The Poor Man’s Prepping

[prepper7]

Wish I could figure out the xtreme coupon thing.

What are you unclear about, perhaps we could help?

[NamelessStain]

Wish I could figure out the xtreme coupon thing.

What are you unclear about, perhaps we could help?

For me its that I don't want to register at sites to get the coupons.

I also have issues coordinating sales and coupons at the same time.

And finally, I can't bring myself to buy stuff I won't use.

[duodecima]

Wish I could figure out the xtreme coupon thing.

What are you unclear about, perhaps we could help?

For me its that I don't want to register at sites to get the coupons.

I also have issues coordinating sales and coupons at the same time.

And finally, I can't bring myself to buy stuff I won't use.

I am not "extreme" but I did couponmom.com, with a throwaway yahoo email, which gives you weekly lists that mostly coordinate the sales/coupons. (Its not always right in sync with my small marlet but it's close. )

The online printable coupon sites I use want to put a little app on your computer to make sure you only print 2 copies, but no registration.

And I don't buy stuff I can't use either.

But half of my good deals are just by knowing what a good price for something is and stocking up when there's a good sale.

[prepper7]

For me its that I don't want to register at sites to get the coupons.

Many internet coupon sites don't require registration. You can also get coupons from the newspaper. That said, I notice more and more of the juicy promotions require Facebook "liking".

I also have issues coordinating sales and coupons at the same time.

Why not benefit from the labor of others? Coupon "match-ups" are posted every week-- and on sites that require no registration.

Deal / Match-up Sites
CouponMom.com (requires registration. You should have a couponing e-mail address anyway)
Deal Seeking Mom
Southern Savers
Money Saving Mom

And finally, I can't bring myself to buy stuff I won't use.

That part of "extreme couponing" is for reality TV. If you don't use it, don't buy it.

Exceptions you may wish to consider:

1. The item is free or a money-maker and will push your purchase over a reward threshold. E.g., Rite-Aid offered a $20 savings reward for purchases totaling $100 in a particular period. I used free and money-maker items to increase my accumulated purchases enough to qualify for the $20.

2. You can give the items to those who are in need. I collect personal care items (shampoo, razors, skin care, toothpaste, toothbrushes, contact lens care, OTC meds, etc. to donate to groups that serve members of the armed forces or their families. There's a USO centre near me and they are delighted to receive such items).

[prepper7]

But half of my good deals are just by knowing what a good price for something is and stocking up when there's a good sale.

Ding-ding-ding!

To get the most saving on your purchases, you must know what the best prices are, the interval at which they appear, and where they are offered. This necessitates that you keep track of what you pay for your items.

After a period of paying attention to this information, some of it will simply stick in your head (typically for the most frequently purchased items), but unless you posses an eidetic memory, you will need to use a price book. Don't panic, this isn't complex or particularly time consuming. The information you require is printed on your receipt. But since you don't want to have to sort through weeks or months of receipts every time you sit down to your make up your shopping list, you need to put it into an easy-to-use format.

You price book can be a little spiral notebook, forms you downloaded, or a spreadsheet that you maintain on your computer. Electronic price books have the advantage of being searchable and sort-able and if you have a smartphone or PDA, you have the advantage of being able to see and enter information wherever you happen to be.

How to Develop a Price Book
Online Price Book w/ integrated grocery list and analysis
free downloadable price book spreadsheet (they have a more sophisticated version for sale and lots of other free spreadsheets.

[prepper7]

<snip> I have a good 3 month supply of food and water. I know that seems small, but it's better than nothing and it's growing everyday. <snip>

It absolutely does not seem small. Three day's preps would not seem small. You're doing excellently well. The most important part is starting. Next, is continuing. I look forward to you sharing more about your strategies.

[duodecima]

I have a good 3 month supply of food and water. I know that seems small, but it's better than nothing and it's growing everyday. My preps are not strictly food & water either. I have medical, communications, defense, sanitation, clothing and a bunch more important stuff. I don't have a lead-lined steel reinforced concrete bunker, but I do have a solid basement that keeps everything cool and dry. It's not as neat as the youtubers, but it is efficient for me and that’s all that matters. I have a roll-away bed down there and a wood stove. I also have a gun and ammo locker.

