Bathroom Mirror Re-do

We stopped into the Salvation Army recently and my husband came across an ugly as sin mirror, that thing was right out of the 70's with big clunky octagon shaped spindles. I didn't have the vision for it that he did but I'm glad he picked it up because the end result is really pretty. 

The light fixture is from his studio. The light gave off the wrong light for working on paintings so he never used it. He moved it into the bathroom and integrated it into this project.

So I guess my overall advice is to go into the thrift stores and be open to the potential of ugly things! :p

End result is now a beautiful mirror! Well done, Dick!

Monday Message

"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)

A way of life… if you have always eaten what you stored and stored what you have always eaten, you would be able to handle life’s down-turns a little better.

As we look all around us, hard things are happening. We need to be prepared so we can help others. And there is no shortage of need.

How many weeks could you go without going to the store if you have not had to do this? You are blessed but you should take a little survey of what you have and how long can you go. I want you to do it this way rather than actually test it because I want you to keep building your storage.

Ask yourself what would you do after you used up your milk and could not get any, what would you do? Do you have cans of milk? Do you have shelf stable milk? Most of all, do you have powdered milk? What would you do?

I make my yogurt with powdered milk.

What about no eggs?? It happens. I had a friend who emailed me that she was sad she could not make her husband a cake for his birthday as she had no eggs. I wrote back and said that I could help even though we were states apart. I am sure she thought, how?? I told her how to make cake using an egg substitute. There are several out there. I gave her the info and she was able to make her cake. What would you do? Did you even know you could do that?

http://www.wikihow.com/Replace-Eggs-in-Your-Cooking - I encourage you to print this info and put it in your binder because you can’t always trust that you can get on your computer. And on that note, if you use all your recipes by getting on the computer you need to have hard copies. Always have a hard copy.





So take a measure of what you have and how long will it last your family.

The disasters that happen affects us all.

How are you doing on your storage building? 

The reason I press you into cooking from scratch isn’t only because it is healthy for you but that storing the ingredients is easier. Like I can store the ingredients to make hamburger helper type meals easily but once I stored the packages they were on sale but a year later they all tasted so salty we had to toss them. So it is not cheaper to go that route.



http://chickensintheroad.com/cooking/homemade-hamburger-helper/ - if I give you any helpful info, this is huge. I have this copied off and use it. So much easier, cheaper, and healthier… a side note, there is that powdered milk thing again, perhaps it is important after all.

http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1114&context=extension_curall - this is soooo helpful, I put this in several times. I have it printed and keep it with the hamburger helper site above. I keep this mix made up. Goodness me, again with the powdered milk! If you don’t have it in storage, work on getting it. If you have it but do not use it, get it out and start using it. How many times do you reach for milk for a recipe? What if you used powdered milk and saved your milk for drinking and the other for baking? I think that would save you money. If you say eeeeww, I am telling you that I can make homemade puddings, custards, tapioca, and more! Yes, we use our powdered milk. Your family will not notice a difference. You can try it the next time you make pancakes and I bet they will not notice the difference. If you say you are going to and make it sound awful then they won’t try. So see for yourself.

http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2015/10/monday-message_12.html - making your own mixes is cheaper plus so handy to have on hand.

These are simply regular recipes that I put dry ingredients together in a jar for convenience if I am making the recipe anyway it is easy to do a few ahead like this.

I try to keep bread mixes ahead for easy fixes. 

Please heed the words of those who know and get your storage built up.

Do the best you can!

Monday Message

Be prepared and keep hard copies of food storage files and recipes on hand.

President Ezra Taft Benson - "Plan to build up your food supply just as you would a savings account... We urge you to do this prayerfully and do it now."

Let's start the new year off right. Let’s redo our budgets or learn to do one if we don’t already.

http://www.dummies.com/personal-finance/how-to-create-a-monthly-budget/

http://www.moneycrashers.com/how-to-make-a-budget/

That should get you going on that. Once you set it up, stick to it!

Also, be working on your storage. I know I keep saying this but believe me when I tell you that the only certain thing in life is that life is uncertain. Knowing this and having seen unexpected things happen and things we cannot imagine, we should be prepared. So make this a goal.

http://www.honeybeepantry.com/topics/view/51cbfc92f702fc2ba812dda6/ This lady has soooo much knowledge.

http://www.beckysbacktobasics.com/provident_living/ - this is her info. I encourage you to read and learn. Learning is all part of this as well. It does no good to have if you do not know how to use it.

This would be good info for your food storage binder. It is a lot of very useful info you need to know. It took almost a ream of paper, so you might want to put it on a thumb drive and go to your local cheapest printing place. It will be the best book of storage you can find. Note that I suggested to have you have it in hard copy. I know we have computers and devices but a hard copy is a great back up.

