October Week 2 - Food Prices Stink!

I think I'm done canning pineapple for awhile. Including the fresh pineapple purchased I canned 23 pints - gave 1 away and they ate 2 pints before i processed it. Of course these last 2 years so if I find another deal I will certainly make more..but for October 2011 - I'm done with pineapple.






4 days ago Big Lots had a 20% off everything event...I purchased this coffee for 3.90. Truth be told the original price last month was $3.50 a bag (1lb 10oz). It is not the BEST coffee - but it is good - an easy breakfast blend drip coffee. I also keep whole beans stocked up of the good stuff -the strong stuff...but for everyday use and for the price this is a good buy.

And it's not from China - it's from Australia.


Coconut Milk 64 cents each.
NoH are good products my grandmother used to sell them in her store. These are sugar added so it's better for drinks and desserts. I also have plain coconut cream powder put up for curries and such.








Here are the ingredients:
Powdered coconut
non fat dried milk
natural cane sugar

AND sugar is the last ingredient so that means it is the smallest ingredient. Good Stuff.






These were only 40 cents. my Mom is crazy about them. She absolutely loves this gravy. I find the ingredients to be iffy but in a pinch I'll take my chances.










These were $8 for 3 locks.
Word Locks you can set a word to be the combination. We are going to stress test these before we purchase anymore.










2.40 a bottle for the Paprika...
18oz bottle. I rarely if ever see it at this size - mcCormick is downsizing all of their 'large' spice bottles to 12 oz. When I did see this at Costco it was $9. Costco now carries roasted paprika in a smaller bottle for like $5+ each.







Solvent Gloves $1.20
Suede Burpee Garden Gloves $4












Baking Powder 40 cents













Pineapples $1 each













3 wide mouth pint jars 58 cents.

Afro periodically stops at Goodwill to go jar hunting. This month they were cleaned out...but here in AZ the first Saturday of the month is their 50% off everything event. He said that place was jumpin like a bar it was so packed.






We purchased another 2 cases of pints from Ace Hardware $10 each. Yeah - jars are something we NEVER find for cheap here.

It costs about 50 cents more to go to Ace Hardware but you know what - Ace Hardware stores are usually privately owned and purchased as a franchise - so we've decided to buy our jars at Ace instead of giving Wally World our money.



I bought another 25 lbs of bread flour - it went down about a quarter. $7.99 this week at Costco. Hardly anyone was shopping at costco on Tuesday. The people who were in there were just getting 2 or 3 things. It is amazing how little people buy these days. I remember when Costco first opened some couples had 1 cart each!





Kilner Jars.

$3.99 each. I just wanted something to put my salt in. I got rid of my cardboard container and the big jars like this at Hobby Lobby were like $8.








I don't know where they are made but it's a British company that owns it - they also have canning jars and I will be on the lookout for those. As soon as I get my hot little hands on some I will be testing them in the canner.









I know some of you could just get this in your back yard - but we can't LOL. It was a steal at $2.69. Regular price is like 6.19.

Doesn't hurt to have it.

They have some oakplanks on clearance but I want those to go down a LOT lower in price.





Jumbo Bath Poofies 3 for $2.50...the weird thing about these bath poofies the standard price used to be like 79 cents - now even at wally world the price is $2 for the Jumbo ones.

Gold Bond Foot Spray - handy for the BOB $3

Real Parmesan Cheese - $2.40




I bought 5 more coconut milk for a friend. Today it was 80 cents each. That is still a steal.











FoodSaver freeze 'n Steam bags - $4

I've never purchased these - I hope they were a deal - the foodsaver freezer bags are usualy 10-12 a box and that's for about 2 pieces. I hope I got a good deal.








Dawn Brand scrubbers. 99 cents. Regular 2.99. I think it's a good deal. Of course you can always get scrubbers at the dollar store but they aren't the same quality as these - plus these have the channel you can put dish soap in.

I just might have to go back and buy 5 more. I think 1 brush lasts about 1 yr in my house.




I found the canning section at Fry's. The jars were actually $2 more a case than the ones at Ace Hardware. Ridiculous.

Anyway..I found this pickling lime - it was $2.49. I don't know if that's a deal or not- I looked at the mrs. wages website and the price for 16oz is like $3.59 plus shipping and it no longer comes in this plastic bucket - it just comes in a resealable bag.

I like the bucket.


Imusa wok/cast iron scrubber.

Super handy - I have a bamboo one but I just can't seem to find it (see organized/disorganized prepper life). I will do a demo on this after I do some cooking this weekend.







Glass drinking glasses

39 cents each. It never hurts to have glass put up. For some reason our glasses always have less and less in the cupboard. I think it is just something that happens with time - glasses get broken and thrown away and it's not like you ever discuss that kind of thing.

I may go back in a week and check if they have more and if they are even cheaper.


Finally I got these really DELUXE reusable shopping bags for 99 cents. They are the super strong kind that you can spray down with bleach to sanitize the bottoms. I think they were normally $4 each.









Check it out they even have a 3 pocket divider for wine or jars or whatever and a velcro closure! Fancy huh. haha.











I got 3 prints - the polka dots, the fruit mix, the apple. There was another weird one with cocks (roosters) on it. I didn't really like that print.

Oh and check THIS out - Fry's no longer gives you a 5 cent discount for using your own bag. HAHHA. So what's my motivation then HEFFA? My own contribution to the green movement which is just all some bullshit business created by Al Gore and his Homies.

Gooooodness!

