Sunday, September 26, 2010

September 26

Basic Long Term Storage
Per adult for one year


Grains: 400 lbs.
Legumes*: 60 lbs.
Powdered Milk: 16 lbs.
Cooking oil: 10 qts.
Sugar or honey: 60 lbs.
Salt: 8 lbs.
Water (2 wks) 15 gal.

*Legumes include dry beans, split peas, lentils, etc.
Source: First Presidency Letter, 2002


March 2009 Ensign:

  1. Gradually build a small supply of food that is part of your normal daily diet until it is sufficient for three months

  2. Store drinking water

  3. Establish a financial reserve by setting aside a little money each week, and gradually increase it to a reasonable amount.

  4. Once families have achieved the first three objectives, they are counseled to expand their efforts, as circumstances allow, into a supply of long-term basic foods such as grains, legumes, and other staples.

"This new program is within everyone's grasp," explains Bishop Burton. "The first step is to begin. The second is to continue. It doesn't matter how fast we get there so much as that we begin and continue according to our abilities."


Self Reliance Tips


#1. Find an out of area contact. If there is a local emergency, your family should have a contact that each person knows the number to. This way no matter where you are, everyone knows that this is the person to contact to let them know how and where you are and to also find out about the others in your family.


#2. Gather maps for your area, and any other areas you may go in an emergency or on a daily basis. This way you will be able to review any alternate routes should you have to evacuate the city, or skirt around a disaster that might have happened. Highlight the routes you may take, and share these routes with your family.


#3. Gather all of your flashlights and check the batteries. Make sure they are fresh, and instead of keeping them in the flashlight, maybe keep them in a ziploc in the same location as the flashlight. Make sure the flashlights are easily accessible and in places where you might need them if the power is out.


#4. General Conference time of the year is a great time to check the batteries in your fire alarms, and recycle your water storage. Use up your water that has been sitting. Water your plants, inside and out, and fill up the jugs with frresh clean water.


#5. Post important phone numbers close to your phone. Also put your own phone number and address close for a quick reference for your children, babysitter, or visitors if they need to know it in case of an emergency.

Monday, September 20, 2010

September 19

Okay, I have had lots of people ask me how I get by on such a small food budget in a month. I will share some thoughts. First off you need to learn to buy things in bulk. For example: if you like pasta, and it goes on a great sale, and you would normally buy 2 packages, instead buy 20 packages or 40. Whatever your budget will allow you to buy, do it. For example, this week
I just purchased 100 lbs of brown sugar, and 75 lbs of pasta. Now I don't have to buy pasta again until it comes on sale the next time, or my store starts running low. If you get into the habit of doing this, pretty soon you will have yourself a grocery store in your storage room and you will never have to purchase things (except fresh stuff), unless it goes on sale. And if it doesn't go on sale, then only purchase it in bulk, like a 50 lb bag instead of a 1 kg bag. When I first started on this way of purchasing we ate alot of pasta and rice in the beginning until we built up a supply of other things, but now we do not HAVE TO buy anything unless it is on sale or in bulk.

Sometimes we still impulse buy, and that is soooooo not good, but we are getting better! So start changing your mind set on how to smart shop, you will be amazed at how fast it can build up. And if you have any questions, please call me because I would love to tell you more about it, and how to store it, and all that jazz!

Challenge for you this week:
Whatever is at the top of your priority list for your storage, locate the best place to purchase it, figure out how much you need, and go for it. Start shopping smart! Start your own store. No more excuses!


Following is a brief outline of what the prophets through the years have couselled us concerning food storage. It is in no way a complete list, as much has been said, lots more recently that I have not included. Search the past few years of Ensigns and church articles on the lds.org website and you will find many more that are recent.

1856 – Brigham Young – store 3 to 5 years of wheat
1857 – Brigham Young and Heber kimball – store 7 years of wheat, pumpkin, squash, currents, apples, peaches, beans, peas and others
1864 – President Young – store 7 years of wheat
1867 – George Albert Smith – store 7 years of wheat
1868 – President Young – still 7 years of wheat, oats, barley, corn, vegetables, and fruit
1891 - George Q. Cannon – still 7 years of grains and fruits
1893 – George Q. Cannon – 1 to 2 years of grains and fruits
1916 – Charles Nibley – 1 year supply of food
1936 – President McKay – 1 year supply
1942 – First Presidency – 1 year supply
1954 – Bishop Buehner – 1 year supply
1958 – July Improvement Era – Counsel Regarding Food Storage - long term & short term storage – parable of the 10 virgins
1959 – September Improvement Era – Wheat 300 lbs, pwd milk 100 lbs, sugar 100 lbs, salt 5 lbs, vitamins 365, water – per adult
1966 – President Lee – 1 year – think what it would take to survive
1973 – President Benson – 1 year of leather and bolts of cloth
1973 – First Presidency – 300 lbs grains, 100 lbs sugar/honey, salt 5 lbs, first aid items, fuel, sewing stuffs
1973 – President Benson – clothes, and sewing stuff
1976 – President Kimball – 1 year supply
1978 – President Packer – 1 year
1980 – President Benson – 1 year supply and grow stuff and be self sufficient with fuels and sewing
1982 – Elder Busche – oils, honey, and pwd milk – 1 year
1988 – First Presidency – 1 year – clothing, fuel, grains, etc, etc,
1995 – Elder Perry – Life sustaining foods
1995 – Elder Perry – If ye are Prepared ye shall Not Fear
2007 – Bishop Keith B. McMullin – Lay up In Store
2007 – August Ensign – Are You Prepared?
President Hinckley November 2005 Ensign
If Ye Are Prepared Ye Shall Not Fear
“If anyone has any doubt concering the terrible things that can and will afflict mankind, let him read the 24th chapter of Matthew. Among other things the Lord says: “Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars..... “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. “All these are the beginning of sorrows.....
“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
We can so live that we can call upon the Lord for His protection and guidance. This is a first priority. We cannot expect His help if we are unwilling to keep His commandments. We in this Church have evidence enough of the penalties of disobedience in the examples of both the Jaredite and the Nephite nations. Each went from glory to utter destruction because of wickedness.
......the best storehouse is the family storeroom.....”organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing. (D&C 109:8)
Now what I have said should not occasion a run on the grocery store or anything of that kind. I am saying nothing that has not been said for a very long time.
Let us never lose sight of the dream of Pharaoh concerning the fat cattle and the lean, the full ears of corn, and the blasted ears; the meaning of which was interpreted by Joseph to indicate years of plenty and years of scarcity.