"Most of us cannot afford to store a year’s supply of luxury items, but find it more practical to store staples that might keep us from starving in case of emergency." (James E. Faust)
I think now is the time to have on hand what you will need to stay in away from the virus.
It is hard to track back to who came in contact with who. I got a head cold and have taken every precaution. I have been using my own pen at pharmacy but there is only one clipboard they use at the drive-in and since I won't be going in now I'll have to be careful so watch what you touch and where you are. It is in the air when people are getting this near you.
Oregon has it right to close schools, be prepared for that when it gets near you.
When it does get to your area make sure you have books, board games, movies, hobby supplies...I watch a podcast where this lady has a lot of kids and she keeps crafting supplies on hand, so if you have kids at home get those things in too.
Get supplies in sooner than later but don't hoard as many are in the same boat. I know they haven't given us very exact time-frames so think stuff to make soup and canned soups...items that can stretch, be as frugal as you can.
Remember to get your over-the-counter medications.
Remember your pets.
They showed a clip of people scrambling to a Costco store in Hawaii and in this clip a man has a pallet of cases of water that he is loading into his vehicle. There was no way it would fit so don't be that guy. Snowstorm mentality people buy weird items like eight gallons of milk when clearly they could just go back to the store after the storm.
Or like when they know they are going to lose power yet buy tons of frozen items we just need to keep our heads and think of what we need.
Something helpful I saw last night is...
Wait till you have a fever of 100.4 then does it get better or worse? Do you have a dry cough and shortness of breath? If so, call the emergency room to let them know you are coming with these symptoms. Wear a mask to keep others from getting it.
So that is helpful.
Are you prepared to stay home?
This will disrupt life for a time so while you're home you can work on your skill building.
Teach your kids to make bread. If you have littles have them make their own little dough things, they can even help you make up some bread kits.
Whether or not you have a bread machine you can make these up then you only need to add water and mix and go from there.
Cinnamon rolls fun for little ones to make and eat...
It costs very little to make cinnamon rolls and even less to eat them.
You could have a teaching time - how to sew on a button, how to mend, how to hem.
We can make games of it. Teach your kids to crochet or knit or how to use the sewing machine.
Explain to your kids what is going on in a non-scary way.
They won't be used to staying in and will need things to do.
You won't be used to staying in. I saw in one clip a man tested positive and was to stay in, he went to a bar and then I am sure everyone else had to be watched. So here I am saying stay home, I hope you do too.
If the kids are not at school have them read to you and you be the teacher to keep them up. Also read to them books like Little House on the Prairie or Harry Potter, it will be a memory.
If you don't have kids at home you need to plan on inside activities too. Have some books to read and things you like to do inside.
You can always learn things of interest.
Tell us what things in the comments below about what you're doing while staying in. Be healthy and safe!
"Store a provision of food which will last for at least a year wherever it is legally permissible to do so. The Church has not told you what foods should be stored. This decision is left up to individual members. . .From the standpoint of food production, storage, handling, and the Lord’s counsel, wheat should have high priority. ‘There is more salvation and security in wheat,’ said Orson Hyde years ago, ‘than in all the political schemes of the world’ (in Journal of Discourses, 2:207). Water, of course, is essential. Other basics could include honey or sugar, legumes, milk products or substitutes, and salt or its equivalent." (President Ezra Taft Benson)
That wheat should have high priority is very interesting because sadly wheat crops have not done very well this year due to flooding and fires etc. and wheat is in an awful lot of what we eat.
Also the locust problem is causing problems with food security in several countries.
Here in Iowa they are saying it will be a wet spring again with flooding.
With all that is going on I am sure you will agree with me we should really be building our supplies.
At the time of this writing we have spent the most part of this week in the hospital with my husband having a hernia repair. After recovery we had to wait for hours to get a room as the hospital was full of influenza patients. It made me think of the Coronavirus and how it has overwhelmed hospitals in China and how food is flying off the shelves and also they have food rotting in shipping containers while they need food, somehow this seems wrong.
So one needs to watch and learn from others. I have said this years and years ago that we learn from our experience and that of others as well.