If you have 3 months of water, you are far ahead of me right now. If you've got 3 months of everything, then you're far ahead of most people, and if you've done this while "barely getting by" it just shows that attitude and planning are far more important than money.

[ZombieGranny]

Um sorry folks, but it's a spambot copying a previous post.

[zombiepreparation]

This is possibly info others already know but just in case I thought I'd post it anyway. K?

I have the prepping version of writer's block.

I began prepping November last year. I have now had two periods of time during this last almost eight months when I came to a point when I didn't know my next prepping move and I got stuck. I am stuck right now. I was PMing another poster who mentioned this can happen which relaxed me a bit because I was coming down on myself a bit for losing my momentum again.

A new life-event is trying to take all my $$, way past discretionary and possibly deeply into just the plain ole budget in general. So that's one thing.

Then, I'm to a point in my TINY place that I am not easily finding places to put the little storage I keep bringing in a can or a [something] at a time so my living area is dragging me down a bit because I have lost the livability. It's crowded here now.

Then as the poster I PMd mentioned is doing too, I'm getting way behind on my inventory.

Then the news is frightening about the world and my country's economy and feeling I'm running out of time, and I am finding myself frozen in place rather than motivated. Drat!

Then I'm seeing that some of the stuff I've been successful in accumulating may need a better long-term packaging than I'm doing which might make it necessary to spend $$ to 'keep' what I now have without it deteriorating, and I don't have the $$ for that and that would be a whole new area of educating myself and I don't know how or where to begin to learn this NEW stuff. So I'm starting to feel overwhelm beginning.

And I'm 'wanting' to smoke cigarettes, which I can't afford, and drink wine, which I don't afford, and go back to oblivious living, which will be a bad decision to afford.

I'm trying to internalize and figure out how to use all the wonderful useful tips I'm getting, but I can't figure out how to accomplish and/or apply them all so I'm frustrating myself on top of everything.

I got to thinking; there may be other newbies like me coming in who are surprised being stuck or overwhelmed or down because they, like me, are not moving forward as fast or as well as the moneyed preppers we read posting or the really prepping educated posters seem to be doing, and they might find it useful to know this just might be part of the process. Or at least that this newbie is experiencing it too.

So since I'm Poor and I'm Prepping and I'm running into all these things someone else who is Poor and Prepping and reading The Poor Man's Prepping thread might hit the same lows and highs I find in prepping and take some solus and comfort knowing they're not alone. One never knows.

[goofygurl]

This is possibly info others already know but just in case I thought I'd post it anyway. K?

I have the prepping version of writer's block.

I began prepping November last year. I have now had two periods of time during this last almost eight months when I came to a point when I didn't know my next prepping move and I got stuck. I am stuck right now. I was PMing another poster who mentioned this can happen which relaxed me a bit because I was coming down on myself a bit for losing my momentum again.

A new life-event is trying to take all my $$, way past discretionary and possibly deeply into just the plain ole budget in general. So that's one thing.

Then, I'm to a point in my TINY place that I am not easily finding places to put the little storage I keep bringing in a can or a [something] at a time so my living area is dragging me down a bit because I have lost the livability. It's crowded here now.

Then as the poster I PMd mentioned is doing too, I'm getting way behind on my inventory.

Then the news is frightening about the world and my country's economy and feeling I'm running out of time, and I am finding myself frozen in place rather than motivated. Drat!

Then I'm seeing that some of the stuff I've been successful in accumulating may need a better long-term packaging than I'm doing which might make it necessary to spend $$ to 'keep' what I now have without it deteriorating, and I don't have the $$ for that and that would be a whole new area of educating myself and I don't know how or where to begin to learn this NEW stuff. So I'm starting to feel overwhelm beginning.

And I'm 'wanting' to smoke cigarettes, which I can't afford, and drink wine, which I don't afford, and go back to oblivious living, which will be a bad decision to afford.

I'm trying to internalize and figure out how to use all the wonderful useful tips I'm getting, but I can't figure out how to accomplish and/or apply them all so I'm frustrating myself on top of everything.

