I remember the good old days when I could spend $100 on groceries and get through the month. I recall the sales and savings. Sadly, those days are nothing more than romantic memories, and the rising costs we all see at the checkout are not going away anytime soon.
Inflation is taking its toll from California to New York and everywhere in between.
Unfortunately, it is not only food costs that continue to rise steadily. Everything is more expensive. No matter where you look, prices continue to increase, despite steps to cool inflation, such as lower interest rates and government programs. We are all struggling to pay bills, get basic necessities, and put food on the table.
These rising costs are most prominent when it comes to food. A trip to the grocery store, once a relaxing outing for any mother, has become a personal battle that causes tremendous stress.
Consider that the average annual food costs for an American family increased by 11.4% in 2022 compared to the previous year. Yet, looking back over the last 20 years, the historical level of food inflation was a mere 2%. (Source)
What is happening? And more importantly, what can we do about it? It is impossible to keep up. People just don’t have the money.
While some hold on to the hope that prices and inflation will level out, one thing is certain; everyone feels the effects.
How will you survive if costs continue to rise?
Luckily, there are always ways to combat economic effects and prepare for the future, especially regarding food. You have options. What’s better is that it is never too late to start preparing for tomorrow.
Whether you are already struggling or you want to prepare just in case, there are many things you can do to give yourself a headstart and some security.
Preparing For A Changing World And An Uncertain Future
No one knows what tomorrow holds. While we have always existed in an uncertain world, the risk seems higher today than ever before. Should a natural disaster strike, we face a financial crisis, or should something completely unexpected occur, will you be prepared?
Related: The 5 Tactical Levels Of Preparedness – What Level Are You At?
Ideally, you would have already started preparing for a crisis. Thankfully, it is never too late to jump on the train and secure a spot in the future. With never-ending price increases and a precarious financial market, self-sufficiency has never been more critical.
There are many ways to prepare for uncertain times. From stocking up to saving money, we will outline some of the best practices in preparation so that you can build your nest egg and keep yourself and your family safe, no matter what the future holds.
Save Money By Cutting Costs
While swapping brands to save a mere few cents may seem silly, every penny truly counts. In today’s financially-strapped society, if you can save a buck, you should do it.
Purchase products of a cheaper brand, make your coffee at home and wash your own car. Any small actions that can help you put money in the bank are essential to your success in a crisis.
Cut The Cord On Cable T.V.
If you are still paying for cable, it is time to join the rest of us in 2023. Most of the shows you watch are probably available online for free or at least cheaper than your ever-increasing cable bill.
Consider finding an alternative for television, such as an Android service, and cut the cord with your cable provider.
Cancel Auto-Pay Subscriptions
It seems that everything is run on subscription these days. If you are anything like me, you sign up for something and forget about it. Meanwhile, large companies are laughing their way to the bank while you unknowingly continue to pay 9, 10, or 12 dollars a month for something you rarely use.
Related: Money Saving Tips From Real Survivors Of The Great Depression
Try turning off the auto-pay feature on your monthly subscriptions and set them to manual renewal instead. This simple act forces you to acknowledge the cost and assess whether it is a product you need.
Reduce Energy Costs
My family is notoriously leaving lights on, falling asleep while watching television, wasting water, or turning up the heat. All these bad habits add up. I see the additional costs reflected in our monthly bills.
While it may be challenging to change your habits, it could be the thing that saves you when times get truly tough.
Look for ways to lower your utility costs and contact the company for advice. Many companies offer free incentive programs to help consumers limit their usage and spending.
Grow Your Food
I’m no farmer. However, fed up with the ever-increasing cost of vegetables, I recently decided to dig up my backyard to make room for a large garden.
Growing fruits and vegetables at home is way easier than you would think. What’s better, growing a few fruits or veggies could save you substantial money.
Even if you lack a large yard, consider growing things like tomatoes, cucumbers, leaf lettuce, herbs, and peppers. These plants can be grown almost anywhere and require very little space. In fact, many can be grown in buckets, pots, or small containers on a balcony.
