Monday Message

(LDS Church Handbook 2, Section 6.1.1)
“Church members are responsible for their own spiritual and temporal well-being.....To help care for themselves and their families, members should build a three-month supply of food that is part of their normal diet. Where local laws and circumstances permit, they should gradually build a longer-term supply of basic foods that will sustain life. They should also store drinking water in case the water supply becomes polluted or disrupted."


Winter is nipping at your toes are you ready?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrauctQSNBE - this is great if you want to learn to crochet or just brush up on it.

http://www.knitting-naturally.com/basic-knitting.html - can’t have crocheting with out knitting.

http://diyagain.com/10-amazingly-easy-sewing-tricks-for-beginners/ - sewing

http://theprudenthomemaker.com/make/a-gift-a-day sewing gifts here great things she has made.

Are you building your skills or sharpening them by working on gifts?

I tried this recipe this week it was great.

Gingersnaps

2 c. flour
1 Tbsp ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt

Sift these dry ingredients into a bowl, stir, then sift again into another bowl.

In a mixing bowl add:

3/4 c. shortening
1 c. sugar
1 egg
¼ c dark molasses

Cream sugar and shortening then add egg, mix well, then molasses, mix well. Add gently a third of the flour mixture, mix and then add rest of the mix.

Shape in balls, roll in a sugar and cinnamon mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for ten or eleven minutes.

It is always nice to find a recipe that takes everything I already have in the house, plus it's a keeper recipe at that.

How are you doing on your basic skills?

How are you coming on your storage? I know you are in Christmas mode but now is time to take advantage of sales, lots are good storage items…

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=making+and+canning+your+own+broth+big+family+homestead&view=detail&mid=F3BEE2B0EAA9ED991134F3BEE2B0EAA9ED991134&FORM=VIRE make your own broth, save those turkey and chicken carcasses.

http://www.bigfamilyhomestead.com/homestead/how-to-pressure-can-chicken-broth-stock/ - here is the same only canning the broth, our times and pressure will be different so call the home extension number 1-800-262-3804 to get the info from them but watch as he shows you how.

It is a good skill to have.

If you do not have the canning supplies just do it and freeze it.

Remember to stay within your means as you celebrate Christmas. Let this be the year you gain control.

You must set an example for your kids now! Your kids will not be traumatized by not getting the greatest new thing out. I guarantee you those items will be at a yard sale come summer. They might have a tantrum but what they learn is way better for them.

One thing we did is not ask the kids what they wanted for Christmas. I would yard sale and pick up things and fix them up like new. I would sew doll clothes and I would make sure there was a kit I would put together for them to have fun to make something. I also steered toward their interests and what they collected. I think kids having collections is a great thing. We also would have a puzzle under the tree to the whole family. We would work the puzzle over Christmas break.

Make happy memories, they don’t have to be grand and expensive. The favorite thing our grandkids remember every year is painting snow. To them this was their most favorite fun thing. I filled three empty dish soap bottles with water. I put a few drops of food coloring in each of them and do a different color in each one. You can use spray bottles but they tend to leak and make little hands too cold.  

We went out and wrote names and drew pictures and just attacked snow banks with color. We traded bottles for a different color, we had great fun. What was total cost? Three bottles I already had water in as they say fill your empty soap bottles with water, so you could wash dishes in an emergency. So all it took was a few drops of food coloring to make a memory of a lifetime. So think about living within your means.

When your kids grow up it won’t be what they got they remember but being with you.

http://momsoffaith.com/2013/11/101-frugal-christmas-tips/ - great things here that will make you think.

Another thing you can do is during Thanksgiving and Christmas if you can pick up extra turkeys and hams and make yourself keep one of each for the next year. Just in case you could not afford to purchase them, yes such times come to everyone.

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/07/powdered-milk-budgets-and-blessings?lang=eng - if you don’t read anything else this is the read. I think it is worthy to keep putting it  in for you to read.

