The Rest of the Story...

Perhaps you remember Lynn Crapo who did a guest post earlier this year. She sent me an email a few days ago and updated me on her situation. I requested her permission to share it on this blog so that other readers may be uplifted by her faith and ability to count her blessings. Thanks again for sharing Lynn! You are INSPIRING! We'll keep you and your family in our prayers.

Hi there.

I am sure you remember the guest post I did for you back in Feb. of this year.

Life has been fast paced and hectic since then and I almost forgot about it (the post and our no spend month) until just today.

My husband DID actually lose his job. A little earlier than we expected. He went to work one day back in August and was surprised to find that the entire department had been laid off..........just like that. No warning. The whole place was in a shock. They actually took all the employees jobs from that department and gave them to a company in the Philippines to do for them. It was kind of ironic.......as we have MANY members of our ward from the Philippines over here searching for work. They are taking any job they can to provide for their families they left behind. It's so sad. And now my husband and many others have lost their jobs to those who are there. It's so strange.

Anyway.....I just wanted to update you, as you had always asked how we were doing and were so kind with your comments.

I wanted to let you know how blessed I feel. I know. I bet you weren't expecting that.

But I do.

My dad (64 years young) just had a heart attack last Thursday. My mom has been with him every day in the hospital. She is plum worn out. But she made the drive up here (2 hours) to pick up my brother from the airport with our help, (flew in from England) to go and surprise my dad with a visit. We are so excited and can't wait to hear how that surprise went.

You see........my brother, Mike who just came over here, is a Bishop there in his ward. Earlier this year he suffered a brain infection and went crazy. He almost lost his life. It was a horrible and scary time for the entire ward, and his wife and kids. And of course the rest of us here, feeling helpless so many miles away. But my dad and my mom did what they could to get over there to say their good byes. The doctors didn't know if he would make it.

But he did. With my dad's love and help. (And of course a priesthood blessing and loads of people praying for him.) He has come SO far in his physiotherapy. My brother had to "show" his brain how to read and write all over again.

Now here he is.....returning the "favor" for my dad. : D I can't wait to hear how that meeting went. My dad is not eating these days, as it's too hard on his heart to do anything since the attack.

However, with prayers and a blessing, my dad is also receiving a miracle. You see......his heart is creating it's only blood vessels around the area that is 100% blocked. These little tiny blood vessels that are new are working like mad to grow and mature and pump his blood for all it's worth.

I feel SO blessed.

Now for one more thought on being blessed.......

I just remembered my post for your blog tonight...........when my mom and brother and my brother in law who drove my mom up to the airport........... came over for a hot meal (it's SO cold these days) before I sent them on their way back home (2 hours drive again). I felt blessed when I realized that all I had to do was to go down to our basement and get what I needed from our food storage. IT was all there. No worries for things needed to feed others.

...

I have faith that things will work out. It's been 4 months now that my husband was laid off........but things will get better. We know it.

I just had to share this with you.

Thanks again for all you do.

Lynn Crapo

Real Life -- Living It

Because we can learn so much from each other, Monday's posts will be "Real Life -- Living It" featuring a guest post.

“If men could learn from history, what lessons it might teach us!” wrote Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1831. 1 While it may sound surprising, a look at Church history can teach us about preparedness for our day." An article written by William G. Hartley entitled "Sturdy Shoes and a Waterproof Tent" includes:

"Lessons from Crossing the Plains -

1. When we ignore preparedness counsel, we can expect unhappy consequences.
2. Protect against nature.
3. Be accident cautious.
4. We should protect ourselves from uncaring or dishonest individuals.
5. Protect against discouragement.
6. Be creative and adaptive in difficult times.

Lessons from the Mormon Battalion's March -

1. During a crisis we may need to leave our family to meet community needs.
2. Water-purifying pills or filters are essential.
3. Writing materials and a camera are helpful resources.
4. Bread and other grain materials are important.

Lessons from the Saluda Disaster -

1. When the Spirit cautions us against something, we need to obey.
2. Up-to-date rosters of people are important, and parents need wills that specify who should have their children.

Lessons from the Pioneer Famine of 1856 -

1. In times of dire food shortages, we should be willing to share our personal food storage with others.
2. During times of famine we might choose to fast more often to provide for the needy.
3. When the course of our normal life is disrupted, it helps to fill free time with constructive activities.

Lessons from the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire -

1. Have sturdy shoes and durable clothing nearby in case of a sudden nighttime emergency, whether at home or away from home.
2. Have fire extinguishers in our homes.
3. Have emergency water on hand in sturdy, non-glass containers.
4. Have minimal cleaning items, such a moist towelettes, toothpaste, deodorant, face towels, and even small bags of detergent.
5. Have emergency food as we have been taught.
6. It is important to have two or three meeting places where family members can find each other in case disaster strikes and the family is scattered.
7. Be prepared to leave cherished belongings.
8. Ignore wild rumors that spread in panics and don't pass them on.

One Final Lesson -

Along with all of the practical lessons history teaches, one more lesson comes through: maintain good attitudes during troubled times. A sense of humor is like salve on a wound."

To read the article in its' entirety, click here.

(Source: William G. Hartley, “Sturdy Shoes and a Waterproof Tent,” Ensign, Oct 2001, 38)

Real Life -- Living It

Because we can learn so much from each other, Monday's posts will be "Real Life -- Living It" featuring a guest post.

This week's guest post is from an Ensign magazine article entitled "Focus on Family Finances" by Allie Schulte. She writes: "Either we control our finances or they control us. Here’s how to get the upper hand."

"Jason and Alanea Hanna faced many financial questions when Jason lost his job. Should they relocate and find another job? Should they try to find a job where they were currently living? After considering several options, they asked the most important question of all: “What would the Lord have us do?”

