules on couponing. 1-You can’t afford to be brand loyal. When things go south, you’ll be happy that you have toilet paper. It doesn’t matter that it’s not Cottonelle, when Charmin was on sale for dirt cheap. 2-If I would be willing to use the product if it was FREE or CHEAP, then I cut the coupon. 3- I only use the coupon on items that are already on sale, thus making the majority of what I buy 70-100% almost ALL the time. This strategy has also allowed me to discover new things that my family likes. For example, I fell in love with the California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzes. (I know. Not exactly “food storage” but it sure did come in handy when I had no time for lunch other than a microwave meal. I also discovered that I preferred a completely different brand of mayonnaise than I had been buying all my life. Who knew? I only got the other brand because it was only 75 cents for a large jar with coupons.

 3)      Because of coupons, I literally cannot afford to shop at Costco or Sam’s Club anymore. Seriously. For example, Costco used to have the best deal around on zip-lock bags. When they would circulate one of their coupons, it would cost only 5 cents a bag. BUT… a local grocery store chain last week had boxes of Hefty Easy Zip bags on sale for 10 for $10. And guess what? I had $1 off coupons for Hefty Easy Zip bags! Um, sorry. No matter how much volume Costco buys, I doubt they could match that price.

 4)      You shouldn’t waste time trying to match coupons with sales. You need to align yourself with a coupon shopping service. I have my favorite services that I like to use for my area. It’s not a normal day without me checking out www.couponcarousel.blogspot.com or www.krazycouponlady.blogspot.com as well as www.savvyshopperdeals.com. The first two sites give me hot spot highlights for deals. But the latter site actually allows me to use a software service that tells me all of the best deals in my area…and I can pre-sort my search by store, product type, or even percentage of savings. As I browse I can make my grocery list and be in and out in a jiffy. Heck, the site even tells you what section of the store you can find something in! Not only that, but there’s also a video tutorial on the site that you can watch to get your feet wet with couponing—at least until I give you a more thorough webinar.

Coupons = $$$ in Your Pocket!

5)      Next, I think that ANY of you would be hard-pressed right now to tell your boss that you want to earn $100 an hour, and you want to be able to work two hours a week for that money, and in you slippers, while you watch TV and talk on the phone. Right? Well, that’s what I save EVERY week that I do coupons! And that’s just for 2 of us in the home. I buy items that we eat regularly and items that we can store away. That way I’m storing what I eat, and eating what I store. If your family is bigger then you can save even more. I have a friend who recently got off of food stamps thanks to what she learned with couponing. I have another friend that has 7 in her family. Her monthly grocery budget is only $100. And guess what? She spends half of that on food storage!! My sister just went to a store last week that I loathe because of how un-coupon friendly they are. And she was STILL able to walk out of there with over $160 in groceries and medical supplies for which she only paid $20.55. Oh and by the way, she also received a $5 Target Gift Card. (Way to go, Sis!)

6)      Last, but not least, coupons are not only for junk—although I’ve managed to find my share of chocolate coupons. Hee hee. I simply don’t have the time, energy, or resources to share with you all that I’ve been able to purchase, at what  price, and where. But what I will do is give you SMALL list of items that I’ve purchased for FREE over the last few months. This is not even an all inclusive list. So when your jaw drops to the floor after reading this, pick it back up and give couponing a try. Surely you’re not going to be conquered by a few harmless coupons, are you?    

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

Check your local Smith’s Food & Drug. It looks like they are doubling ALL coupons up to $1.00 (for a max of $2.00 for each coupon). Also, remember that Smith’s will “stack” your printed coupons with your electronic ones. 

If you’re not using Cellfire.com, shortcuts.com and pgesaver.com you’re missing a LOT of savings. You should have a lot of fun at this  ”Grown-Up Easter Egg hunt” the next 2 days–unless you’ve started the 14 day challenge–then you’ll just have to wait.  

