- Get a 2 week supply of water for 1 more family member. - We have already discussed ideas for water storage. --Just don't use the milk jug water containers!!! They break down within a few months after buying them and will contaminate your water supply.--
- Get copies of important documents - if the New Orleans thing taught us anything, it's that we may not be able to go home after a disaster. In that case, you'll be needing certain vital documents to enroll your kids in school, get a new job or even open up a bank account afterwards. Get certified duplicates and then store then in a fire safe next to your 72 hour kit backpacks, or else place them in a ziploc baggie (to prevent water damage or them getting lost & damaged) in your backpack so you always have them with you. (Birth & Marriage certificates, social security cards, immunization records, etc.).
- One saving you money idea we had for the documents - take them to the bank or a notary and have them make the copies for you, then they can certify that they are in fact exact copies of the actual document. **Maybe you should take some brownies or something for the notary that is sweet enough to do this for you. LOL**
Since the first thing that we are counseled to do is to get our water supply & our 72 hour kits, we are slowly working on that and you will have complete backpacks before next June (without even noticing!). Then they say to work on your 3 month supply. So this month, we handed out the price comparisons between Costco & the cannery and also a sheet pointing out what is a good deal on groceries. A great resource for us here in Vegas is this blog. Lisa is fabulous about listing the best deals of each week (and highlights in red the BEST, most FABULOUS deals too!). She makes it so easy, I don't even have to check my ads lately, just print up what she's written down and go shopping!
One more side note: Every Thanksgiving the sugar has gone on sale for almost HALF the price of what it sells for regularly at the cannery. Usually it's been 99 cents for a 5 pound bag (almost half of what the everyday price is at the cannery). Even with the 20% increase in groceries this year, if the sale happens for $1.19 it's still a screaming good deal. The goal is to put $15-$20 aside each paycheck until Thanksgiving to buy sugar. Then we will have a canning date at my home after Thanksgiving with the stake canner. Remember 40 lbs. per adult is what is recommended for sugar.
