The U.S. poverty rate soared to 14.3 percent in 2009, its highest level in 15 years. The rate was up from 13.2 percent in 2008. I can’t begin to imagine what the rate will be when the statistics are analyzed for 2010.With unemployment rates higher this year than last, those figures will undoubtedly rise. In the county in which I live the poverty rate rose to 20 % with a 17.5% unemployment rate.

The number of people living in poverty nationally rose from 39.8 million in 2008 to 43.6 million in 2009, the most in the 51 years for which poverty figures are available.

The report also showed median household income actually fell to $49,777 in 2009 from $50,112 in 2008. Not much, but any drop means a small jump for some and a huge drop for others.

At the same time we have seen these drops we have witnessed the increase in food prices meaning our purchasing power is also down from last year. I hope you all took advantage of fresh fruits and vegetable this summer and did some canning, freezing and drying. I also hope you are continuing to encourage those around you to wake up to the realities in the economy right now.

If you have not been building your General Store what is holding you back?

I had a long talk with a man who was at my home canning with me. He is out of work and his wife was away with the kids visiting her family. We gleaned tomatoes and then made spaghetti sauce, salsa and tomato and apple relish (it is so….good!). His family has been working hard on food storage this year and he told me if they can do it while on unemployment, anyone can. He’s right. Anyone can. You must make this a priority now.

The election will hopefully change a few things but in California the voters are too under educated about the facts and are easily swayed by party affiliation. I’m holding out hope but I doubt there will be a significant change here. Why will that affect you? Well, the majority of the food grown in this country is grown in California. If we don’t see a change we will have less farmland planted, more farmland blown away because or a lack of water allocations and increased unemployment and poverty levels. All Americans are paying for the government programs all those who are unemployed are living on. Our purchasing power will go down even more. Your best investment and hedge against inflation? FOOD…Commit today and stock your General Store.

Tip # 30 Store food now. If you have no extra cash then eat breakfast for dinner this week, and use the money you save by not purchasing meat and other dinner ingredients, to purchase some food storage. Ask for food storage as gifts. No matter how little store food this week.

The October edition of the Totally Ready Newsletter will be hitting emails later today.

In This Issue:

Year to date inventory of Our General Store

Survival Skills: Seizures

Gathering Important Documents

Safely Storing Important Documents

Inventory Your Home

Upcoming Ready or Not Shows

Emergency Contact Forms to Complete and Store

Fall Recipes to Rotate Food Storage

Review Tips…For more specifics about each tip please visit the former posts.

#1:  Find an out of area contact.

#2: Gather maps.  Get several different colors of highlighters and mark at least three different routes out of the city and  ending at the home of your out of area contact.

#3: Collect all your flashlights. Check  to make sure they are all working properly. Make note of any batteries you need to purchase.

#4  Post important phone numbers and your own address by each phone.

#5  Place a pair of good shoes under each bed where they can be reached in the middle of the night.

#6  Place a glow stick next to each bed.

# 7:  Listen to READY OR NOT. If you can’t listen tonight the show will be available for download at the same link as the live show. Hope to hear from you tonight!

# 8: Stash some cash, about $100.00, for each adult kit.

# 9 Inventory your kitchen, everything.

#10 Inventory your Family room/living room.

#11 Inventory your bedrooms.

#12 Inventory Office and formal dining room.

# 13 Inventory and update 72 hour kits. If you are just beginning collect back packs for every family member.

#14 Sort through medicine cabinet. Replace expired medications.

# 15  Copy your driver’s license, auto insurance policy and birth certificates for your important documents file. We had a great show Tuesday night with tips and info about collecting important documents and just why it is so vital. If you missed the show download it and listen today.

#16 Inventory bathrooms and hall closets

#17 Inventory garage

#18 Make copies of your home owners or renters insurance.

#19 Make copies of the front and back of all credit cards and record the contact phone numbers for all cards on these copies.

#20  Place a flashlight and whistle next to or slightly under each bed in the house.

#21 Teach all family members to text.

#22 Make copies of your home owners insurance and medical insurance papers

# 23- Create a list of 10 meals your family loves. List all the ingredients in those recipes

#24 Create a list of items you would like to add to your preparedness inventory and give this list to everyone who gives you birthday or holiday gifts.

# 25  Add water to your water storage.  For more help with water storage check out  your copy of Mother Hubbard: What She’s Doing Now.

#26 Teach each family member how and where to turn off the gas, electricity and water into your home.

# 27 Do a little research and find out which TV and radio stations will broadcast emergency information in your area during a disaster

# 28 Inventory laundry room

#29 Inventory basement and/ or attic. If you don’t have either but have a shed be sure to inventory the shed.

To Listen to past broadcasts of READY OR NOT visit:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/search/carolyn-nicolaysen/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: http://blog.totallyready.com/announcing-the-totally-ready-newsletter/

Join Our Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TotallyReady/

Back issues: Totally Ready Newsletters July 2009- June 2010

If you missed my radio show last night it is now ready to download so please go and listen and please let me know what you think and what you would like to hear next.

For our money saving tip this week I have been thinking food. I have posted many tips for saving money on food and specifically food storage. On September 21st I will be visiting with a couponing expert on my show READY OR NOT. Please tune in to that show as I am a self confessed non couponer and I have given her the challenge of converting me. Even if you have never considered using coupons I am sure there will be tips you can use.

The tip for today for saving money is to learn to cook from scratch. Now by that I mean make things on your own but not necessarily by dragging out the flour and sugar and baking powder. If your store has regular sales on brownie mix for 99 cents that is cheaper than buying the individual ingredients and far…cheaper then buying a tray of brownies and even cheaper than those that come in that little box for $1.29. With an inexpensive brownie mix you have the makings for many many desserts. If, however, you’re making a casserole it is cheaper to purchase the ingredients and make them from scratch. Bread is much, much, cheaper to make than to purchase. In the April 2010 issue of the newsletter there is a recipe for the Easiest Ever Bread. That bread, which require no previous experience and no kneading, costs 30 cents to make. Yep, that’s right only 30 cents, when was the last time you paid 30 cents for a loaf of bread? If you use a loaf of bread a week you could save over $100.00 a year, just on bread! The bread looks just like the picture above and tastes great! I will devote the October Newsletter to easy, yummy and inexpensive recipes and tips for those wanting to gain more skills. This week try making something from scratch that you have never made before. Questions? Please ask!