I got to thinking; there may be other newbies like me coming in who are surprised being stuck or overwhelmed or down because they, like me, are not moving forward as fast or as well as the moneyed preppers we read posting or the really prepping educated posters seem to be doing, and they might find it useful to know this just might be part of the process. Or at least that this newbie is experiencing it too.

So since I'm Poor and I'm Prepping and I'm running into all these things someone else who is Poor and Prepping and reading The Poor Man's Prepping thread might hit the same lows and highs I find in prepping and take some solus and comfort knowing they're not alone. One never knows.

We all go thru this. Life is life and it will throw a curve ball at you whenever it can (if you could only see my bank account right now..lol.). My advice? Start small. Make a list. Start with the stuff that is IMMEDIATE...as in "should have been paid or paid for weeks ago." Order it smallest cost to largest. Then move onto the next most important and do the same, then onto the wants/or "hey, maybe I should have this" stuffs and do the same.

Then start with the smallest item on your first list. Whap them off one at a time and you'll get there.

Before you do that though? Take a step back and take a deep breath. It'll all come together and it will all work out in the end. It always does.

[KnightoftheRoc]

Short version of the above answer:
Breathe
rinse and repeat- it'll get better.

I've been a lot less active on the forums lately, but keep checking back to keep up as best I can. Life has been tossing crap grenades at me a lot more than usual lately, and while I'm ducking and weaving in an attempt to avoid "splatter damage", I find myself less available for things I enjoy, like reading on ZS. Prepping has slowed to almost zero advancement, but at least I'm able to maintain where I've gotten to.

Also, try to remember, we're not here to write the definitive answer to all the world's prepping ills, just to share what we know and to enjoy a community of mostly really great people (there's always a few bad apples, but ZS seems to have a VERY small percentage of those). Don't let a temporary "lull in the action"- and it WILL be temporary, get you down.

[zombiepreparation]

You guys are just the best. When you're all alone out in zombie land with no other preppers to interact with in real time it's nice to have a place like this thread to come to because left to myself I will tend to think "I'm the only one" with this/that prepping challenge going on.

I have seen at least momentary breaks in my prepper's block; I've gotten caught up on inventorying the preps I have that are boxed, containered, and ziplocked in hidden corners. Still have too much new stuff sitting around in my tiny apartment waiting to be put... somewhere... but it is a bit more orderly right now. There's a little more room to move and have a couple of friends over.

Update on hand laundering:
You must make a lint trap for draining the water, whether it be from a bucket or the nifty little Wonder Washer (which I luvluvluv) and no matter if you own your home or rent house/apartment. I accidentally learned about this when I learned bathtub laundering was a no-no in this building because of lint clogging drains. So I googled about this.

Whether you're using a bucket or a tub or the fabulous little Wonder Washer there actually is a lot of lint going down the drain every time you empty the bucket or whatever whether it is noticeable or not. A lot.

When I googled I found a simple lint trap can be made from pantyhose. Made one, used it and was astounded. What looked to me like clear water after I removed the washed clothing was not. I emptied my first bucket through the pantyhose and lots of lint was trapped. Lots.

Now, I use the lint trap 100% of the time. It's really easy anyway and the amount of lint it's trapping really opened my eyes. Management got it right on this one.

[graingurl]

But half of my good deals are just by knowing what a good price for something is and stocking up when there's a good sale.

To get the most saving on your purchases, you must know what the best prices are, the interval at which they appear, and where they are offered. This necessitates that you keep track of what you pay for your items.

[snip]you will need to use a price book.

How to Develop a Price Book
Online Price Book w/ integrated grocery list and analysis
free downloadable price book spreadsheet (they have a more sophisticated version for sale and lots of other free spreadsheets.

Thanks for this reminder. I had one years ago (a la Tightwad Gazette) but didn't keep it up. Now I'm learning how to store and plan better I need to get back to this mindset.

Thanks for the links, they look like a great resource.

[graingurl]

I am taking this weekend to go through my closet and re-organize, re-label and try to figure out a good plan for food storage and rotation.

