"Our bishops storehouses are not intended to stock enough commodities to care for all the members of the Church. Storehouses are only established to care for the poor and the needy. For this reason, members of the Church have been instructed to personally store a year’s supply of food, clothing, and, where possible, fuel. By following this counsel, most members will be prepared and able to care for themselves and their family members, and be able to share with others as may be needed." (President Ezra Taft Benson)
I feel it is good to do the best we can at preparing for our family.
http://storethisnotthat.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/How-to-Build-a...-12-Week-Color-Chart-Copy.pdf - love these gals, I thought this would be a good thing to pass along.
I was thinking what is one of my favorite things in storage...I would have to say the chicken I have canned.
It is so fast to use to have a meal ready in no time and tastes soooooo good. Tastes better than those metal can kind you can purchase at the store. It is also my favorite item to can as well.
My husband's favorite way of having chicken is my chicken salad for sandwiches especially on homemade bread.
My Chicken Salad
I use one pint of chicken or you can use cooked chicken. If I am fixing chicken I will sometime fix extra just for this but if not, I just pull out a pint of chicken. I add mayonnaise as desired and a spoonful of relish and one tbsp of finely diced onion cover and refrigerate. Way better than eating out!
What is next is everything to make bread and stuff to go on it like jams and peanut butter.
This is my favorite jam followed by raspberry. This marmalade was made from oranges we had from the holidays needed to use to save them. We have raspberries so that is good since I love that jam too.
Following those would have to be the ingredients to make my favorite chocolate cake...
My Chocolate Cake
1 ½ c. boiling water
¾ c. butter
2 c. sugar
Stir together till butter is melted and sugar is dissolved
Add:
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
½ c. cocoa powder
Mix well and add…
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Blend well, batter will be thin.
Put in a sprayed 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees till done, check after twenty minutes.
What are your favorite things to store?
http://storethisnotthat.com/food-storage-for-beginners-how-to-start-your-food-storage-in-5-easy-steps/ - she really explains food storage well in the video.
Have you ever wondered how on Gilligan's Island they keep having those cream pies, where do they get that whip cream? Maybe they just have great skills.
https://sewguide.com/hand-hemming-stitches/ - great skill knowing how to hem.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+make+a+pattern+from+existing+clothing&docid=608046112337103556&mid=E6CDA5921F8424CEDFD1E6CDA5921F8424CEDFD1&view=detail&FORM=VIREHT - they show you how to make a pattern from your clothes but I would add here that instead of folding it back to draw, use a simple tracing wheel and just run it over the curves - works great.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=make+pattern+from+clothes&qs=AS&cvid=2aaaf4f4b32544659c4a088a9e3fd5bd&refig=8173f9099388469b96c5b7e24e877ba0&cc=US&setlang=en-US&PC=BSJO&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dmake%2bpattern%2bfrom%2bclothes%26form%3dEDGTCT%26qs%3dAS%26cvid%3d2aaaf4f4b32544659c4a088a9e3fd5bd%26refig%3d8173f9099388469b96c5b7e24e877ba0%26cc%3dUS%26setlang%3den-US%26PC%3dBSJO&view=detail&mmscn=vwrc&mid=D9B43CC3BEFEAC43C71DD9B43CC3BEFEAC43C71D&FORM=WRVORC - here is another version if you watch to the end there is a video that shows how to assemble the t shirt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOzKPDIp3TU - here is yet another version, she uses the tracing wheel I mentioned before.
Now why did I put in three different videos of how to do this? Because we all learn differently and we all teach differently.
Now with summer coming you may want to do a small child one to test the waters. If you are tight on funds for the fabric you could use one of yours to make the child version. Otherwise, look at yard sales for cheap or free shirts you can use. I know you are saying if I buy a used shirt to use why not just buy the kids used instead? Yes, you can do that but we are talking about learning a skill on the cheap.
