FAMILY HOME EVENING IDEAS FOR PROVIDENT LIVING

Preparedness, when properly pursued, is a way of life, not a sudden, spectacular program.  We should refer to all the components of personal and family preparedness, not in relation to a disaster, but in cultivating a life-style that is on a day-to-day basis its own reward.  (Spencer W. Kimball)

Family Home Evening is an ideal time to introduce and carry out provident living activities that will become life styles in your family.  Following are a few ideas for this.

Food Storage

Food storage, in addition to basic survival necessities must include things that your family likes and will eat. 

Make a couple of weeks of menus together and note what your family likes.  Be sure to include breakfast and lunch as well as dinner.  If nobody will eat oatmeal for breakfast why would you store it? (Except to make cookies). After you have looked the menus over, make a list of foods to include in your storage.  Teach your children that it wouldn’t be provident to go out and buy everything on the list all at once in the quantities that you would need for storage.  Decide on one item to purchase by the case each week to slowly build up your supply.  That evening you could go as a family to the store to buy your first case of food for your storage.  If you already have some food storage you could make the treat for that evening using items from your food storage.

Meals from Food Storage

As a family look over what you have in your food storage.  This would need to be done the night before the meal preparation.  Decide on a meal that could be made from the items on hand and then have your children help to make that meal for dinner.  Be sure that you don’t forget dessert.   You might want to discuss additions to your food storage after this activity.

Snack Mixes

Snack mixes can be expensive and often contain something in them that one (or more) of your children won’t eat.  The solution to this is to make your own snack mixes.  First look in your pantry and see what you might have on hand.  Then take the family and go to a store that has a good selection of bulk food and choose a few things that go together and that everyone likes.  Things that you might include are pretzels, goldfish crackers, m&ms, cut up dried fruit, nuts, popcorn and cereal.  Get snack sized Baggies and then divide your snack items up into different combinations and bag them.  You are set for individual treats in the car, school lunches and after-school snacks – all at a fraction of the cost of purchased mixes. (Thanks to Tammy Price for this idea.)

Alternate Cooking

Cook your meal in a Dutch Oven for Family Home Evening.  There are many recipes on the Internet for main dishes, breads and desserts.  Your children can help put the food into the Dutch Ovens but an adult will need to take care of lighting the coals and attending the food as it cooks.

Tips for S t r e t c h in g Our Money As We Stock Up

Make a menu and plan your grocery list from your menu.  

Always shop with a list. 

Distinguish your needs from your wants.

Eat less meat.  Implementing 2-3 meatless meals will give you more money for other items (and will be healthier).

Many meat departments will discount meat early in the morning.

When making casseroles or soups, use ½ of the meat that is suggested.

Generally, buying meat in bulk is less expensive.  Place in freezer bags and date.  Freeze.

Milk can be frozen.  When you find a good bargain on milk, buy several gallons.  To allow for expansion of the jug, use about a cup from each gallon before freezing.  If you are going on vacation and you have milk in the refrigerator that has not expired, put it in the freezer and use when you get home.

Whipping cream and buttermilk can also be frozen.

Consider using powdered milk by itself or mixing it with regular milk.

Grow your own garden.  

Consider canning your produce or dehydrating it.  

Freezing fruits and vegetables is also another way to preserve foods.  Buy, chop, freeze.

Buy cheese on sale and freeze.  I like to grate my cheese before freezing.

No need to buy canned beans.  Soak, cook dry beans and freeze in baggies.

Limit your eating out.

Watch for sales and stock up.  If you don’t take a newspaper, you can go online to the various grocery stores and look at their weekly ads.

Instead of buying frozen waffles for your children’s breakfast, make your own and freeze.

Store what you eat and eat what you store.

Grind your own wheat and make your own bread.

If you don’t make bread, stock up on bread at the day old bakery.

Don’t shop for groceries when you are hungry. If possible, leave kids home.