Same with your recipes. If you do not have hard copies you should get on that. What would you do if you could not access that info? This too is why I suggest you find from thrift stores some of those old time spiral church favorite type cookbooks.

http://prepared-housewives.com/create-a-food-storage-binder/ - to get you started if you haven’t already.

https://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2016/11/monday-message_14.html - binders

I made a binder of my family favorites that I have everything on hand and I picked recipes that are good. If I did not have cheese on hand, I could grab and use and it is well used.

I know that it duplicates recipes but it is sooo handy to grab. Then you make sure that you store the food these recipes call for.

http://everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com/ - this I have printed and put in my binders on food storage. If you need a system of how to calculate what to get, I highly recommend this for beginners and pros at storage and everything in-between.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGaTlwYs-s - watch this and all through nine of this presentation she teaches so many things in this total presentation.

Now you need to plan your menus.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=How+Jen+Does+It&qft=+Filterui%3auserpage-howjendoesit&view=detail&mid=9858A0D92F8FE3603B0D9858A0D92F8FE3603B0D&FORM=VRDGAR

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+meal+plan&&view=detail&mid=03FB997EF7772E20800003FB997EF7772E208000&rvsmid=A0212E1DEE40CB1DFBD7A0212E1DEE40CB1DFBD7&fsscr=0&FORM=VDFSRV

If these two YouTube clips don’t inspire you, quick take your pulse :p

Well I think if you read through this Monday message you will be ready to start your new year off right!

Do the best that you can.

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.

Monday Message

 (W. Don Ladd, October 1994 General Conference)
    “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.”

(Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, Oct 2002 and quoted again in April 2007)
"The best place to have some food set aside is within our homes..."

How are you set up? Have you been working on your storage and your skills?

The following quote is by Elder Bruce R. McConkie, an apostle in The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was given in April General
Conference 1979, 37 years ago. Because it has been that long ago, it is even more important now.

"I stand before the Church this day and raise the warning voice. It is a prophetic voice, for I shall say only what the apostles and prophets have spoken concerning our day.

.. It is a voice calling upon the Lord's people to prepare for the troubles and desolations which are about to be poured out upon the world without measure.

For the moment we live in a day of peace and prosperity but it shall not ever be thus. Great trials lie ahead. All of the sorrows and perils of the past are but a foretaste of what is yet to be. And we must prepare ourselves temporally and spiritually.

Our spiritual preparation consists in keeping the commandments of God, and taking the Holy Spirit for our guide, so that when this life is over we shall find rest and peace in paradise and an ultimate inheritance of glory and honor in the celestial kingdom.

Our temporal preparation consists in using the good earth in the way the Lord designed and intended so as to supply all our just wants and needs. It is his purpose to provide for his Saints for all things are his, but, he says, it must needs be done in his own way. (See D&C 104:14-18. https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/104.14-18?lang=eng#13)

There is a common axiom among us which states: A religion that cannot save a man temporally does not have power to save him spiritually. If we cannot care for our temporal needs in this world, how can we ever succeed in spiritual things in the world to come?"

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1979/05/stand-independent-above-all-other-creatures?lang=eng

I remember him giving this talk the part that I want to emphasize is that great trials lie ahead. All of the sorrows and perils of the past are but a foretaste of what is yet to be. And we must prepare ourselves temporally and spiritually.

I think if nothing were to happen, life throws enough at us that this would make us want to heed this warning but with what he says here should be added incentive…

http://www.foodstoragemoms.com/2016/10/feed-family-breakfast-disaster/ what would you be eating??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GVA05MxXTU - this shows how to bind a quilt an easy way.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=For+My+Family+Homesteading&&view=detail&mid=67115CAA1BF0F482D31B67115CAA1BF0F482D31B&FORM=VRDGAR - I thought you could benefit by her binder idea.

http://www.foodstoragemoms.com/2016/10/need-keep-stored-water-safe/ - good info

http://www.1dogwoof.com/crochet-rug-from-t-shirts/ - this can be a frugal thing to do with your crocheting skills
     
http://www.favecrafts.com/Knit-Gloves-and-Mittens-Patterns/Mittens-for-the-Whole-Family-from-Red-Heart-Yarn - this is a great way to build a useful skill.

http://www.favecrafts.com/Knit-Gloves-and-Mittens-Patterns/Mittens-for-the-Whole-Family-from-Red-Heart-Yarn - mittens

http://www.redheart.com/files/patterns/pdf/WR1633.pdf - here is a scarf and hat.  

http://www.freshstitches.com/free-knitting-pattern-easy-peasy-socks-beginner/ - make socks

So these patterns are free and basic and could be done before winter. Knitting is one of your skills to build. Take time to learn your skills and practice them too.

Look for sales to stock your food storage.

Do the best you can.

Monday Message

“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.” (Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2001)

http://www.simplyprepared.com/the_book_of_gomer.htm I think this, though cute, reminds that we cannot wait till the emergency.

