Great deal on ground beef!

https://www.zayconfoods.com/events
This is a good deal on ground beef for canning!  $2.89 a lb, for 93% lean.
This site also has regular deals on chicken.  I haven't used them for that because my local store usually has around the same prices, but I've heard it's very tasty chicken.  Meat prices will most likely be going up, so it would be a great time to do some canning!

Great deal on heat packs!

If you have a Recreation Outlet near you, on Friday, Saturday & Monday, they have a great deal on heat packs.
10 packs (2 in each pack) for $5.99.
Now these are really great if there's no heat.  Taping these under your arms (better with a thin layer of clothing between the pack & your skin) will stimulate the blood vessels there & help you generate body heat.  I use these all the time ice climbing & camping to keep me warm.  And they're cheap, small & not dangerous to store!

Great prep item at Dollar Tree

These are pretty multi function lights.  They have and LED light in the tip.  Then they have a glow stick type light in the handle.  You can have either one or both on, or flashing.  There's also a whistle on the bottom.  When I took an earthquake prep class, she highly recommended whistles in your car & by your bed.  Why?  Because if rescuers are looking for survivors, you can whistle much longer than you can yell; and it carries further.  And these have a lanyard for hanging.  I bought some to hang by our beds, put in our car, & hang on our hiking packs.  Then I went back & bought some more for Christmas gifts!  Can't beat it at $1!

Eggnog or Pumpkin hot chocolate mix

I wanted some holiday themed hot chocolate mixes.  Neighbor gifts maybe?  I used the hot chocolate mix recipe from my last post & tried some holiday flavors.  I made 1/3 a batch in case we didn't like it.
First I tried the nestle powdered creamer that was peppermint mocha.  We couldn't really tell there was peppermint in there.  You get a lot more from a drop of peppermint oil or a candy cane.

Next I tried this powdered eggnog mix.


I used it in place of regular creamer in the recipe.  The carton was almost exactly the right size for 1/3 of the recipe.  The verdict?  I didn't LOVE it.  It was good.  I've had eggnog hot chocolate made with very rich eggnog, & expensive chocolate.  You know the kind of drink you almost have to chew?  So I think that's more what I was hoping for.  It's pretty sweet.  Don't get me wrong, it's good & I think if I weren't expecting something else I would have liked it more.  But I was a bit disappointed.  On the other hand, my son loved it!

We also had this Stephens Pumpkin Spice mix.


(this is much cheaper at the grocery store, I just put it here so you could see it).  While we liked this drink, we usually picked hot chocolate.  Then I noticed on the back that it said it could be used as a creamer.  Ah ha!  It was yummy & we really liked it!  I think I might add a bit more next time; but I like my flavors strong.  I was expecting my son to like this one a lot, he loves pumpkin muffins.  But he thought it was just "ok".

Hot chocolate mix

I got this recipe from my grandfather.  Everyone likes it so much the grandkids make it at his house in the summer!
I especially like using flavored coffee creamers instead of plain.  I used peppermint for neighbors.  I'm a big fan of the french vanilla.  We've also used caramel, irish creme & cinnamon creme.  They were all really good!  This makes great gifts.  I also made a big batch & canned it in a #10 can in my food storage.

6 quarts powdered milk (around 8 cups)
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 cups chocolate powder (such as Nestle)
2 heaping cups powdered creamer (plain or flavored)
Mix all together.  Fill cup 2/3 full of mix (yes you read that right, 2/3 full).  Add hot water.  Yum!
This recipe will fill a gallon ice cream bucket.  This is an easy recipe to get exactly how you want.  Add more cocoa to get it a bit more chocolately.  More flavored creamer for flavor, more milk for creamy, more sugar (or less)!

New Self Sufficiency book

I just read through this book with great excitement.  Overall, it was pretty good.  I learned a few things I'm very glad to know.  I really like that it is written by someone who has been using this knowledge in real life.  Like I was glad to hear you could water your chickens in the winter by giving them snow if necessary.  The straw cellaring section was interesting as well.
But some of the things I would have liked a lot more info.  I guess the author was mostly trying to tell us about skills, & leaving it to us to research further into the things we want to learn.  But a lot of it I already knew, & was hoping the book would teach me how to do.  There are a lot of pioneer stories mixed in.  While they were interesting; I would have preferred more instruction.  I also think he overdid the personal stories a bit.  I was also surprised that when he talked about storing eggs long term, he didn't have any of the methods I've found most in my searches (such as mineral oil http://singlemompreparedness.blogspot.com/2011/07/preserving-eggs-without-refrigeration.html)
But I did make a list of things I'd like to learn more about, & learned some things I'm very glad to know.
So while this wasn't as complete as I'd like, I really am glad I have it in my survival library.  I also think it would make a great gift for those just getting started.

Ask for preparedness for Christmas

My family often had a hard time deciding what to get me for Christmas.  But now I can ask for preparedness items.  This is a great way to help you get prepared too, especially for those more expensive things you can't get with coupons.  You could ask everyone to donate towards a solar oven or radio, give you gift certificates to food storage places, contribute to your 72 hour kit, things like that!  It will be a great present because it will add to your peace of mind, & they'll probably be glad for the suggestion!
You could also join in with other family to buy bigger preparedness items together for someone.  Give mom & dad a solar oven!  Can them some food!  Even if they aren't super excited at first (we all have relatives like that), the day will come when they'll be grateful for it!  I did a bunch of #10 cans for my father a couple years ago.  His wife wasn't real excited about it; she didn't like all the room it took up.  Now she going down & looks at all that food they have, & is so grateful to have it.