Preparing for Hurricane Sandy on a Budget

If you live on the east coast and must deal with Hurricane Sandy, I am sorry.  If you live on the east coast and must prepare for the hurricane on a budget, then you are in luck!  Many of the food products you will need are rather low-budget!

I live in Maryland and I am getting prepared for Hurricane Sandy or Frankenstorm, if you prefer.  I am not terribly excited about the prospect of this annoying hurricane coming my way.  I don't want to deal with my windows rattling and leaking like they did with Hurricane Irene.  I also don't want to deal with potentially losing my electric for days.  However, she is coming whether I like it or not, so trying to stay on a budget is my goal. 

Some important items to buy in preparation for Hurricane Sandy are flashlights, batteries, and food that does not need to be refrigerated.  Luckily, many dollar stores sell flashlights, batteries, and food for a very low cost.  Unfortunately, you might have a hard time finding flashlights and D batteries at this point.  If you have flashlights that take AAA batteries or AA batteries, you are in luck.  There are still some available as of Sunday morning. 

As far as shopping for food, usually the cheapest food is the type that does not need to be refrigerated.  It is a good idea to stock up on items such as:

• Pop Tarts
• Cereal Bars
• Granola Bars
• Applesauce, pudding, and fruit cups
• Cans of tuna or chicken
• Peanut Butter
• Nutella
• Bread
• Banana
• Carrots
• Radishes

I've also been freezing water is plastic cups and making a lot of ice in my freezer.  I am hoping if I do lose power, I won't lose all of my food.  I am hoping with enough ice, everything will be OK for days.  Since I am hoping for this, I also bought food that tends to last a while in the fridge and freezer like hot dogs, cheese, jelly, etc.

Since I am hoping you still have power if you are reading this, make sure to start getting prepared with water at this time.  Start filling buckets and jugs so you can flush your toilets in case you are not able to do so when you lose power.  Also, make sure to start filling water bottles and pitchers with fresh water to drink.  Make sure to have about a gallon of water per person per day.  Plan for at least 3 days of water.   

To anyone reading this on the east coast, best of luck to you!  Don't let Hurricane Sandy ruin your week or your Halloween.  We can get through this together!

It's Halloween Time!

Although you will find the biggest Halloween sales the day after Halloween, where is the fun in getting stuff for Halloween after the holiday?  The next big sale opportunity for Halloween is right now.  Many stores like Walmart and Target are fully stocked right now for Halloween.  This means if you are in the market for a great new costume or cool decorations, the time to buy is now.

I recommend trying to buy as much as possible at stores like Walmart, Kmart, and Target.  You will find the lowest prices there.  If you want something really special, you can try Spirit or Halloween Adventure, but beware of the prices.  You can sign up for email coupons for Spirit, which is what I would suggest if you insist on shopping there.  After all, they do have the best ghoulish Halloween supplies. 

This is also a good time to use your imagination to create your own costume and save money.  Don't forget, it is not very expensive to be a zombie since zombies are not known for their awesome sense of style.  You can also go with an outfit from a certain era, like 50s girl, 80s mallrat, 90s grunge, or something along those lines.  You can often find those outfits in your own closet without any work at all.  Don't forget to exchange Halloween costumes with friends or visit a thrift store.  You might find a dirt cheap used wedding dress so you can be an ex-wife or the Bride of Frankenstein.

I suggest checking out sales papers and doing your Halloween shopping within the next week or two.  If you wait the last minute, you might get some great bargains, but you also might be dressed in an ill-fitting or lame Halloween costume.  Obviously, you would not want to do that!  The time is now for shopping!

For more Halloween advice, check out:

Scariest Masks for Halloween

Completely Ridiculous Halloween Costumes

Completely Ridiculous Halloween Decorations

Picking the Perfect Pumpkin