Prepare: Grocery shopping, rural property, tip of the day

Hope you had a good weekend. We are in the equivalent of 1930, Depression-wise which means the stock market has already fallen and bank failures are right around the corner. Let's not become Okies, ok?

Grocery shopping -

Too many family activities this weekend, so I went grocery shopping early this AM (Monday). There were few people in the store that day and time (good) and plenty of things to choose from (better).

Here is what I purchased:

Milk 2 gallons
Bread 2 loaves
Cheese 2 blocks
Cheese 1 bag shredded
Cottage cheese
Tortillas
3 lbs ground hamburger
1 pack bacon
1 pack baloney
2 boxes cereal
2 boxes granola
36 eggs (2 18ct)
cat litter
dog food
4 large bags frozen vegetables
Large plain yogurt
3 lbs butter

Produce will come from a farmers market type grocer down the street. The prices are better and the produce is very nice.

We already have several hundred pounds of rice, flour, sugar, salt, etc. on hand as well as many cans of basics. I picked up 40 lbs of potatoes and onions each this weekend.

Notice about the above list: There are no frozen meals (like pizza or lasagna), no sodas, no sweets (like ice cream or cookies). Only basic components to build breakfast, lunch (especially for school kids) and dinners.

Also, there is little meat. We use eggs for most of our protein and big meat, like steak, chicken or pork, is only a couple of times a week. Simply put, we don't want to go into debt for a single meal of steak or a roast chicken.

By using basics, like rice, at home, we can make filling and healthy meals every day.

This is our frugal diet in our home and we eat well. Needless to say, we don't eat out either.

Rural property -

Friday night my wife mentioned a friend from high school who grew up in a small town north east of where we live. Then the wife says how much she would like to drive out to this small town. Then the kicker; wife says she would love to live in this town if it is still the same as she remembers it.

So I grab the laptop and bingo! The town is about 10,000 souls total and 100 miles from our home.
A real estate page shows two perfect homes in our price range; one with 5.2 acres and another with 8 acres. One of the homes is relatively new and has a well, barn and multiple trees on the property.

Realistically, we are two years from making this move, but we are driving out in a couple of weeks to get a feel for the land and town.

My wife's reason for bringing this up: she is tired of living in our city (1million), the rat race, wants to be self sufficient, no longer trust the government, worried about our kids, etc. The usual litany which brings the DGI over to our side. I am a happy guy. It pays to be patient.

Tip of the day -

Have cats? Use cat litter? Do you purchase the plastic containers with the handle? Those containers have lots of uses. Now, I would not fill them with water for myself to drink, but I do use them for water storage. This weekend, I punched a dozen holes in the lid and now have a new watering can. Pretty neat, huh?

We are in tough times. You should be prepared or working on it every chance you get. Get busy, its going to be a bumpy ride.

Good luck,