This info is from the newsletter I just received from ShelfReliance.com. It’s a really great article, sign up for their newsletter on their site if you’d like. “When I think of preparing for an emergency, I typically think of first aid kits, flashlights, and food storage. In the aftermath of a disaster, it’s hard to imagine that money matters will be a top priority, but as things begin to settle down and get back to normal, you may find that the financial side of things is a significant source of stress and concern. The government might be there to help if the disaster is serious enough, but even if you can secure a little assistance from Uncle Sam, this assistance typically comes in the form of loans that must be paid back (with interest). Any grants you receive would only be enough to meet immediate needs, not to repair or recover your possessions. The good news is that, as always, you can make things easier on yourself and your family by planning ahead.”

* Legal Documents: birth certificates, marriage licenses, divorce papers, child custody papers, passports, driver’s licenses, social security cards, naturalization papers and residency documents, military/veteran’s papers, powers of attorney (including healthcare powers of attorney), will or trust documents
* Medical Information: records of past procedures, allergies, pre-existing conditions
* Financial Documents: cash (as ATM or bank services may be disrupted), bank statements, insurance policies, credit card numbers, a list of phone numbers for financial institutions and credit card companies where you have accounts
* Residential Items: an inventory of household possessions, appraisals of valuable items (jewelry, art, antiques, heirlooms), home improvement records, deeds/titles and other ownership records for property such as homes and automobiles
* Critical Computer Files: multiple backup copies of important documents from your personal and work computers
* Contact Information: a list of names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of family members, friends, business contacts, and emergency assistance agencies in your area, such as the Red Cross

*Information taken from ShelfReliance.com which they quoted from the 2008 pamphlet “Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country: Your Handbook for Earthquakes in Utah,” distributed by the Utah Seismic Safety Commission. This report and any updates are available at:
http://geology.utah.gov/online/pdf/eq_handbook.pdf

In order to make things simple and easy to get yourselves and families prepared we’ve created “Preparedness Baby Steps” and included it into this month’s newsletter. We sure hope you’ll find it easier to follow these basic steps instead of trying to tackle all goals all at one time. We want you to feel excited about becoming prepared, not overwhelmed and then to finally give up after trying for 2 weeks.

Click on the image below to view the Preparedness Baby Steps. Just pick an area to work on and do it one step at a time.

Click here to view all of the newsletters.

The following was seen on: PrepareTodayNewsletter.com
Written By Valerie Phillips from: PennyPinching-Grandma.com
Food prices are going up. But here are lots of ways — 101 of them — to shave off pennies, dimes and dollars from your food costs. Not every tip fits every situation. A vat-size container of salad dressing is cheaper per ounce, but not if it sits in a single person’s fridge for months on end. Remember, the most expensive food you can buy is the food that goes to waste.

TIPS TO SAVE SOME CASH!