• “The day will come when, as we have been told, we shall all see the necessity of making our own shoes and clothing and raising our own food. …” (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p. 166) 

• “There are many very good people who keep most of the Lord’s commandments with respect to the virtuous side of life, but who overlook His commandments in temporal things. They do not heed His warning to prepare for a possible future emergency, apparently feeling that in the midst of all this trouble ‘it won’t happen to us.’ It is not always the other fellow’s problem. It is our problem also whenever there is economic trouble afloat.
     “To prepare for the future is part of God’s eternal plan, both spiritually and temporally. To protect ourselves against reversals and hardships is only good sense.
     “…[God] teaches us to be self-reliant and industrious, to plan ahead, to provide for possible hard times, to avoid obligations unless we are sure we can handle them, and then to serve him with such devotion that He will be pleased to augment all of our own earnest efforts.
     “…the most important storehouses in the entire welfare plan are those that are within the walls of our own homes. We must provide our own storehouses for our own families in our own homes as far as possible to meet any rainy days that may come our way.” (Mark E. Peterson, “Blessings in Self-Reliance,” Ensign, May 1981) 

     “…Just as it is important to prepare ourselves spiritually, we must also prepare ourselves for our temporal needs. Each of us needs to take the time to ask ourselves, What preparation should I make to care for my needs and the needs of my family?
     “We have been instructed for years to follow at least four requirements in preparing for that which is to come.
     “First, gain an adequate education….
     “Second, live strictly within your income and save something for a rainy day…
     “Third, avoid excessive debt…
     “Fourth, acquire and store a reserve of food and supplies that will sustain life. Obtain clothing and build a savings account on a sensible, well-planned basis that can serve well in times of emergency. As long as I can remember, we have been taught to prepare for the future and to obtain a year’s supply of necessities. I would guess that the years of plenty have almost universally caused us to set aside this counsel. I believe the time to disregard this counsel is over. With events in the world today, it must be considered with all seriousness….
     “…Start now to create a plan if you don’t already have one, or update your present plan. Watch for best buys that will fit into your year’s supply. We are not in a situation that requires panic buying, but we do need to be careful in purchasing and rotating the storage that we’re putting away. The instability in the world today makes it imperative that we take heed of the counsel and prepare for the future.” (L. Tom Perry, “If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear” Ensign, November 1995)

We need to learn ways to be frugal, my favorite books on this:

Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn, she has three you can check out from your library.

Make-A-Mix by Karine Eliason, Nevada Harward, & Madeline Westover, there are three but I am most fond of the first two.

Living on One Income in a Two Income Economy by Jonni McCoy, she has fantastic info and recipes - best granola recipe, we have this a lot, turn that page and she tells you how to make granola bars - terrific :)

Baker’s Flower by Kaye Manning, this is a book based on a quick baking mix you make. I love using this. I see on amazon it is a penny but you can try to get it through your library.
  
If you have some favorite book that helps us be frugal write it in the comments section

http://www.simplyprepared.com/sweet_yeast_biscuits.htm

http://www.simplyprepared.com/quick%20cinnamon%20rolls.htm these two links go together, could be something for the kids to make during family night.

http://www.livingonadime.com/very-best-homemade-pie-crust-recipe/ try your hand and learn new things plus frugal!

http://www.livingonadime.com/homemade-baking-powder-biscuits-recipe/ - tastes better than canned, another thing to think about is how long can you store refrigerator biscuits???

So think more on what you can do for yourself, for example - do you buy jello in cups? Do you do it for convenience? Think if you made that little box of jello, it takes three minutes to make jello.

I saw rice krispie treats for $9.99, you are paying for wrapping and preservatives. Convenience it certainly not frugal ….

Are we doing for this to save time so we can be busier? I think it makes me feel like I am on a hamster wheel!!!

So if you are feeling the pinch of everything going higher in price and your budget is not happy...stop and think, where am I falling into the trap? Look at your grocery list. You are in control, you know what your busy days are, plan for those don’t let it drag you out of control!!!

This is why having skills is important, planning your menus, planning your grocery list, planning your days…

Even if you have been blessed to do all the conveniences in life teach yourself, make do or do without. In one of these articles below the woman talks about going into the grocery store and sees tomatoes and would dearly love a tomato but she is there for just two things and can’t spend more, has this ever happened to you?

http://www.livingonadime.com/debt-free-living/

www.livingonadime.com/debt-free-living-god-provides

http://www.livingonadime.com/debt-free-living-dealing-tight-budget/

http://www.livingonadime.com/how-to-deal-with-layoffs/  

When our daughter got divorced and child support started coming in I suggested she live her life like he wasn’t paying and if she got it that was great but if not she would still be able to manage. She did the best she could and then he up and quit his very good paying job thinking he could get one easy. Now years later he is still looking so this advice has helped her plus living frugally has helped her too as she hasn’t gotten child support for a very long time.

So if you have a wonderful income prepare like somewhere down the road you won’t have it and if you prepare and build your skills now you will be able to manage on less.

