Small Daily Acts
Posted: February 27, 2011 Filed under: FOOD FOR THOUGHT 1 Comment“Life is made up of small daily acts. Savings in food budgets come by pennies, not only by dollars. Clothing budgets are cut by mending stitch by stitch, seam by seam. Houses are kept in good repair nail by nail. Provident homes come not by decree or by broad brushstroke. Provident homes come from small acts performed well day after day. When we see in our minds the great vision, then we discipline ourselves by steady, small steps that make it happen.” Barbara B. Smith
Creativity in Provident Living
Posted: February 20, 2011 Filed under: FOOD FOR THOUGHT Leave a comment“Let us see what creativity can do to heighten the standard of our living, not reduce it—to be provident without becoming penny-pinching, miserly, or ungenerous. “ Barbara B. Smith, 1980
Got Powdered Milk?
Posted: February 13, 2011 Filed under: FOOD FOR THOUGHT | Tags: lds food storage, provident living, self reliance Leave a comment
One night the phone rang at the home of Russell Hakes, who at the time was serving as stake president. “President Hakes,” came a man’s determined voice, “I refuse to store powdered milk! The Church wants me to store powdered milk, and I just won’t do it!”
President Hakes could hear the emotion in the man’s voice. He assured him that the Church did not expect him to store powdered milk if he didn’t want to. “You can choose any kind of storage for your year’s supply; it’s up to you,” he said, trying to calm his caller.
“Well, I’ll be hanged if I’ll store powdered milk!” the man huffed, slightly appeased. “I have six cows!”
We can all appreciate the humor of this situation. When our leaders urge us to be self-reliant, to manage our resources wisely, and to be prepared for emergencies, they are not advocating any specific storage item as an indispensable part of gospel living. What they are asking us to do is invite the spirit of self-reliance and provident living into our homes.
“Catching the Vision of Self Reliance“, Ensign, May 1986, 89
One Spoonful, Then Two . . .
Posted: February 6, 2011 Filed under: FOOD FOR THOUGHT Leave a commentIn 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, 1994
Helping Hands
Posted: January 30, 2011 Filed under: FOOD FOR THOUGHT 4 Comments“We are all self-reliant in some areas and dependent in others. Therefore, each of us should strive to help others in areas where we have strengths. At the same time, pride should not prevent us from graciously accepting the helping hand of another when we have a real need. To do so denies another person the opportunity to participate in a sanctifying experience.”
Marion G. Romney, 1982
Food for Thought
Posted: January 21, 2011 Filed under: FOOD FOR THOUGHT | Tags: food storage, well stocked pantry 2 Comments“This is not a doomsday program, but a program for our lives here and now . .” Marion G. Romney speaking on self reliance, 1982.
When considering food storage let’s fill our pantry out of wisdom, not worry.
Yesterday and Today
Posted: January 14, 2011 Filed under: FOOD FOR THOUGHT, THREE MONTH PANTRY | Tags: food storage, well stocked pantry Leave a commentPeople have been storing food for thousands of years and for many different reasons, which leads me to believe that it’s not an odd notion to do it now. Church leaders have counseled us in the past and recently to be prepared by storing food. A few days ago I found a dusty old food storage book printed in 1974 with the following advice, “If you store nothing else at least be prepared to prevent starvation and maintain health by storing”: Wheat – 300 lbs, Honey – 100 lbs, Milk – 100 lbs, and salt – 5 lbs. This was good advice, but unfortunately . . .
That was the kind of food storage that ended up hidden under beds and in out of the way recesses of the house which eventually got thrown away by children cleaning out their aged parents homes. Today’s counsel has changed making food storage more like a way of life.
“Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage.
For longer-term needs, and where permitted, gradually build a supply of food that will last a long time and that you can use to stay alive, such as wheat, white rice, and beans. A portion of these items may be rotated in your three-month supply.”
I found a great worksheet at iPrepared to help get started with a three month food supply. The first thing on the list – Think about the meals that you regularly eat. Check out the chart at iPrepared.
Squirreled Away 