Find creative ways to grow food yourself, whether in a garden or containers, and save some money by avoiding the produce section at the grocery store. For more helpful information, check out this guide on how to make a year-round self-sustaining garden, that will keep you and your family well fed.
Stock Up On Staples
When people think of prepping, they are often put off by images of large hoard piles. While being prepared should mean you have everything you need no matter what happens, it is not as chaotic as it may seem.
Stocking up on essential items and ensuring extra food is available is a great start. You can always think ahead, even if you are not ready to begin a full-blown stockpile in a dedicated space.
When an item is on sale, consider buying extra to put away. Stock up on essential items, like toilet paper, paper towels, and laundry soap, and always ensure there is extra food, especially non-perishables.
Ideally, you would be able to survive without having to leave your house for at least three months, but having enough to get through even a few days is better than nothing.
Do Some DIY
Preparing for the unknown means you need to be creative, and what is more creative than a DIY project?
If you make some of the things you need at home instead of buying them from others, it can save you money each month and really make a difference in the long run.
You can create many items at home. For example, you can create a simple water heater that requires no electricity, and helps you save money on your electricity bills.
You can also make DIY fishing gear, fire-starting kits, a water filtration system, various stoves, traps and alarms against intruders and many other incredible items.
Shop Smart
Although you probably can’t avoid the grocery store entirely, you can shop smart and save money.
Depending on where you live, stores often offer coupons that can help you stock up and save money. Sales allow you to purchase products at lower prices.
Besides sales and coupons, the brands you buy impact expenses. Always check if there is a cheaper, off-brand version of a product.
While off-brands are not always more affordable, they are usually the same product. Parent companies often manufacture popular off-brands. Why spend $10 on something when you can pay $5?
Don’t go grocery shopping hungry
Walk into the grocery store with a rumbling belly, and you will walk out with a cart full of junk.
Related: 7 Stores Where You Can Buy Cheap Survival Food
Be sure to shop when your stomach is full, and you have time to focus. You do not want to rush yourself into purchasing products you do not need.
Plan ahead
You should never enter a grocery store without a plan.
Supermarkets tend to have a way of tricking shoppers into filling their carts. Avoid this trap by planning your shopping trips and following a list.
Avoid the outer edges and end caps
The outer edge of a grocery store is your worst enemy. The rim of a grocery store holds popular products retailers are pushing. End caps (the displays at the end of each aisle) are highly competitive and perfectly planned to persuade. Stick to the center aisles if you want to bag yourself some savings.
Check the discount bins
Many stores feature discount bins. These are often filled with dented, damaged, or almost expired products. Always check for a discount section and see if you can buy anything on markdown.
Know your sale dates
Sales are essential to savings. Knowing which days the sales start and end is helpful. Some stores even offer promotions on different days of the week, such as seniors day.
Use rewards
Rewards cards can be a great money-saving tool. Find out which stores offer rewards, and consider signing up. Most are free.
⇒ An Insanely Effective Way to Build a 5 Year Food Stockpile
Often the company wants an address, phone number, or email to send promotional material, but it may be worth the savings.
Set a strict budget
A budget is also helpful. I make a list and calculate costs based on sale prices when grocery shopping. I will transfer the funds to a prepaid card or separate account to avoid overspending. If the money is not accessible, you can’t spend it.
Utilize discount food apps
Try to utilize discount food apps if possible. Where I live, we have the Flash Food app. This ingenious app lists discounted products you order online to pick up in-store. It is a great way to save on things you need. Look for a similar app in your area and celebrate some savings.
Shop alone
One thing I’ve learned as a parent is that kids should not come to the grocery store. When you shop alone, you are more likely to shop wisely.
Price match
Similar to coupons, sales, or rewards, price matching can help you save money. If your store allows you to price match, I suggest you do. Often an item will be on sale at one store but not at another. If you can’t travel all over town, price matching guarantees you get the sale price. There are price-matching apps that make it easy.
