Preparing for Tough Economic Times

My sister and I were talking today about the importance of being prepared. She is worried about losing her job, and about how she would provide for herself if that were to happen. She also talked about the possibility of not losing a position, but everyone losing hours in order to save people’s jobs. As members of the church we have been counseled repeatedly to live within our means and to stick to a budget, and in these economic times it is even more important to begin doing these things. You can start by taking steps now to reduce the … Continue reading →

The Economy and Preparedness

The economy has taken a turn for the worse, and this really illustrates the point of being prepared for hard times. Many people mistakenly think that we promote food storage for such events as the end of the world, but the food storage, and emergency preparedness goes beyond that. The people I know who have used their food storage did it turning times of economic hardship and unemployment. It is important that everyone is prepared to handle the trying times of life. Over a year ago the church came out with new guidelines that outline the priority of each part … Continue reading →

Preparing for Hard Times

This last session of General Conference has several talks that focused on how to survive trials. The talks were on spiritual, emotional, and physical trials. They all talked about the importance of being spiritually prepared to handle the hard times that will come into every person’s life. They also talked about the importance of being physically prepared for trials. One way to be spiritually prepared is to build a network of people that can help you during difficult times. Sometimes you simply need a shoulder to cry on, or a friend to drop in and check up on you. Other … Continue reading →

Food Storage: What’s Your Excuse?

We have been counseled to get food storage. The church has counseled us for years to get our year’s supply, emergency kit and recently our three month’s supply of food together. We have witnessed recently natural disasters around the world that have caused the cost of basic food staples to rise. It is important to realize that the counsel needs to be followed. So what is stopping you from doing it now? One common excuse is that you don’t have enough money to purchase a year’s supply of food. You do not need to purchase a whole year’s supply all … Continue reading →

Family Preparedness and Finances

When it comes to preparedness, you need to be financially prepared as well as prepared with food. The church has counseled us to get and stay out of debt for years. This is important counsel to follow, but there are other ways that we need to be financially prepared as well. Here are three things that you should do to be prepared financially for emergencies and the future. First you should have some cash on hand at home. This should be somewhere safe, that you can access in a time of emergency. For example if you live in a city, … Continue reading →

Reasons to Garden

One of the ways you can improve your family’s health is to have a garden. There are many ways that this can improve your family’s overall health. It improves your diet, as you eat food that you grow and protect. It also helps the family to spend time working outside everyday. It is pretty late in the summer to plant a garden, but depending on the area that you live you may be able to still get in a fall garden. You may also want to begin planning your garden for next year. You will want to winterize your garden, … Continue reading →

July 2008 Preparedness Goals

This month the focus of the food storage goals will be more on your three month supply. It is important to have this in place. I am amazed at the number of wards that I know of that have covered this topic very recently. It is important to think about your food storage and do what you can. Remember you don’t have to do everything all at once, but that bit by bit you can store what you need to. Also a three month supply is much easier to find room for than a year’s supply. 1) Make out your … Continue reading →

Food Storage: Dealing with a Food Shortage

With the recent droughts and flooding, it can be difficult to find and purchase certain items for food storage. This may make getting food storage just that much more important for you to do. But how do you get those hard to find items, and are you prepared to pay more for them? You may consider getting other grains instead of rice and wheat. Before you purchase 100 pounds of barley, make sure that you know what to do with it. You should consider how you would use it. You may want to purchase a little extra so that you … Continue reading →

Changing Your Lifestyle

The Word of Wisdom teaches us to abstain from drinking alcohol and using drugs or tobacco. The Word of Wisdom also teaches us to care for our bodies through choosing good healthy food, and through living a healthy life. The spirit of the Word of Wisdom would suggest that resting enough and exercising regularly are also important aspects of properly caring for our bodies. As we strive for a healthy lifestyle what is standing in our way? Often people will point to being too busy to exercise or that healthy food is too expensive. These can be real reasons that … Continue reading →

Reasons to Store Food

We are taught to store food. We have been instructed time and again to store the food. I have seen families that have not used their food storage, but I have also seen families that do use it and they are grateful that they have it. Food storage is a commandment from the leaders of the church. Personally this is reason enough to begin a food storage program. I look at it in a similar way to obeying any of the other commandments that we have been taught. Food storage can help to defray the cost of food during difficult … Continue reading →