"Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to ‘prepare every needful thing’ (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors, and support bishops as they care for others." (All is Safely Gathered In pamphlet)
Preparing every needful thing is quite daunting but just like every big task do a little a time and you will be surprised at how quickly it gets tended. Of course, doing nothing nets nothing.
The picture above was a Mother’s Day gift which got me organizing for some of my skill building. These are beads I have gathered over the years from yard sales. I use them in tatting and spinning and will use them in bobbin lace too.
Craftsy had free watch classes again so I frugally did that. One of the classes was the second in a series tatting class and I was able to learn a lot and further that skill.
This brings me to this project of organizing my tatting...
So I got this container for five dollars, 50% off at Hobby Lobby so I could use for my tatting container that is mobile. I needed to spread things out so that they were easier to get to.
I had one of those tiny cut and press mats for quilting that you can take with you. I got it at a yard sale for a dime long ago.
I needed it to fit in the top tray of this little tote to use. As you see here the problem was that it had a handle and would not fit so I cut off the handle and now it works like this…
I needed a tray for just my tools…
Next the tray with buttons and threads.
Then the last tray with thread and beads completed this reorganizing project. Pill containers were used from the dollar store.
I was able to get it done in time to make two book marks to stick in graduation cards.
That sent me on to gathering things I had for bobbin lace. This basket drawer was a dollar at a yard sale.
I have gathered bobbin lace things in it.
The second drawer is bobbins and a giant ball of thread solidly packed into the size of a large grapefruit that I purchased at thrift store for $1.99.
The tin under table on bottom holds thread for using with bobbin lace tin and thread gotten separately at yard sales
The table was from a thrift store for a dollar and the green silverware tray was free.
I was so surprised to see how many tools I had. Two I just found in my sewing supplies, both pin lifters, who knew! They were from yard sales. The books were from a library sale and most were from the Half Price Bookstore (my favorite place).
I think you see a frugal thing here is the theme.
I am getting ready to work up some dresses. This cutting board I got at a yard sale for twenty five cents. It works perfectly on the bed to cut out patterns.
This is the same dress pattern I did that was green checkered with different color buttons that I made and changed to fit me but I wanted you to see what I used for the pattern... yes, leftover wrapping paper.
This post was to show a few ways we can be frugal. Lots of us already do these things and other frugal things without even thinking about it.
Preparing for every needful thing means using your frugal skills. Do I HAVE to have these things? No, but they are skills that help me make clothes and gifts that I have frugally gathered…do this with other storage items too.
Missy and Gus said they were free and give free loves, so being frugal is a great skill! :p
"Today, I emphasize a most basic principle: home production and storage. Have you ever paused to realize what would happen to your community or nation if transportation were paralyzed or if we had a war or depression? How would you and your neighbors obtain food? How long would the corner grocery store—or supermarket—sustain the needs of the community?" (President Ezra Taft Benson)
I know when things are going smoothly it is very hard to think that they would ever change. Life is going along well. You have a good income. The biggest thing on your mind is getting everyone where they need to be on time. But I guarantee you that won’t even be on your mind if you were suddenly out of work.
One job that my husband had suddenly cut the pay in half for the same hours of work. I thought, oh no…well, we will just have to do what we could. We had food storage, we could scrape by if it did not get any worse… but not much longer again his income was cut in half for the same work but now it was one fourth our pay.
We were holding on by a thread as we were told it would soon improve. My husband had bypass surgery the year before so we needed the insurance and we were both up there in age which made getting another job harder to do plus, we were told it would get back to normal... and then we got no pay. So when I tell you things can change, believe me they can change. Are you prepared??
Here are my thoughts: When it happens first tears are shed and there's a desperate feeling of what will we do? Job search begins, resume updated. Yes, I can tell you word for word because I have lived it. You assess what resources you have, what food we have in the freezer, refrigerator, and cupboards. We are patching clothes. I can tell you with kids you don’t want to worry them. If your job paid really good and you were always eating out and going to movies or taking vacations this all comes to a screeching halt. Then yes, you will need to explain to your kids and ask for their help. We never made such an income and I was frugal and stored food, so in those ways nothing changed just no grocery shopping. What would you do?
I know the answers can be as many as there are people… I just want you to realize nobody’s job is totally secure, nobody nohow it just isn’t no matter what you want to think.
