Dollar Tree 72 Hour Kit Party {Part 1}

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SURPRISE!!!

Welcome to my Dollar Tree 72 hour kit party! 

 Being prepared doesn't have to cost a fortune. How would you like to make an entire 72 hour kit with spending only $1 on each item?  (Come on...raise your hand, I know mine is up!)

I found a great link on Youtube that I wanted to share with you! This guy (love his Southern accent...) made an entire 72 hour kit from things he found at Dollar Tree! He spent under $50 on the whole thing! There are a total of 12 videos where he goes over the different items in his pack and reviews them. He has a lot of really good pointers and advice, and is also a doctor so he knows about the medical aspect of a 72 hour kit. I ended up going to Dollar Tree yesterday and getting some more things for my kit that he suggested. Everything he mentioned was there...and I gotta admit, I wish I had seen this before I put together mine! I could have saved some $$$!

So....each day for the next 12 days I am going to post one of the videos for you to watch, as well as a list of items for you to get! 

Today's clip is about what to put your items in. You don't necessarily need a backpack, just a sturdy bag. I started with clip 2 because clip 1 was just saying "Hey guys, I'm going to make a 72 hour kit out of things from Dollar Tree! Let's go!"

 

 So, you are looking for

 

 The vinyl utility bags are in the laundry section with the mesh hampers, clothespins, organizing totes, etc. They come in several different colors. The Store It bags are by the paper plates, trash bags and disposable aluminum cookware. If you can't find the ones with the handle, just get the Gallon sized ones! Happy hunting! :)

See you tomorrow for Part 2: Cutting tools (knives, etc.)!

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Homemade Granola {Food Storage Recipe!}

I don't know about you, but this whole economy thing has been kinda sorta freaking me out. I've been trying to be a lot more frugal with things, and especially trying to learn how to cook with our food storage basics (wheat, oats, beans, etc.) so I don't have to be trying to learn when things get tough, I'm under a lot of stress and don't know what the heck I'm doing. I also figure that if I learn to cook with what I have in food storage now, my kids won't be all picky about it later.

So, ANYWAYYYYY...I decided to make homemade granola recently. I have to say, it turned out AMAZING! Granola can be really expensive! At Safeway it's around $4 a box. A little box at that. I made about 7 cups of it for around $1. No joke. And it tasted SOOOO much better than the store bought granola with all sorts of random preservatives and who knows what in it! Now, aren't you just dying for the recipe? :)

HEEEERE YOU GO!

 

Honey Coconut Granola

4 C. rolled oats
1 C. whole wheat flour (you can use white, too...)
3/4 C. honey OR
1 cup maple syrup  (It just gives it more of a maple-ish flavor)
1 C. coconut
1/4 C. cooking oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. chopped pecans (optional)

Thoroughly mix together. Spread on a cookie sheet, bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes stirring occasionally while baking.


You can also add things like sesame seeds, cinnamon, chopped almonds, raisins, etc. but add the raisins AFTER you bake it or it'll be like eating raisin flavored rocks. And we ALL know that eating raisin flavored rocks is no fun.


The best part is that granola is so versatile! It's not just for breakfast. You can put in on parfaits or use it as an ice cream topping! You can even use it as cobbler topping in your dutch ovens. Man, I love this stuff. Oh man. I'm starving. I think I'll go have a snack, and I'll bet you can't guess what it is. :)


ENJOY, my sweet little granola munchers!

Homemade Maple Syrup

It's Sunday, so I have pancakes on the brain. Every Sunday after church, we have some sort of a lunch usually requiring maple syrup. Waffles...french toast...pancakes...things like that. So we go through A LOT of syrup! Personally, I'm not a big fan of the imitation syrups like Mrs. Buttersworth or Aunt Jemimah. It's mostly high fructose corn syrup and the texture is SUPER sticky and borderline slimy. I like the REAL stuff. The stuff that is so dang expensive that you cringe as your kids drown their pancakes in it. Know what I'm saying? 

A few years ago I found an alternative to the expensive maple syrup (though you wouldn't be able to taste the difference!). It's SOOOOO much cheaper (around 50 cents per filled syrup bottle!!!) and it's way better than pouring flavored high fructose corn syrup all over your french toast. Want to know my secret?

It's this WONDERFUL thing called Mapeline Imitation Maple Flavor. You can find it at most grocery stores or Walmart. It's about $4 and will make 24 pints of maple syrup!

Want to make your own syrup? It's SO easy!

NAT'S MAPLE SYRUP RECIPE

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil

add 1 cup brown sugar

  1 cup regular sugar

1/2 tsp. Mapeline

Stir it until the sugar is dissolved.

That's it!

This stuff is a staple at our house! It tastes SO good and is a great way to save some grocery money... and not have to cringe when your kids pour their own syrup. ;)