There are just a few more things to add to the trunk before taking off on your trip during winter weather months. I received a note for a reader who said there would be no room in the trunk for anything else if they put all these items in. He is wrong, but who said it all had to be in the trunk. We all have a glove box, pockets on the back of seats and pockets on the doors where small items can be stored, in fact many are better stored inside the car. I guess the real question is; are you sure you can survive a day or more stranded in cold weather if you don’t have these items? How much room is the life of your family worth to you? We never think this can happen to us but I have been caught off guard and so have many of my friends. It can happen to you!!

□ Small candle: If placed on the dash, this will help keep the air in the car above freezing. Don’t go to sleep and leave it lit. You can also run your car engine for 10 minutes every hour to warm the car and charge the phone. Make sure before running the engine that the tail pipe is not blocked. Also, leave a window slightly open on the downwind side of the car (facing away from the wind) for ventilation, but where the air is fresh and free of carbon monoxide from the auto exhaust (which is poisonous).

□ Wool blanket: You should have one per seat in your car. If you have some bench seats and also some club seating, each seat needs a blanket in a survival situation.

□ Mylar emergency blankets: These have dozens of uses from creating warmth to blocking wind, to use as a signaling device.

□ Knit cap and mittens: Most of your body heat is lost through your head, so the cap is important. Mittens are warmer than gloves. Remember wool or man-made fibers are better in cold/wet weather than cotton. Keeping your body core warm is the most important you have to do in a freeze.

□ Body warmers – the instant heat type. Make sure when purchasing these that you buy the ones rated for 20 hours, not 20 minutes. These are small and easy to stash in your auto emergency kit.

□ A whistle can be heard much further away than the human voice. I would have at least 2 in the car. If one member of your party needs to leave to look for help, you can signal each other every few minutes and help guide them back to the car. It is not wise for anyone to leave alone and go further away than “whistle distance.” It is just too easy to become disoriented and lost.

□ A Flashlight with extra batteries and an extra bulb… Never store the batteries in the flashlight – even the fancy Alkaline batteries can leak or explode inside your flashlight, leaving you surprised to find your flashlight useless in an emergency.

□ A portable radio is great to hear news and weather reports without draining your car battery. Make sure you have both AM and FM bands. Look for the ones that are also a flashlight and siren. Hand cranked power is also good.

□ Tool kit: How sad to be stranded for lack of a screwdriver or wrench. A multi function tool is also a good alternative.

□ Tow rope: Some people who could help pull you out of the ditch are not equipped with a rope. Think of how smart you will look, when you say “I’ve got one!” We’re not talking about a wimpy little rope, we mean a hefty tow strap or real sisal rope like a trucker might carry. Ropes are also important when creating a shelter if you can’t remain in your car.

□ Maps: Do you pay attention to where you are when traveling? If you don’t know where you are, how will you find where you want to go? Maps should include local, state, and destination maps when traveling. A travel club is really handy for these, now that most people take GPS for granted.

□ Compass: A Scout would know what to do with it. Do you?

□ Roll of TP: One of life’s essentials.

□ Fire extinguisher . What good is your emergency gear if it’s burning up with the car? More than once, we’ve seen cars fully ablaze at the side of the highway, and not from a traffic accident. Gasoline + heat + leaking fuel line = fire.

□ 12-foot Jumper Cables just in case help should arrive and not be able to get bumper to bumper for a jump start.

□ Two quarts of oil.

□ Gallon of antifreeze. Antifreeze also burns well and is perfect to use as a signal fire.

□ Extra fuses.

□ Rags can be soaked to start a fire, to clean up, or for blocking cracks in doors and windows keeping out cold winds.

□ Roll of duct tape: What did the world do before duct tape?

□ Ice scraper to keep windows clear so you can see rescuers as well as dangers approaching.

□ Wool socks. Keeping dry is very, very important to survival when stranded during the winter. Change socks that become wet and dry the wet ones near a fire or in the engine compartment.

□ Sweatshirt or coat. When your core gets cold your body will draw heat from your limbs to protect your vital organs. This leads to frostbite.

□ Warm hat that covers your ears.

□ Sunglasses. Sun blindness is a real problem when traveling in the snow.

□ Completed Emergency Cards with medical and contact information. If you are stranded for a few days you may be too tired to remember this information when help arrives.

□ Small notebook and pencil to leave notes should you have to leave your car. DO NOT LEAVE unless you are in real danger.

