Monday Message

"I wish to urge again the importance of self-reliance on the part of every individual Church member and family. None of us knows when a catastrophe might strike. Sickness, injury, unemployment may affect any of us. We have a great welfare program with facilities for such things as grain storage in various areas. It is important that we do this. But the best place to have some food set aside is within our homes, together with a little money in savings. The best welfare program is our own welfare program. Five or six cans of wheat in the home are better than a bushel in the welfare granary." (President Gordon B. Hinckley)

I chose this quote again because things appear to be behind us we must never forget and be complacent ever. We must keep learning to be frugal and learn skills that can help our family and others.

I feel like a disaster movie everyday. I think if it were a movie we would say it is not believable and yet here we are. Pandemic, droughts, grasshoppers all at the same time...crazy it is.

I think all you have to do is see the drought to our west and think about crops, things we get at the grocery store, those things will not be there...plus, there’s weird weather everywhere else as well.  Makes stocking up seem like we should be doing it more and more.

I am seeing people stocking up that never had before...getting buckets and food for those buckets.

Again, hoarding is not what building your storage is. Storage is a way to actually save money.  Also, to have food on hand when needed but mostly, when done the right way, it is a way of life, buying and using, rotating and handy all at once.

Prices are higher, that is for sure. I read that someone said what you buy now will feel like you got them on sale in the future. I know I think back to setting up a household when we first got married, things were cheap compared to now and yet at the time it felt so expensive. So in a few years, we may wish we had today's prices though they seem so expensive to us now.

I know there are other things you would rather buy. Would you be glad with those purchases if you had no food? I know the pull is strong to just get said item, and telling yourself nothing will ever happen, but believe me when I tell you that is a lie. Take it from one who knows. You might think your job is secure but you might not see a job loss coming. Things are great one day, then the next, everyone is laid off. How will you meet credit card payments and get groceries?? I can tell you my first thought was how will we manage followed by how long can I stretch stuff?

https://www.everydaycheapskate.com/how-to-create-make-a-budget/ - great ideas here.

If you are able, living beneath your means is great. But if you cannot, then making things stretch is another option. This is where knowing skills can be very helpful.

I wear glasses and I have been in the position of not being able to afford them. I one time had an eye doctor say, well get less groceries but we weren't able to get those then either. I am sure he probably thought everyone got groceries like his family but I said hard to cut back on fourteen dollars a month. He said oh....

Putting off glasses is all I could do and that happens to many people. Since then someone mentioned Zenni Optical and my bifocals cost $28 frame and all and that is far better than hundreds of dollars. I don't mean to sound like a commercial but it was huge for me to find this online company. Children's glasses are cheaper yet so I am sharing this information to help others who find themselves needing glasses.

We all just need to share tips to help each other. I feel that hard times come to everyone.

Having a garden saves us money even though I utterly hate gardening. I do it anyway as a way to save money and stretch the budget. Did I mention I hate it with a passion??

I look at the zucchini pictured here and say let the battle begin. We do love zucchini but it hides and I have to search, hence the battle.

Knowing how to stretch your budget is a great skill. Trying to have zero waste, or close to it, is a very good skill as well. Don't throw out those leftovers, use them to make another meal or even a lunch or TV dinner for the freezer.

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+use+leftovers&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS945US945&sxsrf=ALeKk02YqG_Ac34GxdVHHjTqRdF2enLquA:1624644839487&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=tl1yLBSLPaXsXM%252CPmz-PxYDFa_C_M%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQii88wfr9YmtMM0LBPwN20JfZjAg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiDmqzUsbPxAhUBbs0KHaryAikQ9QF6BAgNEAE&biw=1368&bih=782#imgrc=tl1yLBSLPaXsXM - this has great ideas.

In the beginning of April our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) has a general conference and our family has a tradition of having chili and cinnamon rolls and watching every session. Well, I froze the leftover chili. I bring this up because last night I pulled it out for supper but after supper there was almost a cup leftover, not really enough to have, but I saved it and today we had it over chips with cheese and salsa, etc. on top. A filling meal and tasty too. So you just have to be creative and of the mind to do it.  

I personally think if you are tossing leftovers you are missing the best part...leftovers taste better the second time. You just need to be flexible so you can use or freeze the leftovers that would have been just as good on a baked potato. So just think what you can do or have planned-overs, fix more than you need so you can make other meals like making chicken and then planning chicken salad with the leftovers, etc. The cook once method - I cooked the chicken for one meal and chicken salad for another meal, this also saves you time fixing food and working in the kitchen. I know some people cook up stuff on the weekend just so they have leftovers all week.  Build this skill, even if you do this already there is always more we can learn.

The same goes for sewing: learn what you can do to remake your clothes to fit current styles.  Work on perfecting the sewing skill is the same... brush up on it and learn more.

This is a mask I am preparing to embroider on then sew up. Learning skills will help us in the long run with whatever comes our way.

Try to find things that will help you learn new skills. Believe it or not, I have learned a lot of knitting skills by doing these sheep. In the second picture I am mashing two patterns together to make a jumpsuit. The patterns were from https://littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/. By making clothes for them I will learn even more.

Sometimes we need practice at things...

This coming week (June 26) is the Tour de Fleece, it is when those who spin fiber do extra spinning or learn new techniques. It is a yearly event to be held at the same time as the Tour de France.

So I will use the time to practice and learn a new skill.

Gus says he participated this week in the event, he came over and stepped on the treadle and made the wheel go round. He says if he can do it anyone can.

Missy says she just likes to observe.