It will take years to get back from some of these things but we will do well to work on this and skills.
If you store wheat, have you used it? Do you know how to use it? The best way to store it?
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2009/10/23/7-great-ways-to-use-wheat-without-a-wheat-grinder/ - just in case you have wheat and no grinder.
If you store wheat and don't have a grinder you may want to work on getting one.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-itm-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=itm&p=how+to+use+wheat#id=6&vid=7b95b3a5b64176a19db7be82c40add7d&action=click - this is helpful.
I have mentioned this before to look for old cookbooks put out by churches at your thrift store as these will help you in cooking from scratch.
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/self-reliance/cooking-from-scratch/ - this will give you some recipes.
https://www.thebalanceeveryday.com/grocery-stockpile-list-1388297 - this will give you an idea on how to start your list.
Something else I want to point out that we have talked about quite a bit is storing basic ingredients. For example - popcorn instead of microwave popcorn. Your dollar goes further plus if you have no electricity for some reason you can also cook it on the stove top, but more product for your dollar.
A can of black beans as compared to dry beans, more product for your dollar.
Ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies compared to buying a package of cookies. You see a pattern here, right?
I do get it, you are tired. We all are tired but to stretch our money we must push ourselves to cook from scratch. It is healthier and cheaper besides what people have said on the internet and elsewhere. You can do basic math and check that for yourself.
It went from totally cooking from scratch to getting packaged food to fast food, it is time we start over and go back to cooking from scratch.
Commercials show people having a great time eating out but they don't show how happy they are to get the bill do they? Commercials are trying to make you feel like you NEED their product and believe me you do not need it.
The theme for now is to do everything quick, we don't need to do that either. Just cook your meals and make things your family will like, you can create great memories and pass on the skill of cooking from scratch.
Books like Make-A-Mix help you to take scratch cooking and make it faster to fix. It's a great book and there's also are recipes online for that as well.
You can also cook more than you need, like a big pot of soup and freeze the leftovers for fast meals for busy days. You can do this.
https://www.contrado.co.uk/blog/sewing-for-beginners-sewing-kit/ - everyone should have a sewing kit to mend, so make a list and get the cheapest and put it in a box so you know where it is.
Every home should have a sewing machine. If you can find one that works from a thrift store it would be a good thing. If you do not know how to use it then find a way to learn.
It just pays to be frugal and having the skills you need when you need them.
I ask the question again, if you had to shelter in place could you?
For how long?
I find not spending money when you don't need to is very helpful as well.
Doing things free like going for walks, going to playgrounds with kids, and popping corn and playing games is a great thing. Reading is a great thing too. I use to read the Little House on the Prairie books to our girls when they were little. You don't need to pay for fun!
Money is tight for so many we just need to do frugal things and have a mindset that it is okay and not a punishment. It is all in how we think. We don't always have to have the things that cost money and we do not need to have things that entertain us, we can do that for ourselves.
If you don't have to live frugally you need to start doing it anyway when you do not have to, this is a skill too.
Time to think about a garden and study on how to do it. Soon it will be time to plant one.
"A cardinal principle of the gospel is to prepare for the day of scarcity. Work, industry, frugality are part of the royal order of life." (Bishop Keith B. McMullin)
Those who came before us this is what they did, it was a way of life. They practiced this 24 hours a day.
There are so many things we can improve on.
It is easy to be complacent and say I will be frugal when I need to be. But the real skill is to be frugal when you don't have to be.
What does frugal look like? It is using up things and making do.
What do you do with that small amount of veggies not quite a serving size? Start a container for your freezer adding these to this container, when full make a soup.
It is mending your clothes when they need it.
https://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/how-mend-your-own-clothes/ - this will get you started. One thing I would add that I find - mend each thing when you find it, don't stack it as that is a lot harder to do for hours when most repairs take less than five minutes to fix. So I do each thing right away, I do not keep a mending pile.
https://www.1millionwomen.com.au/blog/how-build-your-own-clothing-mending-kit/ - this is helpful.
