Blogs and links to check out!!!

Hi all:

I recently had the opportunity to speak at an Enrichment meeting in a Provo BYU Married Ward. As I drove in south Provo, memories came flooding back as I lived in that area when I was a student at BYU. Those memories are fond to me.....even the ones that required me to struggle! Anyway, in answer to some of the questions that were asked, I suggested many of the following links to assist these young sisters in their quest to be prepared. I thought I would share them with you as well:

• "Where do I find recipes?" Certainly, when I was in school, I cherished the recipe book and cards my mother and grandmother gave me....and still do. Today we have many options online. Here are a couple that I have used several times. Sometimes I will go into the site and just enter the ingredients I have on hand and see what recipe(s) pop up. Some sites will rate the recipe for you. Here we go: http://www.cooks.com/, http://allrecipes.com/. http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/, http://www.foodnetwork.com/. These are some I use, but if you Google the word "recipes", you will find a wealth of information.
• Making your own mixes: I will be teaching an upcoming class (most likely in June) on making your own mixes from food storage staples. However, you can search for recipes on your own. If you have access to "Gifts in a Jar" books, these are great mixes to make and save for your family. There are also multiple sites that will suggest many offerings for either making your own mixes or 'Gifts in a Jar'. At http://allrecipes.com/, they do have some recipes for mixes that allow you to alter the number of servings. By doing this, it automatically recalculates the amount of needed ingredients to make the mixes.
• Good blogs to pay attention to: I have a few that I subscribe to (& you can do that with this blog also). That way, I do not have to go and check and see what is "new". A notice comes into my box and I can choose to view it or not. (I always view it....I just can't help myself!). Here are a few of the sites I have found to be very helpful: http://everydayfoodstorage.net/, http://funwithfoodstorage.net/, & http://www.simplylivingsmart.com/. This is not an exhaustive list, but I find their information wonderful.
• Subscription services for sales at local Supermarkets: There are a couple of subscription services that are free. They send you an email to let you know what is on sale at each store and will even rate the item for you to let you know if it is really a good price or not. Suggestions are also made for coupons to use to make the sale even sweeter. Please see my post dated March 5, 2009 (under the label of "subscription service") for details on these sites as well as making or using a Price book.
• Lindon Home Storage Center (formerly known as the "Cannery"): Please see the label "Lindon Home Storage Center" below for specific information on this wonderful resource. It includes the link to print out an order form as well as the phone number and address of this facility. It is dated April 23, 2009.
• Cooking without power: We briefly discussed using camping stoves, Dutch oven cooking, and solar cooking. Please see the post entitle "Solar Power" dated April 14, 2009. Please, please scroll down to the very bottom of the post to find not only a picture, but the link to the directions to make your own Solar Cooker. It is based on research by BYU to help provide cooking opportunities for refugees in camps. I made one and used it at Girls Camp last year. It's easy.
  

Check them out today!

It's a matter of..........Price Matching

The following information comes from The Dollar Stretcher Magazine dated 4/20/09:

The Art of Price Matching

by Shaunna Privratsky

They tend to keep the policy under wraps, but... I always read the circulars that come in the Sunday newspaper.I used to find one or two items on sale at various stores, and make a list. Then I would run all over town, chasing down couple of dollars off here, 50 cents off there. That is, until I mastered the art of price matching. Most retail stores will price match any item as long as it is identical. They tend to keep their policy under wraps, because they would rather sell you the item at a higher cost and keep the profits. However, if you follow the rules, you are bound to get a better deal. The worst the employee can say is "no,"and then you simply go to the original store that has the sale item.

Why bother price matching if it is a hassle? There are several ways that price matching saves you money and time. The first is one-stop shopping. If you can get everything at store A,why run to stores B, C, D, E, etc. You get the benefit of convenience and speed.

Another big savings is gas. The less driving around you have to do, the more you save. I always try to limit my shopping trips to once a week, or combine errands to save even more time and gas.