Life is really like a roller coaster sometimes we are up and sometimes we are down but it is up to us to have the skills to stretch what we do have and being able to do so helps our whole family.

Remember, life isn’t meant to be fair. If you are cranky because of what you are dealt it only makes it harder on yourself.  So roll up your sleeves and make it the best you can!

We may not have everything but we have fun and make do with what we have…keep learning skills, keep looking for frugal ways to make your life better.

Monday Message

(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.”

“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.”

What a heat wave! As I am writing this message it's oh so hot. I loved the ideas in this next post.

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/04/04jun07g.cfm with the weather so hot I thought I would find something cold and yummy.

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/08/08jun09f.cfm how much do you spend on groceries?? All month? every time you go to the store - every dollar spent? If you are not staying in budget you will be shocked at your month’s total.

So to start writing everything down cause if you turn a blind eye to it the food you are getting is chewing up your budget. That includes eating out. If you are not on top of it, who is?

http://www.livingonadime.com/foods-you-need-pantry/ keeping a well stocked pantry is very budget friendly, saves gas and energy and time.

http://zenhabits.net/the-cheapskate-guide-50-tips-for-frugal-living/ this has such good frugal ideas. Even if your life at this time doesn’t have to be frugal you need to read because at some point - you may remember the roller coaster - sometimes we’re up and sometimes we are not... when we are up the work of preparing for when we are down needs to be tended.

There is one thing for certain - life is always changing. Be prepared for the downs because they will happen.  Not if but when...

It is all part of learning and growing, like when a toddler is learning to walk - we try to get rid of sharp corners and dangers, we have our arms outstretched to encourage but they fall... they are learning. That is how it is for us. Heavenly Father has given us Prophets to guide and warn us. It is up to you to heed. You cannot tend to things when you are up and have a harder down time or follow the Prophet and it will be less hard. It won’t take it away but can soften the blow. But we have the choice.

http://zenhabits.net/50-tips-for-grocery-shopping/ we can learn from each other, help each other, learn from others.

I plan my meals - also take into account the store flyers. When I go with list in hand, with pen and paper, I keep a tally of adding each item’s price as I go. I don’t even trust a calculator as if I bump the wrong number I lose everything, with pen and paper I can always see the amount. I use leftovers and make TV type meals and freeze for a day. I hurt too much to cook. 

Today soooo hot…. dinner is in the crockpot. I keep my eye on the weather. When it is to be hot I plan my meals to be lighter. I get groceries once a month. This is easier than running to the store all the time, it also shows if you are stocked up you can shift meals around.

http://www.foodstoragemoms.com/2016/06/make-chunky-monkey-pancakes/ yum - I love pancakes.

http://zenhabits.net/100-ways-to-have-fun-with-your-kids-for/ summertime - we need all the ideas we can get to do things with our kids and I will be the first one to say it doesn’t have to cost money or break the budget.

http://zenhabits.net/family-day-and-family-meetings/  some ideas for your family counsels and FHE. I like how they start their meeting complimenting, sounds like a nice family.

http://zenhabits.net/get-kids-outdoors/ kids need to get outside too

How are you coming on skill building??

I have been thinking about how women have over the years beautified their homes with skills they built/skills they have shared. Also, how frugal they were… they set examples for us, much can be learned.

Years ago I found these place cards, how tiny the work someone made - little works of art.

Look closely at the pic. In the beginning those are tiny shells, each card one and a half by three inches - we are talking tiny.

Keep plugging away on your storage and skill building.

Monday Message

Instead of getting frozen pizza, make this easy DELICIOUS homemade pizza. Find the recipe HERE.

"The best place to have some food set aside is within our homes...

"We can begin ever so modestly. We can begin with a one week's food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. . . . I fear that so many feel that a long-term food supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all.

"Begin in a small way, . . . and gradually build toward a reasonable objective." (Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, Oct 2002 and quoted again in April 2007)

Well the new year is here…ready or not! We talked about goals last week, are you off to a good start? Remember, slow and steady wins the race.

If you tried and failed at budgeting, don’t give up - try again!

http://www.wisebread.com/8-tips-for-improving-or-starting-a-budget
I will tell you that you don’t have to spend a dime setting this up. Grab a pencil and a scrap of paper when you set it up. If you want to go out and get fancy programs and ledgers, you can or you can put that money into the emergency fund.

Write at the top of the paper how much you make a month. It is easier to do it by month to start as our utility bills and housing bills will be on a monthly schedule.

So write the amount for the month. Then tithing, housing (if you do not have insurance and taxes in your payment for house you need to find the year amounts on those two, divide by twelve, and that is next one), then utilities, phone, gas, car payments and insurance, just what you have… then decide what you can afford for groceries etc.

It is a shock to see how fast that hard worked for money goes…

There are many ways to cut on your expenses.

