I love discovering things that make life work just a little better. I'm a proponent of free access to solid information. Enjoy your time here and do visit often!
Rebekah Anast brings her unique perspective to her newest book, The DaVinci Road. I half-expected to find tales of her jungle adventures, fun childhood, devotional gems, poetry or parenting tips. By the time I reluctantly turned the last page, I had not been disappointed. All of this and more are contained in The DaVinci Road.
The DaVinci Road expounds upon the learning method of observation to arrive at a conclusion. The author reflects upon her varied experiences and brings them into the classroom setting and beyond. Using DaVinci as her model, she encourages others to look and see the evidence for themselves. She urges all of us to continue to seek, to chase after the truth and to not grow complacent in that endeavor.
Her observations about life, children and academic instruction are sprinkled throughout along with some of her favorite recipes. She shares methods that have worked for her and others when dealing with a learning difficulty. The reader is left with a challenge to pursue the adventure that is this life with both eyes and ears wide open.
If you are interested in receiving a free ebook, here's the author and her husband with details on how this can be done.
NOTE: If you've got a computer and an Amazon account, you can use their Kindle application free. In other words you don't need a smartphone or some other personal electronic device (other than your computer) to read the book online. Here's the link for Kindle https://kindle.amazon.com/
Complex food preservation instructions can be overwhelming. That's why I think Self-reliance Recession-Proof Your Pantry is wonderful. At less than 140 pages, it is precise and concise without wasting lots of ink. Jackie Clay is a prolific writer with Backwoods Home Magazine. Jeffrey Yugo, Sylvia Gist and Linda Gabris join Jackie in offering their words of wisdom on this topic.
One of the things I like most about this reference tool is that you needn't be planning to build a bomb shelter to implement these methods. Use as much as you'd like to stretch your own food budget. Whether you are wanting to set aside some overflow from the garden or if you are looking for a way to cut grocery expenses, you can use these methods to create an economic cushion and stretch your hard-earned dollar.
Learn the mechanics of rotating your storage, what you need for successful storage, how to can and what to can. A section in the book is also devoted to drying, smoking and pickling your foods. You'll learn what tools you need and what methods work best for people that have plenty of experience.
Jackie Clay has weathered the seasons and dealt with the challenges that have arisen as she has worked to make her 120-acre homestead successful. I get tired just reading about all that she has done! I've never been tempted to encourage her to slow down . . . I'd likely have to climb a ladder to chase her down. It wouldn't surprise me if she handed me chores to do while we talked!
Our family subscribes to Backwoods Home Magazine, and we enjoy it very much. They leave room in their editorials for divergent opinions. Occasionally, I find myself on opposite sides of an issue. However, Backwoods Home consistently offers valuable information for anyone looking for ways to become more self-sufficient and avoid being at the mercy of fluctuating markets. Having a subscription is like purchasing a tuition to a varied seminar delivered right to your home. For our family, it's money well spent.
Keeping a well stocked pantry, medicine cabinet and a good supply of various household items on hand has long been recommended by various preparedness and survival experts. This strategy, however, can also be used to help save money and insulate your household from fluctuating prices.
The biggest hurdle that families on limited incomes have is that there just isn't that much disposable income with which to accumulate a stockpile of items. When you are thinking about getting the funds to acquire the tools to preserve and store food items -- and the foods also -- it can seem like an impossible task.
Instead of trying to do everything at once, I recommend you break it down into three gradual steps.
STEP ONE: Create a 'Buy Price List.'
This is a two-step process that involves writing down each item you purchase, the size and the price. If you are using paper, use a separate sheet for each major category. I use the following categories: Baking, Beverages, Bread, Canned Goods, Cleaning, Clothing, Condiments, Dairy, Dental, Grain/Dry Beans, Hair Care, Household Items (batteries, etc.), Kitchen Tools, Meat, Medicine/Supplements, Paper, Personal Care/First Aid, Pets, Produce, School & Office, Seasonings and Snacks.