If you find you can develop this skill and wish to purchase fabric, look for sales, look at the clearance fabric, use coupons. T-shirt fabric comes wider than regular cotton fabric so you get by with less. Knowing how to do this is quite rewarding. When my girls were little I would make them these shirts only I would applique their favorite character on the front. Enjoy!
"Today, I emphasize a most basic principle: home production and storage. Have you ever paused to realize what would happen to your community or nation if transportation were paralyzed or if we had a war or depression? How would you and your neighbors obtain food? How long would the corner grocery store—or supermarket—sustain the needs of the community?" (President Ezra Taft Benson)
I have been thinking this week about all this weather we have been having. What affect will it have on food prices? Will the farmers with flooded fields even be able to plant this year? We need to think more about these things and think about those people in Venezuela, we may never have it that extreme but what if something did happen? We shouldn't get complacent.
Also, we need to keep learning ever learning. Make a list of basic skills and honestly check off what you can do well. And on the skills you don't know all that well make a circle around that skill and start a plan on how to learn them. Attack the most helpful ones first. Some you can learn several at a time, some you will have to learn by itself.
SKILLS
- Budgeting
- Menu planning
- Frugal grocery shopping
- Cooking from scratch
- Making do
- Being content with what you have
- Buying used
- How to stretch what you have
- How to fix your furniture
- How to mend
- How to sew
- How to sew when fabric is so high priced
- Do you have a sewing machine? Do you know how to clean and oil it?
- Do you have thread, needles (hand and machine) and other sewing stuff?
- Do you know how to knit? If you don't, it will be hard to fix a sweater with a hole
- Do you know how to crochet?
- Do you have supplies for any of these things? I can tell you having stored used supplies I have found over the years has proved to be a real blessing.
- How to do car maintenance
- How to garden
- How to can how to dehydrate
I think you can extend this list for there is so much more we could add.
When things have been hard we have had to learn how to replace brakes, even an engine once. We had to do all this with no experience too. I look back and shudder but we did it. We can do more things than we think. When we are young we don't think about what it will be like when we get older. Things get harder, things get more costly, taxes keep going up, income gets less, bodies wear out...these are a certainty.
Learn to live on way less than you make. Is it hard? Yes. Do you NEED the next newest thing that comes out? Nope. Putting all these things together can help you to do what you can and get by when things go up and down and bumpy, because they will.
Keep learning and working on storage
"Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. We could refer to all the components of personal and family preparedness, not in relation to holocaust or disaster, but in cultivating a life-style that is on a day-to-day basis its own reward." (President Spencer W. Kimball)
I like this quote because if you get your storage up then it is just use, rotate, and replace. That way the hard part is tended. Yes, when life's emergencies happen you will need to use it for a while and not replace it till you can, just don't put it off. Remember to rotate it! Otherwise, when you need it most your supplies will have gone bad. I know it is work but make it a way of life.
https://everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/book-2.html - on that note I thought it would be good to revisit one of my favorite food storage sites. I really like her method on storing. Like if you have spaghetti, once a month you need to put in ingredients to make it twelve times. I also like her egg replacement with unflavored gelatin. Just scroll down till you see eggs. I do this a lot with oatmeal cookies so people can see how good it works. I will do one batch with egg and one with replacement. I label which is which as I can't tell them apart, hence the label.
I have been spring cleaning here big time. We have a wonderful family at church that does a humanitarian yard sale every year. The entire proceeds goes to aid all around the world when tragedy strikes. So I am making the most of my spring cleaning so that I can donate to this sale. Usually I do a fall cleaning but this year it will be spring I guess.
Lately I have been organizing in the kitchen to make things run smoother...
Here you see that I put my wheat grinder along with the mixer and I put the mixer tools in that green box.