Although prices are rising as quickly as your blood pressure and show no signs of coming down any time soon, you can save money. You can survive these uncertain times by becoming more self-sufficient and saving cash when possible.
Being prepared for the future is about more than your stockpile. It is about planning and preparing, no matter the situation.
I would love to hear how you save money in these challenging times. Share your tips and ideas with me in the comments, and stay safe.
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The end caps in Walmart are usually the items that are on special.
I always have ample supplies of these staples in my home:
rice,
pasta,
canned beans and lentils (red beans, black beans, 6 bean medley)
tomato sauce (canned or bottled)
Potatoes (including dried potato flakes)
(I’m a vegetarian, so no meats.)
tea and coffee
But with those staples, and some condiments, (mustard, ketchup, mayonaise) I can make any salad dressing or sandwich spreads
and cook hundreds of meals,
and not have to go shopping for a month.
Smart meters transmit microwave level frequencies. Why can’t we have a choice of the old analog meters or the current smart meter.
At least the old analog electric meters employed meter readers. The push from analog to digital made surveillance much more easier to do.
Smartphones transmit high freq radiation that isn’t healthy either. Big pharma is married to politicians who give a big incentive to pump out more chemical crap.
Covid scandal was an eye opener with Dr. Fauci in charge.
here what it says when I go there:
Error: Forbidden
Your client does not have permission to get URL /redir/403418/charged68/yh from this server.
Molly, for us anyways you can recommend a non transmitting meter. They will need to come manually read your meter every other month and it does cost an extra $15 for that. But worth it to me. We have enough radio frequencies here. Some of my devices are complaining about radio interference since getting the new smart meter.
Also, don’t waste the food you do buy. Raise a garden, save seeds (For several years, I saved seeds when I had just a 10×10 foot patio in front of my house where I had a small garden.) Grow your own plants from seed. Plan your meals, and cook from scratch. Plan to use the leftovers, and feed any waste you do have to chickens or red wigglers so that you can continue to build your soil. Be sure to use any food you have in the freezer. When our freezer broke down I had the means to use my pressure canner to can the meats in the freezer so that none of it went to waste. Remember waste not, want not!
Buy your seeds now, if you can!
It’s not just food we are worrying about anymore, saving coupons and other cost cutting methods. People did not listen to Trump. If you want to destroy America you vote for the current DC Swamp trash we have now.
You can thank the dummy-crat voters for voting in G. Soros puppet DA’s, same old stinking Demoncrat politicians, including RINO’s. Who are spinless letting unions, environmentalist, lunatic activists rule for chaos we have.
Yes we are on our own, many politicians don’t represent us anymore. Presidents Bush, Obama, Clinton are giving comfort to our freeloaders, free air travel to illegals.
This why we taxpayers are being drained of our savings an nest eggs. To pay higher prices to cover the poor starving illegals and welfare jerks on our nickels & dimes.
If you grow too much in your home garden the State and Feds will confiscate your homegrown food. Socialism works great on paper but not in real life.
Vegetarians will suffer as meat eaters will when the food supply chains are turned down to a dribble. Food stores restricted by politicians will cause policies to only give a typical family. Say of four, one head of lettuce per month per family. We are living in the American States turning into old mother Russia.
The world countries are stepping away from the USD to a Chinese monetary currency.
Warning people is coming to a close. G. Soros and other elites have done damage to America. Managed the decline of the dollar.
Tucker Carlson is out at FOX, the left is taking over the Fox News Channel. They did it to OAN and tried to ban Newsmax.
AM radio is being silenced in new cars, do you have a portable AM radio?
The transition from gas to electric is all about control. Which side will you be on?
How much can we really store before the supply chains dry up?
Have we rethought what our prepping really is all about?
GOD is in charge, but we still have to make the right choices in the devil’s playground.
Buy good quality seeds as our last ditch effort of freedom of choice against GMO seeds.
The articles we have seen on this blog are good ideas. These use to be known commonsense back in the days before the internet and smartphones of today.
Why should we be worried? Remember reading in the Bible somewhere people can apply for bankruptcy as part of the old monetary system.