There will be duplicate entries because you'll keep this up for about two to three months. Eventually, you will notice that there are times when you get a better price than others. On a separate sheet of paper, you'll write down each item you normally purchase and the best price or the 'Buy Price' for that item. An example would look like this:
Household Items -- Batteries -- AA Alkaline Batteries -- $.37 each -- $5.99 for pack of 16
This is important because your 'Buy Price List' tells you when prices have dropped to the best price for your area. When prices hit the range on your list, purchase enough to last you for 6 weeks or so. Why six weeks? Because retail stores have sales cycles that range from 6 to 8 weeks. You'll have enough of an item in your home to hold you over until it goes on sale again. This means that the same products you already purchase will (eventually) only be purchased by you when you see the price drop.
There are online sites that offer guidelines on what is considered the lowest price, but these seldom take into account things like organic vegetables and/or the ingredients that you might use if you make things from scratch. You'll want to make your own list in order to know when something like your favorite bulk herb or Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar is available for a good price.
Step Two: Combine your buy price with coupons.
I know. Food coupons often promote processed foods and less than healthy options. However, consider for a moment how many items come home in your shopping bag that aren't actually foods. You probably purchase clothing, hair products and accessories, toothbrushes, batteries, canning jars, storage bags, garbage bags, paper products, etc. By combining manufacturer coupons with sales prices, you can greatly reduce the cost of these items, leaving more money for the healthy foods you prefer.
Many stores offer store coupons in their sales fliers and on their web sites. These can be printed off at home and redeemed in the store. Most stores will allow you to use a store coupon AND a manufacturer coupon for the purchase of single item. My husband was able to use this strategy to purchase two loaves of sprouted grain bread. The store coupon and the manufacturer coupon actually totaled more than the cost of the bread. He went through the checkout and got paid to leave with some very healthy bread.
Step 3: Leverage your savings
Now that each dollar is being used to get products at lower prices, and you are stocking up on the items you regularly use, you should notice a drop in your spending. This can take a few months to kick in, but it will happen. Once this occurs, you'll have a little nest egg. Use that as seed money to invest in tools to increase your savings. Whether it's as small as a well-organized coupon book, or as large as a durable wheat grinder, tools like these pay for themselves.
Maybe you've been thinking about raising your own eggs with some backyard chickens, or you'd like to find a rock bottom price for some bulk grains, or you need to build a sturdy pantry -- whatever your needs, consider purchasing something that increases your ability to be self-sustaining and thereby further stretches your dollar.
Your savings will also allow you to collect items that would be a blessing to a family in need. Imagine how a basket of toiletries and cleaning products would be received by a family that had just lost their home. What you were able to collect for free (or nearly free) could be a great bounty to them.
If you are interested in learning more about how to effectively coupon, here are some resources I recommend:
Getting quality ingredients that are packed with nutrition has become increasingly difficult on a tight budget. Finding someone to tell you how to keep expenses down can become even more confusing because every family has different needs and there are TONS of methods for saving on groceries.
So, what I will share in this article are a few things that work for me. These are not hard fast rules. I will not send the Learn and Live Well police to your home to check for violations. These are simply guidelines that I use which have proved helpful. Hopefully, there is enough here to help you get the most for your money.
Become a Low Price Expert Your family's grocery shopper may not have a lot of influence over the household and food budget. Regardless of your circumstances, you can make yourself a student of pricing in your area. Knowing how much an item costs -- what is actually a good price and what isn't -- will make you a smart shopper. If you've only got $5 to spend, you may as well get the most out of your limited budget. One way to do this is to start a price comparison notebook. Give a separate page for each item you regularly purchase. Include cleaning products, snacks, toiletries and food. You can use your receipts, sales fliers or just walk the aisles of your favorite store and record the size and price of each item, along with brand name and a short description. Once you know what's a good price for an item, you can watch the notices for sales and make purchases when you see the price fall to that level.
Use Basic Ingredients Another way to save money is to stop purchasing convenience items. Processed foods don't just compromise your health, they lower your bank balance. Learning how to organize your kitchen and cook from scratch isn't too overwhelming if you just begin with one thing at a time. Mastering one dish will encourage you to attempt more ambitious things. For instance, knowing how to make bread can lead to grinding your own grain which can lead to learning how to make your own tortillas and pasta . . . . all of which will be more nutritious and less costly than the name brand item you are purchasing now. I can get organic brown rice cheaper than the regular off the shelf version by knowing how to find it cheap, store it and prepare it.