1. For a week, track what your family actually spends on food. Don’t forget to include work lunches, restaurant meals, vending-machine snacks and convenience store stops. These add up quickly. (Make sure you always have a little notebook on hand to note your expenses.)
2. Have a plan. Jot down simple dinner menus for the week, using the weekly grocery store ads so you can take advantage of what’s on sale that week. Having a plan ends the 5 p.m. “what’s for dinner?” plight.
3. Make a shopping list from your menu. Having the ingredients you need for the week eliminates extra trips to the supermarket, where more incidental items can end up in your grocery cart. (In this day and age, these little trips also cost a lot of expensive gas.)
4. To save time, compile a basic shopping list of things you usually buy on a weekly basis, such as milk, lettuce, etc. Organize the list by the store layout and make lots of copies. Then each week it’s just a matter of penciling in the extra ingredients from your menu.
5. Get out of the dinner rut. Check out cookbooks or magazines from the library or attend local cooking classes for new ideas. (The cooking classes are a great idea, if they are free. Start watching the Food Channel for great ideas.)
7. Consider making from scratch many of the things you usually buy in prepared form, such as brownies or salad dressing.
8. Time is a valuable resource. It’s usually not worth the time, or gasoline to hopscotch from store to store to save a few dollars.
9. Consider the advantages when you choose where to shop. Some stores offer credit cards with rebates, discounts on gasoline, special coupons and so on.
10. Club warehouses can save money, but be judicious. Can you use 18 cartons of yogurt at a time? Often you can find similar good buys and a better selection at a regular grocery store
11. Sometimes you’re lured into buying things that lose their appeal and end up sitting on the shelf. To cure yourself of impulse shopping, every so often force yourself to make a meal out of those items in the cupboard.
12. Consider group strategies. A neighborhood group or extended family might save by buying in bulk directly from wholesalers and farmers.
14. Statistics indicate that people buy more when they are hungry or accompanied by others, especially children. However, grocery shopping can be a good learning experience for kids; let them find all the coupon foods and comparison shop with you.
21. To maximize coupon savings, use resources such as Pinchingyourpennies.com, the Grocery Guru at www.gurusdeals.com, or Couponsense.com, which help you to coordinate coupons with sales at local grocery stores. By using the coupon with the sale price, you can get items for a fraction of the cost. (There is also a coupon site on Grandma.)
24. Be wise about coupons. Sometimes a brand name with a coupon is still more expensive than a generic brand. And resist buying things you may not use just because you have a coupon.
28. One reason people avoid buying cheaper bagged cereal is because they’re hard to store and pour. Store them in a plastic pitcher with a pour spout. (Be careful with this tip, sometimes the cereal will go rancid if left too long.)
29. Consider how much you can save by cooking whole grains for breakfast instead of cold breakfast cereal. Homer Cook of Layton said as a welfare volunteer, he helped a single mother of three cut her breakfast costs from $1,000 per year to $58 peryear by cooking cracked wheat based on Honeyville Grain prices.
34. Bake a batch of muffins from scratch for on-the-go breakfasts. Even if you use a mix, you’ll still save over bakery prices.
38. A pound bag of chopped iceberg lettuce salad costs more; about $2, than a head of iceberg lettuce. Approximately $1 per pound, that you clean and chop yourself. But if bagged salad greens keep you from buying restaurant salads, there’s still a savings.
40. Grow your favorite herbs year-round in your kitchen window. It’s convenient to be able to cut a few sprigs as needed, and packets of fresh herbs can cost $1.50-$2 in grocery stores.
59. Take a cue from restaurant chefs who can make a small portion of meat or chicken look plentiful. They slice it thinly and fan out the slices on top of a mound of rice or potatoes.
60. Tough cuts of meat are usually cheaper. Place a beef brisket in you slow cooker in the morning and by dinner time you’ll have tender beef, and a tantalizing aroma in your kitchen.
67. What to do with the last of the jam or jelly jar: Pour in some milk, refrigerate for a little while to loosen the jam stuck to the jar sides, and shake into a flavored drink.
68. Generic brands can save money. But try one can first before you invest in a whole case to make sure it appeals to your family.
70. Invest in a popcorn popper. You can make 10 times as much popcorn for the same price as microwave popcorn. A three-pack box of microwave popcorn yields about 10 1/2 cups of popcorn for $2 to $3, depending on the brand. A $1.99 bag of regular popcorn yields 113 cups. You’ll have to add you own butter and salt, but you have more control over the amounts.
72. Break the soda pop habit. If you normally drink a can per day, at 50 cents per can, you could pocket more than $180 a year.
74. If you like the look of designer bottled water, buy it once and keep refilling with tap water, which is free. Many bottled waters cost more per gallon than gasoline. (This tip is excellent!!)
77. Keep an eye on your pantry inventory so you use up all the pancake mix or corn syrup before buying more.
79. Post a “must use” list on the fridge to remind yourself of the half-empty can of pineapple, three hot dogs, etc. that will go bad quickly.
81. Use and rotate your food storage. If you aren’t using it, it is basically a waste of space and money. Rule of thumb: Store what you use and use what you store.
82. Use smaller plates. Studies show that when people are served on larger plates, they take larger servings, whether they’re really hungry or not.
84. Pack a lunch for the next day from dinner leftovers instead of eating out.
87. Have meatless Monday meals.
92. Use the dishwasher only when completely full. Washing dishes by hand can cost more than one load in the dishwasher. Let the dishes air-dry rather than using the “dry” cycle.
94. Use gift certificates soon after getting them. Many have expiration dates.
bottles of water
99. At fast-food restaurants, order a kids’ meal for yourself; if there’s no age limit. Most of the time, you’re getting a more appropriate portion of food, and a toy to boot!
101. If you feel you can’t afford to tip, choose a fast-food or fast-casual eatery where tipping isn’t expected. In sit-down restaurants, servers’ salaries are less than minimum wage. Tips make up the difference.
These were the tips we found most helpful. Click here to read the entire 101 list.

