ALMOST BACK TO PRE-SHTF LEVELS

[DIM TIM]

Two years ago this week, I lost a job that I had been at for 8 years. So for us it was a SHTF event. For the next 10 months, we lived off our food reserves that I had the foresight to put back until I found the job that I'm working at presently.
As soon as I could, I started squirreling away food again to rebuild our "ARMAGEDDON PANTRY" I looked at the stores this morning just before I went out to get some good deals that the local grocery stores have this week, and determined that we are almost back to our pre-shtf levels.

I figure that about another 10-20 lbs of food should put us right about where we were right before my job went pfffffffff. Roughly a years worth of canned and boxed goods.

Anyone that thinks that you're crazy for doing your food storage should come talk to me. I'll set them strait to the facts of what's really crazy.......like not having more than a few days worth of anything. I point this sad fact out to all the ones that said the same about me a little over two years ago, and some headed my words and are doing the same thing. Others.......well, I hope they have a guardian angel when the SHTF for EVERYONE.

[Rmplstlskn]

Word to the wise... Glad things are back and looking bright!

[Matt In Oklahoma]

Thats great! I know what that is like

[bass4x4]

I'm going thru that right now, lost my job in Feb. been at it for 24 years. Been using our stores but still able to replace a little once in a while. I'm still looking for work though.

Eric


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Thanks
Eric

[kappydell]

Nothin like a financial SHTF event to remind folks that yes, it can indeed happen to them, too. I suspect that sheeple's refusal to consider preparing for trouble is that it makes them 'uncomfortable' which is something they try to avoid at all costs.

[DIM TIM]

I'm going thru that right now, lost my job in Feb. been at it for 24 years. Been using our stores but still able to replace a little once in a while. I'm still looking for work though.

Eric


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Thanks
Eric

I feel for you.When I lost mine, just a few weeks before that my bosses boss, lost hers after being with them for 30 years. She went out in tears, and over the next few weeks 20 of us hit the door. Should have known something was up when they closed the Chicago facility, and transfered half the people to ours (lots of made-up, temporary jobs?).

I'm adding to our reserves contantly, and when I get a few extra bucks, it all goes to help it along. I'm making use of every availabe resource I can. Just this weekend, I took some extra cash from my regular paycheck (thanks to a recent fifty cent per hour raise), and with the help of some local, drug stores cupons, and their customer rewards cards and points.......I added another 2-3 weeks worth of canned goods that were on sale, as well as some other items that will come in handy when the whole house of cards does crash. One even had a 32oz. jar of honey for about $1.50 less than the regular price you would pay.
Not a bad week for us as far as our reserves go, and I still haven't made my regular grocery run yet. I probably would have gone by now, but weekends are when just about everyone goes, so I've planned on lighter traffic days, and the trips are less hectic now. I still get what I want, and with a lot less bother.

[DIM TIM]

I'm still adding to our supplies, and one of the local pharmacies runs weekly sales that I check for really good deals to help stock up.
This past week they ran one on Kraft, Miracle Whip salad dressing. There was a limit of three, and I decided to get them all. Unfortunately the stores don't anticipate that folks will stock up with the good deals that they offer, and so they often run out before I can get what I want. SO.......I've taken to using the shoppers best friend for such an instance.......the humble rain check.
I've done this on a few purchaces from them lately, and it feels so good to go in the following week when they have it back in stock, and get it for the sale price from the week before.
So I was just wondering...does anyone else do this with some of their purchases for their food storeage ?

[Matt In Oklahoma]

I'm still adding to our supplies, and one of the local pharmacies runs weekly sales that I check for really good deals to help stock up.
This past week they ran one on Kraft, Miracle Whip salad dressing. There was a limit of three, and I decided to get them all. Unfortunately the stores don't anticipate that folks will stock up with the good deals that they offer, and so they often run out before I can get what I want. SO.......I've taken to using the shoppers best friend for such an instance.......the humble rain check.
I've done this on a few purchaces from them lately, and it feels so good to go in the following week when they have it back in stock, and get it for the sale price from the week before.
So I was just wondering...does anyone else do this with some of their purchases for their food storeage ?

