By Heather O.

1. “We’re all going to dieeeee!!!!”

   Actually I have no idea, because it really is everything that you’ve heard before… store what you eat and eat what you store, rotate, don’t go into debt stocking up, etc etc.

   And wow. Sometimes dogs seem like more trouble than babies.

   Comment #1 by KrisOctober 31st, 2008 at 9:44 am

2. Emergency Prep: “OK, you ALL have been told that it’s wise to have 72 hour kits at the ready for your family. Enough said about that. If you want a list of items to include, see me afterward. In addition to kits, you should also have cash on hand, including rolls of quarters. Keep all of your important documents in a fire-proof safe that you can grab and take with you. Designate a central meeting place in your town, should you be unable to get to your home. Make sure you have a list of emergency contacts in your kits and in your wallets. On the list should be a local contact, as well as a couple of out-of-state contacts. If your family gets separated, you can each call one of the contacts to be the coordinator and to let them know your status. Don’t forget to keep a 3 day supply of your needed daily meds in your kits.”

   As for Food Storage: I think that people have been scared off in the past by the prospect of barrels of whole wheat. Tell them to erase that from their minds for now. Have them concentrate on building up a 3 month supply of foods that they regularly use, such as canned cream soups, pastas, cereal, mac-n-cheese, pasta sauce, tuna, canned milk, canned broths, canned fruits and veggies, crackers, etc. If canned spaghetti sauce goes on a great sale, instead of just buying the 2 jars you need for the next 2 weeks, buy 12 jars. Whenever a favorite food item (non-perishable) goes on a great sale, buy 12 items, instead of just one or two. Don’t stock up on foods that you can’t use each week in your cooking. This is how you rotate your food storage. Also, don’t forget that a stocked freezer is food storage, as well. Once they’ve got the regular foods stored up, then they can focus on the stuff that lasts up to 30 years, that, if they’re like me, they either don’t plan on “rotating,” or they figure they’ve got a couple of decades to figure out how to use it. (I’ll just buy new 30 years from now when my long-term storage expires.) Also, don’t let people stress over the “YEAR’s supply” thing. They need to just store as much as they can at this time. A few people have the space and money to actually store a year’s supply. Most will not. We only have space in our home (including all those “clever” hiding places) for about 6 months’ worth. So that’s what we store.

   That’s my $0.02

   Comment #2 by StrollerbladerOctober 31st, 2008 at 9:52 am

3. I think I’d remind people to include pets in their emergency planning.

   Really, if I were in your audience, I would very much appreciate hearing something that speaks to the different circumstances we’re all in — we don’t all have trucks to evacuate with, or basements to store large quantities of food and water, but surely there are elements to both programs that we can all implement. As an audience member, I would appreciate practical suggestions more than a general doom-and-gloom we’ve-got-to-prepare motivational talk (although if people in your area have been fighting the idea of preparation, that may be very well what they do need. Not me).

   Comment #3 by Ardis E. ParshallOctober 31st, 2008 at 9:54 am

4. I would stick right to the church’s “All is safely gathered in” pamphlet. Then follow Ardis’ suggestion of practical ways to follow this council.

   And please don’t do something like teach how to make your own insulated clothing out of foam. Stick to the basics.

   Another idea is to have people fill out a survey to find out what they want to learn about. Then you have a design for future meetings.

   Good luck!

   Comment #4 by AhnaOctober 31st, 2008 at 10:19 am

5. Dude, insulated clothing out of foam? How very space age.

   Comment #5 by Heather O.October 31st, 2008 at 10:23 am

6. I’d hand them this sheet (which I have posted in my own kitchen). ..bruce..

   Comment #6 by bfwebsterOctober 31st, 2008 at 10:31 am

7. Um, yeah, the foam clothing? True story. Our stake emergency prep guy held monthly meetings about all kinds of stuff. And man, did he put on the pressure and guilt if you didn’t attend. ‘Cause, ya know, foam clothing could be the difference between life and death! DOOOOOM! DOOOOOOOM!

   Comment #7 by AhnaOctober 31st, 2008 at 10:43 am

8. Burce, what a great info sheet! Thanks so much. I will definitely add that to the packet I am putting together to hand out to folks.