Eggs can be frozen.  When you see a good sale, buy several dozen.  Crack each egg into an individual ice cube tray and freeze.  When they are frozen, take them out and store in a zip lock bag in the freezer. (ice cube trays may be hard to find - check a thrift store.)

Use coupons if they work for you.

Make your own laundry detergent for pennies a load.

Rinse and reuse zip lock bags (except for bags containing meat).

Invest in a freezer and dehydrator.

Cook from scratch.

Eat food in season.

Buy in bulk when it makes sense.

Stock up when things go on sale.

Buy store brands.  Most of the time store brands/generic brands are cheaper.

Make a budget and stick to it!

Check out Pinterest for money saving tips.

When baking, cut down on the sugar.  Less sugar will also reduce  your waistline!

Don’t go into debt for food storage.  Remember, one can at a time!

FOOD (stored) FOR THOUGHT:

Believe it or not, provident living and being self reliant is much more than collecting 5gallon buckets of beans.

A great quote I recently heard is “Being provident means planning ahead so you don’t have to panic.”  We all face adversity in our lives on a daily basis.  If we live providently, we will be better prepared to deal with whatever comes our way.

So what exactly is provident living? And how do we know if we are living providently?  The church has categorized self-reliance into 6 elements of preparation. They are:

* Physical Health

* Employment & Income

* Emergency Preparedness

* Financial Management

* Production and Storage of Food and Basic needs

* Spiritual, Social and Emotional Preparation

There is detailed information on these 6 areas on providentliving.org If you haven’t visited this website, it is a must!  You can find everything on there from budgeting worksheets to determining your BMI (Body Mass Index).

Tammy Price, our Stake Provident Living Specialist, said, “Our biggest hurdle in Provident Living is to stop asking ‘do I really need to do this’ and start asking ‘how do I do this for our family’?”

Obedience is crucial, if we choose not to heed the counsel of becoming more provident, we are denying the Lord to perform miracles and magnify our efforts.

Becoming more self-reliant “looks” very different for each of us.  Let the spirit guide you as to what area you need to focus.  One family might feel inspired to get out of debt.  Another family might choose to focus on emotional health.  And another may choose to start exercising.  This is so individualized; the important thing is to prayerfully create a detailed written plan.

We are asked to involve our entire family in this process.  H. David Burton said, “Each generation must learn anew the principles of provident learning.” 

This means it doesn’t matter if your mother was really great at budgeting, or you father was perfectly prepared for emergencies.  We all must learn to do it ourselves.  We can’t stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.  Nor can we expect our children to just know how to do this.  Eventually we all must learn these principles.  As we become more provident, let us take the opportunity to teach our children these skills. 

There is a caution we must heed: Don’t do too much at once!  These 6 areas are so all encompassing, so just pick one area, and work on it.

 

Russel M Nelson said, “Be patient with your self.  Perfection comes not in this life, but in the next life.  Don’t demand things that are unreasonable, but demand of yourself improvement”.

Year after year of making little changes to improve our self-reliance, we will find we ARE living more providently each year. 

Loving the Harvest

I'm behind in getting posts written for this blog because it is harvest time around here. I have learned to love the harvest! This is the time of year when all the hard work of planting and caring for a garden pays off.

People have been very generous this year. Since others know that I am willing to go to the work of preserving the fruits and vegetables, they are kind to offer to share their abundance. We have picked apples, plums, blackberries, nectarines, and zucchini this year. I've also driven out to the orchards and picked up peaches and pears.

With the help of my extended family, we canned 228 quarts of applesauce and juice! I've also done 7 dozen jars of peaches and so far I have done 4 dozen jars of pears. I have 4 more dozen to go before I'm done. I've  done about 20 batches of freezer jam and lots and lots of fruit rolls. Salsa is half done and the ingredients are all waiting in the freezer for me to harvest enough tomatoes to finish the batch. Our family is more than set with our year supply of fruit to pull us through until next year's harvest! It feels so good to have the shelves in the storage room and freezer full again.

