Monday Message

"More than ever before, we need to learn and apply the principles of economic self-reliance. We do not know when the crisis involving sickness or unemployment may affect our own circumstances. We do know that the Lord has decreed global calamities for the future and has warned and forewarned us to be prepared." (President Ezra Taft Benson)  

We never know what is around the corner. If you lost your income tomorrow what would you do? It might take years to get another job...what could you do? How would you manage? Have you stored enough to see you through?

Do you really want to wait till it happens to prepare??

It really comes down to choices.

I know people are stretched as far as they can with finances, houses cost more, cars cost more, filling both cost more. So how do you prepare for times of hardship when you are stretched so far?

Pay off debts as fast as you can. Live way beneath your income. I know you are cringing at both these things. Yes, it takes work but do this before you lose your job. It will be easier than trying to learn as you are stressing out.

What are you doing that eats money...?

Are you eating out because you are tired and it is easy?

Click HERE and scroll down for the recipe.

This is better than eating out and easier too. I mix this up, split it into four balls, freeze three of them in baggies and leave one in a covered bowl and set it aside for supper that night. We usually have pizza Friday nights, so Friday morning I pull out one of those bags and toss it on the counter to use that night. So for very little money and effort you now have a meal better than eating out. For larger families just make more. I make two about the size of a pie tin from one bag's worth.

Also, you can have a few casseroles in the freezer for those days you feel awful or are really too tired. Just make two on a regular day and freeze one.

The other tip is to put things in your crock pot.

Cook from scratch. Yes, it takes more time but it saves so much money.

Take a serious look at what you put in your grocery cart. Make your food stretch.

So find your most frugal recipes. If you spend fifty dollars normally then use those frugal recipes to get that down to twenty-five and use the other half to stock up. I suggest starting with staples like flour, yeast, sugar, salt, shortening, etc.

Buy used. It is not gross. I got a blender for very little at a thrift store as mine had died after many many years. I happened to stop in again at the thrift store the next week and in its box was an attachment that goes on that blender base that now made it a food processor. The attachment was new and the blender had been used only once but it would not have mattered I would wash them both.

This not only gave me useful tools but at a huge savings which you could use to pay down bills.

Buying used when we had a job helped us and even now when work is scarce.  

There is no rule that says you make ten dollars you have to spend that ten dollars (I just use this as an example). So look for ways to live beneath your means, that way when hard times come you already know what to do.

What else can we do? Wear your clothing longer. Learn how to make repairs and also how to reuse it. 

Of course you need to pick up needles sewing and machine thread. I have gotten all those items at thrift stores and yard sales. So while you have a job hunt for these as well.

When you are offered things, think to yourself will I need this item down the road? This machine was offered to me and I said yes. It needed a plug change which we did. It has the best tension of any machine I have ever seen. So if you are offered a sewing machine say yes, even if you do not yet know how to sew then learn to sew.

Really it is not as hard as you think.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrCmnTrXshdhSYAECAPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTByMjB0aG5zBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzYw--?p=free+sewing+lessons&fr=yhs-itm-001&hspart=itm&hsimp=yhs-001#id=3&vid=5fe013dd74bf1f9225050b758e733392&action=view - there are tons of videos on the internet to learn how.

If you don't know how to do something then learn, never stop learning.

https://www.heddels.com/2016/01/hand-repairs-hand-darn-patch-repair-hems/  till you get a machine you can repair by hand.

https://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/how-mend-your-own-clothes/  very useful

https://www.heatherhandmade.com/how-to-fix-a-hole-in-a-sweater/

And with that learn to crochet and knit, you can make warm things for your family and can make gifts which saves money.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-itm-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=itm&p=how+to+crochet+a+basic+scarf#id=1&vid=80409e4d69690ac02eede8cb29e50896&action=click - the internet is full of free patterns plus your library is a good source as well.

Now you can find these things from thrift stores. You can see what I paid for the knitting needles, .59 cents each. 

Getting them new cost way more. I did a search on prices and saw $10 to $17 so check out used before you purchase new.

Use cheap yarn to learn on first, you can also find yarn at thrift stores.

So this week work on living more frugally

https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-itm-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=itm&p=how+to+knit+a+scarf#id=1&vid=0aae2e56c0eafbebe05aa070becc7fb2&action=click - and learn a new skill!