Like cable bills. I do not miss those at all… we bought Roku a few years ago. Now mind you, if you are not serious about cutting the cost this could cost you lots. The initial outlay for the Roku box is around seventy dollars per box. We got two, one for the TV in living room and one in the bedroom. Now I am sure there are other things out there, this is just what we did. We have no cable, Roku offers channels, some free - even a news channel that has 24 hr news. But this is where you have to be serious about what you do as you can pay subscriptions for many channels. 

I could see if you decided to get a lot of pay channels you could end up with a bill as high as cable. We chose to just pay eight dollars a month and get Netflix. That amount pays for the two TV’s  you cannot go to the movies for that eight dollars a month.

We kept the internet bill because my husband's website has to be up to generate the odd job and church callings.

We chose to get rid of the phone bill and go with magic jack for one small payment a year so that we can have unlimited long distance to be able to call kids, grandkids and church callings.

So these are a few ways that we cut bills a few years ago and still do it this way.

Now mind you I am not advertising, it is just the products we went with. By now there are probably many others to choose from.

They say when you are dieting you write down all the things you eat. If you don’t want to write it down, you tend not to eat it. Same with budgeting. Keep track of everything you spend. This will help you to locate your leaks. If you're running to the store often and you find you are spending for more than you went in for, you are doing what the store is hoping you will do.

Try to make lists and menus, then limit trips. Grocery shopping once a month frees up so much time, especially when it takes an hour round trip - it also takes less gas. So this is what saves lots of money. I am sure the stores aren’t fond of how I do it but sticking to the list, I have food storage that allows me to be able to stock up on in-store specials by switching my menu around.

Making this menu and list is soooo important there is no wasted gas and with good planning you don’t forget things like when no list is used.

Look over the list… do you have convenience foods?? Like frozen pizzas? Box mixes, etc.?? Did you know you can make everything from scratch for way less? When I make bread it is about $0.25 a loaf, compare with what the store charges and not one brand tastes as good. 

http://www.beckysbacktobasics.com/get_full_recipe.php?File=1269450236&search.x=23&search.y=19 this is the best pizza ever and look at the directions - so convenient! We love it best though our favorite topping is just mushroom and no meat, but whatever is your favorite is easy to do. You don’t need a pizza stone. Is the crust crispy? Yes, it is.  Cutting it on a wood cutting board is key to keeping it crispy.

Whatever your family likes, try a scratch version. Look up a new recipe and try. You will only like some and some you will love. Start collecting the love ones and before you know it there is hardly anywhere else you will want to go eat. There is nothing like cooking and eating together with those you love most.

Yes, it may take a little more work but it makes up for it in taste and savings.

I suggest going to the library and checking out The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. My favorite are her first two books as not everything got put into book three, though it is good too. Some things you will want to do others might not hit it off with you. That is okay but anything we can do to save and stop our leaks.

Do you know everything your library offers? Ours, has the best movie selection I have ever seen. Check out movies, have real popcorn (not microwave), and that is a very very inexpensive date or movie day or snow day. Keep your eye on the weather and make a trip to the library before a big storm. Look in the Relief Society recipes from the last message to find my caramel corn recipe and watch movies, play games, or just have fun and make memories.


Building skills:
http://www.storageskills.com/?p=69 - this is a very good walk through. Before you start call 1-800-262-3804 and get the correct lbs of pressure and times for exactly where you live. Polk and Story counties will be different.

Why should you want to do this?? Well, if you had home canned chicken you would know it is considerably cheaper to do over cans in the store, but if you tasted both cans and home canned you would not settle for the tin cans of chicken again. The best of all reason though is when you have chicken on the shelf you have future meals. You can even open a jar, it can be eaten right then or you can make chicken salad sandwiches just by adding a few ingredients or you can have casseroles, gravy, hay stacks, soup, etc. 

Even tho you see her putting raw chicken in the jars, the jars she takes out in the end are fully cooked. This, in my opinion, is the easiest thing of all to can….yep! This makes putting a meal together when you don’t feel well very easy.

Challenge yourself to make a skirt or dress for you or one of your girls. Easy to do and cost effective. Best of all you and you alone control the modesty. This is great a very worthwhile skill
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Free+Skirt+Patterns&view=detail&&mid=323B4BADE2205318AAEA323B4BADE2205318AAEA - make matching skirts, how fun :)

What skills are you working on for this great new year??

Monday Message

Me in the apron my dear friend Liza made for me.

"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. And, above all, my brothers and sisters, let us move forward with faith in the Living God and His Beloved Son" (Gordon B. Hinckley, in Conference Report, Oct. 2001, 89; or Ensign, Nov. 2001, 73).

This message comes out after Christmas hoping that you were able to have quality family time and that you got to have time to reflect on Jesus.

In a few days it will be a new year. Have you taken a few minutes to think about what you want to accomplish this year??

If not, grab a pen and paper and sit down with me. Get a cup of hot cocoa and go through this Monday Message.

 Make a list of your skills…

See, you have lots you don’t think about! Pat yourself on the back, you are doing great!

