Preparedness

Doing something everyday on one's food storage may be practical if one's spouse has a good job that pays well. We have always worked on food storage on occasional assessment bases, and considering weekly specials at the stores and the funds we have available to take advantage of them.

Having had a family of nine children, food storage has been a necessity for us. That is, we found that we could only afford to feed that many children by building up reserves, so that we were not at the whim of weekly prices at the stores.

Once you find some good buys in quantity on items, you can build up here and there your food storage. Getting, having and keeping enough on hand of a given item allows us to wait until the next special comes along (if it ever does-this will depend upon the item).

Also, my wife being a mostly "stay-at-home mom" (other than occasionally when she comes to help me in my business), has allowed her to cook from scratch. She is an excellent cook. She is a very good shopper (for food). She is an accomplish seamstress. Our fifth oldest daughter (6th oldest child), as a junior in high school, just attended a girl's preference dance last Saturday evening. She (our daughter) bought her own shoes. She, of course, paid for the date. But the fabric and all cost less than the bargain shoes my daughter bought for the dance. And the dress was a "knock out" design of a dress, while remaining very modest.

The winter months can be very lean in my business at times. In the last couple of months, my wife, who usually pays around $100 per week for groceries, has managed, at my request, to get as low as $60 - $65 per week. I haven't noticed much difference in what she is able to buy. Of course, she'd prefer if we had more to spend. But she does an incredible job, in part, because we bought things like potatoes last fall after harvest cheap, fresh & good, and have stored them in garbage cans with find sawdust in them (leaving them outside in Utah winter weather). Most of the potatoes haven't frozen, and are still very firm and good (a few have).

My wife has figured out how to prepare and serve very delicious and nutritious meals spending far less money than most, because most (though not all) meals and dishes are largely prepared from "scratch". Few women these days have developed that skill.

When she has asked me how much of something we should get, I have not been shy, conservative or squeamish about the quantities to buy, when we can "squeeze" the money out for things. "Buying BIG" when prices on good products have been good, and we have the money to buy them, has helped us keep our overall food budget low, while we still eat VERY WELL.

We use our wheat and other grains and "long term" storage items all the time. Oils last only around a year. Likewise peanut butter. You use it or it goes rancid (Yeck!). We hate to lose it. So we try to use it. Occasionally we have to throw food away that's gone bad. But I'd rather do that, than not have what we need when we need it.

Noah preached for 120 years for people to repent or the flood would come. Talk about a "chicken little". Mercy on the Lord's part, I'm sure, was seen as a bluff on the part of those Noah strived to get to repent. Time and time again, the Lord shows that he is merciful, but that he will not be merciful forever. Some, like those in Noah's day, as well as MILLIONS (overall) of others have learned, like the Nephites did in the 4th Century A.D., that it can become "everlastingly too late".

Have faith in God, in his word, in his warnings, in his commands. Trusting in the "arm of flesh" means trusting that you can always run to the store and get what you need. The five unwise virgins learned (and will yet learn again), that when one waits too long, it can and does become "everlastingly too late".

Lets heed the Lord's word, and PREPARE "TODAY"!