I read this thread from start to finish today. I was all for making laundry detergent and other things, but my mom won't go for it.

I am trying to find ways to cut costs, but I really can't think of any ways to cut my costs since I am not the one paying the house bills...

One of my major expenses is bottled water. I know I could use the filters for tap water, but I am bedridden. I get a frozen water (3/4 frozen with 1/4 water or 1/2 and 1/2) each morning.. a new one at noon, one when my mom gets off work at 5 and one before bed. I can't easily get up to get my own.

I cannot tolerate warm water. I didn't even drink regular refrigerated water until recently.. I stopped drinking water years ago and didn't start until last August.

Now I would love to have another solution, but can't find one.

All the bottles that can be frozen are so expensive and I have absolutely zero money. So bottled water is all I can get because we have food stamps.. but a lot of money is wasted on stupid bottled water instead of the food we need more. But when I go through so many bottles a day and cannot get up to get them on my own, I don't have a better solution. I've reused the old water bottles but the way they make them these days (using less plastic) makes them too flimsy to reuse. So I go through 5 or more water bottles a day and that gets so expensive. Anyone have any ideas?

ADVICE FROM A COUPLE AT 90:

I had coffee this morning at my local gas station, wherein I met an older retired couple by chance. They were quite tech-savy, and were reading the NY Times and the Times of London on their respective laptops! (Needless to say, everyone was quietly impressed.)

One of them said "Johnny, I have seen this before", and Johnny looked at the headline, and said "the economy is in for a world of hurt,..., very soon."

I had to ask them what they were seeing to make them think that things could get any worse than they already are presently.

They said that we have not seen anything yet, economically.

They reminded me that although the market crashed in 1929, the real pain did not become obvious for several years afterward, when countries around the world began to manipulate currancies to make their exports cheaper.
The result was a currancy war, followed by deflation, and then a shooting war.

Just so you know, when these two retired from a Air Force, they both went to school and became Economic Professors at the University of California. They know alot about which they speak.

They agreed that now is this time to go to Costco and begin accumulating canned foods, flour, dried milk and canned meats.

They agreed that if people think times are tough now, just wait and see.

By the time this conversation was in full swing, about eight people had gathered around to listen.

One active duty Marine Corps First Seargant said that everyone he knows is already stocking up on supplies.

Tough times are ahead. Tougher than any of us have ever experienced.

To lighten the blow, be sure to start adding to your emergency food supplies.

Do this for the sake of your loved ones so that you don't get bushwacked by tide that is rising.

-Vic

Great advice, Vic. I keep telling myself I need to start an "emergency" stash of items but just can't seem to get it going. Maybe reading this will light a fire underneath me to get me started.

Have you considered getting a Brita water pitcher or a tap filter and once a day you or someone else could fill reusable bottles with the filtered water and then put them in the freezer as you need them? You could fill a bunch of bottles at once, maybe only needing to do that every other day even, have them filled and ready, and then put them in the freezer? I use a Brita pitcher and refill bottles I've saved and also the non-disposable bottles.