The fruit is so pretty in the jars and it tastes heavenly! I realize that it is a bit of work to get it all done, but I work extra hard for about 5 days and then have it set to go for the rest of year. I am teaching my kids important principles at the same time. Those lessons are priceless!

Defrosting the Freezer

Once a year, every summer, I learn just what I have stored in our big freezer. I have a pretty good idea since I am constantly rotating items, but when it comes time to defrost the freezer, I find everything that may be hiding. This summer the ice had built up quite a bit since my kids left the freezer open a couple of times after getting popsicles out. Thankfully, I do end up in my freezer a few times a day so it didn't go very long before being discovered.

The first big task requires turning the freezer off and then emptying it out.

We filled our coolers first, and then filled every laundry basket.

As the ice begins to soften, I've learned to scrape at it a bit with a spatula.

My kids love making snowballs in the summer and my neighbors get a kick out of watching their snowball fight in 90+ degree weather. (I've learned you have to make work fun!)

To speed up the process a bit, I pour hot water over the built up ice.

We are making good progress!

After clearing out all the ice, I dry it well with a towel.

Then we restock the shelves! Order has returned to our little part of the universe! From start to finish, it took us just over an hour. The other great thing is that I only had to throw 2 items away because they had gotten lost in the corners and were too old and freezer burned.

A full freezer allows me to sleep better at night because I know our family will be taken care of for quite a while. Hopefully, these pictures inspire you to stock up and count your freezer as part of your food storage. (We do have a generator and fuel to help us get through a longer power outage.)