“We studied talks by prophets and apostles on topics like debt, budgeting, and saving to try and figure out what the Lord wanted us to do,” Alanea explains. “We knew that the Lord’s plan was the best plan and that we would be blessed if we followed it.”

After prayer and contemplation, Jason and Alanea both decided to return to college and finish their bachelor’s degrees. They took out minimal student loans to pay for their education, and both worked full-time to provide for their other expenses. They coordinated their work schedules to ensure that one of them was home with their children. They budgeted carefully, spending their money on the essentials and eliminating fast food, cable TV, and new clothes. Jason even rode his bike to school and work to limit the costs of gasoline and car insurance.

Now Jason works as an engineer. Alanea also completed her degree and is currently fulfilling her responsibilities as a full-time mother of five children. They still live within their means, budget carefully, pay tithing, and live according to the financial counsel of Church leaders. “We’re grateful for the trial and the experience,” Alanea says. “It ended up being a great blessing in our lives and taught us that the Lord will always bless us if we are obedient.”

Read the entire article here.

(Source: Allie Schulte, “Focus on Family Finances,” Ensign, Jun 2009, 28–33)

Real Life -- Living It

Because we can learn so much from each other, Monday's posts will be "Real Life -- Living It" featuring a guest post.

This week's guest post is from an Ensign magazine article entitled "One Can at a Time" by Mary L. Wilson. She shares how she overcame her fears of "being trampled by the enormity of the food-storage elephant."

"It would take an elephant to feed my family for a year, I thought as I tried to make a plan for our food storage. And how could I afford it or store it all? Just then an old saying about elephants popped into my mind: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” The question for me was, “How do you store an elephant?” The answer was—one can at a time!

The Church has provided many areas with a wonderful resource: the dry pack cannery. If there is one nearby, we can sign up to pack various products at reasonable prices. Dry packing in number 10 cans is a convenient and safe way to store the basic foods needed for long-term storage. Our “elephant” could fit nicely in our storage room. The next question was, how could we afford it? Our family came up with the following ideas for financing our food storage:

1. Save all the change that comes home. It is amazing how much money five people can contribute in just a week. With only $1 per week per person, we could dry pack one can of potato pearls, or three cans of flour, or one can of delicious apple slices.

2. Use the money from our tax return for quantity purchases. A case of six cans of basic items of milk, flour, sugar, and wheat was affordable and helped us be much more prepared. When we added pasta and beans, we felt that in an emergency we could actually create family meals for a month.

3. Buy one extra item when at the store. Oils, salt, and spices are necessary for a complete storage plan. The cost of one item was seldom noticed in our grocery bill, but our storage room benefited greatly.

An article in the Ensign about debt reduction states, “Your most important savings is food storage” (Jack M. Lyon, “ ‘How Many Loaves Have Ye?’ ” Ensign, Dec. 1989, 41). We have tried to balance this with monetary savings. Each time we purchase an item on sale for food storage, we try to save the extra amount we would normally have spent and add it to our food storage fund.

Our food storage is growing day by day, can by can, case by case. We are better prepared and no longer afraid of being trampled by the enormity of the food-storage elephant." —Mary L. Wilson

(Source: Mary L. Wilson, “One Can at a Time,” Ensign, Aug. 2001, 68)

Real Life--Living It

Because we can learn so much from each other, Monday's posts will be "Real Life -- Living It" featuring a guest post.

This week's guest post is by Sara from The Pantry Panel. Sara posted a talk she gave in her LDS ward on June 14, 2009 entitled "A Provident Living Talk". I love how she shares personal experiences and the blessings she's received from following inspired counsel. (Thanks for your permission to share this post Sara! You are INSPIRING!)

A provident living talk

Given by me in my LDS ward today.

-=-=-=-=-

"At long last, frugality is becoming cool! According to last week’s Washington Post, people are no longer trying to keep up with the Joneses. “Instead of feeling conscious about spending less, people are flaunting their frugality.” Of course, in the church, provident living is not some new trend.

What is provident living? Provident means carefully preparing for the future. Elder Robert D. Hales said in last conference, “To provide providently, we must practice the principles of provident living: joyfully living within our means, being content with what we have, avoiding excessive debt, and diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies. When we live providently, we can provide for ourselves and our families and also follow the Savior’s example to serve and bless others.”

The church puts out “Family Finances” pamphlet that summarizes advice about Provident Living: (1) Pay tithes and offerings, (2) Avoid debt, (3) Use a budget, (4) Gradually build a reserve, and (5) Teach your children.

Pay tithes and offerings. President Hinckley called tithing “the Lord’s law of finance.” When we put the Lord first financially by paying tithing, God is able to keep his promises, and open the windows of heaven to bless us. I know that God blesses us when we keep his commandments, especially when it is difficult.

Avoid debt. Our society has had to relearn this lesson recently, haven’t we? Our country’s recent financial problems have mostly been caused by excessive debt. Every generation or so we forget, and we have to learn this all over again.

Even young children can understand why debt is harmful. Sometimes my kids see the pay-day loan stores, with names like “The Cash Store.” They ask me, “Mom, can you buy cash at the store?” I say, “Yes! They say, ‘We’ll give you $10 today, but you have to pay us $20 next week.’” The kids laughed and laughed, and asked, “Why would anyone ever do that?” I did exaggerate the amount of interest slightly to teach the principle, but this is the truth about debt and interest. You always have to repay more than you borrow, and you can never be sure that you will have the money to repay in the future.