Knowing the policy before you shop is the key to successful price matching. For instance, Wal-Mart will price match anything they stock. It must be the identical item, in the same size and packaging. You should bring in the whole advertisement, with the item or items circled. They may have to double-check the dates of the advertisement, or confirm with a manager.

Other stores will go beyond matching their competitor's pricing. Two home-improvement stores boast that they will beat any price and give you 10% more! The Home Depot and Menards follow this policy.

Furniture stores may also be willing to price match. Slumberland puts their promise in every ad. Be aware that most furniture stores carry exclusive or store brands, so it may be more difficult to price match. The good news is that sometimes a salesman will make a better offer on a similar item in a competitor's ad, so it doesn't hurt to ask.

Another great place to practice your price matching skills is when purchasing a vehicle. Today's modern technology makes price comparison a breeze. Check out these websites to find a dealer near you that can offer you the best price possible.

http://www.edmunds.com/

http://www.kbb.com/ (Kelly Blue Book)

http://www.keepitlocal.com/

Other ways to make price matching pay is when the original store is sold out of the item. Store B probably has plenty left and can give you the same price without the hassle of rain checks or limits on quantity. This is especially helpful when the original store offers an item so cheap it is called a loss leader. They offer it below cost, just to entice you into their store.

This leads to my next point. When you plan a shopping trip,make a list and stick to it. Of course, you are going to find great bargains, but if it is not something you really need,pass it up. Put it on next week's list if you really want it.

By following these simple suggestions, you can leave more money in your wallet and still score great bargains. Congratulations; you've just mastered the art of price matching.

Spotting a Sale....Using Coupons

In a previous entry, I discussed subscription services that send emails directly to your inbox alerting you to sales in the major grocery stores. One of them (in Utah county) is sponsored by The Daily Herald. Several neighbors have inquired, asking how to determine if a sale is really a sale. Others were seeking more information about using coupons when shopping.

The Daily Herald offers the Savvy Shopper. Her name is "Amy" and she is offers free classes on these topics. She teaches you how to use the newspaper coupons, how to know if a sale is truly a sale, and (yea!) how to save money. She is offering a class on 4/14/09 at the North Orem Maceys. RSVP at the following link ASAP as these classes fill up very quickly.

http://savvyshopper414.eventbrite.com/

Other subscription services to know about are:

http://grocerysmarts.com/utah/lists/splashg84cso.php

http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/index.php

Enjoy!

Blue Chip Group, Grandma's Country Foods & Kitchen Kneads

My sister and I went on a "Food Storage Tour de Jour" today and visited many different establishments, primarily in Salt Lake City. In light of the recent "case lot" sales, I was pleasantly surprised to find such reasonable prices and a really great selection at all of these Establishments. Here is a summary of what we found:

Blue Chip Group (432 W. 3440 S., SLC UT): This supplier has recently opened a "store" attached to their plant. They had a tremendous selection of nearly everything you can think of with very, very good pricing.

• For example, I found Freeze-Dried Chicken, Roast Beef, and Pork Chops. The price for a #10 can of Freeze Dried Chicken is $30.97. A similar product at Emergency Essentials is on sale this month for $39.99/can, and Alpine Food Storage has a similar product for $38.00/can.
• I was pleasantly surprised to see a host of Gluten-Free products as well. I have a family member who needs these and they are often very expensive and hard to find.
• You can view a current price list at http://www.bluechipgroup.net/products/fdretail.pdf. You can also view their items in the "store" and get descriptions if you like at http://shop.bluechipgroup.net/main.sc.
• Just so you know, I believe some of these products may be less at Macey's case lot sale right now as they made such a big purchase from BCG that they got quite a discount. For example, during Macey's last Preparedness sale, I was able to purchase Dent Corn (dehydrated.....it is to mill and make corn meal when I need it) for $14.00 a bucket. It was much more today at BCG, but still very reasonable.
• If you want to fax in an order, you can and they will let you know when you can come to "will call" and pick it up. Or, you can do as we did today and just go "shopping" at their store. Overall, BCG was very easy to work with today.