□ A tarp is great to have on hand to lay over the snow when putting on chains or changing a tire. They are also great to have on hand to build a shelter.

□ Items for children (for a select few of you): Stress relievers such as a book, travel games, crossword puzzles and scriptures. It is important to have items to distract your attention so you aren’t constantly thinking about your situation.

The weather is forecast to be very cold, icy and snowy between now and  the New Year. Preparing will insure a safe, if not uneventful, trip.

This season instead of spending money create a few new holiday traditions. You may be in the habit of getting pizza for a simple Christmas Eve dinner. This year begin a new tradition and make pizza from scratch. You can purchase crusts with sauce packets included or make your own. The just raid your food storage and check the fridge for leftovers and enjoy this time together as a family making your own amazing creations.

If you normally give gifts to friends and neighbors, this year make some homemade rolls or muffins and take a few on a paper plate with cute wrapping and sing a Christmas Carrol or two. We did this a few years ago with a loaf of homemade cinnamon bread, very inexpensive, and took it to a friend who had recently remarried. The new husband was fifty something and he was so touched he said no one had ever come caroling to his home before. So much better than spending the night watching movies or delivering a more expensive gift.

Many years ago we began delivering small gifts to friends by placing them on their doorstep, ringing the bell and running like mad! When we had a rough year financially and could no longer do gifts for Christmas we asked our  children what the one thing was that they wanted to do for Christmas. I wasn’t having stockings filled or new jammies or the traditional new ornament, it was door bell ditching. So, again the homemade bread came out and we had a blast! And, it was all cheap!!

If you normally give your kids an ornament each year, make them. You can even take a pine cone, add a little glitter and a Christmas ribbon. f you normally give pajamas why not get some inexpensive white t shirts and tie dye, paint or use fabric crayons to decorate them.

If you normally stop for fast food while traveling, brown bag it. We had a tradition in our family that the only time I purchased sugary cereals was when we were on vacations. The individual size boxes make fun snacks while traveling and can become a tradition for your family too. One year I packed carrots, before the days of mini carrots, as part of our lunch, and the kids spent an hour biting the carrots and creating sculptures.

Remember the most important gift you can give family and friends is the gift of your love. You can do that in so many ways that require little or no money.

Thanksgiving and Christmas often bring with them the opportunity to travel to see family and friends. This can be a time of dread for parents as they look forward to hours in the car or in airport waiting areas.Whether we travel by air, train or car, a trip with children is a challenge all the same. It seems a good time to share some “preparedness” tips to survival.

To some extent, the challenge of entertaining children while cooped up can translate to our family preparedness as well. If your family is evacuated – uprooted by a flood, hurricane, wildfire, or other calamity that puts them out of their home for a period of time – there will be some long hours to amuse children, as well as yourself.

So a trip over the river and through the woods is good time to practice basic concepts that are proven successful while traveling with children. Complete success, however, requires that time is taken to plan ahead, at least a little.

Be sure to pack snacks or meals, and drinks. When my grandchildren visit, we send them on their way back home with their own brown bag. Commercial snack packs are very expensive, so we have the kids make their own. I put out bread, crackers, cheese, peanut butter, jelly, carrot sticks, celery, pickles, raisins, nuts, lunch meats, salami, olives, grapes, bananas – whatever is healthy and handy from my food storage. Every child makes their own lunch to take along. Before placing their food in their bags we decorate the bag and add a juice box. Remember napkins, and always have some wet wipes in the car or your carry on luggage.

Armed with their brown bag, they are ready to snack without constantly asking mom and dad if it’s time to eat. Goodies like cookies and candy are for a parent to dole out as he or she sees fit. Be sure you also have a few plastic bags for the trash. Just before leaving, have everyone get their own water bottle, and grab a “sippy cup” for the wee ones who are too small to handle a water container. When the time comes, mom can then fill it with the contents of a juice box. Empty water bottles should be taklen through security at the airport and filled at a drinking fountain.

Before leaving home, children can each choose a favorite toy to take along. This should be size-appropriate – especially if traveling by air.

Remember comfort items like pillows, favorite blankets, story books, teddy bears, sunglasses and an easily accessible change of clothes just in case someone has an accident.