Some in recent years have tried to make debt look sophisticated. But no amount of sophistication can deny those simple truths about debt and interest. Speculative thinking is nothing new. In 1986, Elder James E. Faust said, “There are some investment counselors who urge speculative credit practices described as ‘leverage,’ ‘credit wealth,’ and ‘borrow yourself rich.’ Such practices may work successfully for some, but at best they succeed only for a time. An economic reversal always seems to come, and many who have followed such practices find themselves in financial ruin and their lives in shambles.” History repeated itself yet again.

It’s especially important to avoid consumer debt. Credit cards can be handy. But if you can’t pay off the balance every month, get rid of them. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin counseled in April 2004, “Those who use credit cards to overspend unwisely should consider eliminating them. It is much better that a plastic credit card should perish than a family dwindle and perish in debt.”

Elder Hales said, “Of course some debt incurred for education, a modest home, or a basic automobile may be necessary to provide for a family.” However, even in these cases, debt should only be incurred carefully and prayerfully, and minimally.

Education: Student loans are often thought of as “good debt.” Interest rates have been low in recent years, and education usually leads to increased income that can be used to pay off the loan. But I know of many people whose student loans have caused them a lot of trouble. The loans have to be repaid even if the degree is not finished, or if job opportunities are not what you thought they would be, or if the degree is in a low-paying field, or if the student wants to become a stay-at-home mom. Student loans are not bankruptable, so even in a worst case scenario those debts are with you forever until they are repaid. So make these decisions prayerfully, and get your education without debt if possible.

Car: a “basic automobile” is not a new one. New cars are much more expensive than used cars. New car loans are often structured so that you owe more on the car than it is worth, making the car impossible to sell without spending thousands of dollars. Reliable used cars can be found with careful research and shopping. Teenagers can save up for old cars and pay for them with cash, which is what my husband and his brother did when they were teenagers. That car was often broken, but they were motivated to keep the car running, and they learned how to repair and maintain a car. These skills have blessed our family and saved our family a lot of money.

House: Debt is usually necessary to buy a home now, but in recent years excessive debt has been promoted. It used to be that banks required a 20% down payment on a house, and monthly payments had to be no more than 28% of your income. Buy a “modest home,” as President Hinckley counseled. If you follow these rules, you will have some measure of safety even in a declining real estate market. Avoid home equity loans, and seek to pay off your mortgage as quickly as you can. President Hinckley told the story of President Faust paying off his 4% mortgage, even though people thought it was foolish to pay off a loan with such a low interest rate. But he understood that being debt free brings freedom.

Use a budget. A budget is a great place to start to get control of your finances. When you write down where your money goes and make a plan, it’s easier to see the waste that you can cut out to reach your goals. The mystery of where the money goes is solved, and you are empowered to improve.

Elder Hales counseled us to “joyfully live within your means.” How can we do this? Often we think of budgeting or cutting back expenses as a matter of deprivation. But it helps for us to have the right attitude. Don’t compare your financial situation to affluent lifestyles portrayed in the media. My husband and I once attended a Parade of Homes home show. We enjoyed looking at the many lovely features in the fancy homes, but when we came home, we found ourselves less satisfied with our own simple home.

Instead, compare yourselves to your grandparents when they were your age. We have a great deal to be grateful for. Of course our grandparents didn't have cell phones or cable TV. But they also did without things that we see as necessities, such as air conditioning and dryers. Families had one car each. My grandparents raised 8 children in a 1200 square foot home. That isn't done anymore, but back in the 1960s it was relatively common.

Getting by on a very small budget can become a game. My grandmother was a divorced mother of 3 young children in the 1960s. Money was extremely tight, and often my grandmother went hungry because there was not enough food for everyone. Yet my mother thought of it as a fun challenge to show how clever they were. Their natural gas was turned off the summer after their dad left, and their stove was gas, leaving them without a way to cook. Granny figured out how to cook meals in the electric coffee pot (they were not Mormon at the time), and the children thought their Mom was so clever to figure that out. In our families, we can seek to have the same attitude, even in desperate circumstances.

Sometimes we think of frugal ways of life as “poor,” and extravagance as “rich.” But wealth is accumulating money. If you spend your money on disposable purchases, you don’t have the money anymore. Many rich people are frugal; that’s how they got the money. My husband’s grandparents are enjoying a comfortable retirement after a lifetime of frugality. Even though they don't have to be frugal anymore, they still only eat oatmeal, cracked wheat, or cornmeal mush for breakfast. All of the money they saved on simple breakfasts and in other countless ways over the years added up. Let your children know that those who spend more money than you are not necessarily richer. Without talking about any specific family’s finances, let them know that debt sometimes makes it appear that others are more prosperous than they really are.

It helps to think about what deprivation means to you. Is it deprivation to eat simple foods, wear yard sale clothes, or drive an old car? Or is it deprivation to not be able to afford to have another child, or have mother in the home, or to be unable to sleep well because of excessive debt?

Gradually build a reserve. Save money for a rainy day. 10% is a good figure to shoot for, and increase that if circumstances allow. The money can be automatically withdrawn from your accounts so it can be done without thinking about it.

Also, remember a reserve is more than just money in the bank. Food storage is part of a “reserve” as well.

Plan for the future, and have goals. Often young couples get used to spending two incomes, not planning what they will do when children come. When we were a young married couple, it was our goal for me to stay at home with the children when they came along. We made our decisions on that basis. It was fun to see how little we could live on! We avoided debt, lived in cheap apartments, and avoided turning on the air conditioning and heat. I worked, and during my time off I learned frugal skills such as bread baking and cooking from scratch. We shopped carefully, stocking up on food when it was on sale, eventually building up a good supply of food storage. We drove a junker car. My husband fixed anything that broke. Because of our choices, we were able to reach our goal.

