Monday Message

Even during the tough times you can make chocolate cake - check out the recipe HERE.

   “We all need to build a personal ark . . . And we shouldn’t wait until it starts raining, but prepare in advance. This has been the message of all the prophets in this dispensation . . . as well as the prophets of old.
    “Unfortunately we don’t always heed the clear warnings of our prophets. We coast complacently along until calamity strikes, and then we panic.
    “When it starts raining, it is too late to begin building the ark. However, we do need to listen to the Lord’s spokesmen. We need to calmly continue to move ahead and prepare for what will surely come. We need not panic or fear, for if we are prepared, spiritually and temporally, we and our families will survive any flood. Our arks will float on a sea of faith if our works have been steadily and surely preparing for the future.”
(W. Don Ladd, October 1994 General Conference)

I would say complacent is what you want to watch out for. When you have a job that pays all the bills you start to think that you will always have that job so you shop like it will never end, don’t you do it. 

Picture a roller coaster nununu going up on the letter n and down in the letter u. When you are on top is when it is most dangerous to be complacent. Sometimes you will be up and other times you will be down the key is to live on less than you make and preparing for those days when things take a turn because they always take a turn. If you decide to live high and mighty when you are up chances are it will be harder for you when you go down, where if you are living on less and building storage, saving money and living frugally, learning skills… I think you would find it not quite so painful when you go down.  

If you shop the latest of everything and get the best of everything when you go down the coaster you will hate your stuff, your life, your situation and then fight against it. When at that time you could have already prepared and learned a few skills. Yes, it is hard to be down on the coaster but you won’t have regrets. Your kids will not have such a hard time of things. 

So what should you do? When you are at the top…..
Stock your storage of every needful thing and build skills and live on less. Utilize thrift stores. This is the time to get things like dehydrator, vacuum sealer and canister, pressure canner and jars and lids, wheat grinder, bread mixers i.e. a Bosch was one I chose as aging for me with boo boos replace bad things like a freezer or failing frig - this is the time to load the freezers.

When you are at the bottom …
Don’t beat yourselves up, time to pull together not apart. Put the skills to work that you learned. When you have prepared it still is a worry or stress but not as bad as it could be. Try to hang on to the money you have as you will be needing the gas money and meds.
If you are just getting by what can be cut? Can you get rid of cable and do a Roku type thing and Netflix? Can you cut utilities? You can do more frugal meals.

Try to keep things going as normal as possible. Have your family prayers and scripture readings and family nights. You might throw in extra game nights and movie nights. Popcorn should have been on the storage list. Let the kids know things are tight but all will be well and make a chocolate cake.

Use clothing pantries if needed. Ours up here is more like a reuse it center. Take things when you can and utilize when you can.

Most of all remember you are not sub-human or less of a person. Satan would want you to believe that is the case, don’t play that game. Don’t be ashamed either. Life has ups and downs for everyone at all ages. Do remember to be obedient up or down to Heavenly Father. Do not say what have I not learned it is not about that at all just the opposite what can I learn to help others.

So as a wrap on this, when you are up plan for the time when you are not - this will help soften the lows.

What skills will help to know...

Sewing skills

Even if you cannot afford to purchase fabric you can refurbish or remake clothes. Jeans with broken zippers are tossed. Learn to replace zippers. Also, you could reuse to make little jeans for your little ones. I would pick up jeans at yard sales in free boxes with broken zippers, take them and i cut up the center seam up the one leg through the crotch and down the other leg. Then I laid them flat wrong sides together. Line up the outside seams and hand press to straighten fabric. Then I cut out the pattern pieces for toddler pants.

Put one piece of pattern a bit over the other at the outside edges. You are making one piece, the part overlapped is the seam allowances of out side leg, pin to make one pattern piece. This is always pinned and this is how I made little pants. Lay in the jeans side seam which is in the middle the pinned seam of the now one pattern piece, then pin and cut out. You will end up with two pieces. At this point you put the cut out denim face to face, sew both the sides but not the leg then turn so they look like pants. Then all you need to sew is the inside seam. If you did this slide down to the bottom of jeans you get a free hem and real outside jean leg seam and then just put in an elastic waist.

Okay, that is one way but could not have been done with out some sewing skills.

Breadmaking...

This is the easiest to build. Ask someone who has this mastered if you could watch them and learn. With this skill you get great bread and can stretch meals. Can you think of a meal more yummy than chili with homemade cinnamon rolls?

Knitting & crocheting...

With these skills you can make hats, mittens, socks, sweaters, blankets, etc.

There are many other skills. Anything you can do to better your family!

Changing a starter in a car... we did this using how-to on the internet. This was easier than before that and changing a whole engine with no internet, just wrote what came out first all the way to the end and reverse the order putting back. I prefer the internet way and it can help with home repairs.