Building skills how are you coming on those????
I am still working on learning my weaving. In the above pic you can see the pink and the plum. I had a friend who was working on a crochet project, afterward she gave me the leftover yarn. The weaving pattern I was working on had three colors so I picked a cream to go with the leftover yarn she gave me, problem was that this was all that I had on hand and the cream color was thinner by half, so this was a learning thing for me. I doubled the cream thread and worked it as one, it is perfect…the other thing you can see here the yoga type mat. I had saved it for another project. I got it at a yard sale from a free box…..you can use paper when rolling fiber on the back beam but I saw in an old weaving magazine that someone did something similar which reminded me of this mat. I only had half of the mat because I gave the other half away but it is working fantastically. So that was a new learn and then I showed you my little invention before but I'll put it up here again.
So these are the things I have been learning on the loom.
I have also been studying bobbin lace, wanting that to be one of my skills….more on that to come.
I have been doing some organizing and cleaning of sewing drawers.
Spring is finally here in central Iowa as you can tell by the top picture. From thinking that spring would never come to weather that has been like summer here… I hope it won’t stay that way through all of spring.
Keep learning your skills and keep stocking up. Be as prepared as you can be!
"Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to ‘prepare every needful thing’ (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors, and support bishops as they care for others." (All is Safely Gathered In pamphlet)
"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)
Work, industry, frugality that is very much what must be done.
I was putting my sewing needles in a tin yesterday.
When I thought about this …
Do you have needle and thread and the know-how to use it? It reminds me of the story of a general authority visiting a war torn area... they would hand out oranges, which is something they never got. When one woman went up to get her orange she spied the sewing kit in the suit case and asked if she might have that instead. They gave it to her and going back to her seat others said they expected her to share with them. Can you imagine life that hard? Can you be so hungry that upon seeing the sewing kit you put that need above food? Something to ponder…
You know just certain things stick with you and this story affected me so much. I try to keep my supplies up.
Can you imagine not being able to replace your clothes and not have what is needed to repair them? This is something we take for granted. What else do we take for granted??
The needles in the above picture were gotten from yard sales and thrift stores.
We have been visiting a bit on thrift stores and yard sales because yard sale season is upon us. I know it is work. Take a friend who wants to yard sale with you. My sister and I would have a sister time and go to yard sales. We would take a munchie or lunch with us and a drink. We each had a list. We would read each other's lists too. Four eyes are better than two! That was helpful for us. We had great sister time and stretched our money at the same time.
I was telling you in the comment section about the pasta machine…
This is the only one I was familiar with.
Then I saw this machine in a thrift shop...
This manual does not even have the USA flag and language in it has many others, just not ours. I would not have been able to read it except it had Great Britain and I could read that.
This machine is hand crank and even does cork screw pasta. I had not ever seen this nor have I seen it since but I ask myself, what if? On items I see…it is the same maker as the pasta machine above. That one makes noodles, this one does macaroni etc.
See the price? It was 3.99, a very good purchase.
At yard sales I find interesting things like the attachments here for ten cents. I have a kitchen aide mixer.
I just thought for ten cents I should get it. Well when I got home and read the directions I found out I needed the meat grinder. Thinking, oh dear, I put it where I keep my other kitchen aide items and then I saw that I had gotten the meat grinder at another yard sale for a dollar and forgot. So now I can use my machine to make pasta as well. I also was able to get a scraper beater for it from freecycle. So see, you just have to keep your eye out for things. All these items were at different sales at different times.
What if? Is a question I use a lot when deciding a purchase even at a yard sale. Is it a flash in the pan item I am not interested in like those pancake flipping pans? You can only make one at a time. How many can you get on griddle or even a pan? Exactly. This flip pan is not a good purchase. Fabric and notions are a good buy, unless really ugly fabric. So just think things through.
I plug in items like dehydrators and other electric items. Just ask to plug in. I plugged in one dehydrator. It went clank clank so I walked away, not a good purchase.
I call yard sales a good way to be frugal and being wise in purchases a good skill. I repaired this basket this week on a frugal note.