I am not one who makes an impossible to-do list without a plan B. My plan B is that what I don’t get done just remains on my list. I think life has stress enough without my causing impossibly tight deadlines then feel rotten about myself for not getting it done.

So set goals work towards them but don’t beat yourself with them!

I have been asked to sew a pretty white dress for my granddaughter’s baptism… this will be in March. Up to this point I have collected the items together to accomplish this.

I have Fibromyalgia which is very painful and causes much fatigue as well. Before I got this I was energetic, could do things in one hour with what now takes me three days. How I explain this to those who just get this diagnoses is… you have a bowl with ten marbles in it, you cannot save the ten marbles. When your ten marbles are gone your done, you cannot borrow from tomorrow's ten marbles. The marbles represent your energy - so getting up, showered and dressed, fixing breakfast, takes three marbles. Now you have seven left. Think about a regular day of laundry, cleaning, cooking, doctor appointments, errands, etc. You have seven marbles to ration for the rest of the day…how do you do that?? 

Break down the tasks into steps. Someone without fibro will say, "I have to run and get groceries"… and they might even want to have them done by a certain time. A fibro person has to think of the marbles… I have to get in the car -ouch- I have to drive to store -ouch- get out of car -ouch- walk through the really big store -ouch- then there are heavy things like a bag of flour or sugar or gallon of milk or laundry soap. If you are wise you went to a store that unloads from the cart then bags and carries and puts them in your car. Then drive again but this time you are huge ouch, get out of car -ouch worse- then carry in groceries, even with help it hurts, then to put things away. By this time all my marbles are gone but I press on and fix supper.

How do you do this? For me, if I can I try to plan and only go once a month, I plan an easy supper and usually easy meals the next day since I will pay with pain for the overdoing or big projects. I used to do things fast and many things I can hardly remember but I helped build the addition. I know more than I wanted to about construction. I helped shingles. I remember going to sleep at night and waking up ready to go get big projects done… Now part of this is not sleeping all night and waking more tired than when I went to bed. Big projects like helping clean the church is four days of big pain. I have to plan for these events, rest before and have meals ready for those days. Planting a garden is way worse... we are talking weeks.

I am only telling this to you so that you think about when you write down your goals, break them into steps. Nothing is that huge when you break it down into steps, it is more likely to get accomplished.

I was a busy lady for sure before getting this, overdoing did not play a part. I was healthy, was walking miles every day. Things just happen and we can fight and be angry or just adapt so you can live with it but do so with joy.

So look over your list.

On my ongoing list I have that I want to learn more on weaving, so I have to be realistic. I cannot learn in a month, in fact, not a year…so I break it down.
  
Classes cost too much and not in my budget, if that was not an issue the fibro would be, sooooo my plan is…

Read all I can in my books and on the internet.

Break it down. I would need to refresh how to warp a jack floor loom, I will need to refresh using warping board. I need to learn how to set up for different weaves. Suffice it there is a long list. But I think you see what I am saying.

A huge deal is to be FLEXIBLE. Life is happening always, we get sick, our kids get sick, things come up, service is needed to help others, new family additions, job loss,... things get in the way of our goals, we need to accept that and not let our goals stress us out.

Mind you probably no one reading this has weaving as a goal but whatever your goal is, break it down.

Back to the white dress, everything is gathered. Step two, cut it out. Step three, is sew when I can. I have allowed a couple months so if I get sick I can accomplish this. So with fibro my immune system is bad so when I get sick it is awhile to climb out.

So write your goal then break it into steps just like I told you I have to do to get groceries. Don’t make this a race, make it fun.

Budgets are this way as well. Set your goals for your budget and steps you will take to stay in it.

I remember long ago I read how a family planned on getting out of debt. They made a dark cloud out of paper and wrote a debt like car or master card on the cloud. Then they made a cloud for each debt. They cut out a house and put this house up to represent them and put the clouds above the house each time they got rid of a debt they threw out the cloud this was a helpful tool. I like to think now there are no clouds over that house.

Things we can do to help stay within our budgets…

Eat in and not out. This is easy for me. I have gotten food poisoning twice from eating out so I would much rather eat in where I am in charge of my own safety, but I do understand being tired. But when you're trying to cut bills this can add up fast.

If your food budget is not very much look for ways to stretch your food dollars. Go through your recipe file and get out your most frugal recipes. If they are in your file you probably like them.

A huge $ stretcher is cooking from scratch. Yes, it is easier to buy ready made but with prices as high as they are cooking from scratch should be everyone's goal.

Here again, break it down. I find mixing the dry ingredients together when doing supper clean up helps me. In the morning just add wet ingredients and bake like muffins. If you buy a muffin mix you still have to add wet ingredients and by breaking it down helps. Okay, finding your muffin recipe might be challenging. I have to break down things so I have my breakfast recipes like muffins, pancakes, scones and such on recipe cards and hooked together with book rings. You could use yarn if you don’t have the rings. I have them on a nail by the stove. I have another with one-pot meals like homemade hamburger helper all done in one pot. I also have my go-to binder which has my favorite English muffin bread, my favorite hot cocoa mix, recipe for white sauce... things I do all the time. So break it down, even setting those up to help me I broke them down.

