Spilling the Beans on Practical Prepping...

What I haven't told you is since we purchased our new home (about a year and a half ago), I have actually been testing my storage and using everything from my preps. The truth is I didn't want to have to move all of our preps. I have learned a LOT. Now I am ready to spill the beans about what I have learned about practical prepping. What works and what doesn't work, how prepared we actually turned out to be. Also showing you the various adjustments I am making to my storage with this new paradigm shift. This is really changing up how we prepare. Duh, learning the skills to make stuff.

Let's start with my initial Make a List: We were started prepping, the very first step for me was I simply started by making a list of everything thing we used everyday. Literally, from the time I woke up I wrote down what we used...this worked extremely well.

Things like: water, meds. (prescription and OTC's), TP, soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc...

I utilized the principle of "use one, but two". I really had more than enough stored. But then I have decided to actually store less and learn to adapt my thought process.
Let's just use three examples.
First, toilet paper. I had two years worth of toilet paper stored by the time we were getting ready to move. i had to laugh. I found out that sometime along the way, the toilet paper company had reduced the size of the roll by about 1/2 an inch. 

 What I am doing now. I have 1 year of actual toilet paper stored & I have a box of clean clothes that I cut from old shirts I was getting rid off to use as personal clothes.  I have black, white and cream colors. Each has it's own purpose, if you get my drift. You could even store red ones if necessary. I pick really soft materials, since it was available. I chose a years supply in case it was just a loss of job, or something medical so we could have a decent supply of t.p. 

But, in case the SHTF, we might as well just get used to using the cloth. These personal clothes are now sitting on a top shelf in the bedroom ready when needed. 
The bonus is, it is already prepared a head of time and takes up less storage space. Certainly better than depending on leaves. 

Now, shampoo. Even after using a years supply, I found I still have at least 3 years worth of shampoo and conditioner. I am going to work that down to about a years worth (to save storage space). Again, 1 year to store; but now I will be increasing my storage of baking soda to make my own shampoo and conditioner. Just another great principle of prepping: learn how to make it. It really is simply to make.
I have also learned how to make my own vinegar and I am growing my own herbs for tinctures.

While I am at it, here is my recipe for DIY Toothpaste. I still have a least two years worth of toothpaste stored. I am going to run that down to one years supply. Again reducing actually toothpaste I am storing, since I already store the ingredients in bulk. Saving time & money. 
Three simple things/skills that I have learned that are now reducing what I have to store in my preps.

What I do here is simply share our preparedness journey. If you liked this post we would love it if you joined our Perky Prepping Gramma community on Facebook, comment or share. Plus it would just make my day.

   
Your order is so very appreciated, because anything ordered through my Amazon Associate links helps me to be able to stay home and write for you. Perky Prepping Gramma is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil & Toothepaste

I am still beginning the journey learning about essential oils (eo). First thing I wanted to try was making DIY toothpaste.
I have held off mainly for two reasons: 1) I am very sensitive to scents, so I am starting with scents I know I am able to tolerate. 2) There is just so much to learn about the overall subject, that I want to take time and explore each individual oil.
I started with cinnamon bark essential oil. I purchased it to add to DIY toothpaste. I made it with equal parts baking soda & coconut oil, plus several drops of cinnamon bark essential oil. For me, it was strong, but I may have added too much. 
That being said, I have really limited my storage on how much actual toothpaste I am storing now. In fact I have several years worth of the baking soda, coconut oil and cinnamon essential oil already stored that I no longer really need to store toothpaste. Love that! Saving money.
With that being said, do you use cinnamon bark eo? What do you use it for (not what you have heard)? Did you find it effective for your intentions?

What I do here is simply share our preparedness journey. If you liked this post we would love it if you joined our Perky Prepping Gramma community on Facebook, comment or share. Plus it would just make my day.

Your order is so very appreciated, because anything ordered through my Amazon Associate links helps me to be able to stay home and write for you. Perky Prepping Gramma is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Just what do all those labels mean on your egg carton at the store?

Just what do all those labels mean on your egg carton at the store? The more I learn about raising and selling eggs, the more I realize the buyer needs to beware. I have always been leery of package labeling, since I realize that there are always loopholes. 