Your wheat will be more valuable than money

The time will come that gold will hold no comparison in value to a bushel of wheat.
~~~~ President Brigham Young

Anyone who has ever been in a situation to rely on their food storage or 72-hour kit will agree with this statement from long ago. All the money in the world can't provide for your family in an event that all the supply lines are cut off.

As James and I have considered the amount of money we need to have saved for our 6 month Emergency Fund, we keep in mind that we have our food storage so we do not need to save enough to cover the cost of groceries every month. This significantly reduced the overall amount we needed to save and helped us reach our goal must faster.

I am also confident that our family likes what we would be eating and I know how to cook it. An organized food storage meal plan really brings a lot of peace.

Emergency Preparedness: Ideas From Some Who survived this year’s disasters

This newsletter was prepared by Cynthia Hutchings of the Hobble Creek Ward - 

During the recent earthquake in Japan and tornados and now floods, in the Mid-West and South, I received these ideas from friends, family and LDS members who lived through these events. 

                My family ‘s hometown in southern Illinois was struck by 2 tornados and record breaking floods followed.  My daughter’s family in Texas were close to tornados and now wild fires.  Friends in Alabama were not directly hit with the tornados but their family and friends live in the Birmingham and Cullen areas.

1.       Sometimes there isn’t time to even grab a 72 hour kit, plan for this.  Have a family evacuation place, set up and know where you will meet if you get separated.  Have regular practice drills on how to get out in case of house and land fires, floods, earthquakes, explosions, tornados etc.

2.        Flashlights are good, but for long term events, a lantern is better .  A member in Japan said that she and others wished they had more candles on hand.  Most flashlights have to be held…while lanterns can be set on a surface and candles can be put in jars, cans etc.

3.       A generator saved frozen food storage in Alabama…while fuel generators were great,  but my friend is looking for a solar one that will not require large fuel storage.  They have been food storage experts for years, living in Alabama, but didn’t have a generator at first.  They had a full tank of gas so were able to drive 2 ½ hours north before they could even find a generator during this emergency.

4.       Practice cooking on your food storage stove, etc.   Using these things for the first time during an emergency can be trying.  Also be sure to know how to use all emergency equipment:  lanterns, generators, first aid, etc.

5.       When the tornados hit Alabama…it was difficult to get gas for your car, since the pumps run on electricity.  Our friends in Huntsville, Alabama were without electricity for five days…the few stations that had generators were overwhelmed with customers.

6.       Getting out of an emergency area may be critical:  Suggestion – keep your car filled at all times

A good rule is to fill it when it reaches ½ empty.

7.       From friends in Alabama: “I was sure grateful for my water storage…it saved us from a very difficult situation.  We couldn’t wash or bathe as often as we wanted to but at least we could eat.”

8.       Plan for sanitation  & water contamination.  Cooking with limited water and heat.  Medical situations. Have plenty of your prescriptions on hand.

9.        In Alabama phone service and communications went down.  Their cell tower was spared so they could use a cell phone, however, in other areas they didn’t even have this luxury.

REMEMBER THAT STORES AND RESTURANTS RUN ON ELECTRICITY- IN AN EMERGENCY THEY WILL BE CLOSED

Happiness and Self-respect Come from Self-reliance

. . . all people are happier and feel more self-respect when they can provide for themselves and their family and then reach out to take care of others. I have been grateful for those who helped me meet my needs. I have been even more grateful over the years for those who helped me become self-reliant. And then I have been most grateful for those who showed me how to use some of my surplus to help others.

I have learned that the way to have a surplus is to spend less than I earn. With that surplus I have been able to learn that it really is better to give than to receive.

Source: Henry B. Eyring "Opportunities to Do Good" April 2011 General Conference

Gardens Teach Self-sufficiency

“Food grown in a home garden can be part of the overall family storage plan. It may be thought of as “living” storage. Planting a garden, even a small one, allows for a greater degree of self-reliance. “ www.providentliving.com  

“In the environment in which we live today, we all should be looking to greater self- sufficiency, a greater spirit of self-reliance, a greater desire to take care of ourselves and our own.”   –Gordon B. Hinckley Nov. 1982

Growing your own vegetables in containers or mixed in with your flower beds is the new excitement in our communities is seems. The Farmer's Markets are packed with people looking for fresh, locally grown produce. 

The principle of planting a garden and learning firsthand the law of the harvest has been taught for generations. It does require some work, so  it seems that many people do it for a few years and then cycle through a period of letting it go.  I invite you to plant at least one thing this year. It is not too late. You can purchase starts from a local nursery and try something. You will be glad you did. 

What Should You Prepare For?

It has been difficult these last few weeks as I have been watching the news reports about the flooding along the Mississippi River and the tornadoes ripping through the South. I've thought some about the effects it is having on personal lives and families. I have also realized that it is important to research and understand the kinds of emergencies that could happen within your own area. Floods and tornadoes are not common here in the Boise area where we live.  The number one reason that families are forced to evacuate is personal home fire. The next likely problem would be a severe winter storm that may take power out for a certain amount of time. We really are blessed to live in an area pretty safe from natural disaster. This doesn't mean we don't need to prepare though. Knowing this,helps me to focus my preparedness efforts to be ready for what is more likely to happen here.

