Scarcity in good times is annoying. Scarcity in an emergency situation is worse, worse, worse--at best, best, best...
I have run into various levels of scarcity lately, and the first I will mention here involves ground turkey, which I generally buy in a 3 lb. package, brown, and store in the freezer. It held steady for a long time at either $5.58 or $5.38 (I think it was $5.58, but I am striving for accuarcy here :). Then one day, I went to get some, and was surprised (probably shouldn't have been, considering how long the price held steady, but I was..) to find that it was now $6.22. Still very reasonable price per pound, considering the prices of other meats, (and in comparison with prices at other stores, from what I've seen) but still. Who doesn't want it for less? So the price had gone up.
Thing is, I went back for some more, and the display case was empty. I was in the position that at that point I didn't need to buy turkey, so I decided to wait. If memory serves the following then happened: I went back two more times, and each time the display was empty. So I decided to ask an employee when there would be more ground turkey. Very kindly, she went in the back to see if there was any ground turkey back there, but to no avail. I asked her when the turkey would be replenished, and was told that she didn't know exactly, that I should probably try in the mornings, and that it generally disappeared pretty much as soon as it was put out. As a result, because by the third time, I did need the turkey, I asked my husband to pick up a 3 lb. package on his way home from a different grocery store. The price on that package was $7-something, although it had a different fat content, but the real difference was this: The $7-something package was in my hands. Sounds like something that they would put on a TV commercial, and then say "priceless".
If you are still reading, :) my point is this: I could have used something else for dinner, so at this point, scarcity was an annoyance. What happens when you have no other options? That's when scarcity becomes much, much, more than an annoyance and turns into an emergency....
One other example: when it comes to macaroni and cheese, there is one brand that I buy that (a) my children like, and (b) is cheaper than the (seems like ever-upward-spiraling prices of) other brands. Soooo, every time I go to the particular store that sells this macaroni and cheese (it's a store brand) I pick up a couple of extra boxes usually at 2/$1.00, and on good days, or with coupon, 3/$1.00. Last time I looked, that brand was gone. There were other brands, but the space for this particular macaroni and cheese was eeemmmmppppttty. So there wasn't a scarcity of macaroni and cheese, per se, but the kind I wanted, and I knew that my children would eat was unavailable. My point? Serving my children something that they don't really like during an emergency situation is so much less than ideal that I'm trying to avoid it. I still have some boxes of said macaroni here, so again, scarcity of it right now is more a matter of annoyance and inconvenience. But in a case where there might be less fuel available to cook (pasta's pretty much a quick-cook meal) scarcity could turn into so much more...
Hope everyone is doing well, and stocking up at prices where they are now (read: steadily rising) even if it's only one box of macaroni and cheese at a time--or even better, at 3/$1.00. It may not seem like much, but it all adds up, and it will be priceless if there should come a time when you can't get whatever item you are looking for at any price....
Monday, May 9, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Gas prices go up...as do other costs
Yeah, not newsbreaking, or anything, to say that when gas prices go up food costs and other costs go up along with them, because of transportation and production costs, etc.--but thought you might be interested in the details in this article, which talks about what's going on with the prices now.
Also, found this article on the shelf life of spices interesting. If you are going to try to make limited resources taste good, spices are a good addition to the food storage list. They, as mentioned here, can be expensive, but might help when one of your children or other member of the group you'll be responsible for is really craving something with a different flavor...
Hope all is well with everyone--weather here in Idaho can't seem to make up its mind. At some points, it has seemed like spring has arrived...only to find that it's raining/snowing/sleeting (? It has looked like possible hail recently, but I wasn't curious enough to go out and actually get hit with it to find out :) soon after. Anyway, got to get to the gardening soon, even if it's only inside.... :)
Oh, and on the third try I did get the deal on the flour mentioned in an earlier post. Am wondering at what time the price of the gas surpasses the money saved on the food deal, though....
Also, found this article on the shelf life of spices interesting. If you are going to try to make limited resources taste good, spices are a good addition to the food storage list. They, as mentioned here, can be expensive, but might help when one of your children or other member of the group you'll be responsible for is really craving something with a different flavor...
Hope all is well with everyone--weather here in Idaho can't seem to make up its mind. At some points, it has seemed like spring has arrived...only to find that it's raining/snowing/sleeting (? It has looked like possible hail recently, but I wasn't curious enough to go out and actually get hit with it to find out :) soon after. Anyway, got to get to the gardening soon, even if it's only inside.... :)
Oh, and on the third try I did get the deal on the flour mentioned in an earlier post. Am wondering at what time the price of the gas surpasses the money saved on the food deal, though....
Monday, April 4, 2011
This is a rush deal...
I have tried repeatedly to get my earlier post of today to space correctly, but it's not working. Since the deals mentioned are over tomorrow, I will leave it as is, however much it bothers me that the spacing won't work out and makes it looked garbled. If you end up getting the deals, however, hopefully it will be worth the aggravation of reading stuff all mushed together. Thanks!