I see lots of pictures where people have enormous amounts of canned goods on hand. My question is how long do those really last? In looking at the canned goods that I bought last year (tomatoes, vegetables, etc) most of them expire at the end of 2012. So obviously this needs to be a rotated food unlike the 30 year dry packed rice, beans, etc I just bought. But some of the pictures show that people have enormous amounts of canned goods on hand. Is it because it lasts significantly longer than the date on the can or that you have much larger families? My goal right now is to build to a three month supply for my family of four.

[huntingohio]

Canned goods generally last 3 years from manufacture according to the date stamp, however i will not that i have eaten a can the was 5+ years expire and was just fine.. tasted the same as the same brand would off the shelf

[zombiepreparation]

But half of my good deals are just by knowing what a good price for something is and stocking up when there's a good sale.

Ding-ding-ding!

To get the most saving on your purchases, you must know what the best prices are, the interval at which they appear, and where they are offered. This necessitates that you keep track of what you pay for your items.

After a period of paying attention to this information, some of it will simply stick in your head (typically for the most frequently purchased items), but unless you posses an eidetic memory, you will need to use a price book. Don't panic, this isn't complex or particularly time consuming. The information you require is printed on your receipt. But since you don't want to have to sort through weeks or months of receipts every time you sit down to your make up your shopping list, you need to put it into an easy-to-use format.

You price book can be a little spiral notebook, forms you downloaded, or a spreadsheet that you maintain on your computer. Electronic price books have the advantage of being searchable and sort-able and if you have a smartphone or PDA, you have the advantage of being able to see and enter information wherever you happen to be.

How to Develop a Price Book
Online Price Book w/ integrated grocery list and analysis
free downloadable price book spreadsheet (they have a more sophisticated version for sale and lots of other free spreadsheets.

Okay. I'm trying this (again) because I intellectually know it is smart. But going through the links above, then googling, then YouTubing I am still not comprehending. <sigh>

So my point is to know what I have paid and when and where. Correct so far?
So I will know, umm... when the prices have again, what... reached the price of my choice. Correct?
Here is where I get lost.

I've downloaded the Price Book template, made an Excel book, entered my list and prices from my receipts, looks good, (again)
but
Am I making a new page or maybe entry each time I shop? How do I get from logging all this information to knowing what the best price is and when and where? All the templates are single purchase cells, which I understand, but does this book get really really big and am I flipping through months of shopping trips and comparing unit prices? I can't figure out this part.

The people in the above links talk like the Price Book is showing them something but doesn't indicate [to me] how, nor are the templates showing me. I keep thinking that there should be columns that keeps automatic (formatted) entries of the best price purchases on each item in each store and date of that price. Or is it all hunt through back shopping trips? Which doesn't make sense to me.

Anyone with info on this can PM me if it seems more appropriate there.

[graingurl]

In the past I did this the old-fashioned way....with pen and paper. A small notebook with one page or 1/2 page per item and I would write down prices and when I saw them.

This time I'm going to try http://www.groceryhop.com which was suggested above. It claims that the system will keep track for you if you are disciplined enough to enter your receipts faithfully. We'll see what happens.

I do know that I don't keep tabs on EVERYTHING, just my top items ... staples like wheat, rice, popcorn, milk, eggs, etc. I'll continue that habit as I don't want this to get overwhelming but do want to see where I can save money on my groceries.

Disclaimer, I know that I will NOT have the lowest possible price as there are foods I will not buy cheaply because of their negative health affects, it's worth paying more to me. But hopefully I will be able to even find the best place/price for even those items.

[Caenus]

The easiest way to get into couponing is scour the "junk mail" and paper for coupons on things you usually buy or want. Keep them in a pile, then go through your local grocery stores ads. When things go on sale, check the coupons to see if you have one. Don't get caught up on a specific brand for your stockpile. Buy what's on sale. Check with your supermarket to see what their coupon policy is and if they match competitors sale prices. If they do, you'll save time & gas going from store to store. Our local store matches, and automatically doubles manufacturer coupons.

Example: I like Bush's beans. But, the local store recently had van camps on sale for $0.80. I had 10 $0.30 coupons which automatically doubled to $0.60. I ended up paying $2 for 10 cans of beans. Free? No, but much cheaper than paying regular price (which would have been $13).