Plus there are 2 extra coupon inserts in today’s Sunday paper–Kellogg’s and P&G.  So cut and conquer!

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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By Kellene Bishop

The Agriculture Department is raising prices on your dairy products. (How they have the authority to do this is beyond me, but for now, it is what it is.)

Farmers claim that it costs more to make milk than they get to sell it. Guess what that means? Can you say milk shortage?? In June of this year, The National Milk Producers Federation said they would PAY farmers to slaughter diary cows in order to manipulate the prices higher based on “supply and demand.” (Despicable, I know.)

Michael Swanson, chief economist at Wells Fargo, told Bloomberg, “The milk price remains well below the total cost of production.”

Cheese is expected to increase in price SIGNIFICANTLY as is butter. What does this mean to you? Start buying cheese and butter while you can afford it, and then wax or can it so that you can have it on hand!  

By the way, on the internet you’ll find .50 cent off Challenge Butter coupons, $1.00 off coupon of any two pounds of cheese, plus a .75 cents off coupon of a gallon of milk. (There’s also a .75 cents off of any kind of yogurt.)

To capitalize on these coupons, go to coupons.com. If these offers don’t work for your zip code, enter in 84097. You may also want to use zip code 19542.  Albertson’s has a double coupon out this week making your cheese, butter, yogurt, and milk VERY affordable. Limit is printing 2 coupon per computer.

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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A Case for Food Storage

By Kellene Bishop

In the matter of

One Year Supply of Food Storage (Plaintiff)

Vs.

Disbelief and Ignorance (Defendant)

“Plaintiff asserts that Defendant is guilty of unlawful endangerment, attempted murder, infliction of emotional stress, theft, criminal harassment, perjury, vandalism, disturbing the peace, racketeering, and fraud upon the citizens of the world.”

A Case for Food Storage photo c/o localwin.com

While many may have a tough time believing this when considering the case in favor of a year’s supply of food storage, I can assure you that the facts present themselves so abundantly in favor of food storage that were such a case to be brought before a court, this would be a slam dunk WIN for the “plaintiff.”  In my opinion, anyone who tries to convince you that you don’t need to be prepared with a year’s supply of essentials is plagued by some serious mental impairment.  I don’t say this coming from any position of religious belief regarding “the last days,” “Armageddon,” or “plagues, pestilence, and famine.”  The physical evidence is clear that we cannot continue to be oblivious to what’s going on around us and we must individually take action to prepare for a long-term interruption in our normal way of life—specifically when it comes to food and water.

Evidence #1: Worldwide food shortages.  Believe me, I know talking about food shortages sounds crazy, but I assure you that it only sounds foreign to us because it’s simply not a part of everyday life for most Americans.  I have written two pieces solely about food shortages on this site and provided ample evidence of such.  But in case that’s not enough for you, go to your favorite search engine and do a search on “food shortage.”  There are news articles from all over the world discussing this reality.  It’s not just restricted to 3^rd world countries like you may expect.  Nations which have previously been top exporters of various food products are now IMPORTING food due to weather and natural disaster occurrences.

Photo c/o irishelection.com

Evidence #2: Financial instability.  When an economy is in turmoil, it’s not just about consumers being able to afford to make purchases.  It’s also about manufacturers being able to afford to produce goods for consumers.  Consumers aren’t the only ones going without right now.  Companies are cutting back drastically everywhere.  Even flourishing food manufactuerers such as Proctor & Gamble have had to shut down plants, offer small amounts on their consumer coupons, decrease benefits packages, and freeze pay raises in various areas within the company.  P&G is one of the lucky ones.  Many others have had to completely shut their doors after decades of successful business.  The financial dance of the economy is a complicated tango. 

Right now the value of currency all over the world has been drastically reduced due to the financial meltdown within our nation.  We keep printing money to fund “stuff” without abiding by any consequences as to the actual value of that money.  In fact, the Federal Reserve has gone so far as to no longer produce the M3 report, which used to tell us just how much money was actually printed and in circulation at one time.  Let me share with you why that’s dangerous. 