My sweet chickens & Dudley the rooster spend most of their day in the pasture (almost 8 acres, plus the neighbor's yard), at the least amount will be 4 hours a day running free. The rest of the time they have a decent sized chicken run to play around in. They are fed a soy-free & non-GMO feed, which is a label I have never seen personally, though I know it exists.  All their treats are items that are grown without chemicals. In fact I have planted sunflowers this year specifically for chicken treats.
I encourage people if they are interested in the best eggs, not to depend on just what a label tells you. Find a local farmer, you will be glad you did. And it will make their day.
First are brown eggs better for you than white eggs? Over the years, for some reason I think people have just assumed brown eggs are better for you than white eggs. There isn't a difference. Well, except the white egg is white and the brown egg is brown. 
The color of the egg is determined by the type of chicken. You do know there are even blue or green eggs. Those are fun. I do get a kick out of when the carton is labeled "brown eggs".

The main difference is what the chickens eat and that fresher eggs taste different and better. 

Farm Fresh – The interesting thing is in Virginia, if you are selling eggs from your farm you can't use the word "fresh". So I am not certain what it really means. 

Humanely Raised – This statement really doesn't mean a lot to me unless it is labeled Certified Humane. If you are buying my eggs, you are always welcome to drop by my farm to see my chickens.

Cage Free – This just means the chickens are not crammed into cages. It doesn't mean they run around free. They don't even have to have access to the outdoors at all. The chickens can still be housed in very cramped quarters. 

Free Range – To use this label the chickens have to be able to get outside access for at least 5 minutes a day. So it can be misleading. They could be squashed into crowded areas all day long.

Organic – If the product you’re purchasing is stamped with the USDA Organic seal, the chickens must be fed organic (read: non- GMO) feed, no antibiotics, no pesticides around their living or grazing areas, and “free range” (see above).

Hormone Free & Antibiotic Free– This technically means nothing. Why?  From my understanding hormones has been banned in food production since 1959. The FDA has more recently banned antibiotics 

Soy Free- This is really a specialty niche market, for people that want to cut more soy out of their diet. A lot of chicken feed uses soy beans as a protein.
I am trying to eliminate more soy from my diet (it seems like soy in EVERYTHING). I am not anti soy, it's just that soy is naturally high in estrogen. Yep, estrogen.

All Natural – This means absolutely nothing. Never heard of an unnatural egg. Fake eggs? Ha.

Vegetarian Fed –  These chickens were fed a strictly vegetarian diets. Now if the chickens are free range they WILL be eating bugs, grubs and more.

Perky Gramma Teaches
What I do here is simply share our journey of becoming debt free, teach vintage skills and living a new life on our farmette. We would love it if your joined our Perky Gramma Teaches community on Facebook, comment or share. Plus it would just make my day.

Items I have used this week, yes really. Except my FoodSaver is a larger version:

      

Your order is so very appreciated, because anything ordered through my Amazon Associate links helps me to be able to stay home and write for you.

Perky Gramma Teaches is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

How to Raise Chickens

What comes first the chicken or the coop? So when you want to start raising chickens for eggs there are a few basics things you want to think about, plan for ahead of time and then get your chickens. I had been planning for several years, so that when we moved from an area that wouldn't allow any farm animals to the country I would be ready to rock and roll. Raising our own chickens allows us to have eggs all the time and the capability to raise our own chickens from chicks, since we have a rooster. For me, this was the quickest and easiest meat resource to be prepared. 

What type of chickens do you want? Yes, try to think ahead, Personally I knew I wanted chickens that laid large brown eggs, friendly temperament & cold weather hardy. I also knew I wanted pullets (chickens close to being ready to lay). Then when chickens were available to me, I checked the breed and knew if they were meeting my check list. Also I would caution you on getting chickens on Craig's List, Online yard sale posts and such. Simply because if you are specifically wanted to raise chickens for eggs, you want to insure that the chickens aren't over 3 or 4 years old, when they start dropping their egg production.
Before you bring any chickens home, it is really helpful to have someplace for the chickens to live. You can build your own coop or buy something pre-made. I suggest that you weigh out the costs, time, materials & labor. i have seen some really fine coops or tractors people have built. if purchasing a kit, read the reviews. Buying a inexpensive coop, may not be worth it if it falls apart within a few months. 
We opted for a fairly expensive, but extremely durable pre-fab chicken coop the Formex Snap Lock Large Chicken Coop Backyard Hen House. For us it was a great choice & I absolutely love how easy this is to use and clean. In fact we just bought another smaller version, since we are expanding our flock.

Know what you will feed them & have it on hand when you bring them home. Odd as that may seem, I see people leaving the Tractor Supply Store with their cute little impulse buy chicks and NO food. Now, I am not trying to be all judgy, I mean they may already have feed at home. 

personally I went with a soy-free, non-gmo feed. We travel a couple hours to get this from Sunrise Farm, Stuarts Draft, VA.