Also make sure you are in their "Preferred customer program" or "VIP" or whatever they call it. Some sales only apply to those customers. Usually it's free and I'm sure you've seen them before. Watch the cashier and make sure all your coupons are entered and applied to your purchase.

To me, that is the minimum couponing effort. TX Trinity makes it a hobby and has some strange system I couldn't explain.

Don't expect staples like flour, sugar and rice to go on sale often. Also, don't buy something just because it's not on sale. That is how the "extreme" couponers advertise their great deals.

If you start with the basics above, it will eventually evolve as you get better.

[goofygurl]

Canned goods generally last 3 years from manufacture according to the date stamp, however i will not that i have eaten a can the was 5+ years expire and was just fine.. tasted the same as the same brand would off the shelf

Canned tuna is actually good for 5 years after the expiration date.

[goofygurl]

The easiest way to get into couponing is scour the "junk mail" and paper for coupons on things you usually buy or want. Keep them in a pile, then go through your local grocery stores ads. When things go on sale, check the coupons to see if you have one. Don't get caught up on a specific brand for your stockpile. Buy what's on sale. Check with your supermarket to see what their coupon policy is and if they match competitors sale prices. If they do, you'll save time & gas going from store to store. Our local store matches, and automatically doubles manufacturer coupons.

Example: I like Bush's beans. But, the local store recently had van camps on sale for $0.80. I had 10 $0.30 coupons which automatically doubled to $0.60. I ended up paying $2 for 10 cans of beans. Free? No, but much cheaper than paying regular price (which would have been $13).

Also make sure you are in their "Preferred customer program" or "VIP" or whatever they call it. Some sales only apply to those customers. Usually it's free and I'm sure you've seen them before. Watch the cashier and make sure all your coupons are entered and applied to your purchase.

To me, that is the minimum couponing effort. TX Trinity makes it a hobby and has some strange system I couldn't explain.

Don't expect staples like flour, sugar and rice to go on sale often. Also, don't buy something just because it's not on sale. That is how the "extreme" couponers advertise their great deals.

If you start with the basics above, it will eventually evolve as you get better.

Coupon lessons: http://www.adventuresincoupons.com/coupon-lessons

Start with the basic terms and move on from there. Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS are all basically the same shopping, so Walgreens 101 will work for all 3. Just change out the terms and learn the different policies.

Couponing is literally my business...as is teaching others.



The price book. The whole point of a price book is this. To know what regular prices are so that when items go on "sale" you'll know the true value of the sale. 9 out 10 times? A store is advertising something as a "sale" in their ad and it's not..not at all. People just see it advertised in the ad and assume...because they don't realize.

Head to the store with your spreadsheet and start writing down the SHELF prices of what you normally buy. Also be sure to add in the per oz, unit, etc price. To really save money, you'll need to start figuring out which is cheaper unit for unit or oz for oz, lb for lb, etc.

Don't attempt to do your price book all in one trip. Do it over time or you'll wear yourself out.

[zombiepreparation]

[The price book. The whole point of a price book is this. To know what regular prices are so that when items go on "sale" you'll know the true value of the sale. 9 out 10 times? A store is advertising something as a "sale" in their ad and it's not..not at all. People just see it advertised in the ad and assume...because they don't realize.

Head to the store with your spreadsheet and start writing down the SHELF prices of what you normally buy. Also be sure to add in the per oz, unit, etc price. To really save money, you'll need to start figuring out which is cheaper unit for unit or oz for oz, lb for lb, etc.

Don't attempt to do your price book all in one trip. Do it over time or you'll wear yourself out.

I began prepping last November. I began keeping all my receipts at that time thinking eventually I'd learn how to shop more efficiently. To be clear I have very few receipts since I am financially challenged so my receipts are 98% prep stuff with 98% of that being grocery receipts.

I have just finished entering the purchases on these receipts on the downloaded price book spreadsheet. It was easy since I really only purchase basic things and shop infrequently. My diet is simple (that's what I enjoy), my needs are kept simple (I'd really like way more 'stuff' if I had the funds ). My purchases rarely vary and I don't shop the store. My entries on the sheet are probably few compared to lots of others. Just at a hundred things on my list.