Tip # 8: Stash some cash. To this point our tips have been free so now is the day for a little investment. Put away a few dollars each week until you have a small stash for your emergency evacuation kit. You should have about $100.00 in each adult kit. This should be in small denomination bills, nothing larger than a 10. This money will then be available for small purchases when there are no ATMs and credit card services available. If you have $100.00 to invest right now go to the bank and get a variety of small bills and place them in your kits. If you need time add to your stash each month until you have enough.

Review…Tips

#1:  Find an out of area contact.

#2: Gather maps.  Get several different colors of highlighters and mark at least three different routes out of the city and  ending at the home of your out of area contact.

#3: Collect all your flashlights. Check  to make sure they are all working properly. Make note of any batteries you need to purchase.

#4  Post important phone numbers and your own address by each phone.

#5  Place a pair of good shoes under each bed where they can be reached in the middle of the night.

#6  Place a glow stick next to each bed.

# 7:  Listen to READY OR NOT. If you can’t listen tonight the show will be available for download at the same link as the live show. Hope to hear from you tonight!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctorprepper/2010/09/08/ready-or-not–carolyn-nicolaysen

Back tomorrow with number nine!

Subscribe to our Newsletter: http://blog.totallyready.com/announcing-the-totally-ready-newsletter/

Join Our Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TotallyReady/

Back issues: Totally Ready Newsletters July 2009- June 2010

September Newsletter:

Let’s Play…a look at things to do during a power outage to keep sane.

Food Safety…keeping foods safe during a power outage.

Frozen Food During a Power Outage, when to save and when to throw away.

Dutch Oven Cooking…How to Control the Temperature

Haybox Cooking…one more way to cook when the grid goes down.

Recipes: This month all the recipes are from 1850. They are fun and easy to make and perfect during power emergencies, after all our great grandparents didn’t have electricity!

Many have fallen into the trap of thinking they can’t when it comes to self reliance and emergency preparedness. That is just not true. Anyone, and everyone, can and should be setting goals and becoming better prepared to handle life’s challenges. When we fail to prepare and an emergency hits that challenge is magnified by the fact that we just don’t know what to do. Some give up and let the government or family worry about the problem. Some sink into deep depressions and make very poor choices. The truly wise call a friend and ask for help in pulling themselves out and preparing so a crisis can never catch them off guard again.

I am often told by people that they don’t have the money to prepare. Many preparations don’t take money, just a little time. I have been told they don’t have room to store food or supplies. Sure you do. I have discussed this at length here and in our newsletters and it is always a huge part of the discussion when I do a personal consultation. You just need to learn to think like those designers on TV who redo small apartments. I have seen them do wonders with 400 square feet. You can do the same and we can help.

Yesterday was a very upsetting day for me. My computer was giving me all sorts of trouble and my newsletter was lost. I apologize to all our subscribers for being a day late and also to you that I did not get our second of 30 tips posted. I do not want to get behind so today you get two!

Review…

Tip #1:  Find an out of area contact.

Today’s Tips

#2: Since we are still worried about hurricane Earl hitting the east coast today we are going to gather maps. Take time today to go through the glove box, file cabinet or other hidden places and pull out all the maps you have lying around. Get several different colors of highlighters and mark at least three different routes out of the city in which you live and end at the home of your out of area contact. If you can’t find maps call your city Chamber of Commerce or check your state’s government website and see if they can mail you free maps. You can also go on line and print maps there.

#3: Collect all the flashlights in your home, car and and hidden recesses. Check  to make sure they are all working properly. Make note of any batteries you need to purchase. Remove the batteries from all except the one you use often and store them with the flashlight but not in it. In the car your batteries should be in a plastic bag inside your auto kit along with the flashlight but never inside it. Batteries can explode or leak ruining your flashlight. I always keep two sets of batteries just in case one set has a leaker. I have had this happen twice within the past year and one of the batteries was in a flashlight I used often and it was ruined.

There you go, three tips, all free and all easily accomplished.

Our September Newsletter is out and I think it’s a great one! In this edition:

Let’s Play…a look at things to do during a power outage to keep sane.

Food Safety…keeping foods safe during a power outage.

Frozen Food During a Power Outage, when to save and when to throw away.

Dutch Oven Cooking…How to Control the Temperature

Haybox Cooking…one more way to cook when the grid goes down.

Recipes: This month all the recipes are from 1850. They are fun and easy to make and perfect during power emergencies, after all our great grandparents didn’t have electricity!

If you are on the east coast of the United States be sure to check out the preparing for Hurricane Earl post!

**Five Days** until my new radio show!! Don’t forget to let me know what you’d like to hear! Would you like to be a guest on the show?

*****I am looking for callers who would like to participate in an online consultation.*****

Get all your questions answered for the needs of your family, not generalities, specific to your family size, needs, budget, and space.

Send me a note and we’ll make it happen! carolyn@TotallyReady.com

Subscribe to our Newsletter: http://blog.totallyready.com/announcing-the-totally-ready-newsletter/

Join Our Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TotallyReady/

Back issues: Totally Ready Newsletters July 2009- June 2010

****Win a Consultation!***

To help motivate you to share I am offering the chance for you to win a personal one hour consultation. This will be a phone call where you can ask any questions you may have. You may even ask a group of friends to join you on a conference call or just using your speaker phone. To win one of five  consultations just refer five friends to blog.totallyready.com and our yahoo group. Have them mention your email address when they log into the yahoo group and leave a comment on any blog post. Ten friends and you get two chances to win. Fifteen friends and I will call you, guaranteed! It’s that simple. Watch for other special offers as we progress. I know I don’t want to look back when things get worse and think I could have done more to help you.