You think outside the box. Don't panic. First think how you can work the problem. What are your resources? Do you have a friend who knows how to help that maybe you could barter babysitting for?…this kind of thing

http://www.livingonadime.com/learn-homemaking-skills/

http://teachbesideme.com/homemakers-mentor-learn-homemaking-skills/ - this has some info.

Keep working at the storage, do the best you can!

Monday Message

Making rugs is just one use for old bed sheets!

1 Nephi 3:7
“…I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.”

http://acultivatednest.com/2014/12/managing-your-budget/ some ideas here to help

http://cheftessbakeresse.blogspot.com/2011/04/emergency-preparedness-and-everyday.html this is a good idea if this is the route you go

http://acultivatednest.com/2014/12/managing-your-budget/ good ideas, see if any work for you

http://thehumbledhomemaker.com/2015/01/grocery-budget-challenge.html we get ideas and learn from others

http://104homestead.com/unpaper-towels/ good idea

http://104homestead.com/new-uses-old-greeting-cards/ good uses

http://104homestead.com/16-uses-old-bed-sheets/ and of course making rugs - my mother in law crocheted an edging and made beautiful curtains, so let your juices flow!

http://frugalitygal.com/2014/10/7-old-fashioned-frugal-skills.html I would have you make sure you know how to make bread by hand just as an arrow in your quiver, but using a bread machine can help you with the kneading and first rising then you can shape, rise and bake in your own pan. Of course, you can bake it in the machine too.

http://acultivatednest.com/2009/09/10-ways-to-save-money/  great ideas

http://moneysavingmom.com/2014/05/35-things-instead-spending-money.html first I would invite for hot cocoa, scratch the coffee. Some time we get it in our heads we need... no, deserve to go out and spend but really what did great grandma do when she felt that way?

http://thebudgetmama.com/2014/12/lifestyle-making-broke.html do you ever look at something you have and calculated how many hours your husband had to work for it?

http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/fabulessly-frugal-friday-a-stay-at-home-day/#_a5y_p=3119308 build a fort, have fun :)

There are quite a few ideas to help you be more frugal. Keep working at storage!

Monday Message

Are you taking advantage of sales inside the grocery store? My daughter and I ran across Swanson chicken broth for 25 cents a can and stocked up.

“We feel led to caution the Latter-day Saints against forming the bad habit of incurring debt and taking upon themselves obligations which frequently burden them heavier than they can bear, and lead to the loss of their homes and other possessions. ... Our business should be done, as much as possible, on the principal of paying for that which we purchase, and our needs should be brought within the limit of our resources." Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruf (2004) 232-33.

I thought since it is the new year we should go over the basics. I love this gals site - http://everydayfoodstorage.net/about-food-storage so look around after you read on food storage.

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/ ideas here as well

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/site-highlights/small-spaces-storage-solutions/ this will help if you think you don’t have space

make a wonder box http://ourldsfamily.com/wonderbox/

http://www.rootsimple.com/2012/03/a-rocket-stove-made-from-a-five-gallon-metal-bucket/ this too would be great to make

http://www.yourownhomestore.com/living-without-running-water/ a good bit of info

http://preparednotscared.blogspot.com/2010/01/preparedness-project-paint-can-heaters.html this is a great idea, maybe it is just that it is cold outside.

http://preparednotscared.blogspot.com/2010/01/ark-prep-101-food-storage-spaces-part-1.html more ideas on space

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2012/07/23/top-twelve-questions-about-making-bread/ good info here

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/tag/how-to-build-a-food-storage/ this has some helpful ideas, click on their hyperlinks in the articles for more info.

The best ways to stock food on a budget…

There are lots of ways I am sure but here is what I do if your budget allows.

When there is a good sale plan your menus differently with more frugal meals so you can stock up. Lets say your grocery budget is $100.00 a week a pipe dream for me but might be too low for you,  so look at your flyers. Always see what is on sale. If peanut butter is on sale and you do not have dollars you can pull on you can change your menu to more frugal one i.e. chicken soup, homemade costs less than tacos with the works you get more meals. The difference you can use towards peanut butter. Make bread that week add the difference make pancakes and forgo the costly cereal. Put the difference towards the peanut butter. Now once you get said peanut butter when you use one put one on your next grocery list and put it behind the others for rotation. Do not say okay I have that in, no need to get it now on the grocery list or you may find out when you need it most you did not keep it up.

Every time you go into a store pick up one thing for storage. If you make this a habit you are well on your way, even if you can only get jello.

Also try no-name brands. I love Fastco brands better then their brand name counterparts and my friend gave me her recipe for her hot cocoa mix and she uses the cheap Walmart coffee creamer instead of the brand name and yep different as night and day so don't think name brands is the only way to go.

I have a friend who was working on her storage, she said she had enough flour stored. I said great how much do you have? She said two buckets she has a family of four. I said that is a two month supply. One time I saw someone's storage they had twelve of every thing well that works if you only have it once a month. In both cases it clearly would not be enough, both were shocked when I told them.

Yes, food storage is a lot. Write down what you use in a month take that by 12. 

