Author Archives: PrepWife

Gardening – A Change of Pace

Posted by on April 26, 2011 1 comment

It is already time to start the vegetable gardens.  It is hard to believe that it is here already.  Over the past couple of years we have tried growing vegetables in the traditional standard row type of garden.  Unfortunately, we were not very successful.  It wasn’t a total bust however we would inevitably end up with a garden infested with weeds and plants that were not growing well due to waterlogged soil.  Not that we over watered the plants, it’s just that we couldn’t control mother nature and our yard was always too wet.

This year I decided that something new was in order.  I wanted to try square foot gardening however Adam (my hubby) was a little reluctant.  After a little persuading, he agreed to hear me out.  I picked up this tiny informative book at the local grocery store, published by the seed company Ferry Morse, all about Square Foot gardening.  Adam read the book and agreed to give it a try.  After all, we were not successful in traditional gardening so why not try something new.

So after a trip to the local home improvement store to pick up some wood and weed control fabric, we are on our way to getting started.  Now we just need to build some boxes  (4′ by 4′) out of 2 x 6 x 8 lumber and line with weed control fabric .  Then we will have to get the soil ingredients and mix it up before we can plant our seeds.  According to the book, the soil has to be 5 different types of compost, vermiculite, and peat moss – all in equal portions.  Time to make a trip to the local garden store.

Stay tuned for more about our adventure in square foot gardening.

Thank you!

Posted by on January 10, 2011 No comments

The Survivalguy and I would like to say thank you to everyone who stopped by our tables at the Rochester NY gun show this past weekend.

Thank you for your support.

Using Coupons to stock up on food

Posted by on January 2, 2011 No comments

Let’s face it, we all know that we should prepare for an emergency but the budget is so tight it not only squeaks but squeals also.  So how do we come up with the extra money needed to stock up on supplies, especially with the rising cost of food?

The answer is simple and only requires one word:  coupons.

Coupons are the best way to save money on your groceries.  And the use of coupons will also help you stock up on extras to stash away for your emergency supply.

In addition to the coupons in the paper, you can also print coupons online.  There are hundreds of different sights that allow you to sign up for free.  Then you check off the coupons you want and print them out.

Also, you can go to various drug stores and sign up for their shoppers discount programs. For example, I go to our local CVS drug store.  When I check out, at the bottom of my receipt are coupons to take $2 or $4 off my next purchase.  So if I go in with a manufacturers coupon and buy say toilet paper and also use my CVS coupon, then I potentially could get my purchase for free.

As you can see, there are many advantages to using coupons.  However, there is also a disadvantage.  It is very time consuming.  It does take a considerable amount of time to do the research for the coupons and the various stores and figuring out what to buy where to get the best deal.

Check it out.  I think you will find it beneficial not only to save on your current grocery bill but the allow you to buy extras for your emergency food supply!

Happy New Year!

Posted by on January 1, 2011 No comments

As we say goodbye to 2010 and say hello to 2011, I can’t help but wonder what this year will bring.  Will this be the year that the economy will finally turn around?  Doubt it.  Will this be the year that China becomes the largest world economy?  Or will this be the year that food prices go through the roof and we learn to start growing our own food, making meals from scratch and prepackaged foods become extinct?  How many natural disasters will there be?  What will be the single most event that we will remember for years to come?

God is the only one that knows what this new year will bring, but I pray to God that he walks by our side and gives us the strength and guidance to get through it.

Upcoming Events: 1/8/11 & 1/9/11

Posted by on December 29, 2010 No comments

Heads up to all you prep and survival fans, Campfireshop will be at the Rochester Gun Show held at the Dome in Henrietta, NY on Saturday 1/8/11 and Sunday 1/9/11.  Drop by our table and grab some of things that you might be missing from your bug out bag or survival kit.

While you are there be sure to sign up for our raffle, in which we will be giving away an emergency kit.  Also, when you sign up for the raffle, you will also be signing up for our brand new weekly newsletter.  You will find it to be very informative including upcoming events, product reviews, articles on survival and preparedness and much much more.

New Year’s Resolution: Be Prepared!

Posted by on December 26, 2010 No comments

As the new year approaches rapidly, all of you (me included) are starting to ponder our new year’s resolutions.  The usually suspects come up such as dieting, exercising, starting a new budget, getting organized, and on and on.  However, this year, I have decided that my new year’s resolution is going to be one of much greater importance.  I am going to start my one year plan for prepping.

If you haven’t heard the news lately, then let me enlighten you.  Inflation is skyrocketing at the speed of light and by the end of 2011 we will be lucky if we can still put food on the table.  If you think I’m crazy, just google “2011 food prices” and look at what comes up.  It’s been all over the news.

So my plan is this:

  • clean out and organize my spare room (I know, don’t laugh, there’s the traditional “organize”)
  • build shelves for the whole room
  • build food rotation units for canned goods
  • start a preparedness binder to keep track of inventory
  • clip coupons and plan ahead for grocery trips
  • start storing

That is my family’s new year plan…what’s yours?

Coming Soon!

Posted by on December 11, 2010 No comments

Coming in January…Campfireshop.com’s first official Preparedness Group meeting.

We are located in Rochester, NY.  The meeting will be held at the end of January.   More details to follow….

If you are not located in our area, please feel free to contact us and we can help you start your own preparedness group.

How Prepared Are You?

Posted by on December 11, 2010 No comments

I think we can all agree that times are tough right now and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better.  We are all worried about what might happen next.  So I ask you… how prepared are you?

Imagine this for a second… it’s the middle of winter and you are upstairs in your bathroom and all of a sudden the lights go out.

  • Where is the flashlight?  Is there one in every room?  Do the batteries work?
  • How are you going to keep warm if the power never comes back on or doesn’t come back on for days?
  • How are you going to cook food if the power never comes back on  or doesn’t come back on for days?

So let’s assume you are like most people and you have no clue where the flashlight is… so you stumble out of the bathroom, down the hall, and down the stairs.  You feel around in the dark and finally find a candle but have no idea where the matches or a lighter is.

Panic starts to set in and you are wondering why the power still has not come back on.  You hear screams coming from upstairs and you remember that the kids were playing in their rooms.  Now the adrenaline is pumping as you search frantically for some way to get light.  You finally locate you cell phone which provides you with some light  You find the matches, more candles, and flashlights with batteries.  You call your neighbor and ask if they have prower.  You neighbor nervously tells you that the power is out in your whole state and they don’t know when it may come back on.  You swallow hard as you remember that you didn’t stop and get gas because it was cold out.  And your pantry is almost bare because you haven’t had time to get groceries.  Your neighbor tells you that stores are closing because they can’t keep the store warm or lite without power.

Now what?

This is just one possible scenario and it’s not that far fetched.

It’s time to pull yourself together and prepare you and your family for whatever may come.

I’m not referring to a doomsday scenario but simple preparedness for what ever may happen.  It could be the power going out for a few days or a devastating natural disaster, or something worse.  There are basic steps you can take to prepare your family for any emergency.

Stay tuned for more….