Let The Hunting Begin

First Deer of The Season

One of the ways we save money in our house is through hunting. My husband is an excellent shot and has already started bow hunting this year. Now mind you I am not talking about mindless trophy hunting because that is not what it is about. We use the meat that my husband and daughter catch, and it can add up to some really great savings. Living at the shore the deer are smaller so a small doe can give you forty to fifty pounds of good usable meat.

That is a decent number of meals from one deer, they also hunts duck, and other small game. What is good about this from my perspective is the wild game hasn't been shot full of antibiotics or hormones. That translates into being organic in my book which in the long run is better for my family. Venison is also a leaner meat. I will often make jerky out of some of it which is a good high protein snack and great for hiking or your grab and go bag. Just store it in a sealed mylar bag if you're going that route.

The scraps or parts we do not really eat I will make into treats and dehydrate for my dogs. They absolutely love these tasty treats.

The one thing I will say is if you're going to hunt be responsible, follow the rules and guidelines that are set by your state. It isn't hard and if you're into prepping this is a must needed skill to learn. If you figure it at the low end of cost per a pound that is around one hundred dollars in savings per a deer. Is it work yes! Does venison taste different from beef or pork? Of course it does, it has its own flavor not unlike many other meats. What is great though is that today there are so many wonderful recipes for venison out there that it isn't hard to find good ones that your family will love. One of our favorites is a crock-pot pot roast that simmers and cooks all day, which we have over egg noodles. Yum!

It is important to clean the deer meat and allow it a few days to bleed out in your fridge, I've found this helps with the gamey taste venison can sometimes have. The other thing to remember is the meat has a whitish film or membrane that you need to remove.  Is it work yes, but is it worth it absolutely.

I prefer when my husband uses his bow its much cleaner and you're not looking for pellets from the shotgun shells. If this is a new idea for you there are gun safety classes out there another way to learn is through a gun club, or a friend who already hunts. I know there are people out there who are anti-hunting, but there are several benefits to the sport.

First it is a responsible way to provide population control, there is nothing sadder than seeing an animal that has starved to death from lack of food. Deer are very prolific and can overpopulate there area’s very easily. Secondly if you're a responsible hunter it is less traumatic than the way beef or chicken are slaughtered. It is natural pursuit. Man has been hunting for food since the beginning of his time on earth.

Lastly the savings  you will find from catching your own verses buying meat makes this a great way to save money. Aside from the tips for the arrows that can sometimes break, or your shells if you prefer a gun to hunt this can be a lifesaver when cutting costs. This is just another way you can save money and do for yourself, its also a great activity that doesn't involve cell phones, ipods or video games that seem to consume our kids lives. So if you're a prepper looking to become more self sufficient, or an individual looking to save money this is a must needed skill to develop and use.

Facts About Venison Per the USDA

Venison

Venison is the meat of a game animal, especially a deer. Wikipedia

Nutrition Facts

Deer, ground, pan-broiledDeer, ground, rawDeer, rawDeer, roastedDeer, ground, pan-broiled

Amount Per 1 serving ( 3 oz ) (85 g)1 patty (93 g)100 grams1 serving ( 3 oz ) (85 g)

Calories 159

% Daily Value*

Total fat 7 g	10%
Saturated fat 3.4 g	17%
Polyunsaturated fat 0.4 g
Monounsaturated fat 1.6 g
Cholesterol 83 mg	27%
Sodium 66 mg	2%
Potassium 309 mg	8%
Total Carbohydrate 0 g	0%
Dietary fiber 0 g	0%
Sugar 0 g
Protein 22 g	44%

Vitamin A	0%	Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	1%	Iron	15%
Vitamin B-6	20%	Vitamin B-12	33%
Magnesium	5%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Sources include: USDA

Prepping Going From Surviving to Living Answers From the Past

One of the things I admire about some of the immigrant cultures that come to this country legally is that they understand that living as a whole they can have more then as individual with their own space. For one it creates a sense of community and provides a support system that we as Americans seem to have lost over the last century. That saying that it takes a village to raise a child is true in many ways.

Anyone who preps should focus on the pack or group mentality. Yes it can make you weaker with more people to think and worry about. Some may even fall short. What is important to remember here is that the more diverse the group the more you bring to the table to survive any type of catastrophic event. To be blunt you raise your odds. By pooling your resources you make your group as a whole stronger. Yes there will always be alpha males and that can be a hard thing to overcome. Lets face it many men want to be King. Getting past that though is what is important here. You can make decisions as a group or a whole that even though some may not completely agree with if you work at it can be extremely beneficial to all involved.

