Monday Message

Even during the tough times you can make chocolate cake - check out the recipe HERE.

   “We all need to build a personal ark . . . And we shouldn’t wait until it starts raining, but prepare in advance. This has been the message of all the prophets in this dispensation . . . as well as the prophets of old.
    “Unfortunately we don’t always heed the clear warnings of our prophets. We coast complacently along until calamity strikes, and then we panic.
    “When it starts raining, it is too late to begin building the ark. However, we do need to listen to the Lord’s spokesmen. We need to calmly continue to move ahead and prepare for what will surely come. We need not panic or fear, for if we are prepared, spiritually and temporally, we and our families will survive any flood. Our arks will float on a sea of faith if our works have been steadily and surely preparing for the future.”
(W. Don Ladd, October 1994 General Conference)

I would say complacent is what you want to watch out for. When you have a job that pays all the bills you start to think that you will always have that job so you shop like it will never end, don’t you do it. 

Picture a roller coaster nununu going up on the letter n and down in the letter u. When you are on top is when it is most dangerous to be complacent. Sometimes you will be up and other times you will be down the key is to live on less than you make and preparing for those days when things take a turn because they always take a turn. If you decide to live high and mighty when you are up chances are it will be harder for you when you go down, where if you are living on less and building storage, saving money and living frugally, learning skills… I think you would find it not quite so painful when you go down.  

If you shop the latest of everything and get the best of everything when you go down the coaster you will hate your stuff, your life, your situation and then fight against it. When at that time you could have already prepared and learned a few skills. Yes, it is hard to be down on the coaster but you won’t have regrets. Your kids will not have such a hard time of things. 

So what should you do? When you are at the top…..
Stock your storage of every needful thing and build skills and live on less. Utilize thrift stores. This is the time to get things like dehydrator, vacuum sealer and canister, pressure canner and jars and lids, wheat grinder, bread mixers i.e. a Bosch was one I chose as aging for me with boo boos replace bad things like a freezer or failing frig - this is the time to load the freezers.

When you are at the bottom …
Don’t beat yourselves up, time to pull together not apart. Put the skills to work that you learned. When you have prepared it still is a worry or stress but not as bad as it could be. Try to hang on to the money you have as you will be needing the gas money and meds.
If you are just getting by what can be cut? Can you get rid of cable and do a Roku type thing and Netflix? Can you cut utilities? You can do more frugal meals.

Try to keep things going as normal as possible. Have your family prayers and scripture readings and family nights. You might throw in extra game nights and movie nights. Popcorn should have been on the storage list. Let the kids know things are tight but all will be well and make a chocolate cake.

Use clothing pantries if needed. Ours up here is more like a reuse it center. Take things when you can and utilize when you can.

Most of all remember you are not sub-human or less of a person. Satan would want you to believe that is the case, don’t play that game. Don’t be ashamed either. Life has ups and downs for everyone at all ages. Do remember to be obedient up or down to Heavenly Father. Do not say what have I not learned it is not about that at all just the opposite what can I learn to help others.

So as a wrap on this, when you are up plan for the time when you are not - this will help soften the lows.

What skills will help to know...

Sewing skills

Even if you cannot afford to purchase fabric you can refurbish or remake clothes. Jeans with broken zippers are tossed. Learn to replace zippers. Also, you could reuse to make little jeans for your little ones. I would pick up jeans at yard sales in free boxes with broken zippers, take them and i cut up the center seam up the one leg through the crotch and down the other leg. Then I laid them flat wrong sides together. Line up the outside seams and hand press to straighten fabric. Then I cut out the pattern pieces for toddler pants.

Put one piece of pattern a bit over the other at the outside edges. You are making one piece, the part overlapped is the seam allowances of out side leg, pin to make one pattern piece. This is always pinned and this is how I made little pants. Lay in the jeans side seam which is in the middle the pinned seam of the now one pattern piece, then pin and cut out. You will end up with two pieces. At this point you put the cut out denim face to face, sew both the sides but not the leg then turn so they look like pants. Then all you need to sew is the inside seam. If you did this slide down to the bottom of jeans you get a free hem and real outside jean leg seam and then just put in an elastic waist.

Okay, that is one way but could not have been done with out some sewing skills.

Breadmaking...

This is the easiest to build. Ask someone who has this mastered if you could watch them and learn. With this skill you get great bread and can stretch meals. Can you think of a meal more yummy than chili with homemade cinnamon rolls?

Knitting & crocheting...

With these skills you can make hats, mittens, socks, sweaters, blankets, etc.

There are many other skills. Anything you can do to better your family!

Changing a starter in a car... we did this using how-to on the internet. This was easier than before that and changing a whole engine with no internet, just wrote what came out first all the way to the end and reverse the order putting back. I prefer the internet way and it can help with home repairs.

You think outside the box. Don't panic. First think how you can work the problem. What are your resources? Do you have a friend who knows how to help that maybe you could barter babysitting for?…this kind of thing

http://www.livingonadime.com/learn-homemaking-skills/

http://teachbesideme.com/homemakers-mentor-learn-homemaking-skills/ - this has some info.

Keep working at the storage, do the best you can!