I know it may be a bold statement to assume there is a Double Dip Recession coming but I really can see no way around it right now. I don’t believe politicians have the courage to do what is necessary and I say that as a former politician. Did know that about me? Well…it was our local school board but it still meant a nasty campaign. Let me tell you a story…I was serving during a time of real economic crisis. We needed to make some changes and they were not popular but in order to retain state funding it had to be done. I did my research and spoke with teachers (off the record of course, unions hate it when the teachers talk to you honestly!). I talked to the custodians, secretaries, parents and kids. I made the tough choice, the choice that was best for all, not just a few, and I got slammed by the union and parents who refused to listen. I was not reelected and EVERYTHING I said would result, did. I know what it means to be blasted in the press and to have people I thought were friends desert me. Now I understand that this was just local but in some ways that is worse. My kids were harassed and I was harassed at the grocery store and soccer games. I really don’t believe we have enough people willing to give up their elected  positions to do what is best for all.

I also believe Americans may have become weak and dependent and that they don’t have the courage to demand the government reduce spending as it may mean those social programs we are used to may have to disappear.  We seem to have forgotten we are Americans and together we can get through tough times. Our parents and grandparents knew that. They planted victory gardens, shared skills, rationed food and did everything necessary to beat a great depression and a horrible dictator in Germany. We must become that type of person! We can begin within our own homes and among our own friends and family.

What we have done:

We have a binder, paper, a permanent marker and passion to succeed.

Begun by designating a change jar as part of your food storage fund. We are placing all your coins and any change you find on the street or in the sofa in the jar.

Next set a budget.

Determined high priced meals to skip and replaced some dinner meals with breakfast foods.

Made a list of  favorite meals and desserts.

Created a master list of all the ingredients in each recipe.

Using your permanent marker made a slash mark across all the cans and boxes you currently have in our cupboards.

Dated items around the house that are not single use. If you missed this go back and get the directions.

Emailed, facebooked and tweeted everyone you know and tell them we are beginning food storage again.

Created space for food storage.

Today is an easy day…#1 catch up. I realized we have lots of new people joining us so this is a catch up day. If you have not notified everyone you know please do that today. I have lots of people asking me to use articles to pass out at church and in other places. Have you notified all of those people from your church? #2…Now that you have notified others get a food storage buddy. This person will help you, and you will help them, stay on task and as we get to organizing and inventorying our storage you can help each other with the task. So today, catch up and get a buddy. Tomorrow we will use your recipes to create YOUR food storage plan.

For those who are stocking their General Store, and all you newcomers should be doing this also, this week add Insect repellent and aloe vera to your General Store shelves. Over the next few months we will to adding deodorant, hand soap, after shave and hair spray so if you have not already dated those items to discover how much you use in a month do that today. For soap place the wrappers in a drawer, just like we did for TP, and count them at the end of the month.

One more note. Have you noticed the interference on your TV screen the last few days? That is being caused by solar activity! Remember I warned you NASA is concerned we may be in for solar flares which will take down the electrical grid? These storms are very minor compared to the ones to come so keep planning for long term power outages, just in case. The July Newsletter is devoted to cooking off the grid so be sure to read that and use it to purchase or gather the items you will need.

I have also have questions about the blog talk radio show I did with Doctor Prepper last week. It has been taken down because we had a caller who was rude and disruptive and the podcast can’t be edited…too bad. It had such great info. I guess we will have to try to repeat some of it on the 19th when we do another show together.

Confused about the solar storms NASA is anticipating? Take some time and listen to my show with Halli.

Join Our Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TotallyReady/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: http://blog.totallyready.com/announcing-the-totally-ready-newsletter/

Totally Ready Newsletters July 2009- June 2010



Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with Halli Stone on her blog talk radio show. It is always fun to speak with her. We discussed solar flares again and it got me thinking about a few things. I knew last week there was a sun spot which caused an interruption to radio communications. I know scientists are expecting a massive solar flare in the not too distant future and they are also expecting many places on the planet to be without power following that flare from weeks to months. Halli asked me if we would be warned when a flare was on it’s way and I didn’t have an answer. Since the flare will not harm us, only our way of life, it appears the government has no plan in place to warn of an impending crisis.

Then, this morning there are reports of severe weather again over night. It seems every day brings another disaster. Last night it was tornadoes in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and North Dakota. We don’t normally expect tornadoes in those states. Now, I graduated from college in Iowa and I know we had tornadoes but they were normally in the southern part of the state, not yesterday. There were 62 tornadoes reported some with wind speeds of 136 miles per hour.

While I am concerned about a solar flare and an extended power outage a short outage of a week or less is  much more common and if we can prepare for those we will be prepared with the equipment and skills we need to deal with one that would last much longer.

I have been working on bread recipes which are baked in a Dutch oven, in the oven or using coals if the power is gone. These are in the May issue of the Totally Ready Newsletter. When I was in Houston I tried making the bread there and discovered I needed less water . I’m guessing it was do to the humidity. As with all recipes designed for one altitude and set of weather conditions, and then used in another, you will need to experiment a little. Do that now so you will have it conquered when the need arises and it is no longer a novelty to use a Dutch oven, but a necessity.

For the next few weeks we will concentrate on living without power as part of our disaster preparedness. I know we have done that in the newsletter and here but I will consolidate the tips and beginning next week ask you to try out some of them each week.

Hurricane season has begun and we have already witnessed deaths. Hurricane season extends until November 1st so we still have a long way to go! Last year a fire storm in Southern California came very, very close to taking out all the cell phone coverage in Los Angeles and taking down power.  We have become so dependent on the grid that we need to really think about what we would do without it.

I’m including an article here that I found yesterday which I think explains the danger and worry about solar flares. If you are still wondering what it really means continue reading.

So, do we really need to worry about a huge solar storm burning out the electrical systems of half the world in 2013? Masochists that we are here at the Telegraph, we love to shoot down our own stories, and I was cracking my knuckles for this one. It’s got all the ingredients – white-coated authority, grave warnings of impending doom, exciting science nuclear nemesis in space. NASA! Solar flares! Planes falling out of the sky! Etc.

But I read the piece, and spoke to the reporter, and – while always remembering that I am no more an astrophysicist than I am a black belt in taekwon do – it sounded pretty solid. Dr Richard Fisher, the director of Nasa’s Heliophysics division, is very clear in the quotes, and our reporter, Andrew Hough, was very careful to check his facts with Dr Fisher before publishing. It sounds like a lot of serious people think that this is a real danger.