We have a fire-proof safe that holds our important insurance and financial papers. (Writing this makes me think that I need to update the family pictures that are stored in there.) We also regularly hold fire drills at the house so we all know the fastest way out of different rooms. The other preparation we have made is to insure that we have fire extinguishers in the garage and the kitchen which are the two most likely places for fires to start.

To prepare for the winter storms, we have a generator with fuel so we could keep our fridge and freezer going. We also have a kerosene heater to provide heat if our furnace were not working. Our food storage and other preparedness items here at the house would help us live out the storm and be OK until power was restored.

Take some time to research what disasters are most common in your area and let this be your starting point for preparedness.

Should I Even Worry About a Garden?

I found this question and response printed way back in 1977. I seem to hear this same question being asked today. I thought it appropriate to share these thoughts with the gardening season upon us. Even if you plant just a few items in pots or containers, you will be teaching these very important principles to your children or grandchildren and giving yourself an opportunity to strengthen your own testimony.

Why is there so much emphasis on home gardening and production? These things are so time-consuming and troublesome. Hasn’t mass production proved to be cheaper and much more efficient?

There are several reasons. First, from the time that the early Saints moved West right down to the present, home production has been encouraged in the spirit of our knowing how to be self-reliant. The issue is not purely economics or preparation for emergencies, either; it reaches deeper into life than that. There are a great many satisfactions in self-reliance and provident living.

Second, although it may cost more in terms of time, effort, and sometimes even money to produce certain necessities, it is cheaper in the long run because it is the beginning of self-reliance and independence. It will enable us to help ourselves and our neighbors during times of trouble.

Third, these activities keep alive the skills necessary for our survival in times of emergency. By and large we are no longer an agrarian society that could turn back to the soil and begin right away to make a living for ourselves. Many, many beginners in home gardening, for example, can testify to that! Learning these skills once again is very reassuring, as well as satisfying.

Finally, President Kimball recently said, “I remember when the sisters used to say, ‘Well, but we could buy it at the store a lot cheaper than we can put it up.’ But that isn’t quite the answer, is it? … Because there will come a time when there isn’t any store.” (April 1974 Welfare Session.)

Source: August 1977 Ensign

Hooray for Moms!

Mother's Day is a day that turns our thoughts to those who have mothered us. We think of women who have been great examples for us. We also realize the HUGE task that is ours to "mother" the children around us whether they are our own or we "mother" other's children in some way. Many days it is overwhelming! It is difficult to see the big picture when we are "down in the trenches."

I think of my mother and grandmother who have been great examples of mothers. I realize they weren't perfect. They made plenty of mistakes that we laugh about now when we visit. But, I see the caliber of people they have for children which is a testament to the kind of mothers they were and still are. I know that as we do the best we can every day, Heavenly Father will fill in the gaps. He will place in our lives the women we need to learn from so we can do better.

As far as provident living goes, even though we know it is a family affair, it often falls on the shoulders of mothers to make sure the food storage is there and the teaching is happening with our children. So, as with every other area of our lives, pick ONE thing you are ready to learn or work on and start there. Our kids will be watching and soaking up more than we realize.

I have a friend who learned who my mother is and she said, "No wonder you are so good at provident living, you were trained by a master!" A little here and a little there, my mom taught me these important principles and you can do the same for your kids. And so today I say, "Hooray for moms. Hooray, hooray, hooray for moms!"

Frugal Food Storage

We really wanted to begin a food storage program, but as newly married full-time college students expecting our first baby, we wondered how we could possibly do it. Discouraged, I said, “Food storage must be one of those things you do after your children are grown up.”

My husband smiled at me and then dashed to our cupboard, opened it, and pulled out every box, package, and can. As he hummed a tune, he began arranging everything into groups. He looked at me, grinned, and pointed to a small stack of food.

“Food storage!” he said. I looked at the stack: two cans of green beans, a bag of rice, a package of spaghetti, and one jar of apricots. “This is our food storage?” I asked.

“Sure,” he answered. “This is our frugal food storage.”

Since then we have followed his frugal food storage theory. Each week we bring home our groceries, go through each bag, and ask, “Can we do without this item this week?” If we can, we set it aside as a food storageitem.

This idea works so well that six years and three children later, we are still using it. Though we have more money now than we did during our first year of marriage, we are still on a budget. Following are a few other tips that help us add to our food storage when money is scarce:

1. 1. 
   Store any storable food that comes from an unexpected source. For example, if friends or family invite you to dinner or bring in a meal to you, store the canned or packaged food items you would have used for that meal.
2. 2. 