Just wanted to let you all know that the September newsletter is now available to view or download online. Along with a handy Excel spreadsheet.

Click here to view all Newsletters

The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has sent a letter to its congregations, urging members to be wary of fraud.

In the letter being read in churches, the First Presidency says “reports of fraud schemes and unwise investments prompt us to again counsel members with respect to prudence in managing one’s financial affairs.”

“We are concerned that some church members ignore the oft-repeated direction to prepare and live within a budget, avoid consumer debt, and to save against a time of need,” the statement reads.

“Consideration should also be given to investing wisely with responsible and established financial institutions. We are also concerned that there are those who use relationships of trust to promote risky or even fraudulent investment and business schemes.”

The LDS Church did not elaborate beyond the First Presidency’s statement, but Utah authorities who investigate financial crimes hope Utahns will “heed the message.”

“I hope bishops have read them. It is real critical that they are being read,” said Francine Giani, the executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce. “I hope people are listening.” Here in Utah, authorities said a majority of the fraud cases they encounter involve some level of “affinity fraud,” which is an investment scam that preys upon members of a specific group — such as a religious or ethnic community.

. . . Affinity fraud is not limited to the LDS Church, but, obviously, many of the cases in Utah are LDS-centric because it is the dominant faith. “People that are going to perpetrate a fraud on a group of people, the issue of trust is important,” Giani said. “That trust can come from a religious affinity.”

Barlow said anecdotally, they find LDS connections do factor into a fraud scheme.

“You’ll walk into their office and they’ll have their Gospel Doctrine manual laid out there because they’re preparing their lesson for Sunday,” she said. “I don’t know that all of the people are consciously trading on their church affiliation. I’ve often thought the first person a con man cons is himself.”

. . . Barlow said the weight of the LDS Church’s statement may be lost on those perpetuating schemes, because they believe the “investment opportunity” will work this time.

“They won’t think it applies to them because they aren’t doing it,” she said. “They think, ‘Yes, you should go after these bad guys, but I’m not one of them.”‘

Giani hopes those looking to put their money in someone’s investment will listen and do their homework, making sure people are licensed and have clean records. In Utah such information can be found by visiting the state’s Web site at commerce.utah.gov. “As a member of the faith, it is always a tragedy to me to uncover many of the details (of a fraud scheme). Frankly, I am much less tolerant of those kinds of situations, because technically we should know better,” Giani said. In its statement, the First Presidency urged its members to know the risks of investing. “While all investments carry an element of risk, that risk can be managed by following sound and proven financial principles: first, avoid unnecessary debt, especially consumer debt; second, before investing, seek advice from a qualified and licensed financial advisor; and third, be wise.”

Read the whole article here.
Quoted items are used under the Fair Use Act for educational purposes. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.

In this video they talk about how wheat prices keep rising. See why on abcnews.com

Video length: 2 min.

