New links and a recommendation

I have created a new set of links just for preparedness sites. I'll be adding more as I'm able to review some of my bookmarks.

One of the sites I placed in the Preparedness area is The Urban Homemaker. Technically they are not a preparedness site but they send out a catalog and have wonderful articles about homemaking, cooking from scratch, canning, etc. They sell high quality products and they have a book section that contains my favorite homemaking books. They view preparedness exactly as I do, nothing more than the way our grandparents "prepared" by having a good pantry and the knowledge needed (cooking from scratch, canning, gardening, etc.).

Both my daughter and I have purchased items from The Urban Homemaker and have always received outstanding service. They even called her to warn her of the shipping cost on one item she had ordered.

I had to make a mid-week run to the grocery store this morning. I was looking at the deli area where I saw prepared deviled eggs in a container, ready to be picked up. The cost was $10.99 for twenty-four half eggs (one dozen eggs mixed with a little mayo, mustard, and relish). I walked out of the store spending just a little more than that purchasing two sacks of groceries including; ten pounds of potatoes, one bag of oranges, a gallon of milk, bananas, one jar of Prego spaghetti sauce, one block of Colby cheese, and uh....two donuts...blush (my blood sugar really was very low and the second donut was for my husband...it had lots of nuts just as he likes them). All for a little over $13.00. It would have been less if I could have avoided temptation and not purchased the donuts. (Yes, I did take advantage of great sales on most of the items.)

The store purchases reminded me again of frugal preparedness. It's just as much about knowledge as it is about stocking up. If we know how to cook from scratch, our pantry is stocked with the "lowest common denominator" of basic foods. That's what generations before us did, how they were able to be prepared for difficult times...like winter.

Now, I must get caught up on today's homekeeping gotta do's for tomorrow I will be gone all day. My son is taking part in a debate tournament and I will be judging in the afternoon. When I return, I'll post about deepening the pantry on a budget.

Don't forget to click on The Urban Homemaker link above and order their catalog. Marilyn also has an e-mail newsletter which sends out important information about their products and their phone interviews with interesting people (having mostly to do with homemaking). If you already receive their catalog, do leave a comment so others can know they are highly recommended. If nothing else, you will love their books.