Monday, July 5, 2021

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.

11 comments:

  1. I have bookmarked the Zenni Optical because our bifocals are running us $300 a pair now. Thanks. I am being very mindful of staying stocked up and putting away every bit that we grow. I have enough for one jar of green beans today so I am going to go in the kitchen and get those in the jar and into the smart canner. Every little bit counts!

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    1. yes it all adds up it really does. you will be surprised how easy it is to order online they walk you thru it you have to have a prescription and have your eye dr give you the pupil distance twenty eight included frames bifocal shipping everything it use to cost four hundred and that was awful.

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    2. My husband and I have used Zenni for several years now, for multiple pairs of glasses (many bifocals) and have been very pleased with the results.

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  2. HOLA BECKY: PARECE QUE ESTAS TENIENDO PROBLEMAS CON EL CALOR, ESCUCHE QUE HACE MUCHO CALOR EN TU PAIS Y QUE HAY ESTADOS QUE TIENEN UNA GRAN SEQUIA, ES TERRIBLE COMO ESTA CAMBIANDO EL CLIMA, ¿VISTE LO QUE PASA EN CANADA CON EL CALOR?? POBRE GENTE, DIOS, ESTO SE ESTA PONIENDO FEO. TRATO DE COCINAR DESDE CERO, NOS ARREGLAMOS CON POCO, COMPRO VARIOS KILOS DE POLLO TROZADO Y LOS SEPARO EN BOLSAS DISTINTAS, LAS GUARDO EN EL FREEZER, ASI QUE CUANDO VOY A PREPARAR ALGUNA COMIDA, SOLO SACO LO QUE NECESITO, ASI NO DESPERDICIO. ESTOY TEJIENDO MEDIAS CON 2 AHUJAS Y MITONES PARA LOS NIETOS AL CROCHET, ME ENTRETENGO BASTANTE CON ESTO Y TAMBIEN AHORRO, HOY ME COMPRE 2 FALDAS USADAS, NO PUDE CONSEGUIR MAS, LA ROPA ESTA MUY CARA, MAÑANA IRE A LA TIENDA PARA COMPRAR TELAS PARA HACERME OTRAS FALDAS, AQUI TODO ESTA MUY CARO, DESDE COMER, CALZADO, ROPA, LOS IMPUESTOS ECT. TODOS LE HECHAN LA CULPA A LA PANDEMIA, PERO SE QUE LA GENTE SE APROVECHA BASTANTE, SON UNOS SINVERGUENZAS. ESPERO QUE SIGAS CUIDANDOTE, AQUI EL VIRUS SIGUE SU PASO, HAY UN PROMEDIO DE 500 MUERTES POR DIA Y MAS DE 20.000 INFESTADOS, A VECES HASTA 30.000, QUE DIOS NOS AYUDE, SE APROXIMA LA 3 OLA CON LA VARIANTE DELTA, LAMENTABLEMENTE, ESTAN FALLECIENDO MUCHOS HERMANOS DE LAS DISTINTAS IGLESIAS, ALGUNOS SON MUY JOVENES Y OTROS DE NUESTRA EDAD, ES TERRIBLE TODO ESTO. BENDICIONES DULCE HERMANA Y QUE DIOS LOS PROTEJA.

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    1. yes hot and the grass crunches I am sure food will be effected by the drought yes prices are higher by a lot. we keep trying to be safe you all stay safe too.

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  3. I almost never comment, but I must tell you how much I enjoy your blog. You're both encouraging and educational and I am finding there's always, ALWAYS more to learn. Thank you Becky

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  4. Hi Becky, I also almost never comment but look forward every week to your blog! You write very well and the links are helpful. This weeks blog was especially interesting! Thank you for the time and effort you spend, it is appreciated greatly.

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    1. thank you so much as well for the comment..hope you are getting more rain there than we are here. The grass crunches and so hot

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  5. Debby in Kansas USAJuly 9, 2021 at 6:23 AM

    Hi Becky! The knitted lambs are just darling!! My mom crocheted me a Miss Piggy years ago that graced my bed for awhile. Clear thru my dorm in college! She had a tutu!

    I had never heard of the chili/cinnamon roll combo until we moved to Kansas. It's hugely popular here and I found out that it traces back to school lunches. Many people told me it was a caf favorite and they'd even use their allowance to buy lunch on those days. Our church chef does it once a year and people are thrilled. Admittedly, it is a great meal!! I went to school in Los Angeles and pizza day was the most popular in 1970ish. I never had it. I picked spaghetti day. We had neither pizza nor spaghetti in our home so it was a great. I had spaghetti at a friend's and loved it. I never had either pizza, lasagna, or Mac n cheese until college, which completely shocked my dorm mates!! We're Hispanic, we ate beans and red chili sauce with tortillas! Homemade so they were delicious! Still, it was fun to try new things. What I would give to get a plate of my Grandma's cooking now! Yum!

    Since hurting my knee, my garden is limited to tomatoes. Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes. We just started getting about 10 per day. I wish it was cool enough for romaine and it would make a tasty salad.

    Have a good week!

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    1. Yes it was the best school meal ever chili and cinnamon rolls still love it today I wonder who started it???? That last heat wave did in my lettuce I think but am watching the pot to see if it yet grows it is just outside the door. Rain finally all night and today so glad the grass is greening up and I don't have to water the garden win win

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