Today or tomorrow....
You might want to visit your local Albertson's, with the usual assumption that the deals that I'm about to mention won't be available unless you have an Albertson's card. Also, never hurts to call your local Albertson's to make sure the deals are available where you are.... ---5 lb. bags of Albertson's sugar for $1.99/each Limit 6 ---5 lb. bags of Albertson's flour for $.99/each Limit 6 ---Green Giant canned vegetables 3/$1.00 Limit 24 ---Hunt's ketchup 24 oz. 10/$10.00 The above deals are the ones I was hoping to get, although I visited two different Albertson's, one Friday, and one today, and neither of them had the flour on the shelves. The cashier today said that she thought that they would have more flour coming in on a truck tonight, so I may have to head back at that price. For price comparison, the 5 lb. bag of sugar usually costs $4.49, if memory serves. Prices everywhere are going up.... It's my understanding that these prices are good through tomorrow night. I mention these deals because there is no coupon attached, though there is a limit. Speaking of limits, gotta love how the limits on (most if not all) the coupons I have seen lately in the Walgreens ads don't apply in Idaho.... :) You may also be interested in the deal on milk and cereal highlighted (which is also at Albertson's) over at The Grocery Girls. Thanks for the info on that, Grocery Girls! Sorry I didn't get this up earlier. Hope that everyone who wants these deals gets them, and maybe the third time will be the charm for me in terms of the deal on flour.... :)
Friday, March 18, 2011
Helpful info re: radiation
My heart and prayers go out to the people of Japan. I hope all improves there quickly, and that they're able to get access to help--all the help that they need.
If you've been following the news, you've heard the news about the nuclear situation there. I recently got the following e-mail from a preparedness expert on some of the things you might like/need to know about for dealing with radiation, among other things. With permission from the author, here is the almost the entire e-mail, with few modifications on my part:
"Here I am again, hoping that all of you are calm and prepared for every emergency, and that all are safe and sound in your own homes. I am, however, especially concerned for those on the west coast in case of an earthquake like that in Japan. We live right on a fault and I know that not all of my neighbors are prepared even though we are constantly being warned by the government and the churches to be ready to take of ourselves. I hope each of you is completely prepared and ready to take care of your family and yourself. Have you set up a plan to contact one another if a disaster occurs in your area and the phones are all out? Do the kids all have a printout of the phone numbers of extended family in their 72/120 hour kits? Do you have an out of town contact for everyone to report to? Do you have a meeting place for everyone to head to if possible?
The following is my weekly emergency prep letter for our area. I hope it will help you in some way with a bit of info you may not have thought of.
As our neighborhood emergency prep person, I have gotten a couple of calls from people who are concerned, not panicked, about the air currents and the radiation from Japan. The following is general information that probably should be reviewed by most of us to help us be in control of our own situation, no matter what that may be now, or later.
Potassium Iodide (KI) should be used only when needed, and then very carefully. According to those calling and asking me for info on what to do if the radiation from Japan is blown all the way here, the stores in our area are sold out of KI. The health food stores are apparently also out of kelp, which is high in iodine. I hope that it has all been purchased by persons preparing for a “just in case” situation and not by anyone taking it as a preventative. It does not work that way. When you go to this site http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp you will learn that it is to be used only when there is immediate expectation of radiation exposure. There is a listing of doses for different age groups and health conditions if you are interested.
If you are anxious, please study out precautions that should be taken should there actually be radiation in our area. Read about the half life of radiation and the surprising lack of long term harm to those in Japan after the bombs and those near Chernobyl. Things certainly were bad for many, but if they survived the immediate blast and fallout, the majority did not suffer nearly as many cancers, etc. as I had believed they had. You will find that things are probably not as dire as you have imagined either. All that being said, when the stores get some KI and/or kelp back in stock you and I will each probably get a bottle for everyone in the family…. to have on hand “just in case” a CA quake could cause damage to the reactors there, similar to what has happened in Japan.
We are much more likely to have need for food, water and shelter for after “our own earthquake / tornado/ hurricane/ blizzard / flood”, than KI at this point. In Japan many millions need those so much more than they need KI right now. If they don’t get those things soon they won’t need KI no matter what happens.
Do YOU have enough food, water and shelter for your family??? Do you have an alternate heat source and a way to cook your food? If we have to stay in our homes for a few days or a week or more, is your 12 week supply ready to be used? Do you have an extensive first aid kit? Are there extra blankets and cold weather sleeping bags for everyone in the family? Could you take in extra people in an emergency and provide both for them and your own family for an extended period of time? Do you have an inventory of your food supply so that you would know how to ration it out to cover an expected long term dire situation? While the economy is relatively decent, and there are still supplies to be had, please finish your family’s storage and then consider storing just a little more to share with those who cannot, for what ever reason, provide for themselves.
If you really feel compelled to do something more, right now, to prepare then go buy a roll of heavy duty plastic and some rolls of duct tape at the hardware store for sealing off a safe room…you need to have it on hand anyway for after our own disaster to cover broken windows.
