Dream House

A while back when I started nannying we went on a walk through the little guys neighborhood and I discovered my dream house.  There a tons of beautiful homes in his neighborhood but this one is my favorite.  I hope Anthony and I can save up enough money so we can aford a home like this someday.

 Such a cool tower thing.  I don't really know what to call it.

 I love the paint colors and the brick chimney.

 Look at this house! It is so perfect.   I love the chimneys, all the windows, the layout, the front porch, the list goes on and on

 They even have a front porch swing!  swoon.

 I love the American flag and the pair of rocking chairs.  Such the classic American Dream House.

I super dooper love this house and so does Anthony.  Can't wait to own our own home someday.

Garage Sale Finds

I love being thrifty.  I wish I had enough time to go to goodwill on a weekly basis to see what goodies they have.  But, last weekend I scored at a garage sale.  Garage sales are my favorite place to thrift because you can find tons of great stuff for dirt cheap.  And you can bargain with people.  I went when people were thinking about calling it a day so they just wanted to get rid of everything.  Lucky for me that meant really easy bargaining.

Here's what I ended up getting for $4:

 This glass pitcher.  So cute for my new kitchen table!

 3 metal scoops.  The third one is on my stove to hold whatever spoon I am cooking with.

This old fashioned milk container.  Great for holding for utenciles.

Paper towel holder.  I washed it down and painted it red.

Glasses Keep Falling Off- Try this.

I have a pair of glasses that I love but almost never wear because they always slide off my nose.  My mom told me once that you could fix them yourself by running the plastic under very hot water and bending it to fit.  I finally tried it.  It was super easy and now they fit great.

Bucket List -Pre Kiddos

This post was inspired by this post (of course I found this via pinterest).  Ever since I got married (well really since forever) but especially now...I find myself searching the web and in life for all things baby.  I really want to be a mom but I also know that these days that Anthony and I have before we start our family are precious and I don't want to waste any of them.  So I found myself looking for ideas of things I can do to entertain myself (and my honey) until we are ready to start a family.

Here's My Pre Kiddos Bucket List:
-Go skydiving!!! Anthony and I both really want to.
-Go horse back riding
-Go Camping
-Hike at Yosemite
-Stay in bed and just do nothing all day (pj's...movie marathon...and order pizza)
-Go on a road trip or at least a long drive somewhere with my man
-Enjoy our privacy
-Go out on lots of dates!!! 
-Eat at Restaurants
-Get a mani -pedi
-Go on 2nd Honeymoon to Carmel/Monterey
-Get all the things on my wishlist for my wardrobe and home
-Purchase a car
-Run a 5k or Marathon with hubs
-get super fit
-get better at playing piano
-do all the projects on my list

72-Hour Kit Stocking Stuffers?!?!

My Aunt wrote this status on Facebook: 

Jennifer Conner PohlsanderThis year the stockings were filled with chapstick, handkerchiefs, water purification tablets, oranges, & candy canes. Santa is into emergency preparedness. I just hope we can keep the kids from eating the purification tablets or doing experiments that involve drinking the pond water. Hope your Christmas was Merry too!

I think this is hillarious because I did the same thing.  Hubby got hand warmers, flashlights, and work gloves in his stocking this year.  And they all went straight to our kits. :)

Buying in Bulk

I strongly believe that when you shop at Costco you are on the right track to emergency preparedness.  When you buy in bulk not only do you save money but you have more supplies and food on hand.  Now that I have experienced what it feels like to have everything I need on hand and then some...it is very hard for me to not continue to keep those items on hand.  

Here is a list of most of the things I buy from Costco:

-toilet paper -lasts at least 6 months

-sandwich ziplocs -has lasted me 10 months and I still haven't run out

-gallon ziplocs

-canned green beans

-canned cream of mushroom

-canned corn

-canned tomatoe sauce

-canned cambell's chicken noodle

-milk

-eggs

-bread

-chicken breast tenders

-bacon

-paper towels

-chips (pre-packaged)

-body wash

-shampoo and conditioner

-toothbrushes

-tooth paste

-floss

Learning from Mistakes

So...  I had heard that you could freeze a gallon of milk, get it out a couple days before you need it, and it would taste just like you got it from the store.  I've been trying to keep as much food as my tiny apartment can handle on hand.  At my current stage of food storage (living in a one-bedroom apartment with minimal storage)  I try my best to do what I can in regards to my 3-month supply.  Someday I wish to have an extra freezer to help but for now I just have my little one above the fridge.  

