Hit Big Lots, the dollar store and a local farm today

I used up the magic eraser type sponges I like using for cleanup in the bathroom as they are awesome for cleaning any bathtub ring. Big Lot’s has the sponges $1.80 for 4 sponges and they last for a couple of months of cleaning the bathroom or kitchen areas.  I got a pack of 7 sponge/green scratch pads at the dollar store so I think I’m in good shape for sponges at least!  The local Dollar Tree had a great buy on Progresso soup 18 oz. cans so I got 5 for making  a quick meal. At Big Lot’s they had some of the Jello and pudding snack packs for a dollar and I added a couple of those to the Mini-van quick and easy meals. I was very surprised that these little snack packs have a best used by date of over 12 months without refrigeration.  These items could  be a great morale booster if you have to bugout quickly as well as a snack when caught in traffic or your car gets stuck. I also added a small packet of “dry toast” and left some room in the little 12 volt therm o-electric fridge/warmer to add some protien and dried fruit and veggies. It’s a little crazy at times to realize that with my GHB and my “emergency car kit”  my mini-van, I carry every day,  is actually better prepared for a disaster than at least 50%-75 % of most folks in the USA.

I  found this local farm while looking for an organic seed provider here in Canyon county and these guys have couple of green houses and have done great produce for reasonable prices.  The farm did not have the little Sugar baby watermelons but Mom and I got some nice large melons for about $3.00 each. Mom grabbed some Eggplants and I got some peppers and since we have become somewhat regular customers and pay cash we got a heck of a deal of $4.00 dollars each. I like growing a garden and I think it is a great thing to do in spite of the costs but I love that Idaho is an agricultural state and you can get plenty of bargains if you are willing to shop.

My timing is off a bit this year because I was worried about cash on hand for Diana.  While I”m saving cash it’s darn tough when you think something will bite ” you in the butt”. Stay calm and evaluate your position without being emotional if you can and make a plan for your money.  I know it is darn hard to stand back and be logical when folks are hurting, but it is critical you learn that skill now as things probably will  get harder emotionally. At least think about what you can do, what you will do and what you can’t do in a disaster situation.

In Sierra Leone they are shutting done for 3 days and all people must stay at home and be inspected for harboring any Ebola victims. That means all markets will be shut down and since these folks live on about $2.00 per day and lack refrigeration to store any food this is a big deal as  local markets will lose income that supports their families so they can buy the basics.  How would you do if you lost 3 days of wages or could not shop at your local mega-mart until next Monday?

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