Of course, this will change the items you purchase and your price comparison notebook will reflect the change. Instead of the best price on glass and surface cleaner, you'll want to know the best price on vinegar and baking soda. The good news is that you'll automatically be spending less by purchasing the ingredients AND you'll save more on top of this by finding the best price on those ingredients.
Invest in Local Farmers It's one thing to tell everyone they should be eating farm fresh produce, but it's quite another to find a way to accomplish it in practice. Unless you have years of farming experience and plenty of acreage outside of a residential area, you may find the task a daunting one. Not everyone has the vision and abilities that Jules Dervaes has demonstrated by turning his little city lot into a working farmstead. (Check out the Dervaes' story on www.urbanhomestead.org you might be inspired to plant a tomato or two.)
Instead, you can do the next best thing. Consider purchasing shares in a local farm. Find farmers near you that are willing to allow you to invest in their farm. These are called CSA's which stands for Consumer Supported Agriculture. Using the web site www.localharvest.org we were able to find a farmer near us that had a good reputation and a wide variety of produce. After touring his farm (and meeting his lovely family), we agreed on a price and purchased shares in all three 7-week growing seasons in our area. In addition, we were able to make arrangements to purchase some beef in advance of processing. This required some up-front money, but it also insured that we would have weekly baskets of fresh produce and a freezer full of beef without a hint of pink slime. *blech!*
Purchase Bulk Dry Goods Organic staples like dried beans, brown rice, wheat berries, grits, corn meal, etc. can be difficult to find at good prices. One way to make sure you have them on hand is to purchase them in bulk. These are often found in 25 pound bags or larger. The dry goods can be kept in a large freezer or at controlled room temperature in pest-proof containers. I've found that placing a bay leaf in containers keeps them weevil and bug free as well as placing them in wide-mouthed canning jars that I vacuum seal using a FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer using a Wide-Mouth Jar Sealer attachment. Combining this with a well built shelving unit has freed up my freezer space (for the beef I purchased from our CSA *smiles*).
Combine Coupons With Sales on Items You Use There are a lot of web sites out there which tell you how to accomplish this. In fact, by making so many things from scratch you will already be beating most couponers in the low price game. However, when it comes to ANYTHING you buy off the rack -- from tires to toilet paper -- you can save some MAJOR money using coupons. One store near me sells organic canned vegetables for more than $1 per can. I wait until those same items go on sale for $.60 and then load up my cart with enough to keep the pantry full until the sale hits again. I use my customer loyalty card that gives me an additional discount on certain days and saves me money when my husband gets gas for the vehicles. For more discussion on whether coupons are worth your time, check our this post: STOCKING UP ON SAVINGS -- ARE COUPONS WORTH THE EFFORT?
Here are my three favorite sites for information on how to save money with coupons.
Southern Saver -- I like this site for practical strategies and information for beginners. She includes a lot of in-store videos that demonstrate her methods. She also gives workshops. Check her calendar.
These blends are ones that I use in recipes that call for Italian or taco seasoning. At the end of this post is a recipe you can use to make your own sausage in just a few minutes. Enjoy!
ITALIAN SEASONING Italian seasoning herbal blend isn’t difficult to make. Just toss these few herbs together into a small jelly jar and store with your other kitchen spices. You can use this as a substitute for the herbs in the sausage recipe as well as for seasoning in other dishes such as spaghetti, homemade pizza and chicken. I don’t add salt and pepper to this blend, preferring to add it during the cooking process.
Makes a generous ¼ cup Keep in small glass jar with tight fitting lid
TACO SEASONING BLEND Have you tired of adding maltodextrin, monosodium glutamate, sugar, malic acid, silicon dioxide and soybean oil to your tacos? There’s a cheaper and easier way to get the taste you want without those chemicals. Make your own using 8 ingredients:
4 Tbsp chili powder 1 Tbsp cumin 2 tsp paprika ½ tsp red pepper flakes 2 tsp sea salt 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper *2 tsp onion powder *2 tsp garlic powder
Mix thoroughly and place in a small glass jar with tight fitting lid. Keep in a dark area to preserve flavor. Use for any meat that needs seasoning, including blackened fish. Usually 2 tbsp of this mix is enough for 1 pound of meat. *Note: I often make this mix without the garlic or onion powder. I season my dishes to taste and add fresh garlic and onion when cooking.