   I’m so not of the pressure and the guilt. And this stuff doesn’t happen overnight, because most of us don’t have the money to drop thousands of dollars on a year’s supply or top of the line 72 hour kits. Or insulated foam clothing. So the bishop is requesting that I come up with monthly goals that, if followed, will have people in really good shape by the end of 2009. I haven’t worked through all of that yet, and lots of people are pretty far along in terms of emergency prep so some of the goals will be redundant for them. Still, I really really like the idea of taking it one step at a time. That way, you can feel like you are doing what you can, when you can, without the guilt.

   Comment #8 by Heather O.October 31st, 2008 at 10:48 am

9. This calling is hard because there really are so many levels to it all.

   I agree with those who say focus on what the Church is teaching. Food storage still means wheat pails and pinto bean fudge to people, and they get scared away. It’s so much more palatable (pun intended) to think about what you eat regularly and building your own little store in whatever way you can…to try to have a week’s supply, then a month’s….

   As for emergency prep, maybe you can just briefly go through the outline what the Church’s site talks about, and give them the resources to learn more on their own. Is there something in particular your leaders are concerned about on this front? My bishop was particularly concerned about power outages in the winter, so that was our first focus for emergency prep.

   When I had this calling, we decided that putting one thing in the Sunday bulletin each week (preparedness pointers) was a good way to help people tackle eating the proverbial elephant, one bite at a time.

   Good luck!

   Comment #9 by m&mOctober 31st, 2008 at 10:58 am

10. Our ward does the monthly goal. It’s printed in the bulletin and/or announced quickly at the beginning of RS. So far the goals have been things like storing enough water for 14 days and getting a 3 month supply of spaghetti dinner. It’s a helpful reminder to do it if you haven’t and can, and to at least think about your preparedness if you’re in another category.

    The women here in New England tell horror stories about running out of baby formula during snowstorms, only to find that the stores aren’t getting stocked because of the snow. It’s good to consider the unique needs of members of your family: babies, pets, anyone needing medication.

    I also like the idea of including aspects of preparedness other than food.

    Comment #10 by GuinevereOctober 31st, 2008 at 11:17 am

11. The women here in New England tell horror stories about running out of baby formula during snowstorms, only to find that the stores aren’t getting stocked because of the snow.

    I lived through one of those storms, and it took a month for the stores to recover from the panic purchasing everyone did.

    I was single then, and even my few cans of food in my cabinets helped me when there was a mandatory shut-in period (it was illegal to drive on the streets for a couple of days). Every little bit helps. One bite at a time….

    Comment #11 by m&mOctober 31st, 2008 at 11:27 am

12. No doooooom. Just here a little and there a little. Water comes first in our family’s prep. Any bit of preparation will help. At bare minimum, make sure your water needs are covered. A bottle of bleach, a few containers, a couple of old, clean T-shirts and some water purification instructions could see you through until you have clean water again (and cost next to nothing).

    Comment #12 by JamiOctober 31st, 2008 at 11:57 am

13. At bare minimum, make sure your water needs are covered. A bottle of bleach, a few containers, a couple of old, clean T-shirts and some water purification instructions could see you through until you have clean water again (and cost next to nothing).

    And/or a few cases of water bottles. I just buy one or two when I go to Costco, and repeat that a few times. When it comes to water, I’d rather have something I know I can drink w/o stress and prep.

    (BTW, there are some containers you shouldn’t use for potable water storage, namely bleach bottles or juice bottles. But I store water in those in case we can’t flush our toilets….)

    Comment #13 by m&mOctober 31st, 2008 at 12:05 pm

14. Since most people know the basics of home storage, perhaps you could focus on the reasons that people don’t do it/struggle with doing it. Then if your speech motivated people enough, they would look at your handouts and be inspired to start today. If they come away thinking that this is still something they couldn’t do, then they’ll probably never even look at the handout.

    So I know giving advice to be motivational and inspiring is a lot easier than actually being so.

    As far as what stops people; thoughts like, “When would I use it anyway?” “I don’t have the money” “I hate whole wheat/powdered milk/three months worth of spaghetti.” “Where would I put fifty gallon buckets.” Etc.