Grandma's Country Foods (386 W 9400 S, Sandy UT): This was a different experience, but still a very good one.

• Most Utahns have seen "Grandma's Country Spices" in our local grocery stores. This is the warehouse, but they also have a store attached to it. The prices of the spices are very, reasonable, and they also have many Freeze Dried foods, appliances (grain mills etc) and Emergency Preparedness supplies. They even let us go into the warehouse to look at something I really want to get. (We will have to see if the Rooster of the house agrees:).
• We learned that they currently have their Powdered milk (Country Cream) on sale, and the #10 cans hold 51 oz versus the 33 oz of competitive brands. In taste tests with other Powdered Milk brands traditionally this brand is rated very high, if not the best. They have a case of 6 cans (#10) on sale for $60.00. The Lindon cannery charges $7.60/can, so they have the best price. However, since milk is such a "touchy" issue, you may want to purchase a can of each (Country Cream can be purchased at Macey's) and try them to see which your family prefers.
• The website for this supplier is http://www.grandmascountry.com/.

Cranes Kitchen Kneads (7579 S 1700 W, West Jordan, UT (801) 561-9616): They do not have a website, although the Ogden Location does.

• They also have many staples, a demonstration kitchen, lots of sprouting supplies, candy making supplies, and a great selection of nuts. I purchased some powdered cheese today that I am trying to do some "experimenting" with. It isn't that dark orange type (yuck!), but the type you would find in the the national brand of Mac and Cheese.
• In past visits to this store, if you cannot find a certain item elsewhere, I have traditionally found it there. Since it is a drive, and they do not have a website, you may want to call first to see if they have what ever you are looking for.
• Also, they are open Tuesday through Saturday only.

It seems that many people who were shopping today were stocking up, but for a different reason that I hadn't even considered. They were trying to get their shopping done before General Conference. I guess these types of suppliers sell out of many things around that time as people are reminded about the need for being prepared.

It's a matter of ......smart & savy shopping

How do you know when something in a traditional grocery store is a "good deal"? There are a few methods that are tried and true. Let's look at few of them.

• Price book: This allows you to track items that you traditionally purchase by store and unit price. If it sounds complicated, I guarantee you that it isn't. It is just "smart". We have a sister in our ward who has done this and said that it helps her to recognize sale cycles and also lets her know if she is getting a good price. Please see the following link to get find simple instructions on how to create your own (http://organizedhome.com/make-price-book-save-money). If you want to know what one looks like, see the following graphic:

For printable forms for your pricebook go to: http://www.stretcher.com/resource/PxBook/pricebookpages.pdf

• Subscription service: The second method that Little Red Hen (LRH) often uses is the following is http://www.savvyshopperdeals.com/. It is a service offered by the Daily Herald. It is a subscription service that will list all the sales at the area grocery stores ( but not the "big box" store) and will identify a very good price as a WOW!, or a pretty good price as a !!!. It will also inform you about using coupons that come in your paper (the date is included) or in-store coupons to make the "deal" even sweeter. The host of this site offers classes in shopping with coupons. The LRH has attended and learned some good information, although I have not completely used the system.
• Another subscription service is http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/. You can find coupons and deals here by state. Some states have more "activity" than others, but there are also forums to discuss sales/good deals as well.

How & why would LRH use the information from the subscription service? Well, I am a cyber-girl in many ways. I use a computer in my professional life and at home. To say that my day is full (like the rest of you) is an understatement. I can quickly scan the ads to see if any of the items I am in need of are listed at a price I am willing to pay. I often don't have time to scan the traditional paper ads and the email messages let me know if the item is being offered at a good price or not. The information comes to my email at least weekly and I let it go into my Junk Mail folder so that after I scan it, I know it will automatically delete itself after 7 days. It is an efficient method, which saves time and money. We all can use more time and money.....no matter how healthy the economy is.

We don't only purchase items from food storage suppliers to stock our shelves. We need things from traditional grocery stores as well. Be a smart shopper utilizing one of these methods or one of your own. Best wishes on your quest to stock-up and be prepared!