Teach your children. So many young adults are unprepared for adulthood. We may have provident living skills, but the next generation needs to learn them or else those skills will be lost. How can we teach them to live providently?

Don’t do too much for them. I recently watched a news segment called “Unspoil your kids.” Even if you have means, make them work for what they want. Have them provide for their own car, buy their own clothes, save for their own missions or education. This can start at a young age. When our kids whined in the store for candy, we asked them, “Where is your money?” They didn’t have any, and a fight was avoided. We wanted them to never get the idea that it’s the parent’s job to provide for more than the basics. Children are naturally much more frugal with their own money than with your money.

Teach them how the household budget works. When I was a kid, I saw my dad’s paycheck. I selfishly imagined all the things I could do with that money, because I didn’t understand what family obligations that money paid for. We taught our children how the budget works in a family night, using an idea from this book. We represented our household income with Monopoly money, and asked our children what they wanted to do with it. Then we showed them where the money has to go, and how little discretionary money we actually had. After we did this, our children have desired to do what they can to help us save money.

Do self-reliant things as a family. Teach your children to cook. Even young children can learn to make sandwiches, or prepare oatmeal. My mom taught me, “If you can read, you can cook.” We have created a family cookbook so my children can have the confidence to make our family’s favorite recipes. Do family work projects together. Last month, our family worked together to insulate the attic. We all did our part, and the work got done. More importantly, our children can look back on experiences like that when they are adults and gain the confidence to do needed repairs themselves instead of hiring others. Grow a garden and preserve the surplus together as a family. Include your children when making repairs.

Provide the child with opportunities to work for money. Sometimes families give allowances to help children learn to manage money, but in my opinion, the most important lesson to learn about money is that you exchange work for money. Work together as a family. My husband’s parents ran a newspaper distribution office when he was growing up, and as a family they would assemble the newspapers before they were delivered. Because of experiences like this, my husband and his siblings all grew up to be hard workers.

Talk to your children about money. Help them to understand how interest works, and why debt is bondage. Often people are quiet about their financial problems, so children grow up only seeing the fun side of overspending, and never see the full consequences. My kids sometimes overhear the Dave Ramsey show, a national radio show that helps people get out of debt. The show has given my children a good education about why debt should be avoided, by hearing the consequences of others who have gotten into debt. Explain to your children, in a way that they can understand, why it is smart to be frugal.

I testify that Heavenly Father has blessed us greatly, and he wants us to use our earthly resources to provide for our families, plan for the future, and bless others. I know that when we make wise choices with our money, we are blessed with peace."

(Source: Sara, The Pantry Panel blog, June 14, 2009 post)

Real Life -- Living It

Because we can learn so much from each other, Monday's posts will be "Real Life -- Living It" featuring a guest post.

This week's guest post is by Angie. She was asked to talk in her ward about food storage and how they've done it. When I asked Angie for permission to share her post, she was very kind and willing. (Thanks for sharing Angie! You are INSPIRING!)

Being Prepared

I have been asked to talk in our ward about food storage and how we've done it. So this is long, but here's my rough draft:

Preparedness with Little Space or Money

Set goals and make decisions: We decided in August that we were going to start taking food storage seriously. We made a goal to have a certain amount of money set aside each month. Our budget was already tight, so we weren't exactly sure where this money would come from. I also made lists of what we needed and what we had. We prayed sincerely and consistently for our Father in Heaven to help us. We saved all the money we could and when we started to falter, the Lord stepped in and blessed us. He made it possible for us to be in the position we are. Our food storage is still a work in progress, but at least it's progressing!
"Replace feelings of fear with an act of faith."

Three-Month Supply: The church suggests starting with a 3-month supply of the foods you usually eat. The easiest way to start accumulating is to simply buy two or three instead of one item when you're at the store, especially when it's on sale. Every spring and fall, there are Case Lot Sales. We saved up our money in between these times, so that when things are on sale we have the cash to buy in bulk and end up saving money.
Finding a place to put food storage, even a three-month supply can be very difficult. In our small 1200 square foot condo, we had to be creative. I decided to just get the food and bring it home, and I would find a place for it. And it works. Under beds are a great place to store things. Our canned goods are under the boys beds in their room, this is nice because it also prevents them from putting toys under the bed when they're supposed to be putting them away. Under our own bed we have #10 cans of wheat and oats. The large buckets would be more difficult to fit in our home, so most of our long-term storage is in the #10 cans.
We have also rearranged our closets a bit, even moving some things out of the closet to shelves or dressers, so we can fit buckets or boxes in the closets. I know people who have cleaned out their linen closet, keeping towels in the bathroom and sheets in the bedroom, so they can store food on the shelves in their closet.
We rotate our three-month supply when we buy new food, by moving old food into pantry, and the new food under the bed. We use the old food, but if we replace it every 6 months to a year, it will never go bad.

Drinking Water We definitely do not have space for a big blue barrel of water in our condo. So we had to be a little creative again. We have space for a few cases of bottled water and some old juice bottles filled with water that we can use for washing, not drinking. Then we go a filtered water pitcher, with extra filters. This is not ideal and if we had space we would choose to store more water, but this is a way for us to hopefully clean whatever water we can get hold of if we have the need.

Financial Reserve Pray. A lot. And act on faith. We decided to keep an emergency account with one thousand dollars. We have used this to cover unexpected car or medical expenses, when our check-book just can't cover it. Then we put in a little each month until it's back up to 1000.
In August we felt we couldn't just rely on miracles to pay for our storage, so we all have extra little jobs to make it possible. I believe the Lord rewards us for our effort. The kids and I have a paper route. It's very small and only makes about $10/month, but it's a way for the kids to help out. They aren't slaves though, they get to keep any tips for themselves and we also agreed to let them help us decide which storage foods to buy with the paper route money. So, we have chocolate milk, popcorn and dried strawberries, all earned by them. Nick also delivers pizza one night a week, which is just a few hours of time, but a couple hundred dollars will buy a lot of wheat!!!

