Our weekly preparations

Amy, at Homestead Revival, has a weekly preparedness challenge for her readers. Each Saturday she blogs about the preparations she has made for her family's future. This could be canning, learning something new, stocking up on supplies, purchasing tools and equipment - the list goes on and on. I have learned so much from her and her readers, that I've decided it's time to jump on the wagon myself.

Last week, I was blessed to be given 3 large containers of pears from a friend. I made 9 pints of pear preserves - 3 regular, 3 with cinnamon, and 3 with fresh mint. I also have 4 gallons of juice waiting for jelly. I made one batch of jelly, but it didn't set...not sure what was up with that!

I, finally, was able to get back into the coupon routine. Summer makes it difficult to keep them organized, or to do much shopping. While I didn't do any major shopping, I was able to go to a few stores and pick up some really good deals!

• Walgreen's - 10 jars of Planters Peanut Butter - $7.50
• CVS - 2 toothbrushes, 5 bottles of Dawn Dish Liquid - $2.00
• Kroger - 4 Febreeze Air Fresheners (just because I love them), 2 bottles Herbal Essence Shampoo - $1.45
• Wal-Mart - 10 3-packs Cascade Dishwasher Gel Tabs - FREE

Not bad for $10.95! 

My oldest daughter and I went to a "Wild Edibles" class at one of the State Parks in the area last weekend. The class itself was rather disappointing. I was hoping to learn a lot more than I did. The instructor covered very basic things such as kudzu, dandelions, wild berries, etc. I did learn how to identify wild ginger which was fun!  I also picked up a couple of books that should be very helpful.

• Peterson Field Guide - Edible Wild Plants
• Peterson Field Guide - Medicinal Plants and Herbs

Yesterday, I ordered a cast iron waffle iron from Lehman's. It's their September sales item, and the cost was $14.99.  This is great for camping and will be a much welcomed addition to our preparation equipment. 

We are still working on building a new chicken coop for the new ladies. It's almost finished! Mark also started putting in the post for the fencing that will contain our goats! I can't wait! 

How are you preparing?

This post is linked up with http://homesteadrevival.blogspot.com/2011/09/preparedness-challenge-24.html