So now I... ???

a. Print a copy to take with me shopping and shop prices for everything I buy each time I enter a store to keep track of changing prices?
b. Refer to the copy if I see adds? (I have never seen an add for anything I buy)
c. "If" I see a coupon for something I use (very very very unlikely for the things I buy) I check the book?
d. Use the book to buy at the store with the best buys.

Here is where everything gets muddy to me:
1. How is this going to keep me alert to that 'cycle' thing when prices drop or whatever?
2. All my prices seem to have been store stable for months but when they do change what do I do with the new price? Replace the old one? Create a new entry beside/under the old one?
3. Where am I seeing the comparison tracking of ups and downs? Or am I mistaken in thinking I'm tracking that?

[goofygurl]

[The price book. The whole point of a price book is this. To know what regular prices are so that when items go on "sale" you'll know the true value of the sale. 9 out 10 times? A store is advertising something as a "sale" in their ad and it's not..not at all. People just see it advertised in the ad and assume...because they don't realize.

Head to the store with your spreadsheet and start writing down the SHELF prices of what you normally buy. Also be sure to add in the per oz, unit, etc price. To really save money, you'll need to start figuring out which is cheaper unit for unit or oz for oz, lb for lb, etc.

Don't attempt to do your price book all in one trip. Do it over time or you'll wear yourself out.

I began prepping last November. I began keeping all my receipts at that time thinking eventually I'd learn how to shop more efficiently. To be clear I have very few receipts since I am financially challenged so my receipts are 98% prep stuff with 98% of that being grocery receipts.

I have just finished entering the purchases on these receipts on the downloaded price book spreadsheet. It was easy since I really only purchase basic things and shop infrequently. My diet is simple (that's what I enjoy), my needs are kept simple (I'd really like way more 'stuff' if I had the funds ). My purchases rarely vary and I don't shop the store. My entries on the sheet are probably few compared to lots of others. Just at a hundred things on my list.

So now I... ???

a. Print a copy to take with me shopping and shop prices for everything I buy each time I enter a store to keep track of changing prices?
b. Refer to the copy if I see adds? (I have never seen an add for anything I buy)
c. "If" I see a coupon for something I use (very very very unlikely for the things I buy) I check the book?
d. Use the book to buy at the store with the best buys.

Here is where everything gets muddy to me:
1. How is this going to keep me alert to that 'cycle' thing when prices drop or whatever?
2. All my prices seem to have been store stable for months but when they do change what do I do with the new price? Replace the old one? Create a new entry beside/under the old one?
3. Where am I seeing the comparison tracking of ups and downs? Or am I mistaken in thinking I'm tracking that?

Sale cycles are basically just so you know what to look for when. They don't *really* help a whole lot when trying to save money. If the new price is going to be a regular price vs a sale price, update your price book accordingly. Just edit the original entry. 3. No need to track the ups and downs. What you're looking for is the regular price of the item so that you know when a sale price is a good price.

Say that I have a price book that tells me that Angel Soft is regularly .48 per single roll. Angel Soft then goes on sale for .35 per single roll. I now know, because of the price book that the sale price is indeed a sale price. Now, say I have a coupon that drops it to .15 per single roll (and omg, how I wish that would happen more often). Because I have my price book, and I've recorded the lowest prices that I've gotten things for in the past, that this is lower than I've *ever* paid for that item. I would then stock up accordingly.

So basically, you're looking for this in your book. Regular price, (total price then price per unit, oz, etc) and the lowest price you've managed to get it for. The two combined with the sales (ads or unadvertised sales) will help you save money *in the long run.* Keep in mind that it will be a bit of time before it really starts to pay off.

Also, PM me a list of the types of products you buy. I'll see what I can dig up in the way of coupons.

[prepper7]

Thanks for this reminder. I had one years ago (a la Tightwad Gazette) but didn't keep it up. Now I'm learning how to store and plan better I need to get back to this mindset.

Thanks for the links, they look like a great resource.

My pleasure.

[zombiepreparation]

goofygurl, have sent you two PMs abt the coupons as you suggested but my messages are not registering that I have sent them. Don't know what the prob is. Have you received them?