Another note I want to mention, we are all children of our Father in Heaven and we all are important. The size of our wallet and house is unimportant. It is how we live our life when you struggle to put food on the table or not. We must live well, use what you have, make the best of what you have do the best that you can. Because a person has little does not mean we can judge they don’t handle money well.  

There is a reason we should not judge. We don’t know what things they have to deal with. I know many thought, well, we only had two children, we didn’t do our part or obey to have children. We were married seven years before adopting our oldest. What a blessing that was this beautiful girl then within two years we were blessed to have a baby, another beautiful girl. We have truly been blessed. 

No other children came to our home. We have never been wealthy, actually have always struggled making enough but while many probably criticized why hadn’t I gotten a job…you see, I did work before we adopted but in the terms of the adoption I was to stay home. Stay home I did and raised our beautiful daughters, I fulfilled what were the terms. Which caused me to not to have enough hours to get retirement and once the girls were raised I got fibromyalgia and was too sick to work.  

I tell you this so you might see a side you think is the story but not an accurate story. Therefore never judge, we don’t want to be judged by how we judge. Would I do it differently? A resounding no. I would do it all over again. We have the best two girls, they are wonderful and the sacrifice was worth it. The journey has taught me all that I share with you and will be the knowledge that helps us continue on.

So I guess I tell this story so that if you are tempted to judge, stop first and tell yourself you do not know the whole story. When you see someone who needs help, just help them.

Keep working on your storage keep building your skills as you never know what journey you will have and all of it will help you and your family.

Monday Message

“From President Thomas S. Monson, First Counselor, we hear: "Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year's supply of food . . . and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year's supply of debt and are food-free."
“We call upon priesthood bearers to store sufficient so that you and your family can weather the vicissitudes of life.”

Now he is the Prophet, are we listening??

This is a good thing to think about. This time of year think how you will feel when bills start coming in.

http://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/ways-save-money-christmas/

http://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/6-ways-to-have-an-old-fashioned-christmas/

As I write this I have been sick for almost two weeks, my immune system isn’t good with fibromyalgia so I must be careful. But this warrants asking, what is your sick plan? Because we are heading into that season as well.

-Stick a few casseroles in the freezer
-Get lotion loaded Kleenex (as my nose gets sore)
-Plan on easy fix meals
-Stock up on overcounter meds

Next time you make chicken soup freeze some just for sick days.
I like what I call my sick drink - orange juice mixed with diet squirt, in my case seven up can be used too.

Time to start a book you have set aside. Chocolate is always nice and a few magazines free from the library, there is also free books there too. I am a cozy mystery book person but there are others. If you have something you want to learn, put up YouTube videos and learn without really trying cause sometimes you are just too miserable. This would also work with of course movies and a sick blankie is good too. What would be bad is being sick and having to load up kids to go get food. And when you are sick making more expensive choices at stores will happen.

So give your sick plan some thought.

http://indietutes.blogspot.com/2007/07/peasant-blouse.html - put your skills to use, this is great. 

http://theprudenthomemaker.com/blog?view=entry&id=18544 - here you can see what you can do, plus she gives you info on how she made one for her older child measuring off her other shirt to get the size.

http://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/how-to-stretch-ground-beef-using-oats/ - great ideas to stretch your meat.

http://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/easy-slow-cooker-chili/ - tell me you're not wanting this now. I love the cheese and corn chips in the picture.

http://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/homemade-chili-seasoning/ - this is where her chili spice is.

http://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/recipes-grandma-knew/ - revisit cooking from scratch.

http://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/30-items-can-make-home-save-money/ - did you know you could make these?

http://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/15-homemade-christmas-treats-to-give/ - inexpensive.

http://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/25-christmas-activities-for-kids/  ideas with kids.

http://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/living-on-one-income/ wise thoughts. 

http://www.beingfrugal.net/50-frugal-christmas-ideas/ - you don’t have to spend money and you do not have to keep up with others.

