Seven Ways to Save $1,000 for Your Emergency Fund

Dave Ramsey, financial guru who has helped so many families get out of debt, recommends that most of us start on the path to financial solvency by first saving up $1,000 toward an emergency fund. By having a solid emergency fund, we are less likely to go into debt, should the unexpected happen, such as the home furnace needing to be replaced, the car needing to be repaired, or the experience of a medical crisis. Saving that $1,000 is the first step of Ramsey’s overall get-out-of-debt plan. How can you save that much when there doesn’t seem to be any … Continue reading

The Basic Pantry List

What should you have in your pantry to be prepared? Having a number of basic items in your pantry can mean the difference between eating and not eating in the event that a disaster or hard time strike your family. These basic items can be combined into many different meals, so you should always have them on hand. Here are just some reasons why having an emergency pantry could come in handy. If you lose your employment and have to make do on a limited or absent income If there is a disruption in the supply chain that makes getting … Continue reading

How Long Will Your Food Last

Storing food and stockpiling is a great idea for being prepared. One issue that can arise is how long is it before food expires? How long do canned goods last, and how long can you store your staples? I came across this dilemma just two days ago when I went through my pantry to rotate some food, having a plan to use up some older items in meals in order to add some new ones and keep everything fresh. I came across ajar of salsa. It contained no expiration date to guide me, and I hadn’t marked one on the … Continue reading

Fill Your Pantry Now for the Leaner Months

Right now, stores are overflowing with food stock and great food bargains. If you fill your freezer and pantry now, you’ll be able to get through the leaner months that are coming soon. Why Should You Fill Your Pantry Now? There are a couple of reasons why filling your pantry and freezer now will help you to be prepared for later. The first is availability. Stores anticipate selling more food in December and less in January when the perceived demand is not there. This means that some of your favorite foods, especially holiday-related foods may not be available later. If … Continue reading

Take Advantage of Cyber Monday to Be Prepared

Are you snapping up the Cyber Monday deals and all of the other Christmas sale savings? Cyber Monday can be a great way to get your holiday shopping done and over without while saving money. But Cyber Monday sales and other Christmas bargains can also serve another purpose: getting items that will be useful to you and your family in an emergency. Here are some items that you should look for while you are shopping for deals. I’ve found some great Cyber Monday sales as well as coupon codes that can be applied to these items. Frozen and Can Foods … Continue reading

Basic Pantry List

Here is a list of the basic staple food items that you should have in your pantry. With these basics, you can create thousands of dishes, many at just a moment’s notice. By stocking staples, you can save money and ensure that you can create those quick nutritious meals. Because I like to be organized in the kitchen, and because so many of you have requested a pantry list, I decided to put one together this morning. This list is based on the minimum basics that I like to keep on hand. Don’t be afraid to add your own favorites … Continue reading

Stocking the Pantry on a Budget

Stocking your pantry with basic food can really pay off. Not only will it save you money, but it will leave you prepared in the case of some crisis that prevents you from purchasing food right away. Having a stockpile of food is always a good idea. We are currently in the process of trying to build our stockpile back up. We’ve had a number of things happen that have reduced our stockpile to very little, such as cooking from the pantry, losing storage space and giving away about half of our stash to a family that needed it more … Continue reading

Organize Your Grocery Shopping

You may not be Mother Hubbard, but when you look in your cupboards and can’t figure out what to make for dinner, your cupboards might as well be bare. We all know that good planning makes for healthy, easy-to-prepare meals, but some weeks you may barely have time to cook, let alone plan. Synching your pantry, grocery list, and your weekly schedule can seem very difficult. That’s where a meal-planning service like Say Mmm can help. Sign up for a free account and then click on the tabs at the top of the screen to plan your menu or your … Continue reading

When to Buy Prepared Food and How to Save

When I share frugal living and saving money tips, people always want to know how they can start saving money right away at the grocery store without using coupons. People either love coupons or hate them, but that is another subject for a blog post. One of the first things I tell these eager to save folks is to stop or cut down on the prepared food items. Bagged salad, dinner kits, individually wrapped snacks and other such items (even pancake mix) tend to cost a lot more and you get a lot less. The more natural or basic a … Continue reading

Skills to Master Before Your Baby Arrives

Becoming a mom requires a whole new set of skills. Besides the obvious skills like changing diapers, feeding and bathing the baby, you have to relearn how to do all sorts of things for yourself, too. Just for fun, here are some things you might want to learn in advance, before you bring your baby home. Speed Eating A newborn’s needs are urgent, yet unpredictable. You never know when they will wake up and suddenly need to be fed. You might be in the middle of dinner, but they won’t care! To make sure you get to eat, you have … Continue reading