September Sprint...end of the month haul and hustle

I am really exhausted lately.

School only started on Monday. That is 2 days ago . I'll go into that in another blog. I have been running for preps after class then coming home and making dinner and studying or studying and writing after dinner.

The cooking videos are pretty much going to be at a standstill during the week and then I will continue making videos during the weekend. There is just a lot going on in this house and on top of that is Afroprepper starting a new job - can you say raise and a promotion - WHEW.

We have even more changes coming at the end of the year...just wait. Today I went and got some preps. Only 2 more days left in the month so seriously this is it.

Pineapples were only $1 each. They should be ripe enough in the next 3-4 days - at which point I will can 3 pints of fruit and 3 pints of juice










Carrots 3lbs/$1 Cucumber 3 for $1 Potatoes were only 88 cents for 5 lbs. But I didn't need any we still have 10 lbs











Petite Sirloin Steaks - buy 1 get 2 free. That came out to about 2.25 a lb or something. It's not the best price - but I am really irritated that the price of beef is just rising and rising and rising. ANNOYING - and this is the caned prep that gets the most action in our pantry besides butter. Jeez.






Yellow Onions were only 5lbs/$1 Gallon of vinegar was $2.77 that went up about 50 cents in the last 2 months.











I popped by big lots to see if they had some celery seed, they didn't but they sure did have these cedar raised garden beds. The garden stuff is on clearance because "they are making room for the Christmas stuff" What?
Regular price - $30 My price $7.50 each.
I really don't know if we are going to put up this many beds but at that price - it's cheaper than the cost of wood.




My Aunt is on an extended stay in Japan for business - she asked me to mail her some Chili Tepin and while there I found some herbs I was lacking in my own preps. nutmeg - 59cents









Mustard Seed 79 cents













Chili Tepin 1.29

It may look small but it's powerful and good.










Coriander 79 cents













Anise - 99 cents















All spice - 99 cents











Oops while at big lots I also found these things... trigger snap swivel things and the d rings that flex they were only a little above a buck - so I picked up the few they had









I also found this Red cross nasal aspirator and baby med dispenser. it was more than half off and I figured it might be good to have this in the first aid toolbox. $2 no problem.









I was looking for the 500 pack of vinyl gloves they usually have but instead I found this: infectigard spray "pens" 2 for 50 cents. That's it - that's the whole bag of beans. I really wanted to get some bacon, beef and butter canned in jars but you know the market price is simply KICKING
MY ASS.

Stay Preppin! Stay Positive

Deals of the Day...

I realized Mom had given me some plastic bags for a vac sealer that is not a food saver and the food saver would not take the thinness of those bags. So I went to return them to big lots. I didn't have a receipt so I told the guy I would just take an exchange he said ok - I turned around and don't you know - Liquid Pectin is on sale.





2 pack of certo sure jell. 25 cents. Expires Sept 2012. Some of them expire next month, most of them don't. I bought the expired ones too - I"m going to try canning some jam with them and test this theory that it doesn't work after expiration. We'll see. 58 boxes HA HA.

See...the same thing goes for yeast and baking powder - so as it ages you just increase ingredient. I'll let you know how it goes in December.


7 oz sockeye salmon was only 99 cents. Expires 2014. It's not the 15.4 oz can that I like but it's also not the paltry 5 oz that most stores have. It's a win because red salmon is better than chicken of the sea brand.








I had a 10 dollar credit - and I saw these 16 pc bungee cords and 10 pc rubber tarp straps. It sounded like a good deal and we didn't have either of them.

I showed them to Mr.Man and said here you go Man Stuff. He said How do you use these tarp straps. I said I dunno. He laughed and asked why did you get it then? I said "because it looks prepperish and useful..." Then we both laughed.



My baby spatula is looking beat so I went around looking for some type of replacement. The paula deen ones were only 1.97, the 2 rubber ones were 99 cents. I even found a mini tripod for $1 since I'm going to start making cooking videos.

Weird to say that.

I'm so pooped but I just had to put this up real quick so I can sleep in a bit tomorrow and then put up 2 slide shows on my youtube.

End of May 2011 ALREADY!!!

It's the end of the month already...June is here - we have officially ripped through half of the year. I hope for all our sakes everyone is doing what they should be doing to keep their houses in order. Truth be told it is your social responsibility to keep your house straight. It is part of your self respect, dignity and patriotism to be self reliant - in what way? Well the manner in which you are self reliant is up to you - but since when did this country become a bunch of spineless wannabees who assume that someone will always be there to bail you out?

I don't get it.

On top of all that - it's been a year since we had a loss, my grandmother (89 years old) appears to have had a mild stroke and my Auntie in Law was hospitalized for some health complications and has been suffering in silence. None of that really makes me want to do much - coz I just need to sit still or else I'm really going to lose my temper at how unfair it is that two very kind people who i love are getting the short end of the stick right now.

That said - I ran the 2 moms on a few errands since they will depart by end of week and while out I was able to pick up a few things.



1 case instant coffee (3.5oz) 2 cases red sockeye salmon (expires 2014) - $36 bucks












$13: organic salad, 2 minced onions, 4 -4pack fly tapes, 4 instant mixes for the canned stuff, and a pkg of veggie soup mix.











Our friend dropped another case of Fuze green tea drinks on us - I hope that Strawberries go on sale soon so I can gift them more strawberry preserves that their 2 year old likes on her pancakes!

Life keeps moving even if I'm looking at it with a grinchy look on my face.