Do you eat out a lot?  Yes it would be great to not have to cook but if you took that money as a goal and use it to purchase food storage you would have a great many meals plus the fun family time.

How much is one time eating out for the whole family?  Is it more than 13.48?  If the answer is yes for that price at Walmart you can get a 25lb of Montana Gold Whole Wheat how many loaves of bread is that?  I am sure you could get your Walmart to order it for you as well but I see it in Ames and Ankeny Walmart stores on the shelf. 

So if you have a budget for groceries try what I mentioned. It is a lot harder when you don’t have the funds to stock, not impossible just harder. My daughter and I ran across Swanson chicken broth for a quarter a can, at that price cases should have been flying off the shelf and one lady got ten cans and her husband got ugly at her… so husbands help get the storage.

Back to $100 week for grocery, cut that cost and use the difference on storage and that just isn't food it is all needs i.e. personal hygiene and first aid... you get the idea.

Keep pushing along, when you quit it is harder to catch up!

Monday Message

New year=new skills to learn! Weaving is one of the things I'm learning more about in 2015!

"In words of revelation the Lord has said, 'Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing' (D&C 109:8). Our people for three-quarters of a century have been counseled and encouraged to make such preparations as will assure survival should a calamity come.  We can set aside some water, basic food, medicine, and clothing to keep us warm. We ought to have a little money laid aside in case of a rainy day." - Gordon B. Hinkley

Goal setting... I think setting goals is a good thing, it motivates us but it is easy to fall into stressful goal setting - not good. Remember what I said last week… "goals are stars to steer by not sticks to beat us” go ahead set goals but life happens so be flexible with deadlines or even put no deadline.

Begin the year with good things!

http://www.frugalfanatic.com/creating-a-budget/ make a better budget

https://chicenvelopements.wordpress.com/tutorials/ give our wardrobe a face lift

http://www.thebridgemaker.com/live-happy/ pick out what you want on this and change. Treat your wife or husband whatever fits, I think there are good ideas in here - pick what you want.

http://greatist.com/happiness/34-ways-bust-bad-mood-ten-minutes great ideas pick and choose

Learn new things!

http://doyoumindifiknit.typepad.com/do_you_mind_if_i_knit/2009/05/pattern-for-the-sisterhood-crochet-blanket-square.html  learn to crochet

http://www.wikihow.com/Reupholster-a-Chair learn to reupholster a chair

http://cookiescraftsandchaos.com/2014/02/21/the-little-rack-that-could/ find creative ways to organize

http://bemorewithless.com/10-ways-you-can-have-enough-money-and-stuff/  you can learn to live on less before you have to.

What you want to learn may or may not be the same as I want and that is so alright. Life is full of fun and good things to learn.

So what do I have on my "I want to learn goal list" this year?

-I want to learn more on weaving so I can make beautiful dish towels.
-I want to master the illusive toyota knitting machine I got at a yard sale
-I want to learn to spin with beads
-I want to learn better how to make do and love it
-I want to learn more on tatting
-I want to tinker with watercolor again
-I want to be brave and learn the weaving skills, someone said you should try one thing you are afraid of for me that is warping and dressing the loom to do dishtowels

I want to continue to perfect things I know like knitting, sewing, spinning, tatting, weaving and more.

I cannot do it in a day, just like you cannot spend one day at school and you are set…nope.

How will I work towards these things??????  I shall break them down. I will read all I can on the topic. I will scour the internet. I will locate others who can do it and ask questions. Then I will break it down further and do one thing at a time.

Your list will not be like mine, if it is that is so okay too :) If not it is wonderful too! We all want to learn and do, love and be loved, to serve and to be happy. We want to be ourselves and take joy in that. We do not need to bench mark against others, where would the fun in that be? No we just want to learn at our own rate. We have busy lives, too busy at times. Live your life with no regrets. If we don’t do it so good and others scoff so be it. We had fun in the journey and we can ignore being scoffed at. Remember just smile :)

Over many years I would be easily offended until I learned this secret all on my own...if someone says something and suddenly you feel hurt stop right there and say what did you say or what do you mean? 90% of the time we took it wrong and that is not at all what they were saying, so learn this tip from me and just enjoy everyone. Set those hurt feelings aside and ask, if you need to, otherwise the other person goes on their way never knowing you took it wrong and are in pain, and you go on grumpy bears :(

So decide what kind of year you want. Be happy. Learn to live on less than you make. Get out of debt as fast as possible. And please oh please don't keep up with others, just do your own thing. If people all are striving to be like someone else where is the fun? If you are plump be the best plump you can be! If you live in a rundown cardboard box make it the happiest place to be! We chose to come here knowing we would struggle, embrace it. So you are poor, do the best you can and if you are rich and life is hard do the best you can.…embrace our life. It is a great thing to have!

Keep working on storage.

If you have questions email me. I will be the first to tell you I don't know everything on anything and it is okay but I promise I will try to find the answers.

Be the best you that you can be, I like you :)