“As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time in case of need. But let us not panic nor go to extremes. Let us be prudent in every respect.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2001)
http://www.simplyprepared.com/the_book_of_gomer.htm I think this, though cute, reminds that we cannot wait till the emergency.
• “The day will come when, as we have been told, we shall all see the necessity of making our own shoes and clothing and raising our own food. …” (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p. 166)
• “There are many very good people who keep most of the Lord’s commandments with respect to the virtuous side of life, but who overlook His commandments in temporal things. They do not heed His warning to prepare for a possible future emergency, apparently feeling that in the midst of all this trouble ‘it won’t happen to us.’ It is not always the other fellow’s problem. It is our problem also whenever there is economic trouble afloat.
“To prepare for the future is part of God’s eternal plan, both spiritually and temporally. To protect ourselves against reversals and hardships is only good sense.
“…[God] teaches us to be self-reliant and industrious, to plan ahead, to provide for possible hard times, to avoid obligations unless we are sure we can handle them, and then to serve him with such devotion that He will be pleased to augment all of our own earnest efforts.
“…the most important storehouses in the entire welfare plan are those that are within the walls of our own homes. We must provide our own storehouses for our own families in our own homes as far as possible to meet any rainy days that may come our way.” (Mark E. Peterson, “Blessings in Self-Reliance,” Ensign, May 1981)
“…Just as it is important to prepare ourselves spiritually, we must also prepare ourselves for our temporal needs. Each of us needs to take the time to ask ourselves, What preparation should I make to care for my needs and the needs of my family?
“We have been instructed for years to follow at least four requirements in preparing for that which is to come.
“First, gain an adequate education….
“Second, live strictly within your income and save something for a rainy day…
“Third, avoid excessive debt…
“Fourth, acquire and store a reserve of food and supplies that will sustain life. Obtain clothing and build a savings account on a sensible, well-planned basis that can serve well in times of emergency. As long as I can remember, we have been taught to prepare for the future and to obtain a year’s supply of necessities. I would guess that the years of plenty have almost universally caused us to set aside this counsel. I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over. With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness….
“…Start now to create a plan if you don’t already have one, or update your present plan. Watch for best buys that will fit into your year’s supply. We are not in a situation that requires panic buying, but we do need to be careful in purchasing and rotating the storage that we’re putting away. The instability in the world today makes it imperative that we take heed of the counsel and prepare for the future.” (L. Tom Perry, “If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear” Ensign, November 1995)
We need to learn ways to be frugal, my favorite books on this:
Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn, she has three you can check out from your library.
Make-A-Mix by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward, & Madeline Westover, there are three but I am most fond of the first two.
Living on One Income in a Two Income Economy by Jonni McCoy, she has fantastic info and recipes - best granola recipe, we have this a lot, turn that page and she tells you how to make granola bars - terrific :)
Baker’s Flower by Kaye Manning, this is a book based on a quick baking mix you make. I love using this. I see on amazon it is a penny but you can try to get it through your library.
If you have some favorite book that helps us be frugal write it in the comments section
http://www.simplyprepared.com/sweet_yeast_biscuits.htm
http://www.simplyprepared.com/quick%20cinnamon%20rolls.htm these two links go together, could be something for the kids to make during family night.
http://www.livingonadime.com/very-best-homemade-pie-crust-recipe/ try your hand and learn new things plus frugal!
http://www.livingonadime.com/homemade-baking-powder-biscuits-recipe/ - tastes better than canned, another thing to think about is how long can you store refrigerator biscuits???
So think more on what you can do for yourself, for example - do you buy jello in cups? Do you do it for convenience? Think if you made that little box of jello, it takes three minutes to make jello.
I saw rice krispie treats for $9.99, you are paying for wrapping and preservatives. Convenience it certainly not frugal ….
Are we doing for this to save time so we can be busier? I think it makes me feel like I am on a hamster wheel!!!
So if you are feeling the pinch of everything going higher in price and your budget is not happy...stop and think, where am I falling into the trap? Look at your grocery list. You are in control, you know what your busy days are, plan for those don’t let it drag you out of control!!!
This is why having skills is important, planning your menus, planning your grocery list, planning your days…
Even if you have been blessed to do all the conveniences in life teach yourself, make do or do without. In one of these articles below the woman talks about going into the grocery store and sees tomatoes and would dearly love a tomato but she is there for just two things and can’t spend more, has this ever happened to you?
http://www.livingonadime.com/debt-free-living/
www.livingonadime.com/debt-free-living-god-provides
http://www.livingonadime.com/debt-free-living-dealing-tight-budget/
http://www.livingonadime.com/how-to-deal-with-layoffs/
When our daughter got divorced and child support started coming in I suggested she live her life like he wasn’t paying and if she got it that was great but if not she would still be able to manage. She did the best she could and then he up and quit his very good paying job thinking he could get one easy. Now years later he is still looking so this advice has helped her plus living frugally has helped her too as she hasn’t gotten child support for a very long time.
So if you have a wonderful income prepare like somewhere down the road you won’t have it and if you prepare and build your skills now you will be able to manage on less.
Life is really like a roller coaster sometimes we are up and sometimes we are down but it is up to us to have the skills to stretch what we do have and being able to do so helps our whole family.
Remember, life isn’t meant to be fair. If you are cranky because of what you are dealt it only makes it harder on yourself. So roll up your sleeves and make it the best you can!
We may not have everything but we have fun and make do with what we have…keep learning skills, keep looking for frugal ways to make your life better.
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