Think about it for a moment, one of the reasons the farming industry went through many of these upheavals was because the children grew up and left. Had they stayed and shared in the work and rewards of working together the outcome for many of the farms across this country could have been different.

In many cultures you will find 4 to 5 generations under one roof. Some of the members will go out to work providing a steady income while the other members take care of the elderly, children, and home. This dynamic has worked for thousands of years, making the burdens of work and downtime better for everyone. Now don’t get me wrong I am not talking cult here but a sense of family, helpfulness and over all security.

From the time we are young we are taught that we should want our own home, family and toys to amuse ourselves. Yet there are more Americans struggling today then ever before. Homelessness is still out there rising because it is harder and harder for people to make it on their own. So lets say A family with four siblings pulled their resources and cohabited under one roof. Yes you would need a bigger house with a decent sized yard, and you would have people around you  24/7 unless you were in your room. The plus to that would be you would always have extra hands to help keep and maintain your home. Someone to be there when your kids get sick, or your parents need care. As a group you are stronger. Your electric, gas, cable and phone would become singular instead of 4 separate. (Plus in my book) After working all day at your job you would come home to a meal and laundry done kids that were safe. You would have people who care about you to talk to about your concerns and thoughts. When it came time to take care of major things like the roof, putting in a fence or updating a bathroom the resources would be there to do so as would the man power. Here’s the scary part if you pulled your resources you might actually have money at the end of the day to do those things you want to do.  

Now every coin does have a flip side, so lets look at that also. You give up a lot of your privacy in many ways. People have ego’s and their will be times when tempers flare. You don’t get to be king of the castle, anymore that spot is shared by all. You're not always going to get your own way. (Wow hmm for some that could be hard) Anytime you have family living under one roof you have input on decisions you may feel are yours alone.

Here’s the thing, there are benefits and drawbacks to everything. Marriage is perhaps one of the biggest examples I can give. In many ways it is like a marriage of many. It does involve sacrifice and putting aside individual wants. So if you're a very selfish person who doesn't like to share with others sure this isn’t for you. If you focus on the singular point of view this isn't a good move for you. But isolation is hard because no one person is an expert in everything. Its about living not just surviving, gaining strength through knowledge and teamwork.

We are taught to be team players in the workplace so why wouldn't you want to be a team player in your prepping or your own life. There are ways to protect your self, your extended family and loved ones by pulling together. When other cultures can do it so effortlessly why wouldn't you? Why would you stubbornly refuse to learn from the harsher lessons life has shown us all.  Prepping is about preparing, so if you're serious change your thinking. Look outside of the box of what is considered normal. Perhaps its time we looked back into our own past and find that thread that made a family more than a single individual unit.  

So no matter what you're prepping for or what you believe, the message here is that there's safety in numbers. It is possible to work as a team but it does take work, sacrifice, and putting aside selfishness.

When Customer Service is Bad

Sometimes a Good Idea Can Be Bad..... Today when it seems like our dollars do not reach quite as far as we would like them to, it can be upsetting when we do manage to go out and receive really bad service. Now normally I won't criticise a waitress, counter clerk or even a cashier. There are times when the customer service is so bad you have to say something.

My husband and I do not get to go out to eat that often now. Between the kids, the store, his work and school we make it a point to go out for a “date nite” at least once a month. Tonight the opportunity did present itself so he and I slipped out to grab a bite at Red Lobster in Toms River. Every year my husband will wait for their annual shrimp festival. When you're married to a guy who is 6’4” you quickly learn that they do have an appetite and they can eat. “A Lot!”

One glass of water no refills. 

As a customer I  tend to be more sympathetic towards waitress, cashiers, and clerks in retail and eatery establishments. In part because I have been in their shoes, so I know what it’s like to deal with the drunks, the high maintenance customers, and still provide good customer service.

Tonight Red Lobster was slow, not a usual busy Friday night. There were several tables empty in our section and throughout the restaurant.

So I was rather surprised to have to look for their shrimp festival, which was located in the back of the menu on their dessert page in print. No highlighting of the promo, no additional advertisement anywhere. We asked our waitress Karen if it was still going on, and she did advise that yes it was. Now to try to be fair here neither Tom nor I ordered drinks tonight, he got a lemon water and I ordered an Iced Tea and a coffee. I say this with the thought in mind that perhaps our waitress felt she wouldn't get a good tip because we didn't order the extra’s.