You can do this. It will be a skill you will be able to use all the time.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/five-reasons-every-child-learn-182257884.html - we need to teach our children and their children. Yes, we need them to know.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ynBWa5ej1Q - this will show you how to mend a rip by hand if you do not have a sewing machine.
I went to a yard sale quite a few years ago and got this serger. Did it work? I did not know. I approached the girls taking the money and asked if it worked, they said it had been their grandmother's but did not know. I did not know either. They said ten dollars? I thought okay but was taking a huge risk, ten dollars is always huge to me. It had thread messed around things but it wasn't threaded. I did buy it and it was fantastic.
I believe every home should have a sewing machine whether or not you like to sew. If you do not have one, start looking at thrift shops and yard sales but try it out while you're there. Plug it in and see if it runs. Take a friend who knows how to sew if you need to.
If they don't have a manual you can find one online.
There is so much out on the internet you will be sewing in no time.
Willing to learn is half the battle!
We are under threat of this Coronavirus, we do not know if it will get as bad here as in China but I notice some preparations being made here by the CDC, even government assigning air bases for quarantine spots.
We should be planning as well. We all see how fast the food went off the shelves. If you are asked to shelter in place could you do it? Or would you have to run to the store?
It makes us think, are we prepared?
Can you make bread? If you can, do you have the stuff stored to make said bread??
Fresh vegetables is something people keep trying to get as well this is why having canned is important to have stored along with fruit.
Knowing how to sprout also gets fresh into your menu...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmEMkJOUawQ - a very easy to make your own sprouting jar lid.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-itm-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=itm&p=how+to+make+your+own+sprouts#id=60&vid=5cd8ff968c9583f77d49ca1a7609c0df&action=view - here she shows you how to sprout. Now I have some more to say that she didn't say. The seeds you need to use for sprouting are not garden seeds as they have been treated with chemicals. So get your sprouting seeds from a health food store. Another thing when she shows the green lid, as it has smaller holes, you can just use your nylons, provided they are clean. Cut them and use with a ring on the jar and do the same, rinse, repeat, etc...
My favorite is alfalfa seed with some radish mixed together. Best combination ever! So I put alfalfa in one jar and radish in another for storing as seed but when I put them in sprouting trays I toss some of each that way you can make other combinations. I vacuum seal my seed in the jars for long lasting.
I found sprouters at yard sales so I have two that you water the top tray and from there it waters the other trays then you just empty the bottom, pretty simple.
I know every time I mention yard sales you probably groan but I went to yard sales a lot when the kids were growing up and I always had a mind to prepare. I wanted you to see though that you can do it with things you have on hand.
My favorite thing to have them on is my chicken salad sandwiches on homemade bread. Yes, having skills is very helpful.
"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 is the perfect way to do food storage as long as you store what you eat then replace what you use.
Don't buy it and set it away, use and replace.
And learn those skills even if you have a good income. You will save money by knowing how to mend or how to make bread or how to sew your clothes.
If you are watching the Coronavirus you see where everything we have learned and skills would be needed.
My heart goes out to them and I am praying for them.
How is your storage and how is your learning skills going? Could you shelter in place? For how long? If it spreads here like there are you ready..? Plus, businesses that depend on items to run their business won't be getting those and lots will have to stop and in doing so there will be people losing jobs. Are you prepared for a job loss?? When we had been down-sized it always came as a shock and yes, while I had some ahead it did not last long. So prepare for these things and also keep learning skills.
Skills to work on...
Learn to make bread.
Learn to sew and mend and make your clothes.
Learn to make jam to go with your bread.
Learn to can meat and fruit and vegetables.
Learn to cook from scratch and make your own mixes.
Learn to garden.
Learn to knit and crochet.
http://homeftw.com/61-essential-skills-for-homemakers-how-many-of-these-can-you-do/ - look through the list, what more can you learn?
And here - https://familycorner.blogspot.com/2017/08/homemaker-series-basic-homemaking.html
https://www.girlshealth.gov/disability/independent/homeskills.html How many can you check off and on that note can you cut hair? If not Google some on that so you can cut your family's hair.
https://retrohousewifegoesgreen.com/vintage-homemaking-skills/ - food for thought here.