Why can’t America file for bankruptcy? Since President Nixon took America off the Gold Standard. We have been on the fiat monetary system. Even the BS Bit coin is fiat, block chain baloney.
Bit coin and others are mined on computers, yeah computers. What happens when the electrical grid goes down? This technology is built on a house of cards, false fake money system. Like the Weimar Republic was in Germany.
The Ukraine War has drained the USA military of ammunition to be able to support Taiwan. China will take advantage if the old cadger in the DC Swamp gets elected again. Our country will fall/
There are CCP secret police stations in America, what’s next, comrades?
Will Americans wake up to late to save our county?
The current foreign policy is in shambles due to our Trojan Horse in charge.
What say you?
File for bankruptcy?
We’re in a world of hurt now, but it will look like we were doing well if the world stops trading in dollars, and that’s starting to happen. Our monopoly money isn’t backed by anything except a need to use it purchase oil. Saudi Arabia and many of the South American countries are now letting buyers pay in yuan.
Internet retail has done damage to small businesses. The lazy couch potatoes who order stuff on line has gotten into bad habits. Binge online movies and games.
People have gotten soft, weak and stupid. The alternative lifestyles have grown into a nasty cabal. Telling normal folk there are the freaks of society.
We can’t always blame the DC Swamp, we also did this to ourselves.
Will citizens learn to repair themselves before it’s too late?
Build the Southern Border Wall and drill for oil ASAP!
And big box stores did the same thing before the internet did it to them. They put most of the mom and pop shops out of business.
Definition of inflation is too much money chasing too few goods.
What I want to know is exactly WHO are the ones with ‘too much money’.
I sure as heck don’t have it.
Thats why REpublicans voted against regulating the corporations price gouging. They want you to spend your money to feed their corporate donors. Yet they complain the most.
Marko, you know how the left is…don’t do as I do, do as I say. Lisa, there is a short pier you should take a walk on. Just leave this site. It’s definitely not for you or YOUR KIND!
Actually this is neither a Republican or Democrat problem. Inflation is primarily supply and demand. Low supply with normal demand will cause higher prices. High supply with lower demand will cause lower prices. Supply is usually set by the manufacturer/grower. Demand is set up the consumer.
Back in 2020, due to Covid, gas prices fell. It was mostly caused by lower demand due to less driving. And then Russia and Saudi Arabia got in to a fight and caused gas prices to really fall.
When the world opened back up in 2021, demand outpaced supply. This lead to higher prices for everything that people wanted. Low supply, higher demand equals higher prices.
It The war in Ukraine took two major exporters of raw materials, such as fertilizer, out of the picture which lowered supply. Droughts in Brazil and other South American countries lead to lower supply of soybeans. Which lead to higher feed prices which lead to higher livestock prices. So the agriculture industry in America was hit hard.
Unfortunately we live in a global economy. Which means everything is based on the global price of goods. So even if we have soybeans, Brazil supplies 90% of the world’s soybeans. Which automatically increases the price of soybeans.
Well your partially right. You forgot the part about it being deliberate.
Are we on the verge of a Black Swan(s) event?
12 Deadly Mistakes That Preppers Make In These TimesWe have the DC Swamp incompetence, dividing us, open southern border, no oil drilling in the USA.
Food shortages due to foreign farmland ownership with lib elites also buying up American farmland to control the food supply chains?
Isn’t it time for the border States to resume building the southern border wall?
There are border wall materials taxpayer’s paid for just ready to be assembled.
John,
I totally agree with your observations, but I would like to add some additional information. Since this administration had taken us hostage, the government has aided the invasion from all borders. Governors have threatened to continue building the wall on our southern border, while our politicians are paying companies like SwiftAir (iAero – SWQ) to fly illegals over the wall and into cities all over the U.S. I suspect these hapless tools are being deposited in red cities, so that the evil-doers will have a better chance of an election win, when they allow anyone and his/her brother to vote without ID. For those deniers out there, you can track these flights on FlightAware or ADSBexchange. Supplement that with a visit to BorderReport and you will quickly piece together that our government is not our friend. We haven’t heard much about Abbott defending our southern border lately. In the scheme of things, the Communist plan to overthrow the U.S. without firing a shot has been in full swing, and with this group of selected individuals at the wheel, we are racing toward destruction with their collective feet smashing the accelerator pedal to the floor. Wake up People! It is way beyond time to pay attention.
