One Emergency Item Everyone Forgets!

September was National Preparedness Month.  In the spirit of being prepared I was looking at 72-hour kits, Bug Out Bags, emergency kits, and DIY lists.  There is one major component missing from almost every kit.  What would be missing??

ENTERTAINMENT!!

Think about it.  What happens on rainy days?

Kids go crazy.
There is nothing to do.

Now imagine an emergency situation.  You have to leave home, and are now stuck in a emergency shelter.  No electricity, no TV, no movies, no entertainment.  What are you kids going to be doing?  What are you going to be doing??  See where this could be a problem.  It makes a bad situation worse.

What can you do about it?
Add a few simple toys to your little's bag.  Little guy has plenty of room for a few toys.  Think cars, magnetic games, card games, small dolls.  You get the idea, just a little something to keep them occupied till you can get home.

Taking a little time now can make a big difference later! 

Are Group Buys Worth It??

To Group Buy or Not to Group Buy. What are the most important questions?

Part 1 Group Drop Off

Has someone in your area set up a drop off for a company? Wondering if it is really worth it?

Here are some points to consider.

Do you know the person setting up the group buy?

I've seen to many people burned by someones group buy. Joe talks to Company X and can get sleeping bags $15 cheaper IF they buy 100 sleeping bags. Joe then talks to social media group B to see if they can find people to buy 100 sleeping bags. So you decide that you could use 5 sleeping bags and use an online payment method, and pay for your 5 sleeping bags. ~Lets stop here.~ So much could go wrong. First Joe could be ripping you off. They may have never talked to Company X, and are just taking your money. Since you sent the money online, and called it a gift, there is nothing you can do. Second did you really need the 5 sleeping bags? You might have. On the other hand, are you just buying sleeping bags because they are $15 cheaper?? There are other ways to find a good deal. Most items go on-sale at least once a year. Back to the story. Joe get the sleeping bags and its pick up time. Most of the time picks ups are at one time on one day. Joe picks Saturday at 9:00 am. So you're now pick up your 5 sleeping bags. Everything is happy right? Maybe.

Here's the next problem. Although helping people become more prepared is wonderful, you really don't want the whole city knowing how much you have. This time its just 5 sleeping bags, so really its not a huge problem, except 20 people now know you have an emergency stock pile. Your kids piano teacher, your Spouse's co-worker, and the lady that does your hair. Those people don't seem so bad, and really they are not. The people you don't want know your have a stock pile is the “extreme preppers”. The ones that plan on killing everyone for their supplies. There have been quite a few groups that have come out into the open and have stated, that this is their plan.

Don't become a target think before your next group buy.

Wordless Wednesday 12/23

Almost Worldess Wednesday~

Sorry for the lag is posts!!  I have some great ones planned, but have had a horrible time with our internet.  Make sure to follow me on Facebook, since it is a little easier to post there.  New internet is due to be installed next Thursday!

Death of a County

This had been on my heart for a while now so I hope you don't mind. 

First let me give you some background.  I've worked retail for 7+ years.  Officially I worked in a retail situation for 7, but if you count having my own business I've been working for the last 18 years in retail.  That is enough hours to be considered an expert.  An expert has had 10,000 hours of practice in any given field.  I've put in 14,560 hours in just my official employment history.  I've done everything from stock shelves to being a CO-Manager.  I know retail.  I also know that our economy depends on everyone.

 Doctors and Lawyers couldn't be doctors and lawyers if there wasn't a cashier.  Their couldn't be a cashier if there wasn't backroom associates.  Stores couldn't run if there were no farmers, and factory workers. 

We all need each other!


No ifs and or butts!

So whats my problem?  Why am I in an uproar?  The mines that fuel our economy are shutting down.  The stock market has driven the price of coal into the ground, and there is no money to be made.  What's the problem with that. 

The economy of my area depends on the coal miners.  Let me sketch it out for you.

Coal miners make about $18/hour.  They are young men with young families.  Young families need Doctors and Hospitals.  Young families send their children to school.  The wives of the coal miners buy cows and pigs ready to butcher and put into their freezers.  Wives of coal miners also shop at the local stores, and boutiques.

If the coal miners go, then so will part of the hospital and other health care staff.  They won't have families to take care of.  It then gets worse.  With the coal miners and health care staff gone, the schools will not need as many teachers.  The children will be going with their families.  The farmers now have fewer people to feed, and the boutiques now have fewer shoppers. 

There we have it.  Now my little county in Colorado is gone.  Several ghost towns could be in the making. 

How do we fix it?  Can it be fixed?  That is a question worth looking into.  I do know I would like to keep this area alive.

Keep people like this face painter painting.  Keep the farmers growing, and the boutiques open. 

There are blogs dedicated to the economy and there has been plenty of professionals stating the we are in an economic recession.  I don't know anything about the stock market, except that when the numbers go down fake money has been wiped out.

I just want to keep living in my beautiful area, with amazing hard working people.

Wordless Wednesday

What to do when you Garden Fails!

 So what do you do when your garden fails?  Do you curse God?  Kill the herd of deer?  Give up?  All of the above?  It has been a hard garden year.  I've lost plants to the bugs, and now the deer have destroyed my garden. 

Its hard to get over the loss of months of work.  I thought I was going to be overloaded.  So tired of Canning I wouldn't want to look at my pressure canner.  Instead I had to buy veggies to can.  At first I thought "Oh buck up!" but then the deer kept coming.  I put up lights to keep them out.  The Deer just laugh!

So what do you do?  At some point I gave up.  I can't put up a deer fence now.

The next step is to plan for next year.  Whats the plan?

Put up a deer fence.

Raise Guinea keets.  They eat bugs and don't dig up plants.

Build raised garden beds.

Realize that sometimes God needs you to learn a lesson, and try to learn the lesson in one gardening season. 

Apple Fest!

The first weekend of October Cedaredge, Colorado holds their annual Apple Fest!  This years Apple Fest was amazing.  First we toured Pioneer Town, then we looked at the Car Show.  Little guy was even lucky enough to sit in one of the cars!  Then we walked Main Street and the Park looking at all of the vendors.  Plus they had amazing food.  If your up for some adventure check out Apple Fest next October!  I can't wait for next year.