There are some other items that are helpful to have on hand when you start. Galvanized trash cans with a lid for feed & pine shavings (bedding). TIP: On the lids, where the handle is attached, we have found that there are two small holes that allow water to get in the cans if they sit outside exposed to the weather. Just this week, we sealed the holes with RTV (Room Tepurature Vulcanizer)
Water fount
Feeder
Also, it is nice to have a good chicken book(s) on hand. I have several. You are able to find this various items at your local coop or Tractor Supply Store. I have personally found that prices are often better online & are delivered, which is a bonus for me since driving to the city and hauling stuff home can be time consuming. 
Last, but not least...it is o.k. to have some fun items as you are beginning to raise chickens. My favorite fun item I have are Slogger Boots with a chickens on them. They just bring me great joy. Of course you don't have to have chickens for the fun boots!

What I do here is simply share our preparedness journey. If you liked this post we would love it if you joined our Perky Prepping Gramma community on Facebook, comment or share. Plus it would just make my day.

share. Plus it would just make my day.

  

  

Your order is so very appreciated, because anything ordered through my Amazon Associate links helps me to be able to stay home and write for you. Perky Prepping Gramma is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

How to Count Change...

It is mystifying to some of us in the world as we watch people who don't know how to count change without a calculator or a pen and paper. Just this week, I watched at a big box store as two cashiers try to figure out how much change to give a man. They had to get out a pen and paper.
I realized several years ago that the problem is some people think that it is a subtraction problem. When they take out the paper, they write down how much cash they were given and then subtract the total cost of the purchase.
When in reality it is so much simpler than that.
What they haven't been taught it is really an addition problem, you simply count UP from the total cost, to the amount of the cash tendered.
That's it.
So for those of us who know, be patient because now you know the reason why. Be patient or teach others how to solve this baffling math problem.

What I do here is simply share our preparedness journey. If you liked this post we would love it if you joined our Perky Prepping Gramma community on Facebook, comment or share. Plus it would just make my day.

 Here are some items I have used on the farm this week. 

   

Your order is so very appreciated, because anything ordered through my Amazon Associate links helps me to be able to stay home and write for you. Perky Prepping Gramma is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Fire on Water

One of the most important skills a prepper needs to learn is how to start a fire. 
Even with mad fire starting skills, starting a fire in inclement weather like rain or snow, when every single thing is soaking wet can be a challenge to even the most experienced prepper. So I was surprised to see Insta-Fire recently on a t.v. show. This is specifically designed to help start a quick fire in adverse conditions.
NOTE: You still need to know how to start a fire, in case your don't have a lighter or matches to use.

This first test, I just poured the Inst-Fire in sink of water. LOL. Yes indeed it lit, but the product was so spread out. Thinking a little more then, I put the fire out, scooped everything out and dried the Insta-Fire on a towel. 
This time I put water in this container, poured the Inst-Fire on the top and lit it with a match.

It took fire really quickly and spread.
Yep, I was able to start a fire on TOP of water. The fire grew quickly and sustained until I put it out with water.



You do need to be realistic when using this product. It isn't a miracle fire in a bag. Damp or wet tinder or wood is still difficult to set on fire. But I truly believe that it increases your chances dramatically of getting a good fire going. Since it comes in individual packets, it is light weight and easy to add to a 72 hour fit or backpack.
Now I have to admit, I will be keeping this product on hand in multiple areas just because of the convenience of using it to start any fire.
What I do here is simply share our preparedness journey. We would love it if you joined our Perky Prepping Gramma community on Facebook. You will notice Amazon links in my posts. Your order is so very appreciated, because anything ordered through my Amazon Associate links helps me to be able to stay home & write for you.

Perky Prepping Gramma is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

SAVE more...

As preppers we are looking at ways to save money, as we store various items and particularly as a prepper I am concerned about finding storage space. Plus I am sensitive to a LOT of smells. Sometimes just a conversation can change the way you do things.

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a friend bemoaning the fact I was have a difficult time finding unscented laundry soap online.
She then told me that she uses is Charlie's Laundry Soap.  
I have always liked concentrated soaps without fillers and garbage. You use only 1-2 of these really little scoops per load.

It is recommended that the first two loads should be rags, as Charlie's will actually clean up the residue that is in your washing machine. 

So I ordered some and started using the products. I must say I was VERY pleased. The biggest things I like about these products is 1) they don't smell. 2) they are very compact for storage. 3) they are green and non-toxic 4) Oh and they WORK!

This bucket below does 1250 loads of wash for $159.99. Think about it. That friend has a family of four with two teenage boys and the box lasts her two years!

What I do here is simply share our preparedness journey. We would love it if you joined our Perky Prepping Gramma community on Facebook.

Perky Prepping Gramma is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.