Longer-Term Supply Speaking of wheat...one of the best things I can do for my family's food storage is to learn how to use it. I know how to bake bread and though I don't do it all the time, at least I know that if the need arises I can do that. My family will be eating soft yummy bread, rolls and pancakes instead of a month or two of me baking bread that has the consistency of a rock, while I figure out how to cook and my family is hungry and relying on me. Other important cooking skills are home-canning and using dried beans and wheat.
Being in a condo, we don't have much of a garden. So, the past two years, I have helped my sister plant and take care of her garden, in return for half the produce. The winter months have been so hard because the price of produce seems so outrageous compared to simply picking what I want. Fruit trees and a garden are a great source of food! The cost of planting is so minimal compared with the harvest. And if you grow more than you eat, there are always others to share with.
The church cannery makes food storage simple, delicious and as inexpensive as possible. They are always completely organized and usually offer the best price. Everything is packaged in a safe way and you can count on that food lasting you for years without going bad. In September, we were able to obtain large amounts of food for a cheaper price somewhere else, so we borrowed a canning machine, which is free, and canned the food for less than what it would have cost at the cannery.

72 hour kits Each person in our family has a backpack with typical 72-hour kit items and an old ice cream bucket with food. Because I have a tendency to fill them and then forget about them for a few years, we decided to check them twice a year at conference time. I pull them out a few days early and determine which foods will be expire or need to be replaced. Then the kids get to snack on the juice boxes, crackers and granola bars during General Conference.
I have also printed and attached a paper to each bucket and backpack. It has the person's picture, name and emergency contact information. So the kids know which bucket is theirs and also, so that if we are ever separated in an emergency, they have the information with them to help them find us.

So you can see how, with little space and even less money, we have been able to prepare our family for what may lie ahead. It didn't happen overnight, but with consistent effort and faith in the Lord, it is possible and it will bring immeasurable comfort and peace to our home.

(Source: Angie)

Real Life -- Living It

Don't you just love Spring?! Do you find yourself outdoors every chance you get just to enjoy the fresh air and warmth of the sun? I know I have (another reason for my lack of recent posts.) I've been out "playing" in the dirt, attempting to grow yet another year's garden.

There's something exciting about carefully placing a seed into the fertile soil and keeping watch 'til the first new signs of life appear. We can experience the "feelings of accomplishment, and inner peace" in our persistent efforts to grow "obedience gardens".

"Several years ago, our newly married daughter and her husband began a series of moves from one place to another—graduate school, first job, and so on. These moves took them to various parts of the country. In each place the climate and soil conditions were different, but they determined they would follow the prophet’s advice and have a garden. Their first attempts at gardening were pathetic. The weeds grew much better than the vegetables. The gardens were “obedience gardens.” However, with continued effort, each year the gardens improved. They learned new techniques and developed skills. As children came to their family, each was taught to work and take responsibility in those “obedience gardens.” Now their gardens are attractive, worthwhile “survival” projects, as the family enjoys and shares the produce. They preserve the excess for later use. Besides the practical lessons they learned, they found peace and assurance in keeping the commandments. Surely the promise was fulfilled for them: the prophet’s advice had been for their good always.

Sometimes we think that because our circumstances are difficult, it is not practical to keep all the Lord’s commandments. There are those, for instance, who feel they cannot afford to pay tithing. But as we obey the commandments, we have the evidence of blessings, feelings of accomplishment, and inner peace."

Barbara W. Winder, “Draw Near unto Me through Obedience,” Ensign, Nov 1985, 95

Real Life -- Living It

"Unemployment. It’s a word that sends chills down everyone’s back. Whenever the economy has lagged, leaving friends and neighbors out of work, my husband and I have always sympathized readily. But it wasn’t until my husband, Tom, was laid off—through no fault of his own—that we learned for ourselves the true impact of unemployment."

In an article entitled "Our Unemployment Survival Kit," Faye shares eight essential areas they focused on that helped bring them peace during their troubling times.

(Source: Faye W., “Our Unemployment Survival Kit,” Ensign, Jun 1985, 47)

Real Life -- Living It

"Despite many ongoing challenges, some inconveniences, and occasional complaints by the children when it’s time to weed," read how the Martin family "found many positive benefits from following the prophet’s counsel" to grow a garden in an article entitled "Growing More Than Gardens". Then take a minute or two and ponder how growing a garden has blessed your life. :)

(Source: T. Martin, “Growing More Than Gardens,” Ensign, June 1997, 71)

Real Life -- Living It

"When financial disaster struck, our obedience to the prophet’s counsel kept us from drowning in debt."

Read how the Peterson family "learned that Heavenly Father is aware of each of us" and "that it takes much faith to trust Him and to be obedient" in an article entitled "Lessons from a Layoff". Very inspiring!

(Source: K. Peterson, “Lessons from a Layoff,” Ensign, Sep 2005, 30–33)

Real Life -- Living It

This time of year people are often busy planning, preparing, and planting gardens. Read how one family has learned "that children and vegetables grow quite well together, and that the experiences the children have in a garden can last a lifetime" in an article entitled "Raising More Than Peas".

(Source: Loretta E., “Raising More than Peas,” Ensign, Apr. 1984, 72–73)

Real Life -- Living It

Life doesn't always go as planned. (I didn't have to tell you that -- did I?!) Read how the Mitchell family chose to deal with a chronic illness and make the best of things in an article entitled "Education Was Our Answer". Very inspiring!