Apparently the concern is in 2013, the sun will reach a stage of its cycle when these large events are more likely. This might strike you as a bit strange, as you’ve probably heard (as have I) that the sun has been especially active for the last half-century or so and is expected to die down in the next couple of years – I spoke to Marcus Chown, the physicist and author of We Need to Talk about Kelvin, who said “Solar activity has been abnormally high for the past 50 years, but the extremely feeble start to the latest 11-year cycle suggests this activity is coming to an end and things are going to be quiet on the Sun for quite a few years.” Dr Ruth Bamford, a plasma physicist at the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, agrees:  “The sun has been particularly quiet for the last few years in a protracted solar minimum. It has just woken up, as it were, and started its usual 11-year cycle a bit later than most.”

So what’s going on? Well, something similar has happened before. In 1859 a huge solar storm burned out telegraph wires across Europe and the United States. Dr Stuart Clark has written a book, The Sun Kings, about when that happened. He says that the “Carrington flare”, as it was known, “smothered two-thirds of the Earth’s skies in a blood-red aurora a night later, and crippled all of global navigation and global communication, such as it was at that time.  Compasses span uselessly and the telegraph network went down as phantom electricity surged through the wire.”

The sun had indeed been running at a record high for the latter half of the 20th century, and has now died down to its lowest level for a century. But Dr Clark warns that “average levels of solar activity has fallen does not mean that the Sun is immune from large flares or even giant ones. Low average levels of activity may even promote the giant flares.

“Perhaps like earthquakes, when there are constant flares/tremors the energy is dissipated evenly over long periods of time. But in periods of quiet, that energy can build up and then suddenly be released in a giant event. This remains speculation, however.”

2013 is when the next peak in the sun’s cycle of activity is expected, and while we cannot predict individual flares, Dr Clark says that the largest flares are often shortly after the peak.

Of course, if a proper “Carrington event” happens again, it has the potential to be far more problematic now than in 1859 when electric communication was barely in its infancy. Dr Clark says “There is absolutely no reason to believe that we are heading for solar armageddon in 2013, but sooner or later we should expect there to be another Carrington event and that is what these scientists [at NASA] are trying to prevent. Legislation in the US has just passed Congress to help harden the grid against solar flares.”

So – it’s a real thing, and we should be concerned. But preventive measures can be taken – satellites can be sent offline during big flares, power grids and communication networks can be shielded against electromagnetic radiation and so on. As Dr Bamford says: “The extreme events like the 1859 Carrington Event  are 1-in-100-year probabilities, about the same probability as a storm of the level of Katrina  hitting New Orleans – and New Orleans did not build their defences to withstand the extreme-but-unlikely magnitude. 100 years isn’t that long.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tomchivers/100008500/nasas-2013-solar-flare-warning-how-much-do-we-need-to-worry/

** A note from me: some scientists believe this will happen the second half of 2012.

For even more info and some really….impressive photos visit:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/7837036/Nasa-solar-flare-space-storm-warning-a-British-scientist-writes.html

So…get ready, next week the power goes out!

Take some time and listen to the show with Halli.

Join Our Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TotallyReady/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: http://blog.totallyready.com/announcing-the-totally-ready-newsletter/

Totally Ready Newsletters July 2009- June 2010

Last week I posted the information that experts are expecting an above average hurricane season meaning more destruction, more deaths and injuries and more reason to prepare.

The government of Guatemala has raised the official death toll to 152 from the floods that followed Tropical Storm Agatha which struck this weekend. A total of 124,835 people have been evacuated from disaster areas and 64,383 are housed in emergency shelters. Officials announced that 42,286 people are homeless and 87 were injured by Agatha.

Yikes! All that from a named storm, not a hurricane. There are many things to consider when you live in hurricane country. When and how do you evacuate? How do you prepare your home before? Where do you evacuate to? If you are the contact for a family or friend are you prepared to provide refuge? How do you clean-up and what are the dangers when cleaning up? We have covered some of these topics before and we will cover all of them in the coming weeks again. To get a head start you can check out articles; Evacuation in the Sept. 2009, and Providing Refuge in the March 2010 Totally Ready Newsletters.

Make it a goal to copy and organize the articles in our Newsletters and create a Preparedness binder for use when time has run out and the disaster is at your door.

The June 2010 Newsletter includes the following:

What Should You Do If You Are Involved in an Auto Accident?

Prepare an Emergency Auto Kit

Vehicle Accident Form: to be completed at the scene so you have vital information

Dangers of Summer: Heat Cramps, Heat Stroke and Heat Exhaustion

Summer Safety Tip: Be Safe When you Barbecue

A Bucket List for Kids

Teach the Kids to Cook

Recipes: Breakfasts: Kid Friendly and Food Pyramid Approved

Where to Catch Me on the Radio…..

Because so many have asked for back issues of the Totally Ready Newsletter I have bundles the past 12 issues together for sale. Remember, copy the articles and start your binder today!

Totally Ready Newsletters July 2009- June 2010

Join Our Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TotallyReady/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: http://blog.totallyready.com/announcing-the-totally-ready-newsletter/

Today is Memorial Day, a day to remember all those who have died and all who have served to make this a great country where we are free to pursue our dreams and make them happen. I miss my dad today. He was part of the first group to land on Utah beach. Several months later he was wounded and he suffered the rest of his life because of those wounds. I will never take our freedom for granted because of him. Sadly, many do not remember or they do not understand the price that was paid. Many more do not believe it could happen again. Still more do not understand how lucky we are to have the freedom to dream and to make those dreams come true. In most places on earth this could never happen. I worry that we will have to endure our own government control of our lives before we wake up and fight to protect what our founding fathers established for us. In many places elections will be held the next few weeks. Please participate and vote. Our veterans have done their part to protect our freedoms, now we must do ours.

I know many of you faithfully follow our General Store posts each week so I will not skip today. I had scheduled us to add charcoal this week and then I received a comment on the yahoo group that charcoal is on sale at Lowes and Home Depot. Perfect! The May 2010 newsletter contained directions for making your own charcoal but it is time consuming and a little bit of a pain in the neck! Be sure to copy those directions and place them in your preparedness binders just in case you should ever be in a position where you have gone through your stock and the need to cook without powers still remains.