This is going to sound weird but: I use my credit card to grocery shop. I have the money in the back to use the debit but I don’t get ‘rewards’ for using it. So, I use ‘the card,’ and when I get home, I pay ‘the card.’ I get points added up that can go for helping pay the balance or (as with my Amazon card) I can use it for credit if buying something on Amazon. I get things ‘free’ or at a greatly reduced price that way.
For decades we’ve be indoctrinated into the One World Currency, at a faster pace now.
It started with broadening the credit card use to the public. Where the Blue Collar worker use to pay in cash or check.
Those were replaced by the debit card. Latter on we got the fiat Bit Coin system. The mainstream banks eventually excepted some payments in bit coin. But the computer generated block chain is not stable, it fluctuates to much.
Then online buying with cards got people too lazy.
Some banks now report back cash funds ($600) being taken out of our accounts to the IRS.
Sometimes paying in cash for certain things are now subject to scrutiny. The norm is to use the credit or debit card. Cash is looked upon as a minor crime.
The next phase is to get a “FED Coin” in-place of the US paper dollar. Digital is the best method to track us of personal purchases.
Amazon was a great enabler to bring people into the digital money world.
Fortunately the FTX scandal woke people up to the behind the scenes of digital money manipulation.
The three credit bureau’s will be morphed into an America social credit system like China has. It’s all a matter of time with the current bureaucrats in GOVT. They will be exempt from what they do to us.
What you think is going on?
And they used COVID to push using plastic over cash. “Exact change only” signs are still up in a lot of stores here in coastal Virginia.
I saw all this coming many yrs ago.
This should of been easy for people to spot as businesses were leaving America every yr. & good jobs were being lost.
If you got a raise in pay the big business would take that & a little more from you every time! We were moving backwards! This is what I was seeing as time moved on.
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We (wife & I) have been collecting things for many yrs. (some item for more then 25 yrs because I knew the only way to take us all out @ once was to get all things that would protect us from them, this is history trying to repeat)
We were purchasing new canning jars in bulk as well as reusable canning lids before supplies dried up & prices skyrocketed (yard sale & auction use to be good place).
We garden 2-3 yrs in a roll & let the garden get it’s rest before going again. (we will put in a few item so we can have fresh veg.)
Alway put in shell / dry beans, good source of protein if meat become hard to get.
Don’t forget about Lard, you have to have fat to survive no matter how much you have in protein. (lard is better for you then Butter & most all other oils because they go bad in short time)
If you want to keep Butter then learn how to make “Ghee”, it does not have to be refrigerated once it is make.
We have Blueberry, Blackberry plants, Apple, Peach, Pear & Plum trees. I now have Figs trees to get in this yr.
I am also a Beekeeper & have stored a LOTS of honey in those same plastic bottles we use for dry goods. (I use no toxic chemicals in my hive, EVER!)
When I grow my garden, several crops are large so those items can be canned in bulk & will last us up to 10 yrs. This makes it much easier when canning & I don’t have to grow those crop again for those yrs until our supply starts to get low.
I repeat with other crops & do the same. (start with the simple crops, beans, cucumbers, carrots, ect..
Ferment what you can, (this is one of the easies ways to preserve food & there is no canning involved)
Learn how to make your own vinegar from apples / apple scraps.
Some crops are easier to dehydrated rather then canning them (onions, potatoes, Parsnips, home grown herbs, ect) then I vacuum seal them to save jars for other things.
Buy vacuum seal rolls in bulks as well!
Forget the store rolls.
We do not can crops just to last us 1 yr or 2, I see that as a waste of time & effort.