   Set aside a small amount of money each week to buy staples such as pasta, baking ingredients, and paper products. You may be surprised at how quickly you can build up a supply of these staples for only a few dollars a week.
3. 3. 
   Learn how to bottle, freeze, and dry fresh foods. Even if you don’t have a garden, you can preserve small amounts of fresh fruits or vegetables when they are on sale at the grocery store.
4. 4. 
   Set goals for your food storage supply. Work toward a one-month supply, then a three-month supply, and so on. Be realistic.

Try new ideas until you find the ones that work for you. The important thing is to start now; don’t wait until you have more money, or you may never start. Next family home evening, go through your cupboards and set some of your food aside for your food storage. You can have a food storage program, even on a modest income.—Colleen Hansen, Marienville, Pennsylvania

Source: January 1993 Ensign

Sunday Will Come

On this Easter Weekend, I find myself reflecting on the life and mission of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Every year at this time, I join all the other Christians in the world as I remember the horrible events that led up to the glorious resurrection of the Son of God. I am reminded of an amazing talk given by Joesph B. Wirthlin in the October 2006 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He had recently lost his wife of 65 years. He took time in his talk to reflect on the joys of this life and also the sorrows we face. He then talked of the Savior and of his death and resurrection. He assured each of us that "Sunday will come." Just as the resurrection morning followed the darkest few days in mortal history, when we are facing challenges, we can be confident that "Sunday will come."


I have copied a little of the talk here. Enjoy!


The Resurrection is at the core of our beliefs as Christians. Without it, our faith is meaningless. The Apostle Paul said, “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and [our] faith is also vain.”
In all the history of the world there have been many great and wise souls, many of whom claimed special knowledge of God. But when the Savior rose from the tomb, He did something no one had ever done. He did something no one else could do. He broke the bonds of death, not only for Himself but for all who have ever lived—the just and the unjust.
When Christ rose from the grave, becoming the firstfruits of the Resurrection, He made that gift available to all. And with that sublime act, He softened the devastating, consuming sorrow that gnaws at the souls of those who have lost precious loved ones.
I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross.
On that terrible Friday the earth shook and grew dark. Frightful storms lashed at the earth.
Those evil men who sought His life rejoiced. Now that Jesus was no more, surely those who followed Him would disperse. On that day they stood triumphant.
On that day the veil of the temple was rent in twain.
Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were both overcome with grief and despair. The superb man they had loved and honored hung lifeless upon the cross.
On that Friday the Apostles were devastated. Jesus, their Savior—the man who had walked on water and raised the dead—was Himself at the mercy of wicked men. They watched helplessly as He was overcome by His enemies.
On that Friday the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised, abused and reviled.
It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God.
I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday was the darkest.
But the doom of that day did not endure.
The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind.
And in an instant the eyes that had been filled with ever-flowing tears dried. The lips that had whispered prayers of distress and grief now filled the air with wondrous praise, for Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, stood before them as the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the proof that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence.
Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.
But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.
No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come.

Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Sunday Will Come,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 28–30

Teaching the Next Generation

Self-reliance is a product of provident living and exercising economic self-discipline. From the beginning the Church has taught that families—to the extent they can—need to assume responsibility for their own temporal welfare. Each generation is required to learn anew the foundational principles of self-reliance: avoid debt, implement principles of thrift, prepare for times of distress, listen to and follow the words of the living oracles, develop the discipline to distinguish between needs and wants and then live accordingly.

Source: The Sanctifying Work of Welfare H. David Burton Sunday Morning Session April 2011 General Conference


This is a statement that stood out to me as I listened to the General Conference of the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The idea that each generation must learn anew the principles of self-reliance is very important. It is important that your grandmother knew how to can her garden produce and that your parents figured out being content with what their salary could give them, but it is more important that you figure it out and teach your own children. These are lessons and skills that every generation must learn.

Find opportunities to teach these principles. Get your children involved in the kitchen as you learn to cook with storable items, plant a garden this year and give them all assignments, hold a family night on budgeting using Monopoly money so your kids gain a better understanding of just how much it takes for essentials, or create a family vacation budget and have the kids help plan the activities that will keep you within your budget.

These are a few simple ideas. It takes work as a parent to teach our children all they need to know but that is what we committed to when we became a parent. If these are skills you still need to learn before you can teach your kids, set some goals for yourself in this area. Make it fun and the kids will soon want to be learning at your side.