I try to post items to add when I know they will be on sale and Memorial Day is always a good time to get picnic supplies for our Store. If you are working on food for the store trying to catch up what you missed last year, this is a good week for catsup, mustard, barbecue sauce, mayo and even pickles. Be sure to check off any items you add on the master list in your March 2010 Totally Ready Newsletter. Our June newsletter “hits the stands” tomorrow so watch for that in your email.

If you are gathering with family today please remember the reason we commemorate this day and use it as an opportunity to teach those who may have forgotten.

Join Our Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TotallyReady/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: http://blog.totallyready.com/announcing-the-totally-ready-newsletter/

It is that time of the year when we begin to think about hurricane season. Our goal is to become self reliant and that means we really never need to worry about hurricane or tornado season or wild fire season right? No, becoming self reliant means we are capable of doing all we can, and we have the knowledge and skills to do all we can, to minimize disasters as they occur. Having a generator in the garage and food storage on the shelves is not enough. Each year as a new weather season approaches it is time to take stock, make plans, and then to implement the plans. Today we think about hurricanes and what we need to be doing to get ready, just in case. Before we can begin it is good to know what to expect.

“The Colorado State University forecast team predicts an above-average 2010 Atlantic basin hurricane season based on the premise that El Niño conditions will dissipate by this summer and that warm tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures will persist.

The team predicts 15 named storms to form in the Atlantic basin between June 1 and Nov. 30 with eight expected to be hurricanes and four developing into major hurricanes, with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater.

“We expect current moderate El Niño conditions to transition to neutral conditions by this year’s hurricane season,” said Phil Klotzbach, lead forecaster on the CSU hurricane forecast team, in a statement. “The dissipating El Niño, along with the expected anomalously warm Atlantic ocean sea surface temperatures, will lead to favorable dynamic and thermodynamic conditions for hurricane formation and intensification.”

The 2010 forecast marks 27 years of hurricane forecasting at Colorado State, led by William Gray. The hurricane forecast team makes its predictions based on 58 years of historical data.

“Based on our latest forecast, the probability of a major hurricane making landfall along the U.S. coastline is 69 percent compared with the last-century average of 52 percent,” Gray said in a statement. “While patterns may change before the start of hurricane season, we believe current conditions warrant concern for an above-average season.”

The team predicts tropical cyclone activity in 2010 will be 160 percent of the average season. By comparison, 2009 witnessed tropical cyclone activity that was about 70 percent of the average season.

The hurricane forecast team’s probabilities for a major hurricane making landfall on U.S. soil are as follows:

• A 69 percent chance that at least one major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. coastline in 2010.

• A 45 percent chance that a major hurricane will make landfall on the U.S. East Coast, including the Florida Peninsula.

• A 44 percent chance that a major hurricane will make landfall on the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle west to Brownsville, Texas.”http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/home/503757-colorado-state-forecasters-see-busy-hurricane-season

Now you know, this is expected to be an above average hurricane season. As we reflect on the weather this winter, huge snow storms in the east, colder than normal temperatures everywhere, floods, wind storms, snow in southern California, we can see we could be in for quite a summer. What will you do to prepare?

We need to keep working on our General Store so we are ready when the storms come in our lives. If you did not complete the three month supply of food in your store last year get out your March Totally Ready newsletter today. Check off the items you have and work on the ones you still need. If money is short do all you can and keep moving forward. Don’t forget the items we are adding this year, toiletries, cleaning supplies, and medications. If you can not do both completely do a little of each.

We will be adding cleaning supplies and tips for cleaning up after a flood or hurricane over the next two months. Our May Newsletter will also include directions and tips for cleaning up and preserving your belongings after a disaster.

This week add items for eye care. Add eye wash and an eye cup, eye drops and contact lense solution to your General Store. You will need eye wash and drops when you are cleaning up after a disaster. There will be dust and all types of spores in the air that may cause allergic reactions and increase the need to treat your eyes with some TLC.

Join Our Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TotallyReady/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: http://blog.totallyready.com/announcing-the-totally-ready-newsletter/

Free Movie and Cheap Pizza for Date Night Tonight:

http://redboxpromocode.com/

Download your free app to your iphone or android today and enjoy tonight!!

Clean drinking water is a huge concern no matter where you live during an emergency but for city dwellers it is more of a concern due to the amount of space needed to store water and also the inability to just walk to a river or stream to get more.

Most just don’t have the space required to store the volume of water needed. This is a key reason I never recommend, in fact I strongly recommend against, storing dehydrated or freeze dried foods. Dehydrated foods need four times the volume of water to food to reconstitute. In other words for 1 cup of dehydrated food you need 4 cups of water. Now, you may be thinking freeze dried foods taste good without reconstituting but that is very dangerous. These foods need to be reconstituted to digest so if you don’t reconstitute them before eating your body will draw water from your cells for the digestion process. This leads quickly to dehydration and if untreated, to death.

We talked about where to find space in the first post of this series. We talked mostly about storing food. When storing the foods we eat food=water. Think about it. As you use those peaches you can use the juice to cook your oatmeal or to reconstitute powdered milk. You can use green bean water to cook your pasta or to add to the flour for biscuits or bread.

Collecting rain water is an option and should be considered in your planning. consider how you cold rig up plastic sheets, tarps, buckets, even a kiddy pool, to collect water. A small pool could be loaded with food and other supplies and slipped under a bed until it is needs. The rice stored in a 5 gallon bucket could be poured out into a pillow case and the bucket used to collect water. If you have a balcony this is much easier than if you don’t. Do you have access to the roof of your building? Could you work out a system with a neighbor across the alley to tie a tarp between your buildings? If you park on the street do you have a hard sided car top carrier that could be opened and allowed to fill with water during a rain?

Purchase a water purifier. Some urban areas have lakes and rivers near by. You can not drink this water directly from the source so be sure you have a good water filter available. Remember it takes time to purify the water so you will need to be diligent.

If you can get water but you do not have a purifier you can purify water in many ways (see your February Newsletter). One of the easiest in the city is to use clear plastic PETE ( look for a triangle with a 1 in the center) water, juice or soda bottles. Keep a few ready to go by removing the label, washing them with soap and water and rinsing well. Fill with clear water. If your water contains debris or dirt filter through a clean cloth first. Fill the bottle with clear water. Place the bottle on a piece of metal in the full sun, in 6 hours UVA radiation will kill viruses, bacteria and parasites in the water. If there is no sun then hopefully you are collecting rain water. On a cloudy day you will need to leave the bottle out for at least two full days.