A great place to get from scratch recipes is our Relief Society cookbook - http://www.dickshook.com/Cookbook/Recipe%20book%202015.pdf

I know you are thinking well she has to break it down and yes, I do, but slow and steady wins the race, right? Just think how better you could do it without fibro…lucky you are.

They don’t have to be pinterest award winning if you don’t have the time but better than a snicker bar for saving time and money.

Okay, I would still like the snicker bar as well... :p

These are just a few things and ideas to get you started. I know you can do it.

Probably more than you wanted to know about me but now you know how to break things down.

Food storage is the same, break it down. You might not be able to do a lot but what you can do adds up fast.

For us, I noticed that we will need to make a purchase in January for powdered milk from the storehouse. For us it has to be a planned purchase of fifty lbs or as close to that as we can get, and will have to plan on going to Omaha to pick up.

We use powdered milk for everything, so you see this is a big purchase and has to be planned.

So break down and get as you can.

This is a different blog just us vising over a hot cocoa. :)

The picture on top is me in the Christmas apron my friend liza made me.

Lets plan for a great new year!

Monday Message

If ever there was a time to take food storage serious NOW is the time.

“The revelation to store food may be as essential to our temporal salvation today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.” (Ezra Taft Benson, October 1973)

I have decided to issue you a challenge to work extra hard on your storage. Let's see how much you can do by the end of the year... From those who have very little money to those who have a lot of money. Make a plan, draw up a plan. Those with more money, this will be a bit easier. Those with less money, you will need to be more creative. Those with more money your job is to collect your storage.

Use all options... 
http://store.lds.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Category3_715839595_10557_3074457345616706237_-1_N_image_0 - here you can order the church items. We no longer travel to Omaha as canneries are closed. This is great for when I can get dry milk.

Buy in bulk at Sam’s - flour, rice, beans, yeast, popcorn, sugar, powdered sugar, brown sugar. I am wanting you to stick to basics, don’t be fooled that everything there is a good deal. I get cheese there and in the past when chicken boneless skinless breasts were on sale I would buy cases and can it. I also get siran wrap there.

Bulk buy your whole wheat berries, not the flour, you want the wheat berries. This you can get at Walmart and if you need more than is on the shelf ask Walmart to get what you are wanting.

Aldi’s is the big winner on canned goods. Stock up for things you don’t can like pineapple, mushrooms, apple sauce, your pie fillings, their salsa is great to stock up on.  

Fareway I get sale items and meat.

Dollar Tree I get liquid dish soap, shampoos, toothpaste, deodorant, garbage bags, freezer bags, some first aid things etc.

Watch your sales like a hawk. I am sorry I throw Hy-Vee off the list due to being too expensive but I do buy my bread bags from them. If money is no problem than this is another option for you.

I even check the flyers to see what is on sale when I don't plan on shopping. The sale ads are online if they don’t come to you in a midweek mailer. If there is a loss leader that is something you use now would be the stock up time.

I have heard all the time "I don’t have time to go to more than one store" or "it is too much work." It is a lot of work and hauling it is a lot of work and cooking from scratch is a lot of work but you need to push yourself. Your family is depending on you following the warnings of many Prophets. If you think going to the church is your plan then why is it we have been warned to store???????  Because if a world wide calamity would hit, the church can only feed two or three percent and remember you have been warned to have gotten in your storage. The church has helped with this by canneries in the past and with this ordering site. Why would they do this if they were not trying to help you?  

You have been asked to grow what you can. You have been asked to learn the skills that would help your family in time of need. This is not something that goes out of date. They did not say "well, we can stop on this certain year" - no, we are still encouraged to do this!

Food storage is not an out of date thing or old fashioned, that is not true. If ever there was a time to take this serious NOW is the time.

I can hear you shaking your head and thinking oh that Sister Shook, she likes food storage, it is her thing. Guess you don’t know me very well. I love to read and knit and be a grammy, but I know that this is a very important thing you should not shrug off… I can think of thousands of things I would rather do than plant a garden and fight skeeters and process the food or drag home heavy food storage to put in containers to lug to the basement and rotate it, to lug it up and start all over again. 

Yes, a life of ease sounds easier but we live on our storage and all our struggles in our life have prepared me for now. What a blessing. I think if you had a hard time you can appreciate it and be compelled to get your storage up. If you have not then take my word for it, get your storage up. Build on your skills.