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/giftstomake/tp/HomeMadeGiftIdeas.htm? - gift ideas

http://www.dummies.com/crafts/knitting/knitting-projects/how-to-knit-a-cowl/ knit a cowl

I want you to not go in debt for your gifts. Shop thrift stores and fix up and make things to go with. Like one person got a free dresser, it needed help and they turned it to a doll house. Think what you can do be creative. Find frugal ways.

I want you to think outside the box, change it up and have fun. Help kids start collections, help to learn their talents. I always think a kit of some kind is fun. Our granddaughters are getting French knitting kits, totally forget the hottest things and go for the funnest things.

Share your ideas on the blog.

Hunt for good things from sales to build storage.

Do the best you can, you will thank me later.

Monday Message

I redid my big binders into smaller easier to handle binders.

(Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2001)
“As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time in case of need. But let us not panic nor go to extremes. Let us be prudent in every respect.”

http://storethisnotthat.com/revolutionary-way-to-look-at-72-hour-kits/ if you don’t read anything else in the blog post, read this!! I really loved hearing this lady’s version of emergency kits. Makes tons of sense. She talks some in the first clip but scroll to the second, she is detailed. So this is your homework to watch.

Then this goes hand in hand…

http://www.foodstoragemoms.com/2016/11/need-keep-gas-tank-full/ - a good plan as especially for winter accidents which can block traffic for hours.

http://www.foodstoragemoms.com/2016/11/13-tips-need-get-family-ready-for-winter/ - it is coming closer ever closer, wish we could hang onto fall.

http://theprudenthomemaker.com/blog?view=entry&id=18549 - a good reminder, what has been good can always change. We should prepare in good times for the hard times. It is easy to fall into complacency and say another time, now I want the ease of things but watch out. Things could go bad in an instant. Would you be ready or caught off guard?

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=living+on+a+dime&qpvt=living+on+a+dime&view=detail&mid=CE7A7BFD94C1E9075C8DCE7A7BFD94C1E9075C8D&FORM=VRDGAR - stick with them they get off to a rough start but are very helpful.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=linda%27s+pantry&qpvt=linda%27s+pantry&view=detail&mid=EFE952D92FBAF16EAD8BEFE952D92FBAF16EAD8B&FORM=VRDGAR - talks about canning.

http://theprudenthomemaker.com/blog?view=entry&id=18542 this is a neat blog to follow as she does a gift a day, gives you incentive to get your skills sharpened.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aim3X7dTqUM - very useful when your candles get low.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKT1eHGNXAo&t=17s - great homemade caramel corn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dzBRaW4nZE - making your own baking mix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFyNSbFoc4I - here they talk about a blizzard. Learn from others I say. Also listen how they were brought bad food, the family was sick and needed cooked food and someone cleaned their old food. That wasn’t good, not a helpful thing.

http://www.livingonadime.com/pumpkin-cake-muffins/ - you could make these for easy making.

http://www.hgtv.com/design/make-and-celebrate/handmade/55-crafty-handmade-gift-ideas-pictures - get some cute ideas here.

It is not too early to get your gift making started. Please don’t go into debt. It will be better for your family and best for children to see another way because debt isn’t the answer.

If you have been following you saw kneady homesteader do her binder redo so I thought I would take her example and redo my big binders into smaller easier to handle binders that were given me for free. See heading picture as to what I did.

I hope that you are finding that being frugal is not an awful thing to be shamed by but that learning to be frugal is very freeing.

Keep working on your skills and your storage. Work on things mentioned in this blog post to help your family.

Monday Message

Easy machine bread recipe HERE that you can do so many things with!