Stock up on wheat before it keeps rising.

By Liz Pulliam Weston
Money Cental

Food to last a few weeks may be the surest way to conserve cash. Could you go more than a few days without visiting a grocery store?

How long you can store food in the freezer*

Frozen foods are great until the power goes out; even if you don’t open the door much, the contents of a freezer will start to thaw within a couple of days.

Our plan in a disaster or blackout,then, is to:

1. eat out of the fridge first.
2. then move on to the freezer.
3. keeping all the shelf-stable pantry foods like pasta, canned chili and rice for last.

Check out the pictures found in this link of what people eat all around the world. You can even see how much they spend.

Food Budgets Around the World

Ever wonder how much you save by brown-bagging your lunch from home? Here’s a Lunch Savings Calculator that will brighten your day!One of the best ways to increase your savings is to spend less. Even a simple change such as bringing a bagged lunch to work a few times (or throughout) a week can make a difference. This calculator illustrates how a little lunch savings can go a long way.

Click on the following link to calculate your savings: Calculator

Extracted from an article by Kelli B. Grant for SmartMoney

Airplane Tickets
When to Buy: Wednesday morning.
Why: “Most airfare sales are thrown out there on the weekend,” says travel expert Peter Greenberg, a.k.a. The Travel Detective. Other airlines then jump into the game, discounting their own fares and prompting further changes by the first airline. The fares reach their lowest prices late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

Books
When to Buy: Thursday.
Why: Price compare between Borders and Barnes & Noble. The former releases its weekly sales and coupons on every Thursday; the latter, every Tuesday.

Clothing
When to Buy: Thursday evening.
Why: That’s the day when stores stock their shelves for the weekend, and when many retailers — including Ann Taylor, Banana Republic and Express — start their weekend promotions. You’ll find great prices and the best selection.

Department-Store Wares
When to Buy: Saturday evening.
Why: Department stores have a lot to mark down for their Sunday circulars, so they frequently start the process on Saturday evenings before store closing. Bonus: Even if the markdowns haven’t been made, many employees will honor the sale price if you ask. Print out the circular preview from the store’s web site, and bring it with you when you head to the mall.

Dinner Out
When to Buy: Tuesday.
Why: Most restaurants do not receive food deliveries over the weekend. “Sunday is the garbage-can day of the week,” says Kate Krader, senior editor at Food & Wine magazine. “No doubt, they’re cleaning out their fridges. Tuesdays, they’re starting fresh.” Dining out on that day offers the best odds you’ll get a meal worth paying for, no matter your price point, she says.

Entertainment
When to Buy: Wednesday.
Why: Plenty of movie theaters, amusement parks and museums offer extra discounts to consumers who visit midweek. Six Flags theme parks offer a $12 discount to AAA members — three times its usual discount of $4. AMC Theatres offers members in its free AMC Movie Watcher reward program a free small popcorn on Wednesdays.

Gas
When to Buy: Thursday, before 10 a.m.
Why: The price of oil isn’t the only factor influencing costs at your local pump. Consumer usage plays a role, too — and weekend demand is high, says Jason Toews, co-founder of GasBuddy.com, a price-monitoring site. Prices usually swing upward on Thursdays as travelers fuel up to head out the following day. By hitting the pump before 10 a.m. (when many station owners change their prices), you’ll beat the rush and the price jump.

Groceries
When to Buy: Tuesdays.
Why: Maximize savings by combining store sales, which run from Wednesday to Tuesday, with the latest round of coupons from your Sunday paper, says Mary Hunt, publisher of Debt-Proof Living, a money-saving newsletter. “It’s a smart idea to wait until you have those in hand to match up with the week’s sale items,” she says.

To snag savings on items you don’t need just yet, shop on Tuesday, advises Hunt. Chances are, the store will have run out of the sale items. “That means you can pick up rain checks, which allow you to buy those items later when you need them, and at the sale price,” she says.