When I was young my parents were in the military.  I remember the movers coming and would roll their eyes!!  They had to wrap every single jar my Mom had canned.  When we came home my Great Grandma and my Grandma’s always had a HUGE garden.  We all thought it was awesome.  Pick the carrots, get them clean in the creek and eat them!  Yum!  I remember my Mom going to the commissary and would chips and freeze them.  She would freeze Everything!!  Chips were special treat back then.  We always went to Garage Sales.  I remember getting my first pair of Rocky Mountain jeans at a Garage Sale for $1.  I thought I was the coolest kids in Middle School!  hehe!  So I think they all rubbed off on me.

When me and my husband got married 23 years ago I would do things that would now be called Prepping.  I would have a Garage Sale.  I would split the amount of money we got  in half and use them to buy items to stock up.  I would always try to have 4 of everything.  When my 2nd daughter was little I won a contest for a year of diapers and wipes.  Pampers.  I thought I was on cloud nine.  She was getting out of diapers so I would put them on the shelves.  When someone need some I would give them away and also years later I had my son so I had some for him.  Little things like that was things we did.

When Y2K happened is when I started to prepare.  BEST THING I EVER DID!  Have items  on the shelf and not having to worry about things as much.  My biggest fear as a mother of 3 was not being able to feed my kids. I still worry about them even thought their 21,18 & 15 now.

About 8 years ago my husband’s plywood mill closed.  He had been there for 28 years.  He didn’t know anything different.  It was scary!  So at the age of 45 and back surgery my husband decided he wanted to climb power poles.  So he went to another state to go to school.  Me and my kids stayed here 12 hours away to make sure they were as much grounded as possible.  He finished school.  Worked at at a odd job and then went to work as a Tree Trimmer.  He worked there for about a year and he got called out to the power side.  Well the power side was a 3 year program and he would have to be gone.  We thought it would be best.  They would say I need you here tomorrow at 8 am and he would have to be there.    I made sure my husband did everything we did.  My kids would have a band concert and I would take pictures and have my cell phone open so he could hear it.  It took 5 years to get through this whole thing.  He is now a Journey Lineman  and now he can choose where he wants to go.  But there isnt much work.  Everyone thought we should be do great but with 2 households it was hard but now that he is topped out it should get better.

He has been off work for 4 months now.  But we learned at the mill that we could not get into debt.  Only thing we could rely on was unemployment.  Now that isnt  a security anymore.  I did at one time when he had back surgery we lived on $100 a week.  We used what we had BUT had to pay bills with Credit Cards.  We learned our lesson.  We don’t have a Credit Card.  We hope in the next couple months to pay our home off.  It might not be much but it is ALMOST ours!! lol!!  It has been hard ride but so worth it.

Now were REALLY into coupons.  I have stocked up on Shampoo, Conditioner, Dedorant, Vitamins, Toilet Paper, Paper Towels, Cereal plus a lot of other food.  And a lot more items. I have always used coupons but now it is a different level.  Now I buy at least on big can of food storage like milk or dried veggies at WalMart to put in my food storage ever week.  Even at $500 a week on unemployment I try to get something to put on the shelf. I even made me a binder to keep track of what I got.  I LOVE TO CAN!!  Just did Bacon, Hamburger and Chicken.  We always put in a garden but this year it is going to be a lot bigger.  My friend gave me a carport that the tarp ripped off and were going to make it into a green house.  We got Chicken which we call our girls.  I sell enough eggs to pay for their food plus have tons extra.  I have been reading and learning.  Was excited about the bacon and also making powders eggs out of the dehydrator.  Been making jerky. I guess I have been on a meat thing lately.  But reading they say their going to get a lot more expensive that they already are.  I am hoping to prepare more.

I would like to thank Kellene for everything she does and write.  I tell people” I am following this cool lady online”  I get up every morning hoping you wrote more.  Thanks again for everything.