Think about your options today and walk around your home to case out the possibilities. Once you have done this it is time to purchase any items which will help you provide water during a crisis.

The book Life As We Knew It was recommended to me a s book that depicts life after a disaster and as one that is a good conversation starter.

The other book which is a great way to start someone on preparing is One Second After

Join Our Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TotallyReady/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: http://blog.totallyready.com/announcing-the-totally-ready-newsletter/

I received an email today from a reporter friends who I have worked with on a few preparedness article. He asked me about those who escaped the fires and complete destruction after the 1906 earthquake in San Fransisco.  Just yesterday there was a report on the national news about the dangers and possibly imminent chance of a massive earthquake in California.

I know most of you don’t live in California but may have friend and family here or would love to visit the beach, Disneyland or Yosemite, (my backyard) or go skiing in the Sierra. I remember growing up in New Jersey that everyone wanted to visit California. We all had visions or everyone playing volleyball on the beach and surfing. I love it here but unfortunately the political climate is terrible and this has become the number one welfare state in the country. Much of this is what will  spell disaster when the “big one” hits.

After the 1906 earthquake my husband’s grandparents lived on the “highway” near Modesto, California. They would often tell stories about the great quake more than 70 miles away. In those day most people traveled by horse and buggy and a trip to the city took days. Yet, in the aftermath of the quake the road in front of their home was crowded with those escaping the Bay Area. They came with very little and relied on the generosity of strangers for a place to sleep and something to eat.

Grandma said the day of the quake they felt the earth move and knew something had happened but in a day of no television or radio they did not begin to imagine the destruction. By the next night the sky glowed in the direction of the city as it burned, remember it was 70 miles away. Finally on the third day the refugees began pouring in.

Each time we make the trek over to the city I wonder what will happen when the next big one comes. I have some idea. We saw a preview during the Loma Prieta quake in 1989. Many assumed that was the big one at a 7.1 but they are wrong. Not only is a bigger one expected but it is expected in a more populated area.

So what do those of us close to, but not in the bay area, need to know and to do?

First, there will be fires. After earthquakes there are always fires and more fires in more wealthy areas, such as the Untied States, compared to Haiti. We have lots more gas lines, petroleum facilities, and power lines to spark a fire. People will be looking to get out.

There will be civil unrest. We have seen that this week in Chile even more than we did in Haiti. People will want to get out.

There will be flooding. The Sacramento/San Joaquin water system in comprised of thousands of levees, many or which are failing. It is expected that many will fail when the earthquake occurs. What this means for those in the nearby areas is that we may have those evacuating because of the quake from one area and those evacuating from the central valley for another, all coming our way. This will also cause water shortages in the LA area since they get their water from that same Delta system. People will want to get out.

The ports will be closed for weeks. Much of the food, clothing, and other items we import come through the ports of California. There will be shortages for everyone who depends on those ports, everyone in the United States. Hours may be reduced for workers in industries who cannot get the supplies they need.

Sound grim? It is. The situation is not any better in  LA  where ports will close, much or their electricity comes in across fault lines and most of their water comes from northern California through a pipeline which also crosses fault lines.

Before and after Katrina many, many, evacuated. In one church building 40 miles from New Orleans the power went out as a result of the hurricane. The evacuees were once again in the dark.

Yesterday we began to stock our General Store with non food items. This week was dental care, toothbrushes and dental floss. I encouraged you to add a few extra in case you are asked to provide refuge. With modern means of travel evacuees can now travel many, many miles to find help and we need to be ready in case they come our way. They will empty the store shelves of everything from food to clothing to medical supplies and then they will become desperate, just as we all would under those circumstances.

I am very frustrated that we have not been given the information we need to properly prepare. Even those who are able to grab a survival kit and a few other items will never be able to carry enough to sustain themselves, yet, we are told over and over to prepare a three day supply of food and water. Who are they kidding?

In the March issue of the Totally Ready Newsletter there are tips for preparing to provide refuge. We will discuss these throughout the year but get a jump start by reading the article today and making a copy for your preparedness notebook.

That’s right the Newsletter is out! This issue includes:

Our General Store:

A Complete Inventory of everything we have stored over the past year.

52 Weeks to a Three Month Supply

Guide with tips and directions

Tip of the Week

Ordinary Items,Great Survival Tools

Protecting Your Identity

Articles:

Providing Refuge

Getting Your Children Involved in Preparedness

Foil Dinners

Teach Kids to Use 911

Recipes:

Cheeseburger Foil Dinner–Taco Time Foil Dinner–Instant Oatmeal–Orange Muffins–Buttermilk Biscuits

Basic Whole Wheat Bread– Whole Wheat Pancakes–Pull Apart Herb Bread–Germade Bread–Cornbread

Four Bean Salad–Spanish Rice

Join Our Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TotallyReady/

Subscribe to our Newsletter: http://blog.totallyready.com/announcing-the-totally-ready-newsletter/

I am very excited to welcome so many new members to our Yahoo Group. If you have not already signed up please visit to see what we are doing. I know many just glean information without ever commenting,  but please comment.  We all learn so much more when we share and ask questions.

For those who have been around for awhile you have heard me comment many times on the concern I have that food prices will rise this year.It is not only in the United States where there are concerns. The following is from the UK:

Sarah Pettitt, NFU Horticulture and Potato Board chairwoman, said the frozen ground was causing problems for producers everywhere.

”We are talking about cabbages, cauliflowers, spring greens, leeks,” she told the Daily Telegraph

”Where we would use a harvester we are having to throw 100 people at a field to do the job by hand. Then we are having to thaw out the produce in storage.

”Farmers are having to be innovative and to use desperate measures to do the harvesting.

”Shortages are not imminent yet, but we do not know how long this is going to last.”

Dairy farmers are still reporting problems with milk collection, with some producers being forced to pour away milk.