(Source: S. Mitchell, "Education Was Our Answer", Ensign, April 2009, pg. 28-31)

Real Life -- Living It

Because we can learn so much from each other, Monday's posts will be "Real Life -- Living It" featuring a guest post.

(Since my "guest" posters are in the middle of the "Living It" part at the moment, I'm sharing a previous personal post from February 5. Hey, "Real Life" happens -- so do reruns.)

When our home was bustling with teenagers and pre-teens (about eight years ago) and there were many demands on our money, we decided it was a good time to "show and tell" them where the money goes. We gathered our family together for a Family Home Evening and presented them a "hands-on" financial management course.

My husband obtained enough one dollar bills to equal one-month's salary (which task was more of a challenge than we had first thought.) On a poster board I wrote down our financial obligations and offerings for one month. (We had to figure out our income and expenses for the whole year and divide that by twelve in order to get a realistic idea of a one-month budget.) Our list included:

GROSS INCOME: (never could figure out why they call it "gross" income before taxes are taken out. To me it would make more sense to call "net" income "gross" because it's just gross to see so much taken out of your salary.)
Taxes - Federal and State, Social Security

NET INCOME:
Tithes and Offerings (first and always - everything else somehow works out)
Savings
Insurance - auto, health, home and life
Mortgage - plus extra put towards early payoff
Utilities
Food
Auto - car payment, oil changes, new tires, etc.
Gasoline
Clothing
School expenses - fees, books, clubs, drivers ed, etc.
Lessons - music, sports, etc.
Other

By the time we got to the "Other" category, there were just a few dollars left. Everyone was silent for a brief moment as we looked at the piles. REALITY CHECK! Whoever said, "a picture is worth a thousand words" was right.

We explained that there are some categories we don't have much control over such as taxes, mortgage, and insurance. There are categories we do have a little more control over -- such as electricity, natural gas, and water -- by using less, turning off lights when not in use, having shorter showers, etc. Food and clothing are other areas where we can save money...which led to another discussion..."needs" versus "wants". We also set family goals and talked about ways to achieve them.

That night was one of many geared towards teaching principles of financial management. It was an "eye-opening" experience for each of us and one that we'll remember. There was more understanding when requests were made and we worked together as a family to save where we could.

I've also heard of people using "Monopoly" money to teach this concept to their family. The ways to teach the principles of financial management are varied. Use whatever method(s) that will work best for you. The important thing is to take time to TEACH family members...the dividends will be priceless!

Real Life -- Living It

Because we can learn so much from each other, Monday's posts will be "Real Life -- Living It" featuring a guest post.

This week's guest post is by Trevor as told to KP. He shares what it was like when his family tried living off their food storage for two weeks. (Thanks for sharing Trevor! You and your family are INSPIRING!)

A dear friend of mine, SheriLynn, decided to take on the challenge of living off their food storage for two weeks. She referred me to her son, Trevor, to see what he thought about it. Here is what I learned:

Trevor told me his mom brought out the wheat grinder - which she does not do very often. She cooked a lot more. He saw her cook some things she hadn't cooked before. I asked him if he liked what she made. Trevor said that it tasted like everything else she cooks. (SheriLynn is an amazing cook by the way!) He added that "in between meals there was nothing there."

In order to make the milk go a little further, his mom mixed regular milk with powdered milk. My son (who loves hanging out at their home) was unaware of their two-week experiment. He tasted the milk and threw it out because he thought it was rotten. (Ooops.) Then he went to the store and bought them a new gallon of milk to replace the milk he had thrown out.

I asked Trevor what he thought about the whole experiment. His reply was, "It wasn't a horrific two weeks."

Way to go guys!!! Thanks for sharing!

(I learned I'm going to have to figure out how to disguise the taste of powdered milk for my family -- at least for my son.)

Real Life -- Living It

Because we can learn so much from each other, Monday's posts will be "Real Life -- Living It" featuring a guest post.

This week's guest post is by Sylvia. She shares some lessons learned from Hurricane Ike. (Thanks for sharing Sylvia! You are INSPIRING!)

LESSONS FROM THE HURRICANE

"I’ve been meaning to post this for some time. My darling sister Donna asked me to provide a little article for their ward’s preparedness blog. This is my attempt to do that. If you are a member of her ward, Welcome. I hope you find this helpful. If you are someone who survived the events of Ike and think I missed something or want to give me an amen, please comment. If you are entirely uninterested in this post, feel free to skip it. It is, actually, a bit long. So were the after affects of the hurricane.

1. Everything they say is true to be prepared. Study the churches provident living website and do as you are instructed. It ‘s all there.

2. Invest in a generator. It made surviving bearable. We ran our fridge, a/c, washer/dryer, tv, and computers thanks to the generator. It would actually even be worth having two. We couldn’t run everything at the same time.

3. A chainsaw comes in handy. Oddly enough.

4. Practice living “Old School.” Go without electricity for a day or heat or a/c and see what things you can do to survive.

5. Crisis invites missionary opportunities. Be prepared to share your stash and the gospel.

6. The luxuries of life will no doubt be missed. Learn to live without them and be happy {emphasis on be happy}. After two weeks of “hurricane hair” I was not happy. I need to learn to be.

7. Treat each situation as unique. We sailed through Rita and thus underestimated Ike b/c we thought it would be the same story. It wasn’t. I evacuated for Rita and didn’t need to. I wish I would have evacuated earlier for Ike {thanks Donna!}

8. We had a dial tone phone on hand that didn’t depend on electricity to work. Our cordless phone went dead almost immediately. Keep one of those at the ready. Our phone service was hit and miss but an “Old School” phone made it possible for us to receive calls and dial out when we had service. Also text messages would often make it out while cell calls did not.