"Too often we bask in comfortable complacency and rationalize that the ravages of war, economic disaster, famine and earthquake cannot happen here. Those who believe this are either not acquainted with the revelations of the Lord or they do not believe them.  Those who smugly think these calamities will not happen, that they will somehow be set aside because of the righteousness of the Saints, are deceived and will rue the day they harbored such a delusion.  The Lord has warned and forewarned us against a day of great tribulation and given us counsel, through His Servants, on how we can be prepared for these difficult times.  Have you (we) heeded His counsel?" Ezra Taft Benson, Jun. 1980.

"'And there shall arise after them seven years of famine ... And God will shortly bring it to pass.' Now brethren, I want to make it very clear that I am not prophesying, that I am not predicting years of famine in the future. But, I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order ... avoid debt to the extent possible. Pay off debt as quickly as you can, and free yourselves from bondage... There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give head. We are carrying a message of self reliance throughout the Church... I urge you brethren to look to the condition of our finances..." Gordon B. Hinkley, October Conference 1998.

"The time will come when we will be obliged to depend upon our own resources; for the time is not far distant when the curtain will be dropped between us and the United States. When the time comes, brethren and sisters, you will wish you had commenced sooner to make your own clothing. I tell you, God requires us to go into home manufacture; and, prolong it as much as you like, you have got to do it." Heber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, p. 10, July 5, 1857.

"A spirit of speculation and extravagance will take possession of the Saints [in the last days], and the results will be financial bondage. Persecution comes next and all true Latter-day Saints will be tested to the limit." Heber C. Kimball, Deseret News, May 23, 1931.

"The Lord has warned and forewarned us against a day of great tribulation and given us counsel, through His Servants, on how we can be prepared for these difficult times. Have we heeded His counsel?" (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, November 1980)

"When the economies of nations fail, when famine and other disasters prevent people from buying food in stores, the Saints must be prepared to handle these emergencies." (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 264.)

“Noah heeded God’s command to build an ark...that they might be saved from the floodwaters…Yet there was no evidence of rain and flood…His actions were considered irrational…The sun was shining and life moved forward as usual. But time ran out…The floods came, the disobedient were drowned… When God speaks and we obey, we will always be right” T.S. Monson Ensign 10-07

"For over 100 years we have been admonished to store up grain. ‘Remember the counsel that is given,’ said Elder Orson Hyde, ‘Store up all your grain, and take care of it!... And I tell you it is almost as necessary to have bread to sustain the body as it is to have food for the spirit.’ (Ezra Taft Benson, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, p. 17)

..."We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees—plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yards. Even those residing in apartments or condominiums can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods. Make your garden neat and attractive as well as productive. If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities...Develop your skills in your home preservation and storage. We reaffirm the previous counsel the Church has always given, to acquire and maintain a year’s supply—a year’s supply of the basic commodities for us. We encourage families to have on hand this year’s supply; and we say it over and over and over and repeat over and over the scripture of the Lord where He says, ‘Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?’ How empty it is as they put their spirituality, so-called, into action and call him by his important names, but fail to do the things which he says. Spencer W. Kimball (April Conference, 1976)

If these quotes don’t give you serious thought...

Make a list of every store you go into and why. After a week look at this list, analyze this list. Did you need to go to the store? Was what you went for the only thing you got? Track your spending. How could you improve?

If you are on a tighter budget you have no choice but to be creative. How can we stock? I already mentioned some stores, there are others you may live closer too, like Costco.

So how can you be creative? As you have a set budget for groceries, in your budget keep to that amount, now plan less expensive meals and plan to cook from scratch and see what a difference it makes. The difference can now go into food storage. I mentioned a place to start but if it seems overwhelming then work on your three month supply first and again I suggest -http://everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/book-2.html  this method is sound too. I have this printed and in my food storage notebook.

I want you to be seriously getting in your storage. It is more important than the current fad, more important than finding shoes that can go with an outfit cause just pick a pair that goes with everything for now, more important than boats and new cars and such, once you have it in and still want those things, go for it, but keep that storage up.
I know i have lost many of you by now but ask yourself why am i waiting just do it while your at it can you mend or sew a dress why not????? do you go to goodwill or yard sales for school clothes? why not?

I WANT you to watch these YouTube clips of Wendy's seminar. I painfully got them in order just so you can see them in order. Food storage with chocolate in it? Whaaaaat? Yep! :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhGaTlwYs-s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUaFMEyLXOM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4woLOnURFiw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Drrd2wt8k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CE5WVOqLp2k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33bovjbt8nk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vigcycRhWs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0XWoeWRDdI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoYHLW8HR7Y

Ok, remember I want to have you make serious strides in getting in your storage by the end of the year... If you are saying yes but I have mine in than Hurray! But now start stocking for your kids, food storage is a wonderful gift to give or to get.

After watching the clips of Wendy it will give you more to add to your yard sale list.

Also for those of you in Ankeny, the Goodwill in your town there was a dehydrator sighting and not at all a bad price, make sure you plug it in, check for an on/off switch if it does not already start.

Keep working on both storage and skills and report to me your progress!