Monday Message

Build on your sewing skills, scroll down for a link on how to make potholders.

(James E. Faust, April 1986 General Conference)
“It is . . . necessary that each home and family do what they can to assume the responsibility for their own hour of need. If we do not have the resources to acquire a year’s supply then we can strive to begin with having one month’s supply.”

How are you doing on your storage and skills?

Think of how many times you went to the store this week…

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=food+storage+tour+you+tube&view=detail&mid=C94374DD24FF60F850BDC94374DD24FF60F850BD&FORM=VIRE

This is a great video, also a reminder to freeze your yeast, do not put it on your shelf. I keep a user jar in the refrigerator and all other yeast in the freezer.

Do not store your buckets of food directly on concrete, they will suck moisture from concrete into your food product and ruin your stored food.

Also, store flour in buckets by dumping flour in buckets, put two bay leaves on top of the flour and put lid on the bucket and write the date on it. I get my buckets at bakeries for free or for a small charge. I wash and make sure they are completely dry before loading.

If you keep the flour in bags and stored together, if one bag gets infested they all get infested. I have never had a bucket get infested.

But you need to rotate. Use your bucket, clean, fill, write the new date on it and put it back in storage. Use it in three years. I have found and used five years out but I like to be sure and rotate in three years.

I make our food from scratch - saves tons of money or, in our case, stretches our money. We average a bucket a month depending on how much wheat is used but I am saying we average, so knowing this helps me know what to store. There are two of us now so if you have four then double this if you mainly cook from scratch.

http://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/30-easy-ways-reduce-household-expenses/ I like her suggestions. Yes, the green onion works and meal planning does save money and puts your mind at ease. You are not thinking what's for supper, which just is hard to think when things are going nuts all around you. So I always thank my past self for doing this for my current self. It is like giving myself a gift but it helps with our budgets as well.

http://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/meal-plan-tight-budget-free-weekly-meal-plan-printable/ - scroll down and watch her video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSycd_lPvog - it is inspiring to see other food storage rooms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxXtKYBTbIk - ideas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X0El_PwU5Q - so I hope you are inspired buy these women, I know I am.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OboZwXcxKJw must do homework for you - watch her presentation.

https://www.allfreesewing.com/Dining-and-Kitchen/10-Kitchen-Projects-How-to-Make-Potholders someone asked me about making potholders, so this has many patterns and is great for those wanting to build sewing skills.

I hope you got inspired by this to get your storage in and build a skill.

And once you get it in, keep up with it as best you can. I haven’t been able money wise to fill my flour buckets so I had four empties. When we could, I got the four 25 lb bags from Sam’s and the next day filled the buckets. Oh how I ache from that but a good feeling to know they are not empty.

Sometimes if the money isn’t available, this happens. If you put it off just thinking that you have some and you'll get more later, then the putting it off gets away from you and it becomes hard to catch up. It's easier to keep up if you can. Did I have more than these buckets of flour? Yes, but I don’t like to get low. I know the bags were $5.98 each but living within your means sometimes means you wait.

These newly filled buckets are now re-dated and go into rotation so they don't get old.

Keep watching for sales, build as you go. 

Work on skill building. Sometimes that means adding to skills you have learned to help your family, like you know how to sew a potholder but do you know how to make your own bias tape??

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+make+bias+tape&&view=detail&mid=584CA0CB175803B9ADFE584CA0CB175803B9ADFE&FORM=VRDGAR - since we were talking potholders.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Making+Continuous+Bias+Tape&&view=detail&mid=05124E50CAD6604B03EB05124E50CAD6604B03EB&FORM=VRDGAR - helpful

So get busy, you can do it!