9. Gas will be overpriced and difficult to get a hold of.

10. ATMs and credit card machines will be down and you will need cash. That is why you keep some on hand.

11. I could have used a recipe book that was filled with ideas on meals to prepare using only what was in my pantry and could be cooked on our gas stove...the oven was unavailable for two weeks. I wish I had been happy-spirited enough to try cooking in a solar oven...maybe this summer. Also, we had no dutch ovens on hand or charcoal. We did use our grill a few times. Note to self...get a cook book with recipes for dutch ovens and purchase dutch ovens.

12. You will have a built-in network b/c of the church. It is amazing to see it in action. Be prepared to support it {i.e know your vt and ht families and check in with them frequently}.

13. Ham radio operators were in demand and seemed to have access to lots of information. Be friends with someone who knows how to operate one and is involved in the “hro” community.

14. Have all of your “official” papers in a place where you can retrieve them easily and quickly...and be familiar with the terms and conditions of your insurance policy.

15. Follow all the safety recommendations for the natural disasters predicted in your area {i.e. earthquake, tornado, hurricane, flood, etc}

Just two anecdotal stories and a final word...

When the whole of Galveston flooded and much of the city was destroyed the church house did not. Houses across the street had flood lines past the 6 foot mark. Though built on slightly raised ground the church building was not built on ground 6 feet higher than the neighboring houses. Miraculous.

In one neighborhood {the one of my former visiting teacher’s daughter} a fundamental Christian group marched up and down the street holding candles stopping at each house to pray. Maybe they stopped at her house and prayed. Maybe they didn't. But they didn't invite her to join them. She and her small children went to her mother’s house to ride out the storm. After Ike when she returned to survey the damage to her home she noted that each home along her street had trees down and many had received damage to their roofs and structures. Many of these were homes that had been prayed over. She braced for the worse. Of course, you guessed it...her home had no damage whatsoever. She rolled up her sleeves and went to work helping her neighbors recover.

But not every good and righteous family was passed over. There were many amazing members whose homes were damaged b/c of the hurricane. The storm was no respecter but the good news is that the families hit by this tragedy had an immediate infrastructure to help them through it. And the opportunities to serve? Endless.

Be prepared. Be prepared to help others and to be helped by others.

What did I miss? Please feel free to comment."

--Sylvia

Real Life -- Living It

Because we can learn so much from each other, Monday's posts will be "Real Life -- Living It" featuring a guest post. Lynn was kind enough to do the guest post this week. (Thanks for sharing Lynn! You are INSPIRING!)

"Just a little back ground:

I am a stay at home mom, married to a hard working husband, who's had the same full time job for the past 14 years. We also have a home business (16 years) to help supplement the pay cheques from that full time job. We have 6 children. 3 girls and 3 boys. Our two oldest daughters now live on their own. One a young single adult and one newly married.

Due to the recession, both the home business and my husband's full time job are in real threat. We are still waiting official word of when my husband will be laid off (he is next in line for lay offs). The possibility is very real that it will happen later this year.

Now for my story:

It all started back in November. Our Bishop, in his kind wisdom, "warned us all" to get prepared and if anyone wished to take on a Ward Challenge (to live providently and solely on their food storage) for the month of February, they could do so. Of course, this was all voluntary. It was a simple challenge to get members motivated and to see how well prepared we were.

I was recently called as the Stake Provident Living Specialist back then and I was really excited about this challenge. I felt we needed this test to see how much my own family was prepared physically, as well as mentally. Just before Christmas, I strongly encouraged my family, to come on board with me. At first some apprehensive and nervous thoughts were shared, but then everyone committed to doing so. Not only did we all decide to take on the Bishop's challenge, but as a family we decided to take it a step further. We were going to hold our own little "Mock Unemployment".

During the month of February, there would be NO spending money outside of the usual bills....mortgage, insurance, utilities, etc. But that would be it! Nothing would be spent on food, clothes, entertainment, toys, trinkets,etc. Nothing.

Now some would think that if the children received no money for a month, that it wouldn't be that much of a challenge for them not to spend. However, every individual in this household has their own part or full time job. Everyone of our children have their own money to spend. So everyone of us would have equal temptation to spend. Another challenge was that this was February. .... The month of my husband's birthday and also Valentine's day....... Both special days where money usually is spent in our household.

Several times, through this past month, we had family discussions to see how everyone was doing with this challenge and opportunity was given for thoughts and feelings to be shared. I am happy to report that everyone, though tempted at times to give in and spend, stuck it out the entire month. Not one dime was spent on anything outside of the normal bills. It wasn't easy. And yes, there were a few complaints at first, but for the most part, we all learned how to be more creative, make do, or do without.

We held a family birthday party for my husband at home. Complete with a wonderful meal, gifts, home decorations, family games, etc.

For Valentine's day, we exchanged cards and small treats we had on hand. In fact, this will be the most memorable Valentine's Day of my whole life, thus far. This month's challenge had given my husband the opportunity to truly plan and get creative with only the resources he had here in our home. He made me homemade chocolates (beautifully decorated in cellophane wrap), designed and printed his own romantic card on the computer, complete with a poem he had put together for me, plus he burned a CD of free downloaded music that only he knows I would appreciate and would have special meaning to me when I listened to it. I was taken by complete shock and utter happiness! This was the best gift I had ever received. It was straight from the heart. A lot of time and effort went into it. And not a dime was spent on it. I joked that we should have a no spend month every Feb.

My 17 yr. old son, temporarily repaired his worn out jeans. He desperately needs new ones, but toughed it out. He can't wait to go shopping for the clothes he needs come this week.