HOMEMADE SAUSAGE Homemade sausage is an easy way to avoid nitrates, nitrites, chemical preservatives, artificial coloring and flavorings. Not only that, it just tastes better! Ground turkey, beef, pork and chicken are available in many retail outlets or you can grind your own. It isn’t necessary to stuff the seasoned meat into casings. I think that making sausage patties gives you more flexibility when using them in meal preparation.
To make your own sausage, combine: 1 pound beef 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 small onion, peeled & finely chopped 1 tsp red pepper flakes ¼ tsp each: fresh ground pepper, cumin, marjoram, nutmeg, oregano & ginger 1/2 tsp each: basil, thyme, sage & sea salt
(Italian sausage option: Substitute 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning for the herbs listed.)
I roll these into 2 Tbsp patties and press them to about ½ inch thickness. This allows me to be sure they are cooked completely and not underdone inside. I prepare mine in a heated cast iron pan wiped with olive oil. They can be served in a variety of ways to suit your own taste.
These pancakes are a filling and nutrient dense breakfast to feed your family when the pantry is looking a little bare. They are light, fluffy and delicious enough to be a special treat.
Wipe a cast iron pan with coconut oil and heat it to a medium high temperature on the stove top. (I keep a shallow saucer of coconut oil nearby and wipe the pan between batches of pancakes.) Meanwhile, blend 4 tablespoons of ground flax seed into 1 cup of filtered water. Let this sit and add the following to the soaked flour mixture:
3 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup honey 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tablespoon vanilla
Mix this thoroughly and then add the flax seed and water, blending again. This batter may be very thick. Add more water if needed.
Check the heated pan. It is ready when a few sprinkles of water will dance on its surface.
Use an ice cream scoop to measure the batter onto the pan. When a bubble of air breaks the surface and remains open, flip the cake to cook on the reverse side. To keep the finished pancakes warm, they can be placed in a tortilla warmer or on a cookie sheet placed in an oven warmed to its lowest temperature.
There are many applications that allow you to create banners on the new Facebook Profile. However, each application comes with limitations in your ability to customize or create. If you'd prefer to make your very own banner, it takes just a little time following a few guidelines.
The 'banners' that you see on people's profiles are actually images that are tagged with that person's name. The order that those images appear in are related to WHEN those tags were placed. The images appear in order from the most recently tagged to the 5th oldest one.
In order to create your own banner, you'll need to find an image that is horizontally oriented, or one that can be cropped to be oriented in this way. Once you have this image on your hard drive, you'll need to size it properly to begin creating your banner.
Using your picture editor, size your banner to 490 pixels wide by 68 pixels high. These overall dimensions can be divided into 5 equal segments that will fit together like puzzle pieces that create your banner. To divide your banner, select the upper left hand corner of your image and draw a box that is 98 by 68 pixels. Copy this selection and paste it as a new image and label it 'imageA'. Return to your original image and draw another box that is 98 x 68, position it's starting point at the 98th pixel from the left border of your image. Copy this section and paste it as a new imaged named 'imageB'. Return to the original image and repeat this process three more times.
Here are the starting pixel positions of each 98 x 68 segment of your 490 x 68 original:
98 196 294 and 392
Once you've created all five images, go to your social networking page and upload these five images. Place them in a folder together. Tag each photo in that folder with your own name moving from the last to the first. If the images are lettered A, B, C, D & E, then you will need to tag with your name in the order of E, D, C, B, and A. View your profile page or wall to see how the images look. If they are out of order, you may need to remove the tags and go through the process once more, saving after each tag. If you tag them without saving your work between each tag, the order can sometimes be mixed.
If you'd like to use the banners I've made for my own Facebook page, feel free. Just add Kay Morrison to your friends list, browse through my photos and use any banners that you enjoy.
Rebekah Anast brings her unique perspective to her newest book, The DaVinci Road. I half-expected to find tales of her jungle adventures, fun childhood, devotional gems, poetry or parenting tips. By the time I reluctantly turned the last page, I had not been disappointed. All of this and more are contained in The DaVinci 
Road.