Here is another - http://www.cranialhiccups.com/2011/02/homemaking-skills-where-do-i-start.html
I will add budgeting, learning to make do, living on less, meal planning, using planned leftovers...and more.
Can you go one month not going to any store??? Even if you don't have too?
How long could you shelter in place??
You can do it, you've got this.
And here - https://www.artfulhomemaking.com/8-useful-skills-grandmothers-knew/
"Most of us cannot afford to store a year’s supply of luxury items, but find it more practical to store staples that might keep us from starving in case of emergency." (James E. Faust)
There is so much wisdom in this statement so don't think you need to get luxury items because to me and others a warm loaf of homemade bread seems the most luxurious thing.
So work on those staple items.
Because it is the middle of winter here in Iowa and because my roots come from Norway and I love all things Hygge, when I saw this I knew you would enjoy reading it too...I am a hot cocoa and a kringla sort of gal - https://www.thehouseandhomestead.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/February-Issue.pdf
Because I know you are wondering what they are...
https://littlefamilyadventure.com/kringla-cookies/
One time our car hit a snow bank and we could not get it out. We went to a nearby farm house and they let us call a tow truck. They gave us hot cocoa and freshly made kringla and she was knitting. I never forgot their kindness.
Here is an update on my skill building...
I finished my last spinning, it is my first attempt at making sock weight yarn.
I have been working a little on the rug loom.
And I have worked more on the floor loom.
How are you coming along building your skills and storage? Here is a link to one of our friends working on some cute crochet and sewing projects - http://elblogdeanacuneo.blogspot.com/
Missy put on her serious face talking about this next bit.
With the Coronavirus spreading it would be good to be able to shelter in place. It means we store things that we need such as food and medicines, like Tylenol and also things like cat litter.
In mine I have cereal and milk things too that I won't have to go to the store to get.
I have stuff to make bread.
I have medicines, I have cat food and cat litter. I think we could shelter in place quite well.
Do the best you can.
I think we all have seen the Coronavirus and how hard it is. When they have to shelter in place they try to get food but there is none to get. My heart goes out to them.
But it very well could be here and we need to pay attention and not procrastinate.
We keep our eye on the news. Gus is keeping an eye on it too.
"Have sufficient food, clothing, and fuel on hand to last at least one year." (President Ezra Taft Benson)
"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 we could know what is ahead of us on our path it would be easy to plan for but we do not know. This does not mean we do not plan, it means we plan more than ever.
When you get groceries buy something extra...a bag of rice, a bag of beans, or a can of veggies or fruit. This is a painless way to put a few things ahead as it will add up and benefit you down the road.
As I have looked at current recipes it seems they take so many ingredients and are basically very costly to fix. Look for more frugal recipes that you already have in your file. Work at being more frugal, this will help you get a few things ahead.
Did you happen to see the TV clips from China with people panicked with the new virus trying to get food and the shelves were bare? This is a scene repeated over and over again.
If you have some things ahead you will not be in this situation and will not only have food for your family but you can help others as well.
I find that these cookbooks have the best and most frugal recipes in them. Look for the older ones because getting the newer cookbooks has the more expensive recipes in them.
I also keep a binder of recipes we try and like. I have it divided up - main dish, breakfast, etc. so I can find the recipe easily again.
I just saw this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB_YMvyFK0A&t=562s. If you haven't got the money for a big vacuum sealer this is a great thing. She shows how to use it. I wouldn't store long term in those bags but this is a cheaper option. I still think using the canister lets you use any jar, not just canning jars. I have some dried carrots in a Smucker's jelly jar, that being said if you cannot get the large canister perhaps this would work on a smaller one?
Being able to throw food in a jar and seal it has helped me save so much money over the years. I was blessed to find mine at yard sales. I have seen them at thrift stores but I never have seen this version before.
Have you ever gotten chocolate chips, put them in a jar and after a while they get a whitish look to them? They are starting the breaking down process, well when you vacuum seal them they stay fresh.
Not wasting is frugal. When your budget is very tight you need to look for ways to not spend and not waste. Making what you have go further is very necessary.