Anyways... I tried it.  I just stuck two gallons of milk in my freezer.  When I got them out they had expanded quit a bit and looked very yellow.  It took a week for them to thaw out. I will continue to freeze my milk, however I will be sure to drink about a cup of it first.

Next,  I froze a block of cheddar cheese.  When I got it out and started to use it I found out that it crumbles. From now on I will only freeze pre-shredded or sliced cheese.

I wish I would've read this first.  Although, sometimes we learn the best when we experience things for ourselves. I now know that you can freeze almost anything if you do it right.

Dollar Store Finds

Today I found:
2 ponchos
2 flashlights
8 pack of matches
body wash

These are all items I need to add to my 72 hour kits.  I love that I can accomplish this goal and still have money in my pockets.  

Happy Thanks Giving!

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!

72- Hour Kits

I have really been struggling to finish my little family's 72-Hour Kits.  I think it's because I let some of my perfectionism get in the way.  Here is what I have learned so far.  USE WHAT YOU HAVE!!! If you go out and buy all the best stuff you will be stuck with really expensive kits that you might never use and empty pockets. If you haven't started yet or aren't quite finished (like me) take this list and go on a scavenger hunt to find as many items as you can in your home (only use items that wont be missed...too much).

My 72-Hour Kit

duffel bag with wheels

1 set of cloths (pants, shirt, under garments, beanie, scarf, baseball hat,socks)

scriptures

3 bottles of water

travel sized shampoo

conditioner

liquid body soap

tooth paste

tooth brush

medium sized towel

feminine supplies

chap stick

lotion

hand sanitizer

sunscreen

deodorant

2 pair 1-time use contacts

roll of toilet paper in plastic baggie

tissues

comb

2 hair ties

small mirror

3 trash bags

notebook -pen and pencil

deck of cards

3 sudoku pages

3 crossword puzzle pages

current picture of our family

whistle on a neck cord

glow stick on a neck cord

$50 emergency cash and coins

mini first aid kit

vitamins

beef jerky

raisins

chewy bars

nature valley bars

fruit roll ups

fruit snacks

pop tarts

plastic cutlery

flashlight and batteries

mixed nuts

extra glasses in case

 emergency candles

Items that are not in kit to grab: (place close to kits)

sleeping bag

small tent

2.5 gallon water jug

shoes and socks (these are located under my bed in case of a fire where I need to exit out my window)

jacket (has another $50 stashed in the pocket)

Here is what I still need:

3-N95 mask

thermal reflective blanket (space blanket)

map of Turlock

waterproof matches

rain poncho

copies of important documents (health insurance, license, birth certificate, marriage papers, ect.)

list of items in kit

list of important phone numbers

Now...is there anything else that I am forgetting?  Do I have too much stuff?  Where is the best place to get the rest of the things on my list for cheap?  Do you have any more ideas for what type of food I should include? How are you doing on your kits?

My goal is to have my kits complete by next week...so I can show all of you how they turned out.

Emergency Cash

Today I went to Food Max and I bought the rest of the water I needed to have in my storage.  Which was all but 2 gallons of it.  I now have 28 gallons of water in a closet under my 72-hour kits.  There are 3 flats of 16.9 oz. bottles x 35(cost $3.74 per flat), 4 1-gallon containers(cost $0.78 each) , and 5 2.5 gallon containers(cost $2.39 each).  All together it cost me $32.24... I figured that wasn't a bad price to pay for piece of mind. I put 5 bottles in my "car kit" (1 for each seat in my car).  I also put 3 bottles in each 72-hour kit.  That way if we grab our kits, one 2.5 gallon container (I spent a little extra money for the convenience of these water cases- they have pretty study handles and are easy to stack), and our sleeping bags and tent we will be set.  The rest of the water is for more "long term" storage so it is in our closet underneath our kits.  I really would like to put some shelves in our storage closet but for now I just stack things as best I can in order of importance.  That way I can still get to the most important things first.