An organic dairy farmer said her husband was forced to throw away more than 1000 litres of milk after the milk tanker failed to get to her farm in Staffordshire on Sunday (10 January).

Global Concern

A surge in commodity prices may force consumer firms, particularly makers of eatables, to push up product prices in a calibrated manner in the next fiscal, industry officials said.

Costs of essential commodities including sugar and milk have soared in the recent past with sugar prices scaling new peaks in January as a rally, which more than doubled prices in 2009, still shows no signs of losing momentum.

Prices of other raw materials such as edible oils have also begun to rise as the larger food price index rose 18.22 percent in the 12 months to Dec. 26.

“It will be a common trend particularly in food companies such as Britannia <BRIT.BO>, Nestle <NEST.BO> and ITC <ITC.BO>, as prices of sugar, milk is going up,” said Anand Shah, an analyst at Angel Broking.

But, rather than hiking prices directly, the companies may prefer to reduce the grammage per pack, he said, adding that further increases in input costs may lead to price hikes as well.

Also..

Farmers and civil society groups urged the National Food Authority (NFA) on Monday to intervene in the market to prevent any more increases in the prices of rice.

These groups have likewise urged Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap to investigate rice traders, who, they said, should answer for the rice price.

Record low temperatures have wiped out or damaged crops world wide but is this just the beginning?

From Miami to Maine, Savannah to Seattle, America is caught in an icy grip that one of the U.N.’s top global warming proponents says could mark the beginning of a mini ice age.

Oranges are freezing and millions of tropical fish are dying in Florida, and it could be just the beginning of a decades-long deep freeze, says Professor Mojib Latif, one of the world’s leading climate modelers.

Latif thinks the cold snap Americans have been suffering through is only the beginning. He says we’re in for 30 years of cooler temperatures — a mini ice age, he calls it, basing his theory on an analysis of natural cycles in water temperatures in the world’s oceans.

Many parts of the world have been suffering through record-setting snowfalls and arctic temperatures. The Midwest saw wind chills as low as 49 degrees below zero last week, while Europe saw snows so heavy that Eurostar train service and air travel were canceled across much of the continent. In Asia, Beijing was hit by its heaviest snowfall in 60 years.

Those of us who believe in living a self reliant life style do not need these news article to convince us but some of your family and friends may. Whatever your motivation, you will never be sorry you have food stored. If you are storing the foods you normally eat it will never go to waste.e key is storing what you eat, not tons of wheat if you can’t cook with wheat or freeze dried or dehydrated foos which sit for years until you finally throw them in a dumpster because they are no longer any good.

If you are new to our General Store we are stocking the shelves in our own in-home store with food for the next few weeks. We began last February and when we finish we will have a complete three month supply. We will then move on to non-food items. A week by week plan for stocking food will be available in March Newsletter.

This week add 5 pounds of powdered milk per family member to your store. Remember we are stocking our shelves with items from all of the food groups. That is absolutely necessary to maintain good health.

Don’t Forget the January Give Away!!!

http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/2010/01/11/119457/Food-price-rise-warning-as-snow-halts-harvest.htm

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20100111/tbs-fmcg-costs-focus-7318940.html

http://business.inquirer.net/money/breakingnews/view/20100111-246752/Govt-action-sought-to-stabilize-rice-prices

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/01/11/years-global-cooling-coming-say-leading-scientists/

Now is the time to save money on everyday living in order to have the extra cash it will take to get you through the holiday season. Your goal should be to get through the season without adding to your credit card debt. Impossible? Not really. Not if you change your priorities a little, tighten your belt a little more and help your family understand that sacrificing now will mean more later. Some of the best Christmases we have had were those when we had no money and had to be creative in our gift giving. Let me give you a few examples.

One year we were really broke with two young daughters, four and five years old. We decided to make a doll house as their only Christmas gift. We took an old display case from a store, that had dividers. It was meant to display cooking utensils. We tipped it on it’s side so the divided areas became the rooms. Next we used a permanent markers to draw windows in several of the rooms. Using scraps of fabric I made curtains which I gathered at the top and glued to the wall. I used another piece of fabric to make tie backs for some. Then I cut furniture out of cardboard boxes, a sofa, table, bed, chairs, a mirror, etc. I upholstered some of the furniture and using left over paint, painted some. I used an empty thread spool for the table bottom and the top was simply a round piece of cardboard which I painted. I make a “quilt”  for the bed using scraps and throw pillows for the sofa. I used aluminum foil for the center of the mirror. I got a scrap of upholstery fabric ( they are free at many stores) and sewed the edges to prevent raveling and that became a rug. I purchase a few dolls the appropriate size for the house and that was their gift. The only cost was the dolls. They loved that gift and played with it for hours and hours over the years. You can do the same. If you lack fabric, or anything else you need, just ask a friend or family member.

If  it is your teens you are worried about then you have an even bigger problem than saving money. We have friends who had a daughter in college, one in high school, a son in Junior high and a son in elementary school and there was no money for Christmas. They explained this to the teens and told them there would be no gifts, or very few gifts that year. They gave out IOUs and mom and dad gave coupons to  the kid’s to do their chores for them. They purchased favorite foods and gave those to the kids as gifts. Then the kids could decide when they wanted brownies or chips, their favorite treats which the family could no longer afford to purchase. Now, all those kids are married and all know how to sacrifice now to get what is more important later. They are all excellent money managers and far ahead of many of their peers.

So how are you going to save even more this months? Food. Yes, if you have been working on your General Store then you already have plenty on hand to supplement or even to live on.

First: get rid of the breakfast cereals for this month. Eat oatmeal, cream of wheat, eggs and toast, or pancakes instead. All are a fraction of the cost. If you have to have juice with your breakfast purchase juice that is on sale or frozen concentrate and cut down the serving size to half. Forget the bacon and sausage. Remember you are saving money now so you have more freedom later.

Lunch: Think tortillas. You can make great wraps for lunches from the leftovers the night before, cheese and veggies or sprouts, PB&J, egg salad, or just a  melted cheese tortilla. All very inexpensive and still fun.