Suppose you ran a McDonald’s restaurant.  And suppose you elected to give out a coupon for a free McDonald’s meal.  Obviously, there has to be a limit to the number of meals your company can give to the community for free.  Even if you had a large budget for the campaign itself, you would still have logistical restrictions on the amount of beef, bread, manpower, and space that you would need to execute the coupon offer.  But what if one of your employees decided to make thousands of copies of that coupon and sent out stacks of them to everyone in the community?  Naturally you’re busy all day long making burgers, cleaning the restaurant, paying the employees and their benefits, and yet at the end of a month long campaign, all you’ve got to show for it is a stack of coupons that were exchanged for real meals.  Ultimately, you don’t have a business any longer—only the coupons are still in circulation.  So, tell me what those coupons are really worth to you—or more importantly how much they really cost you? 

Such is the case with our present financial condition in our nation.  We don’t have enough to back up the value of our “coupons.”  The gold is gone in Ft. Knox.  We have no idea how many “coupons” are in circulation.  And at some point (in the near future, I predict) it will be the “end of the month’s campaign,” and we will see that we’ve got a whole lot of useless paper in circulation with nothing but our last meal to show for it. 

So what happens?  People stop accepting your “useless paper” in exchange for your meals.  Instead they want something of “real value” such as gold, silver, or some other kind of “hard asset” trade in exchange for the goods you desire.  So how will you be able to feed your family for a year (or much more in order to provide enough time to fix such a mess) on what you’ve got in the form of “hard assets?”

This is exactly why I say that there is no better investment right now than FOOD.  Your money, or the value thereof, may be dwindling, but it can still be stretched a long ways in the form of coupons, rebates, combined with the “just plain cash” that we have now.  No matter what you pay today for it, it will still represent lifesaving nutrition for you tomorrow.  In fact, it will actually be worth MORE in the near future once an all out financial collapse occurs, because it will now represent a life saving asset that many will find themselves without.  

However, if you are smart and invest in a year’s supply of food now, you won’t regret it regardless of what happens on Wall Street. 

Evidence #3: Vulnerabilities.  The primary way that 98% of Americans receive some form of the nutritional needs is through technology and transportation.  ONE major earthquake along I-80, I-70, I-40, or I-20 in the United States and our nation will noticeably cripple our food and medical supplies.  A quarantine will cripple our access to emergency services, and depending on how long it lasts, even our access to running water, sewage, and electricity services.  Our nation runs pretty darn good when everything works well.  But it wouldn’t take much to put a major wrench in the flow of things.  One minor incident can cause a “food shortage” at your store within 30 minutes—no exaggeration.

Dragon Skin Body Armor

Just as Dragon Skin Body Armor protects the wearer from a myriad of firearm hits (look it up, it’s AWESOME), food shortage protects from other ailments as well.  In the event that a particular staple becomes tainted in the market, you won’t have to “do without” because you already stocked up.  When prices sky-rocket because of rumor or natural disaster (just as rice and wheat have done over the last year) you’ll be a “foodlord” because of what you have already stored.  Your money will go further because your meals will be created as a result of what’s in your storage, not what you happen to pass by at the grocery store.  And a very definite sense of peace accompanies that storage in knowing that you have indeed provided for the well-being of your family and those you love.  

To summarize, food storage is every man’s defense against inflation, famine, pestilence, government regulations, financial instability, war, terror, natural disasters, and just plain market manipulation.  Why would you be without it? 

UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Series

• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 1 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 2 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 3 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 4 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 5 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 6 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 7 of 8
• UNDERwhelmed in Food Storage Part 8 of 8

Copyright 2009 Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.  All rights reserved.  You are welcome to repost this information so long as it is credited to Preparedness Pro & Kellene Bishop.

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