Monday Message

Learn to Use What You Store 

"Every father and mother are the family’s storekeepers. They should store whatever their own family would like to have in the case of an emergency. . . . Some have said, “We have followed this counsel in the past and have never had need to use our year’s supply, so we have difficulty keeping this in mind as a major priority.” Perhaps following this counsel could be the reason why they have not needed to use their reserve. By continued rotation of the supply it can be kept usable with no waste" (James E. Faust, in Conference Report, Apr. 1986, 26; or Ensign, May 1986, 22). 

"A year's supply of food storage is beneficial in several ways: 

1. It provides peace of mind as we obey the counsel to store. 

2. It helps ensure survival in case of personal or natural disaster. 

3. It strengthens skills in preparing and using basic foods" ("Home Storage: Build on the Basics," Ensign, June 1989, 40

As I look through the quotes the years and years this goes back in time to now. How wonderful we have a Father in Heaven who loves us enough to warn us and encourage us just like when we warn our children not to cross the street without looking both ways or warning our kids about driving the speed limit. We are trying to help them in the end. We have the choice, it is up to us.

I am still battling the meds killing my good bacteria when I was sick. I am taking probiotics and eating yogurt two times a day. I pretty much hate yogurt but I am adapting. I make yogurt usually to put in other things since I haven’t got any made at the moment. Was going by a store, ran in to get a few but they pulled a milk crate full of yogurt they marked down. Seeing I might have to keep doing this a few more weeks and they had them marked for .25 each, a real blessing, I bought $7.25 all yogurt. 

I hope I will be better by then. If not I will get mine going. This was a huge blessing to us in tight times for sure. Just letting you go with us on tight times journey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_3rdGeKXgw food storage yumminess for sure.

Did you see how she peeled the banana? Did you know that is the correct way? It makes it so those stringies don’t happen, just an eye spy thing :p

I know a wonderful family who needed a new car but before they made that purchase they made sure to have their food storage in then made the car purchase. They are amazing and what a great example.

Where is storage on your priority list? We have sooooo many things competing for our dollars. What speaks the loudest? 

Life is like a roller coaster, we go up and down. When you are up, your job is steady, bill paying is easy. When you are on the down part, times are tight. It is hard to come up with grocery money.

When you are up, you can get complacent about things, thinking you will always be on the upside or doing better. You say you finally deserve a costly vacation and you can now afford it, nicer clothes, better or multiple cars, maybe a better house. You can add anything you want to this list. 

But I stress - when you are up, please get storage in because we have all seen that a job can go away overnight. You may never ever see it coming. We once took a job with a big steady company. They moved us and such. We had checked around about them but really they hired my husband as a last ditch effort to stay afloat. We saw no signs of it at all. We saw everyone let go but the secretary, over time it was hard on everyone.  

I can tell you the one certain thing if you are up on the roller coaster, you will have down times no matter what. Nothing is stable forever, especially these days.

So what levels that out? Speaking with very much experience, it is when you have the work, be sure to get more storage in. When you don’t have much work, get what you can in. You can do it. Just ignore those voices that would suck you into the appearance and things will never go bad. You husbands out there, help with the storage. You know you like to eat. You wives help with this. 

Ask Venezuela what they would choose? People who were saving for a new tv or stereo spent it on getting barely any food and the trip to get it was scary and dangerous. Do some searching to learn their plight. We pray for all the people struggling there and around other places in the world being hit hard with tough times.

When things go unstable you will still have hard times but not as hard if you followed the advice and stored and prepared for it.

Again, I mention to work together thru hard times. Pull together and don’t hold grudges with each other or those who have dealt you the reversal. 

Over the many years we have been dealt with several in high places not paying their bills, workers who stole from us, employers who had money but kept us working with no pay just our insurance. That is hard, you do the same work, spend gas and everything, the same bills but your income stopped. You work only for insurance. Yes, we have seen many things and much dishonesty but if you dwell on these they will change who you are. Just pick yourself up and move forward or even crawl forward. 

Everything we experience builds our character and we need to keep our eyes on the Savior. So when you think I get too pushy on storage and skill building, it is only because we have been in hard times worse than we are now and it was storage and skills that helped us to not have it as bad as it could have been.  

Everything I urge you to do is from our experiences and because I have seen what can go bad and how fast it can happen. You all probably have had friends who lost jobs and took a long time to find another. Ask them to tell you what they went through. So if you ever thought I pushed too hard, now you know why. I want you prepared as best that you can be. It is not a hobby, it is a way of life that I have learned over many many years.

Just yesterday I was listening to a few people talking and I decided we all have a page in a huge book with many life journeys on every page. No one skates through problem free. I feel like using our experiences to help others is a huge thing. We should always be helping and serving others.

I was talking to our daughter about a picture of our family I pointed out my coat. I said I made it, she said it looked nice. I said I did not have a coat but found these pieces of fabric at a yard sale and I did not have a pattern but managed to make a coat. The picture is in our student housing which was basically chicken coops on graduation day. Teach your kids to sew, to cook from scratch, the basics of needful skills teach them not to be materialistic.

When you watched the Ten Commandments when they were filling their jars with water, I think it was Moses's sister that says fill all the jars as a warning and she said do it or go thirsty from one who knows, yep.

Those who have lived tough times know. Go talk to them. There is no lack of hard times.

Do the best you can. I have spent a lot of time learning how to cook from scratch, how to make bread and I did not quit learning till it was perfect. I study from other’s hard times for things that can help us. I am always looking how to stretch the food. I am always learning how to sew better, how to basically be frugal. Learn to mend.

Learn to sew.

Learn to knit.

Sacrifice is huge. We sacrifice for our families. For Mother’s Day I could have asked for many things but I looked at our storage and decided to ask for a case of mushrooms and tomato sauce, pictured below. The cost was $19.

This will be a gift that will help us for some time. So think about what you spend. Think what could I get with that money that would be the best purchase? Learn to garden even in containers if you have to...

Now I am not telling you what to do. I am telling you what we have and still go through, so you can think about things.

I just want you to see being prepared helps a lot. Keep learning, we never out-grow that.

If you think no money, no fun, you would be wrong. Fun doesn’t have to cost money.

Live within your means. Do what you can. Learn what you can. Share what you can and remember to serve others.