Monday Message

“The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.” (Ezra Taft Benson, October 1973)

I love this statement. I think how obedient Noah was and what an example he was for us all. What if he had put off getting enough food knowing what was coming? We all know something is coming in our lives, we may not know exactly what it will be... illness, old age, loss of our jobs? In every life some rain shall fall. We don’t get out of this life without trials… everyone has them. It is true we cannot prepare for everything but to not prepare for anything is unwise, it will compound what the hardship of the trial shall be.

One thing is for certain - everything changes.

When we moved (and take it from me it was a lot!), we always took what food storage we had with us as moving was always so costly. This would help smooth over the bumps of moving... when we had kids this was an even higher priority.

I really cannot put enough emphasis on rotating your storage. Sometimes things spoil, it happens to us all. So prepare to have enough extra that can cover for this and learn how to store wisely.

I store grains and flours in buckets - make sure they are food grade. I got my buckets from bakeries as we could get a lot for free. I put my elbow grease into the cleaning of them. Once filled up, I put two bay leaves in at the top then date and write what is in it on the outside.

I know my home canning lasts way longer than metal cans which can get dropped or dented or the seal fails. Metal cans need to be rotated more frequently so go through your cupboards as things like to hide. NEVER eat a bloated can’s contents!!

Knowing how to properly can is essential.

Now I know people who don’t can but dehydrate their food instead, which way you choose to store your food is totally up to you.

I find that vacuum sealing saves so much money. Partially used containers of food go stale whereas vacuum sealed containers last a long time. You can use jars from spaghetti sauce or jelly to vacuum seal other things so be sure to save them after you're done with them! If you have a canister for the vacuum sealer you can use those jars and if you do canning you can reuse the lids in vacuum sealing (not in the canning though) so this is frugal too.

I have always loved learning and find it so useful in living a frugal life…

I am not sure if people wake up and say I want to live frugally, they might, but in our case it was a necessity. So I have learned how to do things all our married life. They have gotten us through big trials. Knowing how to do it myself….or how to MAKE DO…is biggest know-how ever.

Everyone needs help from time to time. We need to push on making do, if you are unwilling to do so you will be unhappy. If you want the newest, the bestest things attaining can be a very hard thing, being happy after attaining can be a miserable thing if that is your only goal in life, and when you cannot attain it you will be very bitter or you will learn the mighty lesson… If you are working all the time for things you will feel trapped and very unhappy.  

Marriage is a partnership, each doing what they can. It is not up to one or the other to work so hard to support a lifestyle of things they cannot afford. It is stressful on everyone. And if we treat our family members badly it does have a way of coming back to you… so remember the golden rule, if you do not know what that is then google it.  

We went to a wedding last week and while this couple were so in love, I have thought it hasn’t been that way for everyone. We have known over these many years they fell out of love which is sad to me. I am in the camp to fall more in love as time goes on, that is how long happy marriages work. Stay in love, treat your spouse as the best friend that they are. Never keep a mental list of their faults and just have a fun life together. It does not have to cost money at all… this is what I wished for this young couple for that is how we live. It is a happy life together. Always work together, never apart and never tear the other down, not even in jest. Always make home the best place to be.

Living frugally isn’t always glamorous and is hard work but it is always worth it.

So perhaps you need to think about what you really want.

Frugally this week I was given more cucumbers and spinach. I am drying the spinach and it will be for soups and other foods. The cucumbers I made a gallon of refrigerator pickles and we have been having cucumber slices instead of chips as I don’t buy chips. I want to put some cucumber slices in a glass of water and then afterwards eat the slices, I love cucumbers.

I am taking a blouse that was given me apart to add a side panel in a different fabric to make it a bit more comfortable, plus I got 9 buttons out of the shirt I used as panels.

Tell us what frugal things you have done this week! Look for someone to help. Life challenges are hard and there is always need.

Work on your skills, we want to hear about them!

Put up food, as you can either freeze it, dry it, or can it as this is peak season. Let us know what you are doing to share.