My 12 yr. old son, told his teacher that he would not be able to go on their class field trip to the Movie theatre to see a movie that was recently released. This was a trip that the whole class had been so looking forward to for quite some time. Of course, the cost was up to each student, therefore, my son declined to go and shared with his teacher why he couldn't go. I will be honest and say it was hard for me to not give in at this point and just tell him he should go. However, he did this all on his own and stuck to his plan. I told him I would reward him with a movie rental, come March.

My 10 year old daughter has been collecting small dog figurines from her school class book order forms for almost a year now.. The latest figurine order was due this month in Feb. Each month offers a new one in the series. She would not be able to buy this month's figurine at any other time, ever. She came home heart broken. Once again, I was so tempted to make arrangements with her teacher to buy this dog for my daughter and then give it to her later. However, a couple of days later, she told her teacher that she wasn't going to spend any money in Feb. (and why) and wanted to know if she would be allowed to hand in her order on Monday, March 2. Her teacher was impressed with her commitment and told her that that would be alright. This also was not known to me until later.

My children were learning. They were responsible with their promises and commitments. They were being resourceful. They learned how to make their own personal sacrifices, though hard it may be. They grew in their thoughts and actions. They planned and were creative. This to me was a blessing that came from this challenge, more than anything else.

For me, my own biggest challenge, or so I thought, would be time management. I soon realized that I needed to be more prepared with my time. It takes effort to plan ahead. For example, making meals from food storage, is in essence, cooking from scratch. One meal can require many hours of planning or preparing........such as, having to soak beans the night before, or remembering to fit some time in for the milling of my wheat or other whole grains, before making the bread dough. I had to think and plan to create exciting, delicious and healthy meals, or my family's spirit for this challenge would diminish very quickly.

I learned very quickly what I needed to do with my food storage (short term and long term supplies). The internet was a great resource in learning how to do this. I have been collecting information and recipes for food storage for a very long time now, and I was finally forced to use this knowledge. I am now very grateful for that opportunity. My family ate very healthy this month. They raved about every meal. I think I surprised them at how fun and delicious food storage can be! In fact, my husband is begging me to continue whatever it is I am doing. He felt that we ate like Kings all month long.

I also, very quickly into the month, realized how much time I had been wasting before. I use to be faithful in reading all the flyers and newspapers that came into our home weekly. My excuse was that I was in search of "sales" for things that we need. Once February rolled around, those flyers just went straight into the recycle bin. There would be no use in searching for sales, as there would be no money to spend. I actually freed up almost an hour daily, by doing that. I also freed up more of my time, by being very frugal with the use of gas in our vehicle. I filled up our family vehicle once at the beginning and decided to stretch that out as far as I could. Since there was no need to go out to the stores as often as I did before, the gas stretched a long ways. I also decided that if my kids could walk to their schools, then so could I! I ended up getting more exercise than I normally do.

So this month was really very beneficial to all of us. Unexpected blessings or benefits from this challenge came from every turn. And yes, I continue to refer to our trial month as a challenge, because it was. As in any trial that comes into our lives, it is a challenge to get through it. When my husband gets laid off, it will not be easy. It will be a challenge. However, we learned that we will survive. We can do this. We learned so much from this trial month of ours. Our family has grown leaps and bounds in our testimony of the importance of being prepared. We also have seen many blessings. We grew together as a family..... We grew closer together. The blessing of being more at peace with the uncertainties of the future has been received. We gained a knowledge, of not only many physical things, but spiritual things as well.

I am VERY grateful for a Bishop, who initially gave us the challenge to live off what food storage we have."

E. Lynn Crapo

Feb 28, 2009

Real Life -- Living It

Because we can learn so much from each other, I am going to do a "Real Life -- Living It" post weekly. Melissa was kind enough to do a guest post and get us started. (Thanks for sharing Melissa! You are INSPIRING!)

"My husband and I were married nearly 10 months ago and are expecting our first baby in October but we are both still in college which means that we are in a small apartment with limited space. Despite our possible excuse of putting off emergency preparedness until we are in a house, get paid more, etc we are doing little things now to try to be ready for the unexpected.

There are a few things that we've been able to focus on that have given me more peace of mind. Each week we go through the ads that we receive in the mail and look for any good deals, not a new idea, but it really works. We try to buy cereal for a dollar and stock up on things when they are a good deal. Trying to buy things that are both healthy and a good price means trips to more stores, but it's worth it to us. We found that a few stores in Provo have great deals on produce like Sunflower Market and Buy Low. We go to Smith's because we like their weekly deals and then to Sam's Club for items that are cheaper to buy in bulk.

We recently bought a gently used manual wheat grinder off of amazon and wheat from Sam's Club. I learned how to make bread which took a lot of time but was delicious and now I know that we could actually use our wheat for something. I plan to continue to make it and want to get some ingredients for my food storage that I wouldn't have access to during an emergency like eggs.

We can also do small things like have a small emergency car kit. We put things like extra blankets, water and snacks into it for if we ever need it.

Our solution to the limited space problem is to fill up our pantry with food and then get creative. We have a simple metal frame that our mattress is placed on but we found that there is just enough room for #10 cans. I have also starting putting some things in a short box from Sam's club so that I can actually pull out the items to look at them rather than having to plop on the ground. We also have our big barrel of wheat under our sports equipment in the coat closet. For Christmas we were able to get some stuff for Emergency Preparedness like a small water purifier.

Other things that I've been doing are to learn different ways to help during an emergency. I honestly believe that knowledge is power. I'm taking a first aid class at BYU and loving it because I'm sure I'll have all sorts of bumps and bruises to fix as my family grows.

I know that we will be blessed for our efforts to follow the prophets and it's just so nice to think that if the unexpected does happen to us, then we're more ready."

--Melissa S.