I got a few dollar tree containers to organize and could not have done it without Gus as my helper.
https://www.thespruceeats.com/learn-how-to-cook-everything-from-scratch-1388352 - cooking from scratch is so much cheaper. I saw a package of three snicker doodles from a bakery at one of the grocery store chains where I live. On the label it said $7.95 a pound, good grief that is some mark up in price!
https://ivaluefood.com/resources/cooking-eating/creative-ways-to-use-leftovers/ - this is where meal planning helps. For example, ham leftovers could be ham and pancakes, ham salad sandwiches, or pasta salad with ham, or baked beans and ham, or scrambled eggs with ham in them, or a quiche, or ham and noodle casserole, bean soup with ham...you get the idea.
Here's a few pics from the corners of my home...
Share with us your ideas on how to be frugal. Remember do the best you can.
"Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program. We could refer to all the components of personal and family preparedness, not in relation to holocaust or disaster, but in cultivating a life-style that is on a day-to-day basis its own reward." (President Spencer W. Kimball)
Our ancestors knew the importance of preserving food. They did not have stores close by, they were lucky to go two times a year. They probably could not guess what life is like for us these days. As readily as things are available, we should not take this for granted.
Over these many years our lives have gotten busier and busier, the manufacturers saw this and created convenience foods, quick meals, quick clothing and there is nothing wrong with those things but we need to make sure we can do things for ourselves as well and teach our children too.
I know it is important to keep our skills up. Yes, it is true you can buy a loaf of bread fast but what if tomorrow you couldn't? What would you do? You would have to find recipes right? Then you would need ingredients. Okay, would you have those on hand? Then would you have the equipment? Pans, large bowl, measuring cups and spoons?
So you see being prepared means you would have all of that and the knowledge to do it. If your family isn't used to homemade bread they may think - "I am not going to try it." Especially if you don't know how to make it. The bread I first made was inedible and could have been a foundation block...yep.
I had a doctor once tell me when I mentioned I made our bread, that she wished more people would make their own bread there would be less mental illness. That is something to ponder, yikes.
So back to if you could not get bread. Yes, there are other things to eat, I was just using bread as an example. You would have a harder time if you had to gather ingredients and figure out how to make it and what to cook it in than you would if you were prepared for it.
I have a friend who would go into people's homes to help them budget better and was so surprised when they never had pots and pans. The ease of going out to eat had made them get rid of their cookware. I know this sounds extreme but we are not talking about one person, many did this so when working with them she had to teach them to cook and give them recipes. Can you imagine not being able to to do the most basic things? It is very important that we never let the ease and the fast pace of things prevent us from learning, knowing and doing.
So this is why when I give you the bread recipe for the bread machine which helps make it easy to make, I also keep saying to know how to make this bread by hand as well. - http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2014/12/lizas-wheat-bread.html a fantastic recipe.
http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2017/02/versatile-bread-mix.html....this is my favorite of all.
http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2014/08/delightful-french-bread.html - this is truly delightful.
This was a test to see if I could do by hand. The bread was good as machine bread and there was no difference.
How are you coming along on your skills?
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=starbella+yarn&view=detail&mid=D12E86B06C59B280BC66D12E86B06C59B280BC66&FORM=VIRE
I was recently reminded of these scarves. There are many brands that make this type of yarn. You do not even need to know how to knit to make this scarf but it could help you to learn the knit stitch.
http://www.sewnews.com/blogs/sewing/2013/04/02/quick-easy-infinity-scarf-sewing-tutorial/ - this is another easy beginner project for sewing.
For crocheting -https://www.mielkesfiberarts.com/Diagonal_Hotpad.pdf these are step by step by step directions.
https://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/30-items-can-make-home-save-money/ I love this gal's stuff. So look around on her site for great frugal ideas.
https://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/35-frugal-recipes-to-make-when-youre-broke/ sometimes you just feel like you need helpful info, she has that.
https://www.gracefullittlehoneybee.com/25-copycat-recipes-to-make-at-home/ yum!
So keep working at your storage and skill building and comment below. We all learn from each other!