If you are traveling in an area where snow, fog and/or cold weather and cold winds are possible, be sure you also have warm blankets in the car just in case you get stuck. Of course these should already be in your trunk with your auto kit. You should always travel with one blanket per seat, wrapping up together contains body heat and helps you stay warm. Those in the front seats need their own. If you need to put chains on your tires, you may be stopped for a while due to winter road conditions, subject to traffic controls.

For those prone to motion sickness, take along Dramamine and basic medications for stomach upset and headaches. These are often available at gas stations, but very expensive when bought at a travel stop or airport.

If you have young children, make clean up easier at the end of the trip by placing a towel or sheet on the seats. When you reach your destination or stop for the night, carefully fold and shake it out. Return it to the seat, and clean-up is a breeze.

Now comes the case for bribes. Or shall we call them “incentives”? Reward good behavior. Bring along a roll or two of quarters. Determine ahead of time when you will hand out the coins, and use them liberally.

You can give your kids a quarter for each hour they don’t argue. At the end of the trip they will have their own money for snacks and souvenirs. You may have to increase that to more than a quarter, but that’s up to you.

Wrapped surprises are always popular. You’ll be amazed at the extra interest a little wrapping paper can lend to your travel strategies. Wrap a new toy or snack. Each time you stop, give the kids a gift to unwrap when you get back in the car. Don’t spend lots of money on this. Wrap gifts with pages from the Sunday comics section of the newspaper. Wrapped items may include one or two pieces of bite-size candy per person, a box of cookies, individual sized cold cereal, a new toy car or doll from a budget store – or even pages to color or crossword puzzles to solve, both of which can be created at many Internet sites.

Have a safe and fun trip with your family and make great memories of those travel times.

SEND LINKS TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY IN ENGLAND: With very severe flooding in England please forward the links to our flood post to everyone you know in Great Britain so they can use it or share it with those who are facing a horrific clean-up.

http://blog.totallyready.com/heavy-rains-could-mean-floodsprepare-now/11/13/

http://blog.totallyready.com/cleaning-up-after-a-flood/11/14/

http://blog.totallyready.com/cleaning-up-after-a-floodpart-2/11/17/

Since we began a discussion of vacation plans yesterday I thought I would continue with a few money saving tips for those who are traveling. Some will travel to family reunions or to grandma’s house and some will travel for adventure and stay in hotels, others will have a specific destination with brief stops along the way. Whichever vacation applies to you there are ways to save money. Today lets talk travel by car.

Take your food and drinks with you. Pack a lunch or just the fixins and stop at a park or nice rest area to eat. If your children complain because they wanted fast food tell them you have a special treat for later.When our grandchildren visit I send them home with their own kid’s meal. I make a sandwich or a meal of sliced cheese and meats and crackers, add a boxed drink, chips, cheese sticks, carrot sticks, fruit, whatever I have on hand, and a small dessert. This is enough to satisfy them for not only lunch but also a snack which they can eat any time they want. They love being in control! Then I give mom some really fun sweet treats which she can hand out after the healthy stuff is gone. It works great and gets them all the way home, seven hours, with few complaints. For chips, crackers or other snacks always purchase the large bags and divide the into smaller baggies.

When you have finished eating lunch and it is time to fill the gas tank find a fast food restaurant close by the let the kids choose anything they want from the dollar menu. This can still get expensive if you have more than two children. In that case purchase a favorite treat, or make one that you never, or rarely, have at home. Our family loves my brownies with peanut butter cups in the center.

When our children were small and we needed to spend the night at a motel, I would purchase sugary cereals, which we never had at home, and that would be breakfast. They loved that! You can easily travel with a quart of milk or a box of milk or soy milk which needs no refrigeration until it is opened. Any leftovers can be divided into small baggies and used for snacks during the day. Oh course, a great way to save on breakfast is to get a motel room which offers a free breakfast as part of the price. Still compare prices for rooms but often you can get a room at the same price which offers breakfast.

If you will be traveling for a full day and need to eat both lunch and dinner on the road, stop for lunch if you want one meal at a real restaurant and not fast food. Lunch menus at a restaurant are always less expensive than the dinner menu.

Never purchase drinks on the road. The largest markup in the food industry is on drinks. Drink water and have sodas or juices in the car for the next snack. You can purchase a six pack of soda for the same price, on sale,  as one large soda at fast food or a restaurant.

If you are spending the night ask before you make reservations if there is a microwave in the room. Take a bag or two of popcorn for a night time snack. In fact, popcorn is a great snack for in the car if you have an extra bag at the end of the night. Sure, it makes a mess but what doesn’t?