Years ago we were on a walk and I noticed a sign hanging in a yard, it simply said "rug weaver." I always thought that was what I wanted to do so when a rug loom showed up in Goodwill I loved it but the price was too high. I would visit it every time I went in and touch it. I noticed a drop in price still too high so I just figured it would not be mine. Then one day a friend called me and said she was there. I said, oh go touch my loom! She said I had better come get it as they were having a half price sale. I said even that price was too high. She said no, they dropped the price and that now it was half off. It was sixty dollars so we went and got it. They used a forklift to put it in our truck. It was a lot of work taking it all apart to come in and then restoring it, then learning to warp it and use it was a challenge.
But you see the pic at the top of the page, it all worked out and now I am a rug weaver though I am still learning lots but it's a skill I worked hard on to get this far.
I got this at a yard sale years ago, it is an on going learning skill for me. It was the most I ever paid at a yard sale but was way worth more than they asked and at that time I could do it.
This serger I got for ten dollars at a yard sale too. So you go put your frugal powers to work
Yard sales and thrift stores have helped me so much.
How are you coming on your skill building? How are you coming on storage? Keep working on these and being frugal it all works together.
"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)
I think making a plan is a good way to start. When I first started I did the basic staples - flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, shortening. Then as I learned more, I stored more and kept learning and kept storing. Remember - rotation is essential! If you save food and do not rotate when the time comes and you need it the food will be bad. If you store food and use it everyday like it was a big pantry it just becomes a way of life.
Here are a few ideas on using food storage every day. I so love these gals and all they do:
http://storethisnotthat.com/use-whole-wheat-recipe/ - great ideas for using your wheat.
http://storethisnotthat.com/irresistible-whole-wheat-banana-pancakes/ - I love these pancakes and so will you.
http://storethisnotthat.com/homemade-easy-animal-crackers/ - these look so fun. Can you see making these for family night? Check out your cookie cutters, any shape would work.
http://storethisnotthat.com/circus-animal-popcorn/ - we love popcorn at our house!
Do you store popcorn? Chocolate chips (any flavor)? By the way, my tip here is to store both and to be sure to vacuum seal them.
I just keep my vacuum sealer on the counter ready to go all the time.
Popcorn is a favorite in our storage. I remember reading one of the Little House books. In the books, their friends came to visit, she brought popcorn for them to pop while they were there. It was a surprise. When asked where did she get it out there on the prairie, she said her husband said they did not have room to take it in the wagon and she sat on it all the way there. I thought that was fantastic. So I always keep popcorn in my storage, vacuum sealing extends its life.
http://storethisnotthat.com/no-churn-homemade-cotton-candy-ice-cream/ - yum! Be sure to click the video on storing powdered milk.
Having a well stocked storage makes it possible to do things from scratch.
When we had our kiddos at home still, I did things from scratch and made lots of good yummies. I made cookies so they would come home from school to warm cookies. A friend would come with and she said, "how do you know how to make so many different kinds?"
I remember when I was younger going to my friend's home. Her mom made bread and homemade noodles. I would come home and tell my sister all about these wonderful things. I knew I wanted to do the same and so I have…
I use an electric knife to slice my homemade bread but it's not necessary, any bread knife will work. Then I bag it, freeze it, or gift to someone.
Soon it will be time for rhubarb. I think growing it in your yard is a great thing…
Very frugal to grow your own and sustainable.
This is our favorite recipe and notice it is from one of those church type cookbooks I mentioned last week.
We love this cake, we serve with cool whip but without is great too
I got my rhubarb by asking on freecycle if anyone had a start and this lady said she threw it in her compost but could never get it to die and that I could have it. It is still growing strong today. Ask people you see or know that have a great bunch growing if you could get a clump. More than likely they would love to share with you.
Keep working on your storage, cooking from scratch, learning and working on your skills and being frugal.
"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 - I love this quote. If you lived frugally and had your storage and skills then when something unfortunate happened you could more calmly handle what life throws at you.
If you think back to the hard times in your life, would having skills and supplies on hand have made a difference? Sometimes we can look to these times to help us prepare. Also, looking to what other people have done can be helpful as well.
I have mentioned before someone telling about an ice storm they went through to our north. The storm took out power for weeks. They were prepared and had a wood burning stove. But as the time went on and there was still no power they had to go find wood as they were using theirs up. It was very dangerous to go find wood as they could hear trees cracking branches under the weight of the ice. The branches were falling all around and we are not talking twigs.