 Not busy. 

What Tom and I were both put off by was was the attitude that started to emerge after she she had brought our initial meal out and  it was time for the shrimp. Having come for this event yearly, we are used to our waiter or waitress putting in an order for two of the shrimp varieties at a time when they drop off your order. The conversation usually goes, “ Would you like me to put in an order for another order of the shrimp for you?” which most will do. Here is where its starts getting freaky. When the first plate arrived she put in an order for shrimp for each of us.A server brought them out and after we had finished the shrimp she came over to clear the plates and quickly disappeared without comment.We waited and waited and she finally came back. 

As I advised her my husband would like another order of shrimp we got the look and the tsk noise like it was a problem. Now mind you there were only customers at two possibly three other tables at this point in her section.

She then brought out his shrimp, and a refill on my coffee that I had asked for. Then without asking if he or I would like anything else she brought over the check. At this point I have to admit I was at the end of my patience with our waitress and asked  if she could please send over  the manager a very nice young lady named, Melissa.

I explained the situation to the manager, who handled it like a pro. “She provided good customer service.” Apologizing, offering to bring out more shrimp for my husband. At this point I think he had lost his appetite which is big. She was gracious enough to offer to adjust our bill, at which point my husband did chirp in let her know that wasn't necessary. It wasn't about the bill but the really poor customer service from our waitress. We both just wanted to leave, and did after waiting while our waitress tried to hand off our check to someone else to give to us.

Im a  good tipper, our check was only $39.00 and had she paid attention, provided good courteous customer service she would have gotten at least a $10.00 tip.I'm that lady who will usually look at the check even if i’m not picking up the tab, and will slip extra money on the table because I know how hard it can be working as a waitress. 

 I may be an average person, not dressed to the nines, because lets face it we slipped out to get dinner this wasn't planned. We were clean but casual. We didn’t drink and we were nice too our waitress even when she started to aggravate us. I was still trying to make excuses for her bad behavior.

The average person works too hard to get treated badly when they go out. We all work to hard, and although I have the utmost respect for anyone who does this either as a job or a profession the name of the game is customer service. If  you are incapable of providing good customer service you shouldn't be in the field. When you're working in that establishment you're representing the company you're working for. I know despite the managers attempt to make it right we will seriously think twice before going back to this location in Toms River.

We  still like Red Lobster, but this experience has left a bad taste in our mouth and I will hold off on going back anytime soon.I have never not tipped on a meal no matter how good or bad the service, but I was so irked by her behavior I paid the check and walked away. For the first and hopefully only time.

Here is the Lesson from this tail.

1. Do not judge a book by its cover.

2. If you treat every customer with a smile and respect you may be surprised by the outcome.

3. Never assume the man is picking up the check. (Big Mistake)

4. Treat every customer like they are a critic for the New York Times. (Because maybe they are.)

Bake It Yourself and Save

Things Worth Doing

New discoveries always intrigue me, so when I find something that works well I do like to share it. One of the things I have always loved was sourdough bread. So when I came across a starter that was easy to prep and use I got really excited and of course had to experiment with it.

Starter Recipe for Sourdough

1 Cup of flour

1 Cup of water you have let sit out overnight. (You do this to allow the chlorine in the water to dissipate.)

Combine the two in either a tupperware container with several holes punched in the top or a crock with a lid. Stir flour and water together with a fork or whisk, cover and let stand overnight on your counter. The next day you can pour some of the water sitting on top off or mix it back in. Add

½ C of flour

½ Cup of water that has been left out overnight.

mix this in. The following day pour out some of the mix before repeating and adding another

½ cup of flour and water. Let this sit 3 days stirring each day.

Now you're ready to go. the night before you're going to use this add ½ Cup of flour and Water that has been left out.

Mix will be ready to go either later that day or the following morning depending on when you need it. What is nice is you can use this starter in place of the starter for the Amish Cinnamon bread the only thing you will do is add ¼ C of sugar to the cup of starter after you remove it from the container. You can either store the remainder in the fridge or on the counter. Yes it will smell and bubble, your growing your own yeast here so you have to feed it at least once to twice a week.

I also have used this for sourdough flat bread, biscuits and bread. It comes out soft and delicious so don't be intimidated by it.

There is are many great sourdough recipes you can use this starter with. When I make my Amish Cinnamon bread you use 1 Cup of the starter instead in the recipe.

Give it a try. You can also keep this in the fridge after the first week, you just need to remember to feed it once a week.