How are you coming with your skill building? (Gus says he's working on his cuddling skills)
Learn to work on your skills even if it takes working around obstacles and even when things seem to be holding you down...ahem Gus :p
https://www.thebalanceeveryday.com/frugal-living-4161963 - this has some frugal info.
https://flowingcents.com/55-simple-frugal-living-tips-to-save-money-in-2020/ - some more frugal thoughts.
https://www.simplelifeofacountrywife.com/ways-live-frugal-life-save-money/ - scroll down to the tips.
https://savingandsimplicity.com/75-super-frugal-living-tips-cut-household-expenses/ - this has tips as well.
I think you will find helpful ideas here from these sites, you might even already do a lot of them.
"In Argentina, Relief Society leaders are trying to teach the importance of food storage. They wrote: “Unfortunately, most of the sisters [here] cannot afford to buy an extra kilo of sugar, or flour, or an extra liter of oil. However, they have been encouraged to save, even just a spoonful at a time." (Elaine L. Jack)
I think this sets a good example for us. Even the littlest amount adds up. However, one thing is required...just do it. If you don't do it, it won't get done.
Make it a habit. Remember rotation.
Try to store basic items that many things can be made from. For example, I store powdered milk because I use that. I don't store evaporated milk and I don't have to worry about recipes that call for cream. I just use the powdered milk in more of a concentrated form.
Evaporated milk - use one and a half cups water to a half cup plus one tablespoon of milk powder and you have what would equal one can of evaporated milk.
A lot of people turn their nose up at powdered milk but it might not be what you are used to.
I use non instant powdered milk as it stores way longer than the instant but I have used plenty of instant as well.
Either way, use it or lose it and by that I mean use it daily or it goes to waste...
I keep a jar on the counter for easy use.
As you go about fixing food pay attention to how many times a recipe calls for a few tablespoons of milk or a half a cup, even a cup. This is easier to do than you might think to get used to using powdered milk for all cooking. If it is easier, have a quart jar mixed up and in your refrigerator but I find over the years that I just automatically mix it when I need it. Also, you can put the dry milk powder in with the dry ingredients and the water in with the wet ingredients. I don't think you will notice a taste difference so this would be a good place to start.
Store the basic ingredients, you can make your own items rather then running out to the store...
I was in the middle of making enchiladas when all of the sudden my sleeve snagged the open can of enchilada sauce and it fell and spilled. What was I to do? Well, I made this recipe - https://www.livingonadime.com/enchilada-sauce/
I was worried it would not taste the same but it did and I was so amazed. I did not put the green pepper in as I was in a hurry and it was quite a bit cheaper than the can I usually got and I had everything on hand.
My husband built this spice rack for me based on these jars.
When building your storage add spices.
https://www.budget101.com/recipes/516-complete-mix-recipe-index/ - this site has much we could use.
https://www.budget101.com/recipes/544-taco-seasoning-mix/ - look at the recipe, can you make this without going to the store?
https://www.budget101.com/recipes/448-convenience-mixes-2/ - try recipes, save the ones you like in your binder. Neat thing is you don't need the chemicals.
http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2016/02/monday-message_29.html - you can see some of the bread mixes I make up here. I don't do them long term, just for ease. I put the water in the bread machine then add the mix. I could also do by hand using this mix...
http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2019/08/monday-message.html - scroll down till you see the turquoise booklet, Liza's recipes follow. This is the recipe we put in jars. I do mine with regular flour and add one tsp. vital wheat gluten for each cup of flour, this makes bread flour too.
http://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2015/07/monday-message.html this has lots of bread info.
Try to store ingredients for the recipes that you make then you can just fix from scratch what you need.
https://familycorner.blogspot.com/2017/08/homemaker-series-basic-homemaking.html - this is a very good read.
Frugality is different for everyone. I may have had to do frugal because of hardships but if I had not learned I could not have bettered our lives. You may feel like I concentrate a lot on the same things, it is because these things have helped me the most. Try to learn those things now when you are not pressed to by harder times.
I am a huge believer of hard copies. You can learn much from books. I know we live in this age of internet and believe me, I have learned a lot from it too but having books in hard copy has its place too.
