Thought for the Day

As I am preparing other information to share with you, I heard this quote today and thought it fit right in.

"Any idiot can handle a crisis, it is the every day that challenges us"

I'm hoping to be able to be better prepared for the "every day" and then if a crisis comes - it should be a piece of cake!

#1 Get Finances in Order

I've always been a frugal person (that is - until I see a spectacular deal on kids' clothes or something like that). In the past, I have compiled all of my bills/income onto an excel spreadsheet at the end of the year so that we could see where we were spending our money and where we could improve. This was a good tool but it didn't offer much in the form of month to month adjustments. It just took too much time to do it monthly. I've never been able to make a "budget" where I say I will only spend x number of dollars in each category each month. I have always just avoided spending money on anything that wasn't necessary and then taking advantage of good deals to "stock up". So one month I may spend a small fortune on food but the next I may spend next to nothing. This method is a bit hap-hazard and I have wanted to feel like I was more knowlegable about where my money was going and how I could be a better money manager.

So - my mom mentioned an incredible service that I want to pass along. Mint.com is a FREE financial organizer. At the risk of sounding like an info-mercial - here goes. On this website you register all of your bank accounts, credit cards, investments, ect. Then it automatically categorizes all of your expenditures into categories that would be in a typical budget. You can add your own categories and you can change anything they have listed. It then can show you a pie chart so you can see where you are in your spending and it will compare what you are currently spending to what you have spent in the past. You can also plan a budget and you will get e-mail alerts when you are over what you have set for your budget.

I am letting you know about this service because I think it will help me immensly with keeping track of my spending on a month to month basis and it gives my husband and I a way to both track our finances in real time with out having to have a long "back to basics" discussion once a year. We can both be aware of where we are at all times and can make better financial decisions.

When our financial house is in order - we are better able to prepare ourselves for the future by having a surplus of edible food and supplies and being able to create our own "rainy day fund". So - here goes - I've registered myself and am excited to finally feel like this part of my house is in order!

House in Order

To begin my journey, I intend to "get my house in order". Now this is coming from a mother of 5 young children - my house is never really "in order" - so obviously I'm not talking about a grand spring cleaning event. So here is my plan:
1. Get my finances in order
2. Inventory my Food Storage
3. Plan recipes/menus that utilize my food storage and healthy habits
4. Prepare for and plant a Garden.

So - there is a good starting point. I figure that if I take one goal per week to research and report on - I'll be ready to ACT in one month.

Why Gullible Gulls?

I am embarking on a new (and a bit scary I might add) journey. I am from a generation where everything has been handed to us on the proverbial silver platter.

• Our clothing comes from a store - brand new with tags on and not even a hole to mend or a button to replace. We have multiple sizes to pick from so if we happen to grow (or shrink) a size, we can just go purchase a new one.
• Our food is packaged nicely in the freezer section so that all we have to do is warm and serve. I am amazed at how many people of my generations don't truly cook or bake.
• We have learned that the little plastic card in our wallet can purchase anything we need or want and all that we are responsible for are the minimum payments.
• Even our entertainment comes in the form of passive television shows and video games or involves the use of expensive toys - things from outside of ourselves that someone else has prepared for us.

I am reminded of a story in the October 1950 Reader's Digest. In St. Augustine there were great flocks of Sea Gulls that were starving even though the water was full of plenty of food. For many generations, the Gulls had depended on the shrimp fleets to toss them the scraps from their catch. When the fleet moved, the gulls who had never learned how to fish for generations, never taught their children how to fish. They now starve just because they lack those skills. They had depended too long on someone else to do the work for them.

I am not professing to be "better" than my generation in creating this blog - but instead, someone who wants to learn how to... well alot of stuff. I want to learn how to grow and store the food that my family eats, I want to learn how to make and alter clothing for my family, I want to learn how to prepare easy nutritious meals despite my crazy schedule, I want to learn how to be selective with what I purchase and be able to save money for emergencies or large expenses. I want to develop skills that are being lost from generation to generation and teach them to my children. I do not know if I will ever HAVE to utilize these skills, but I hate the thought of the shrimp fleet moving on and leaving me and my children without the skills and resources to even survive.

Now - the purpose of this blog. I want to learn. I want to collect information from those who do have these skill sets. I want to share what I learn and experience with anyone and everyone who wants to learn. I want to try and succeed (although I know that I will most likely fail a good number of times).

So, I plan to post recipes, gardenning tips, sewing tips, family preparedness tips, preserving tips, and of course - my experiences with all of these. I hope to be of some service - if only to my own little circle of influence. I also hope that others will feel free to comment and add to the knowledge pool so that we can all benefit from those that still "know how to fish."