We purchase spices including salt & several types of pepper corns in bulk (1 or more lbs) all of the things we normally use to cook & can food through a spice companies. (spice prices have gone up in the past yr. by a lot)
Big corps are trying to buy up all for the small spice companies so they can control everything.
Make your own seasoning for a lot less money!
We put dry goods in used large plastic juice bottles (they are easy to store, have handles & hold a lot of dry goods, they keep out the bugs & they are reusable).
2 yrs ago I told others to get your garden seed stored up because they will be better the money & will make for good barter. (keep seeds in a SEALED package & store in a working mini frig., NOT IN A FREEZER)
You will need to get some out (time will depend on the type of seed / vegetable) from time to time to make sure you have fresh seeds @ all times & it gives you more barter.
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The big corps are trying to GM all VEGETABLE seeds so they can’t be used to grow another crop from them.
I BET MANY OF YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT WAS GOING ON!
This is why you have get seed before this happens!
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Don’t forget about medical supplies & medical kits.
Things like Iodine, Peroxide, Suture kit, Surgical kits, Potassium Iodine tablets, Tea Tree oil ect. (look up natural medicinal herbs & learn to make extracts, tinctures)
I never thought I would say our kids will not have good futures because many of them are feeding the ones who are becoming Communist in America who are intent on owning all of the people!
(the kids have some good ideas for the future but DON’T HAVE THE EDUCATION TO GET IT DONE RIGHT!, SO THEY FOLLOW FOOLS WHO ARE NO SMARTER THEN THEY ARE & we are seeing where that is going!)
I didn’t post any company names we buy from because I don’t know if that was allowed.
“No one ever hears those who remain silent”
“Follow a fool long enough & soon you will be seen as the fool!”
WHEN YOU BUY A PRODUCT THAT HAS A LITTLE PACKET OF DESCANT SAVE IT. WHEN YOU BUY A BOTTLE OF PICKLES IT HAS A TIGHT LID AND IT IS MADE OF GLASS. WHEN YOU FINISH THE PICKLES, WASH IT AND THE LID OUT, RINSE AND DRY IT AND THEN YOU PUT YOUR LITTLE SEED PACKS IN THE DRY JAR AND ADD THE LITTLE DESCANT PACKETS. PUT THE LID ON TIGHT AND POP IN THE REFRIGERATOR. THE SEEDS WILL BE LIKE NEW. YOU CAN JUST TAKE OUT SOME NEXT YEAR AND PLANT THEM. THEY WILL GROW JUST NICE AND FINE! KEEP WHAT YOU DON’T USE IN THE JAR FOR THE YEAR AFTER THAT TOO!
One way to save money on groceries would be to form a little co-op between neighbors or family members. Buy as much as possible in bulk, it may not be much in savings, but over time, the little savings add up. Also, with a co-op, you are helping to build a small prepping community. Yes, sec-ops may be a little compromised, but you may also learn who may be more likely to try and take it from you when SHTF.
I have an abundance of saved seed. Adding many new fruit and nut trees, bushes, and vines. Even more edible landscaping plants. The garden is larger this year. A friend is putting in drip irrigation for the permanent plantings. I’ve even replaced the rhubarb and asparagus and will be planting 75 strawberry plants and 12 raspberries this week. Under a tall pine in the more acid soil there I’ll be setting out blueberries and huckleberries.
Dormant trees set out almost two weeks ago are putting out green leaves. I love gardening. More to set out as they arrive.
I’ve been slowly adding to my canning jars and lids all winter.
My splurge this spring is 2 Cecil Bruner climbing roses. I’ve loved them since childhood. One for a new arbor at the front yard gate and one to climb a no longer used basketball goal by the backyard gate.
Gardening is my joy. A grand excuse for this great grandma to play in the dirt. Of course I’m aiming for enough abundance to eat fresh, can, freeze, and dehydrate for the coming winter and spring. That’s the goal each year. To eat from what I grow until the next harvest. Now trying for extra for family and a couple of friends who help me in many ways.
If anyone talks to Left Coast Chuck, tell him this guy says hello.