Cooke's Frontier Show Notes

This week our Recipe of the Week is Healthy Fudge! You can click on the link to read all about it and make it for yourself.

Here are the show notes for the rest of the show:

Preparedness on the Cheap- Top 10 Dollar Store Deals

Being prepared isn't always cheap. In fact, the costs can add up. That doesn't mean that it isn't worth it, but who isn't looking to save a few bucks these days? A recent trip to the Dollar Tree in my area prompted me to look around for the 10 best deals I could find inside the store. Here is what I came up with:
1) Matches. A HUGE box of _______ matches is $1.00. Also, they have smaller boxes of _____ with 3 to a pack wrapped together for tucking into smaller emergency kits, backpacks, etc. Matches are an essential item for any emergency preparedness kit. If you don't have a way to light a candle or lantern, how will you see? If you can't light a fire, how will you stay warm or cook your food? Matches are more expensive at my WalMart than they are at the Dollar Tree. Stock up!
2) Sterno. Sterno brand Sterno can be expensive and sometimes hard to find. My dollar tree has large quantities of Sterno every time I go in and it's only a buck. If you have a portable or small backpack stove, you will need some Sterno to use to cook on it. It may not be the most cost effective way to cook food or boil water in an emergency situation, but for 2 hours of burn time it's a really great deal.
3) Butane lighters. Just because you have matches in your emergency preparedness supply doesn't mean you shouldn't have a back up. Back ups to back ups are always a good idea. Have yourself covered on multiple bases so you are never caught in a situation where you need something and don't have it. Having matches is essential and smart, but what if they get wet? You aren't always going to want to splurge for waterproof matches (in fact, you can make regular matches waterproof on you own, did you know that?) and they may get wet. A lighter carried in your front pocket or pocket of a backpack is just plain smart. Multi packs of lighters are priced at only a dollar at my store and I think they are a pretty darn good deal.
4) Candles. Lisa has said it before, but the tall candles in the glass containers that often depict religious scenes last for a long time. They burn for many, MANY hours and form a nice source of emergency lighting. For just a dollar each, you can afford to stock up on several and have them on hand in case of an emergency situation. They might not be as bright or as handy as a fuel lantern, but they would come in mighty handy should the need arise. As an added bonus, you can use the glass container as a drinking glass once the candle has burned down. Two for 1!!
5) Hand sanitizer. You may be faced with some very unsanitary situations in an emergency. Lack of running or even hot water may make it impossible to have hand washing available. Having a few bottles of hand sanitizer around will help with that. For a dollar (are you sensing a theme here with the price?) you can get a larger bottle for less than you can purchase one at your local big box store (at least in my area). Not only can you use this to keep your hands germ free, liquid hand sanitizer works great for starting fires. You already have matches and a lighter, now you have an easy to use ignition source. A few squirts on a paper, dry moss, super dry twigs or any other tinder and POOF! Fire is at your fingertips.
6) Rain ponchos. These come in a 2 pack, so you are getting two for one on this deal and they are good for so many ways. Use them as they are intended, as a rain poncho to protect you from down pours. But, they can also be taped together to make a larger rain shelter, as something to lay on the wet ground to work on a vehicle or change a tire, to lay on the ground if you have to put on tire chains in the snow. You could cut them down and wrap your socks in them before putting on your shoes to keep your feet dry as well. There are a lot of uses for these, but lets not forget that they would work wonders for collecting rainwater as well. There is a lot of usable plastic for a lot of things in one very small package.
7) Tape. There are multiple different types of tape available for just a buck. Duct tape, electrical tape, even sturdy rolls of packing tape can be found at the dollar store. Tape makes a practical impromptu bandage, a way to mend a hole in a jacket, tent or for use in putting your rain ponchos together to make a tarp. Tape can be used in a lot of ways and it's pretty expensive when purchased from a big box store. Tape is lightweight and easy to carry, so having a roll of duct tape or packing tape in your emergency preparedness supplies makes sense. And, for a dollar, the cost is minimal for the return if you should turn out to need it.
8) Batteries. They may not be the best quality or last forever, but batteries at the dollar store are the cheapest you will find. They are also alkaline so they are really great for low draw items such as flashlights, small radios, cameras and the like. an 8 pack of AA batteries will cost you just $1.00, as opposed to $3-4.00 at the larger stores. Not only that, but you can find AAA, C, D and 9 volt batteries as well. Don't forget that a 9 volt battery and some steel wool can be another way to start a fire. Batteries are light and easy to carry, and store well for a long time. You should consider putting a few packs of these inexpensive workhorses in your supplies soon.
9) Steel wool. Big boxes of off brand steel wool are, again, just a dollar. like I mentioned before, steel wool and a 9 volt battery can start a fire for you. Steel wool is also nice to have on hand to clean just about anything from your emergency cookware to battery terminals to cleaning up rusty cast iron pans. Just be sure not to buy the steel wool with soap already added to them. They aren't nearly as effective in starting a fire as the plain steel wool pads.
10) and lastly, gloves. Our dollar store carries really nice jersey knit gloves that are super comfortable and warm. In addition to that, you can get a 2 pack of pairs of dishwashing gloves for just a dollar as well. If you need to be outside in an emergency situation and it is cold, wet or snowing, wearing a pair of jersey gloves followed by the dishwashing gloves will not only keep your hands warm, but also dry. This is perfect for situations like changing  flat tire, installing tire chains, digging out a stuck car and collecting firewood for a campfire. In addition to that, a pair of kitchen gloves would come in handy for the not-so-pleasant tasks of emergency living. Having a pair to wear to take out the "outhouse" trash bag might not be such a bad idea. (Follow up with some hand sanitizer and you'll be all set!)
I'm sure there are many many more items to be found in the dollar store that you can use to flesh out and improve your emergency supplies but these are the ones I think are pretty important to have. You can walk into the Dollar Tree tomorrow and walk out with all 10 of the things I've listed above. That's a pretty smart way to spend your preparedness budget!