“It is . . . necessary that each home and family do what they can to assume the responsibility for their own hour of need. If we do not have the resources to acquire a year’s supply then we can strive to begin with having one month’s supply.” (James E. Faust, April 1986 General Conference)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0XRSENsnYs - how to use a canister to vacuum seal your jars. I have showed this last year. You can use jars with lids from other things you use like spaghetti sauce - yes, you can reuse jars.

http://www.foodstoragemoms.com/2016/10/store-halloween-candy-emergencies/ - I have done this when I could day after a candy holiday, saves lots!

Vacuum sealing helps so much to keep your food longer like chocolate chips and nuts will keep years and years. So if you take advantage of sales this saves so much money. I have my dried foods i.e. celery flakes, sliced dried tomatoes, chocolate chips and nuts and craisins, chinese noodles, hot cereals. I have wheat gluton and specialty flours, though doing powders like flour you need to cut a coffee filter the size of your lid then set it on top of the flour, wipe the rim and affix the lid.  

I keep my sealer plugged in all the time as I do use it that much. This would be a great Christmas item. I even have a back-up for mine as I use it so much. I have a huge list so see how it might help you too.

Food storage is not just old people things, you need to think how you are doing on your storage. I cannot stress this enough that it is a great investment for your family.

Do you have a real cookbook or only internet?? Get your recipes in hard copy and put them in a binder or files, but have a hard copy. 

Something I have found helpful too is those old church cookbooks from many different churches that have everyone’s favorite recipes in there and they are basic and don’t take fifteen ingredients to make. So when you are at goodwill or other thrift stores or library sales, look for them. What's neat is that I find so many that just call for things I have in storage already.

Build your skills, push yourself to learn to make a loaf of bread. I know we have machines to do so but once you get it down you will never forget. Then use your machines happily knowing you could do it by hand if you had to.  

What if I said tomorrow everyone make bread by hand and bring it to show me on Sunday - could you do it? Would you have all the ingredients without going to the store, could you do it? Let's be honest here do you have yeast? Do you know you have to keep it in the freezer? Do you know how much flour it takes? I have kept flour in five gallon buckets with two bay leaves on the flour under the lid for four years and I rotate it every time I use a bucket. I replace a bucket, take it down, put it on the top shelf and to have the empty bucket I brought up the oldest and fetched out my bay leaves and dump in my five gallon using can.  

So it is more physical then financial to rotate but that is that. 

Roughly for the two of us now I go through twenty five lbs a month, give or take, but while that might sound like a lot I make us a loaf of bread every two days.

I make things from scratch. With our funds make cooking from scratch a necessity. Wouldn’t it be great if you did not have to cook from scratch but still did?

But I digress, what would your bread look like when you brought it to me? I think it would truly be wonderful to share a new bread and roll recipes with each other that way if one had problems they could ask each other questions on how to do it. Do it together, I guarantee you will learn while having fun doing it.

http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2013/11/monday-message-bread.html

http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2015/11/english-muffin-bread.html 

http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2015/10/breadmachine-french-bread.html

http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2015/02/lizas-machine-bread.html
  
http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2012/04/four-in-one-bread-dough.html

Once you master bread go on to cinnamon rolls.

You can make rolls and hamburger buns -http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2015/03/monday-message_16.html

http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2015/03/julekaga.html

 http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2014/08/delightful-french-bread.html

Do your best learn by hand first then play around as I have done here experimenting.
  
http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2015/07/monday-message.html - who you love should get good bread :)

Start gathering bread pans and tools, all my pans I got used. 

Stretch your skills, do the best you can. 

Someone once told me they had their year supply of flour in. She had only two buckets. For our family of two empty nesters we use one bucket a month, so for a year we need twelve. So now figure your family size from that. If you have four you would need twenty-four. So check and see, you might need more as you start cooking from scratch, which is another skill you should be looking at working on too.

Now while we have buckets of flour we also have buckets of wheat. Did you know if you do not want to mess with ordering and such, Walmart carries wheat montana gold?

We have been blessed with what ease we can get storage, so don’t waste it.