The wife does sometimes and she watches that weekly flyer that comes in the mail and coupons too. I was in the dollar store yesterday and saw the Sunny D had 50cents off coupons with the purchase of 2 so got 2 containers for $1.50 with the purchase limit. Stocked up on some vitamin c hydration before they ran out. Some places are getting sticky about giving rain checks but Walgreens is still good for it.

[justanothergunnut]

you know a similar event is what finally got my wife on board with SERIOUS preps.. She was always a little on board. She wold make lists and plan and organize but the actual spending part was hard for her. Until we had a major interruption to our income. After about 2 months of not having to buy much beyond milk, eggs and fresh veges she commented that if not for "OUR" preps we would be in real trouble. I just smiled and said "yep babe, if WE didn't plan ahead we could have been in real trouble" with my wife on board things are much better.. In fact just this Am she commented to me that she needed to hit the coupons again because we are below 8 months on TP,cleaning supplies, hygiene products and canned goods... Man i gotta tell you,, that right there is sexy....LOL

[rockriver]

coupons - yeah...

big lots - another great source for us.. i don't know if this is nationwide or just our region... but my young bride is constantly telling me about getting xx from big lots for a lot cheaper than wally. i've mentioned this to other guys. on occasion i get this "look" or slight comment that indicates big lots is not a proper place to be buying stuff... lol. their loss!

[justanothergunnut]

LOL... we'll RR Ill take the deals where I can find them. I won't buy low quality just to save money because to me thats not a savings but big lots does have some gems.. Where My wife really kicks the savings into high gear is when she goes to places that price match and take competitors coupons.. I know walmart can be a sore subject but man that women can find sutff so cheap for a while I thought she was shoplifting. Seriously cheap. I remember one time Lysol cleaning products, you know the multi purpose chlorine based sprays. Normally like $3.00 a bottle. Well she found a manufacturers coupon online for buy one get one free, then she checked the adds and found CVS pharmacy was having a sale $1.00 off any lysol cleaning prooducts, since walmart honors other company's coupons she would go to walmart and use the price match with the manufacturers coupon and BANG 2 bottles of cleaner for $2.00. The kicker is she could use as many as she wanted so she would buy like 40 bottles at one time or a 3 years supply of multi surface chlorine based cleaner for $40. She would do this for multiple items every trip to maximize savings, TP, hand soap, pasta, shaving cream, shampoo. It would have been really cool if she could have worked in on groceries but around here the stores have stricter policies for food coupons so she could never do the multi coupon price match trick. I know that the policies are different in other areas.. Stock it deep

[DIM TIM]

See...this is where it pays to look at sale ads and know what coupons you have and can use. I made the decision the other day to order myself one of the coupon organizers that you see advertised in the typical Sunday paper ads.
I've gotten so many here recently that its getting harder to track what I have, and what is still good (expiration dates). It's going to be worth the expense just to be able to organize them, and have them in a handy package to carry around while shopping.

This past week I got some in-store coupons for some food products at a local pharmacy chain. As with some of these, they sometimes run out of products advertised before the sale is done, so of course I always get a rain check for those items.
They never expire, and the sale price is printed on them, so even if it is two weeks later and the price has gone back to the MSRP...I'm still getting them for the sale price from the couple weeks before.
They have been advertising really good prices on their canned meats (ham, tuna spam, etc,), and other staples like sugar, flour, honey,canned soups, etc,.
And I even took advantage of some recently on aluminum foils, baggies, etc,.
Yep, it saves a lot of money for other preps when you look real close at the sale ads and the coupons that are offered to us consumers. Not to mention being able to stock up on the items we use on a regular basis. :)