“If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.” "
End of e-mail.
One of my modifications was to make the link to the website mentioned link from here. It looks very useful and provides a lot of information if you want to know more about potassium iodide.
Thanks, emergency expert, for the e-mail, and for allowing me to post it here! I'm not an expert, but I like to share what I learn--and learning what you can is definitely a way to prepare...
If you've been following the news, you've heard the news about the nuclear situation there. I recently got the following e-mail from a preparedness expert on some of the things you might like/need to know about for dealing with radiation, among other things. With permission from the author, here is the almost the entire e-mail, with few modifications on my part:
"Here I am again, hoping that all of you are calm and prepared for every emergency, and that all are safe and sound in your own homes. I am, however, especially concerned for those on the west coast in case of an earthquake like that in Japan. We live right on a fault and I know that not all of my neighbors are prepared even though we are constantly being warned by the government and the churches to be ready to take of ourselves. I hope each of you is completely prepared and ready to take care of your family and yourself. Have you set up a plan to contact one another if a disaster occurs in your area and the phones are all out? Do the kids all have a printout of the phone numbers of extended family in their 72/120 hour kits? Do you have an out of town contact for everyone to report to? Do you have a meeting place for everyone to head to if possible?
The following is my weekly emergency prep letter for our area. I hope it will help you in some way with a bit of info you may not have thought of.
As our neighborhood emergency prep person, I have gotten a couple of calls from people who are concerned, not panicked, about the air currents and the radiation from Japan. The following is general information that probably should be reviewed by most of us to help us be in control of our own situation, no matter what that may be now, or later.
Potassium Iodide (KI) should be used only when needed, and then very carefully. According to those calling and asking me for info on what to do if the radiation from Japan is blown all the way here, the stores in our area are sold out of KI. The health food stores are apparently also out of kelp, which is high in iodine. I hope that it has all been purchased by persons preparing for a “just in case” situation and not by anyone taking it as a preventative. It does not work that way. When you go to this site http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp you will learn that it is to be used only when there is immediate expectation of radiation exposure. There is a listing of doses for different age groups and health conditions if you are interested.
If you are anxious, please study out precautions that should be taken should there actually be radiation in our area. Read about the half life of radiation and the surprising lack of long term harm to those in Japan after the bombs and those near Chernobyl. Things certainly were bad for many, but if they survived the immediate blast and fallout, the majority did not suffer nearly as many cancers, etc. as I had believed they had. You will find that things are probably not as dire as you have imagined either. All that being said, when the stores get some KI and/or kelp back in stock you and I will each probably get a bottle for everyone in the family…. to have on hand “just in case” a CA quake could cause damage to the reactors there, similar to what has happened in Japan.
We are much more likely to have need for food, water and shelter for after “our own earthquake / tornado/ hurricane/ blizzard / flood”, than KI at this point. In Japan many millions need those so much more than they need KI right now. If they don’t get those things soon they won’t need KI no matter what happens.
Do YOU have enough food, water and shelter for your family??? Do you have an alternate heat source and a way to cook your food? If we have to stay in our homes for a few days or a week or more, is your 12 week supply ready to be used? Do you have an extensive first aid kit? Are there extra blankets and cold weather sleeping bags for everyone in the family? Could you take in extra people in an emergency and provide both for them and your own family for an extended period of time? Do you have an inventory of your food supply so that you would know how to ration it out to cover an expected long term dire situation? While the economy is relatively decent, and there are still supplies to be had, please finish your family’s storage and then consider storing just a little more to share with those who cannot, for what ever reason, provide for themselves.
If you really feel compelled to do something more, right now, to prepare then go buy a roll of heavy duty plastic and some rolls of duct tape at the hardware store for sealing off a safe room…you need to have it on hand anyway for after our own disaster to cover broken windows.
“If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.” "
End of e-mail.
One of my modifications was to make the link to the website mentioned link from here. It looks very useful and provides a lot of information if you want to know more about potassium iodide.
Thanks, emergency expert, for the e-mail, and for allowing me to post it here! I'm not an expert, but I like to share what I learn--and learning what you can is definitely a way to prepare...
Monday, March 7, 2011
Interesting things from the e-mail box...
If you are in Northern Idaho, you may be interested in this website to get acquainted with others who are interested in being prepared. This group is in the Sandpoint area, and it would be great to see it go well.
Also learned about this blog, a new addition for the list of Idaho links. Whether through meetup groups, or blogs, we can really help each other when we share information...thanks for the e-mails!
Also learned about this blog, a new addition for the list of Idaho links. Whether through meetup groups, or blogs, we can really help each other when we share information...thanks for the e-mails!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Missing man--please keep an eye out
Have heard about Mr. Grant Moedl, who is currently missing. He's from Rexburg, apparently, and went missing around Mountain Home. More information is here, with video and details. He has been missing since Wednesday--am hoping he is found soon.
You never know who might end up helping in a case like this...
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