I also went to the bank and got out some cash to use for emergencies.  After reading and pondering a lot of different opinions my husband and I decided on the following:  We will keep $20 in our car, $50 in each 72-hour kit, another $50 for each person in our home, and $20 in each of our wallets.  We both know that this money is for emergencies only and I don't think we will have problems with spending it.  We came to this decision because this is more than enough money for us to pay for gas, water, and food in case of an emergency.  We could last a month on that amount of money in a crisis.  Also, we made sure to only use small bills and change.  A twenty dollar bill will do you know good in an emergency.  People won't have change to give you and if you need water.... well your out $20.  In addition we have $250 set aside in our savings account that we will only use in an emergency. This is our financial reserve.

Overall, I feel very accomplished today.  Next step... finish my car kit and my 72-hour kits.  Then all I will need to do is to continually build up my food storage and continue to add and improve my kits, water storage, and financial reserve.  :) 

A Full Pantry -3 month food supply

How is everyone doing on their water storage? I have 2 one-gallon jugs so far.

Because today is Today's the Day: Thursday we will continue to talk about our emergency preparedness goals.  There are so many different ways to prepare for and emergency it can be overwhelming to decide what to store, how much, and where.  I have done a lot of blog surfing and searching the web on this subject and this is my conclusion:  There is no 1 right or wrong way to do it -there is only what works for you and your family.  When it comes to storing food...eventually you should have a 1 year supply.  Let's just start with a three month supply.  This food should all be foods that your family eat often and are familiar with.

To find out what foods you need.  As a family decide on about 28 dinners and 14 breakfasts that are your go-to meals.  Make a list of the meals and all the ingredients it takes to make each meal (include side dishes, veggies, bread, ect.)  Try to make the meal a balanced one.  Now triple the amount of ingredients for the dinners and multiply the ingredients of the breakfasts by 6.  This will give you enough food for 3 months!  Now make a grocery list with all the ingredients you need and purchase a few of these things in addition to your regular shopping each week.  Soon you will have a 3 month food supply.

I used this worksheet.  It is perfect for this project and there is a video tutorial on how to use it.  This is also helpful for college students.  This blog is also very helpful!

Water - We Can't Live Without It

As this post is on Today's the Day :Thursday we will be covering the topics of emergency preparedness and food storage.  No matter what situation you are in you can start preparing today... and you should.

I would recommend you start with storing water.  Now, eventually you should have enough water stored so that each person in your household has one gallon per day for 2 weeks.  Now that seems like a daunting task, but you don't have to get it all at once.

First, find a cool, dark place where you can store your water.  The best place would be in a closet near an exit.  I choose my coat closet.  Now, if you need to clear some space... do so.  This will get rid of the excuse that you have no where to store it. 

Second, decide what type of container you are going to store your water in and the acquire one.  Whether it be a 55-gallon barrel (probably not best to store this one in a closet), cases of water bottles, one-gallon containers, or recycled containers (empty and wash out juice or soda bottles).  Some factors you want to think about are the amount of space you have to store enough water for your family, how often you want to rotate it, and how portable your water is in case you need to leave your home quickly.

My husband and I choose to store half of our supply in one-gallon containers... and the other half in cases of water bottles.  That way, if we need to it would be easy to take it with us in case of an evacuation.  It is also, easier to divide out or share with neighbors with small containers. 

Third, start storing slowly.  If you choose a large barrel, put some money aside each month until you have enough to purchase it.  If you choose water bottles or such, wait until it goes on sale and then buy one or two.  Continue to do this until you have reached your goal.

1 gallon = 128 fluid oz.  So for 1 person you need 14 gallons or 1,792 oz.  

My storage consists of 7 1-gallon containers per person and 53 16.9 oz. water bottles

Once you have all or even some of your water make sure you rotate it as often as you need to.  If you decided to store it in recycled containers you might need to rotate more often.  If you use water bottles, you can easily rotate this by using it in your daily lives and keeping track of how much you need to replace.  While, rotating is always good... water in a sealed container (like a water bottle) will never go bad.  It may not taste as good as fresh water... but it is still good.  Tip: If you move water back and forth between 2 containers it will taste better.  Since my family chose to buy sealed containers we will probably not rotate ours very often.

Make sure to put 3 gallons of your overall storage per person with the 72 hour kits.  :)