To deal with crumbs in the car cover the seat with a sheet, remove it and give it a good shake when you stop.

With the cost of fuel skyrocketing and the cost of eating out close behind, now is a good time to plan a really fun vacation at home. Those memories you make in your own home are the best memories. So click on the ad on this page or on the Buy Now button below, take a look and plan for the fun.

1. Never buy individual packs of cookies or chips. Two reasons, they are much more expensive and think of all the trash! I never buy individual packs even thought there are only two of use now. If we have too many cookies they freeze well. Just divide out what you think you will use and stick the rest in the freezer. Chip, well they don’t freeze but I figure if we get through half the bag and have to throw away the rest we are still ahead money wise.

2. Never buy individual cans or boxes of soda and juices unless you are going on a trip. They are just too expensive. Instead save your bottles when you drink bottled water. Wash them out well, not in the dish washer and fill them for use in the car as you run around town or to include in lunches. fill them with juices, water, milk, even chocolate milk and the kids won’t mind taking them, neither will dad.

3. Purchase sports bottles for each family member. Children can pick out their favorite super hero or princess and everyone will be able to identify which bottle is theirs. Fill them and use those on trips around town instead of purchased bottles water. They are also great to leave in the refrigerator. When children come in from playing, even young children, can go and get their bottle out and they won’t have to constantly be asking you for a drink. And you won’t be throwing drinks away because you don’t know who they belonged to. Sports bottles are just as much fun as boxed drinks, far less mess, and will help you save money and your sanity.

4.. Always carry snacks in the car. It is much better to have a few baggies of cookies or a few granola bars in the car than to hit the drive through because everyone is starving!!! Have you heard that before? Throw in a few lollipops and you are good to go. At one time we traveled 12 miles to piano lessons and it seemed by the time we drove there sat through 2 lessons and then were on the road home, we were all starving. Get caught in a traffic jam or along doctors appointment…you are set! This is also a great plan for when the school kids get in the car with treats for a class party and the younger kids have nothing. No more tears, whip out that lollipop.

If you are planning a vacation for the summer and would like to share your money saving tips please send them in. I’ll have more on that soon so get in on the action! If you missed it go check out my vacation post.

It is almost time for vacations and of course spring break is upon us right now. I thought I would give you something to think about as you plan.

Try vacationing at home. I know this doesn’t sound exciting at first but you can make this the best vacation you have ever had. I grew up in New Jersey and I have never been to the Statue of Liberty. Can you believe it? We took the ferry all the time to see our grandparents but never bothered to visit one of the most recognizable sites in the world. I am betting the same is true of you.

Set a few ground rules:

No friends…none, no texting, no phones, no visits…that goes for mom and dad too

Screen all your calls. Only family emergencies should be responded too. If you were in Europe everything would have to wait until after vacation so make everything wait!!

No cooking for mom! Now is the time to purchase muffins and those sugary cold cereals you new allow through the door. Have juices, milk and a huge bowl of fresh fruit and design your own continental breakfast. Of course paper plates are the rule! For lunch have chips, carrot sticks, breads, lunch meats, cheeses and even a soda or two on hand. Remember sodas purchased in bulk are cheap and they will become cheaper as the summer months approach. (Check out the Seasonal Shopping post under Money Saving Ideas) Splurge for dinner and order a pizza or go for fast food.

Get a friend involved. Ask a friend to come in each day while you are visiting local sites and make the beds. Be sure she leaves a chocolate on each pillow and straightens the bathrooms. Not clean, just straighten. To save even more money prepare casseroles or other quick fix foods and leave them with this friend. They can bring the dinner and leave it for you warming in the oven or bring it by just like room service.

Ask yourself, would we do this in a hotel? If yes, then do it, house rules suspended. If you would rent or order a movie at a hotel and set on the floor eating pizza, Do it! Put a blanket on the floor first and make memories! I have done this with my grandchildren and they love….it.

Check out the local chamber of commerce in near by towns for ideas of places to visit. If you take day trips take a picnic lunch and ask the locals for a great park. Think of friends who may have horses who can teach your family to ride, or go river rafting (people come from all over California to do that here but we never have).

Have you ever vacationed at home? Please share your ideas with all of us. For more frugal vacation ideas check out the blog Small Cents . There are some good ideas there for vacation savings of all kinds.