They would go out and turn on the car to hear the radio to see how far away work crews were from them. They had food stocked up and had candles, which she mentioned they put one in a jar at night on the toilet tank so that the kids could see to go to the bathroom and that was after flashlight batteries wore down. For the most part they did okay. They had board games and books. She said the thing that bothered her the most was that the floor could not be vacuumed.
So I remembered this when I went to a yard sale and saw a carpet sweeper for 75 cents. I snatched it up. This was preparing to me, learning from someone else and what they went through. So learn from your bad times and learn from others. Believe me, we have had lots of things going on around the world to learn from and prepare. I may never have an ice storm that takes out power for two weeks but then I might, it has happened here before. But paying 75 cents is a small price to pay to do my floor so it doesn’t drive me nuts.
When hurricanes knock out power for many days we hear of people having block parties and cooking food from their freezers. From this we see it would be good to have food stored in other forms that are not perishable. I know we will never get a hurricane in Iowa but we do get tornadoes. I do have things in the freezer but I also have canned meat, fruit, and veggies. I also have the stuff stored to can the frozen things if needed.
So what I am saying is while none of us can miss having hard times, we can offset the impact. Of course some things cannot be prepared for but then we have ourselves, others, and our skills. Not to mention we can be prepared to help others. Once I read where a lady had a neighbor who when she asked if he was prepared for tornado season he said yes he has his crowbar in the basement she was curious and asked, crowbar? He said if anyone gets hit he would grab it and help his neighbors and if he got hit he could use it to get out.
So again think about your hard times. What would have made them better?
What if you loved loved loved raspberry jam and you could not get any, you just could only have plain toast until things got better? I think you would wish you had some raspberry jam all that while... This is just a tiny example. You could live on the plain toast as long as you stored and had things like pans and ingredients but raspberry jam you would be thinking about…and if you grew raspberries and built your skills to make jam this would enhance your life.
When you go to yard sales or thrift stores think about items that will help you. Instead of buying a knickknack, get a rolling pin or knitting needles or sewing notions. I even have gotten winterizing items, just thinking ahead. Always think, what would I need? Not, what do I want? That is the key.
I have been blessed to buy things at yard sales that have helped us over these many years. Yes, we had to budget for the yard sales but it is amazing what you can find.
When we first moved back to Iowa we had no refrigerator and no stove and two little girls. I had a freezer, a crockpot that sat on a base, a waffle iron, and a microwave for cooking devices. Let me tell you that it was very hard and I had to be creative.
It was hard, I kid you not. The base of the crockpot is like a griddle but tiny for a family of four. I learned how to do desserts in a crockpot.
And I learned to make French toast in the waffle iron. We called them eggy waffles.
Eventually we could get a used refrigerator or a used stove for one hundred dollars. So I decided I would like a stove more than a refrigerator since I could only get one. I then looked in the free flyer which showed yard sales and I saw used refrigerators that were perfect for worm refrigerators that were twenty dollars. We borrowed a truck and stopped at the sale on way to get the stove. They sold me one refrigerator for fifteen dollars. It was very old and we picked up the stove, very old as well. I felt soooo good to get both. We had them for years.
Later I found an electric skillet at a yard sale for two dollars. I saw it and remembered this hard time and thought… I wish I had this then, so I got it even though the thought came to me that I might never be there again. Don’t listen to those voices. I went ahead and got this…
We were able to get a new stove a long while later by then. They changed to electronic ignition which means when the electricity goes so does the oven. I stirred up an angel food cake and went to put it in the oven and that element went out. It was a gas stove. I had recently heard you could bake an angel food cake in an electric skillet. So I got out this pan and baked the cake and yes, it worked, so you never know.
Things I have found helpful…
And many more items that have been very useful. The kerosene lamps I picked up have served us well through many storms.
The long pan with candles in it I use for decoration but is really for storage if we needed light.
I use lots of storage items to decorate with, just think outside the box.
I made this basket to hold emergency candles in.
When things were better for us I stocked more things like sewing supplies, first aide supplies, and food storage, and found things we could use for less money etc. When things weren’t so good we were able to manage better.
Give thought to what you would wish you had gotten if you had no money and if you think that no money never happens, think again. Do the best you can. Prepare for as much as you can
