Monday Message

"Home storage should consist of a year’s supply of basic food, clothing, and, where possible, fuel. After this goal is reached, emergency and expanded storage is desirable.” (Barbara B. Smith)
 The counsel to have a year’s supply of basic food, clothing, and commodities was given fifty years ago and has been repeated many times since. 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 … [and] God will sustain us through our trials." (James E. Faust)

Fifty years is a long time and stresses to my mind how very important home storage is.  

http://allaboutfoodstorage.com/wp-content/uploads/EVERYTHING-UNDER-THE-SUN-2010-word.pdf - very helpful.

https://preparednessadvice.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/New-Ideas-for-Cooking-with-Basic-Food-Storage.pdf - recipes.

https://simplefamilypreparedness.com/lds-home-storage-centers-lds-canneries/ - here is home storage center info.

https://preparedness365.blogspot.com/2011/03/using-dried-apples.html - look at the apple and popcorn recipe, yum! Very good recipes.

https://backyardcityhomestead.com/2019/01/16/provident-living-and-self-reliance/ - good to read.

So I am covering a lot on food storage cause if you haven't started working on it I cannot think of one reason not to. I can think of a lot or reasons to do it.

https://theprudenthomemaker.com/cutting-expenses-when-you-think-you-have-nothing-left-to-cut/ - I love this gal.

https://theprudenthomemaker.com/strictly-pantry-menu/ - isn't her pantry wonderful? Search around on her site, she tells how she gets Christmas gifts. She gets used and makes them, a true inspiration.

Make a plan to set aside a little to get things like dehydrator, pressure canner, vacuum sealer, jars and canning equipment, sewing machine and equipment for that, even bread pans. What you need to do is haunt thrift stores but make a list of what you need and stick to the list, don't be tempted to get shiny things.

If you see sewing notions or crochet hooks, knitting needles, oil lamps, fabric, yarn, etc. allow to get these and other items that will help you in your goals.

Along this vein, I hope that your thrift stores are still thrifty. The one near me that I have gotten good deals from in the past is doing unfortunate things. They used to have all yarn be .99 but I noticed different prices lately. I picked one out that said 2.99, it was only a fifty gram ball. I asked the manager as she walked by if that was the correct price. She said yep. I explained they used to be all a flat price and that they were now all priced different prices. She took the yarn in my hand and then did something I was amazed to see. She scanned the QR code on the label handed it back to me and said it is correct. Well I tossed it back and said nope, I could go next door and buy new for that. She grabbed it out of the box and said she would check in the back. She came back with it .99 but it didn't help others who go and need to purchase used. 

Another day I asked the other manager about an item I didn't want if this was the right price because right next to it was the new price tag which was cheaper... I also noticed the workers were looking up the new price of brand names then marked them just a few dollars cheaper. I wrote to the up-the-chain people what I had recently seen before and mentioned that it seemed like a bad move if this was the new policy... We shall see... But I pointed out the yarn, stating that it took no time to toss it in a bin with a flat price but they were now paying people to look up prices new then individually pricing them. That did not seem like a good working formula. 

So things are changing...

Keep working on skill building. Knowing how to do things like knit and sew and crochet etc. stretches your funds.

Learn to mend and cook from scratch, these are huge dollar saving things you can easily do.

https://inhabitat.com/how-to-mend-and-repair-your-clothes/ 

https://www.thespruceeats.com/learn-how-to-cook-everything-from-scratch-1388352    

Have this year be the year that you learn how to do the skills on your list.

Gus says he is glad I can make baskets...