Dinner: Have breakfast for dinner at least once a week. French toast, waffles, and omelets, the breakfasts you don’t have time to prepare on weekday mornings, are all great for dinner and much cheaper than meat and potatoes meals. Think carbs. I know you don’t want to do this every night but a few nights a week will save big. Spaghetti does not need to include meat sauce or meatballs. Fried rice is easy, cheap and a great way to use up leftover veggies and meat. Other very inexpensive meals are soups, split pea and potato are easy and cheap. Homemade pizza is another frugal meal. Make homemade dough, seriously easy to do, use the cheapest spaghetti sauce you can find,you will only need half the jar or less, or season tomato sauce, add a little cheese and any fresh veggies, olives, or meats you have left over or on the shelves in your general store. Freeze the remaining spaghetti sauce for pizza next week.

Split Pea soup

2 C split peas

1 lb. Diced left over ham or ham hocks

1 med. Onion cut into large chunks

1 C carrots cut into large chunks

Rinse peas. Add peas, ham hocks, carrots and onion to 2 quarts of water and cook until

tender and soup begins to thicken.

Remove hocks and trim off the meat.

Remove onion and carrots and dice. Mash peas with potato masher. Add vegetables.

Reheat and serve.

Fried Rice

2 C cooked rice 4-6 eggs beaten

2 green onions chopped soy sauce to taste

2 T butter

Any combination of: frozen peas, shrimp, ham chunks, cooked carrots chopped, canned

corn, any leftover meat or veggies diced.

In frying pan melt butter. Saute rice and onion until rice is lightly browned, stirring to

brown all kernels.

Add beaten eggs and stir as they cook. Add cooked vegetables and meat or fish. Cook

until all ingredients are hot.

Add soy sauce to taste, stirring as you add, to coat all.

Focaccia or Pizza

Divide recipe in half and use half for pizza tonight and half for focaccia to go

with an inexpensive soup tomorrow.

Combine:

1 1/4 C water and 1 T fresh rosemary in small pot. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let

sit 5 minutes. Strain

Combine:

1 1/4 C warm rosemary water

1 T honey

1 T yeast

add:

1 tsp. salt

2 ½ to 3 C flour

Mix until well blended, knead and let rise ½ to 1 hour or until double in size. You can

also add the ingredients to your bread maker and set it on the rise only cycle.

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees

For focaccia:

Roll out to ½ inch thick. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary, basil, grated

Parmesan,Romano, Asiago, olives, sun dried or fresh tomatoes….Place on slightly

greased baking pan and bake until golden.

For Pizza:

Roll to 1/4 inch thickness. Spread with pizza sauce or seasoned tomato sauce. Add

favorite pizza toppings. Bake on slightly greased pan until golden.

Seasoned tomato sauce:

8oz. can tomato sauce, add 1/4 tsp. basil, oregano, garlic powder onion and or rosemary.

Please add you favorite frugal meal to this list.

Our December Newsletter is out…This Months:

Our General Store Update and Plan for 2010

Survival Basics: Shelter

Travel with Children

Recipes for inexpensive and quick Christmas gifts from your General Store

Special Deals

Subscribe today to the Totally Ready Newsletter

Yes, we have a winner of the heart wall hanging. It is John H. of California. Thank you to all who helped by purchasing tickets. I have received  some autographed copies of the book: Making the Best of Basics from James Talmage Stevens, which I will be selling to benefit this same family. You may have noticed the banner ad for his book on the blog. It is packed with great information and a great addition to the library of anyone interested in a self reliant life style. I have packaged the book with a copy of my books:  Mother Hubbard: What She’s Doing Now and That Won’t Happen to Me. You can receive all three for $50.00. This amount includes shipping. Purchase this great library now for yourself or as a gift. The number of books is limited so order today.

I am also very serious about helping others prepare and have made every effort to make that possible for a minimal amount of cash while still becoming Totally Ready. I am offering a Buy One Get One Free on my Newsletter and also Mother Hubbard: What She’s Doing Now. To take advantage of this offer simply click on the links above and send me the email addresses of those you wish to receive your gift. For those of you who already subscribe to the newsletter the offer there still stands, buy one get two free.

This is another week for cheese. If your family really loves cheese and does not really love processed or powdered cheese now is the time to wax some cheese. Complete waxing instructions as well as a great source to purchase cheese wax is included in the September Newsletter so if you missed it check it out.

Last week I spoke to a group and they were shocked that waxing cheese was possible and could preserve cheese for years. You would think I had just given them all a big fat check. Most of us use cheese on a fairly regular basis and it is indeed a comfort food for our family. I know if a emergency were to arise around the holiday season in November and December it would make everything seem more normal and acceptable if we had cheese and could make appetizers.

Any hard cheese can be waxed and it will last for years…It will continue to age and become stronger so begin with a mild version if you don’t like really strong cheeses. You simply place them on a shelf in a cool, dry, well ventilated area and forget about them until you have a need. Cheese does go on sale often, so stock up and start waxing!

After you wax some cheese please let us know how it goes.

This week add 5 pounds of cheese per family member to your General Store. The, get together with some friends and organize a day to wax your own.

If you have not yet subscribed to our newsletter and would like to, subscribe at:

http://blog.totallyready.com/?page_id=736

If you remember, several months ago I posted a list of seasonal bargain, a list of when items typically go on sale throughout the year. The list is also included in your Mother Hubbard food storage ebook. This month condiments are on sale. As I raced through the store on Saturday to get some last minute items for the Fourth of July I was reminded of this. So…this week we will add ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard and salad dressing. You should know how much you need to store, as these are items you should have dated to determine how much you use in a month. Naturally we all use more on these items during the summer month as we make more salads and do more barbequing. Adding an extra bottle of each while they are on sale is a great idea. Then, you really can wait until the next sale to replace those you use.

Our first issue of the TotallyReady news letter is now out. The July edition includes:

A Summary of blog posts:

Our General Store; Defining a General Store, What is already in our Store (just in case you need to catch up)

Pandemic Prep

Questions asked during June

Articles Exclsive to the Newsletter:

Signs of Dehydration

Self Quarantine for First Responders

Recipes for using Powdered Milk

Checklist: Preparing your Home Before a Trip ( keeping your home safe while you are away)

Rebates on Butter and Professional Rescue Kits ( take advantage of just one of these offers and have your newsletter paid for for a year or more)

If you are not already subscribing sign up today!