    Comment #14 by ThoraOctober 31st, 2008 at 12:07 pm

15. We started getting food storage and emergency items by spending $10 paycheck. For food, add a sticker with the date they need to be rotated and keep moving through the list. You always have the food you need and food you will eat if the power goes out.

    And our dog is at least as much trouble as a baby… especially when she wants to be let out 3 or 4 times a night because she’s hitting those senior years and doesn’t have as much control as she used to…. either that.. or she’s forgetting that she’s already been outside! (But the vet says she’s still happy - I think she heard what I said…. she looked at me funny!?!)

    Comment #15 by MommomOctober 31st, 2008 at 12:10 pm

16. We recently had an RS lesson about this, and at the end the sister giving the lesson passed around a page that said what you could buy for food storage for just $5 a week… It was surprising to me how much one could get, although maybe that was a really old list? It seems like a great idea for families that don’t have much $ and want to grow slowly. The other thing I would emphasize is water storage. SO important.

    I agree with those that said to emphasize getting your 3 month supply. My biggest issue is finding room to store it… since it is things I rotate continually.

    Comment #16 by GingerOctober 31st, 2008 at 12:20 pm

17. I’d remind them to send a 72 hour for each working family member to keep AT work. And, for people that live in places with real winter, to keep a mini-kit in the car.

    Utah had a killer storm this past Feb 13, where hundreds of people were stranded on the roads by us for hours and hours. That motivated me to keep a small kit in the car to help me get through something similar with the kids, if need me.

    Comment #17 by Julie POctober 31st, 2008 at 12:27 pm

18. should say “if need BE”.

    Comment #18 by Julie POctober 31st, 2008 at 12:27 pm

19. Here’s something I did recently–scan your important documents (insurance, passports, health, etc) and email them to yourself, so that if your house collapses in an earthquake or burns down (my cousin’s burned down while they were out at dinner) and you don’t have your fireproof safe running away with you, you can still access them. This might not help in a group emergency where all computers are down, but in an individual situation could be well worth the few minutes’ effort.

    Comment #19 by anitaOctober 31st, 2008 at 12:29 pm

20. We have been focusing on this very subject (very intently I might add) for the past two years. It can get really motivating and overboard to some, overwhelming to others, and well, apathetic to most.

    My suggestion:
    Tell them we have been warned since 1935. The Lord has provided a way.
    Tell *them* to start with the information from LDS.org/provident living. If they want more than that, give you a call.
    Don’t go into debt or panic over preparing.
    And lastly. Do one thing. Just one, every week to add to their personal preparedness and/or self reliance. One extra can or one extra meal, one extra item added to their prep packs. One extra dollar in savings or one extra book read or one skill improved. Do one thing every week.
    Bear your testimony of the program.
    Sit down.

    Comment #20 by s'meeOctober 31st, 2008 at 12:36 pm

21. I can see why you’re swamped with ideas. There is a lot to consider. I like the survey idea.

    Comment #21 by mormonhermitmomOctober 31st, 2008 at 12:45 pm

22. The list at #6, and virtually all other lists I have seen, are tremendously discouraging to people like me, despite my strong wishes to do what I can to be prepared. Those lists simply take for granted that everybody can do everything on them, given a little time. End of discussion.

    Well, getting a physical is not so easy for somebody without health insurance (and there’s no point in getting the physical if you don’t have the means to take care of whatever problems are identified). Stocking all those propane supplies when such hazardous items are specifically contrary to your apartment lease is not do-able. Storing two weeks’ supply of water, even for one person, is beyond the capacity of a three-room urban apartment (if I stored everything under the bed that such lists tell me to do, my mattress would be teetering on a seven-foot pile of barrels and kegs). And on and on.

    That’s why I suggest carefully considering the different living arrangements of the families in your stewardship. Make sure you adapt your suggestions so that there’s something practical for everybody, and that nobody feels that their chances for preparedness are so hopeless that they might as well not even try.

    Comment #22 by Ardis E. ParshallOctober 31st, 2008 at 12:51 pm

23. Ooh, fun. An invitation to pontificate… I don’t have any comments on food storage. On emergency prep, I think a great deal of the important preparation usually falls under the “get your affairs in order” heading–insurance, wills, debt management, document storage, etc. As for the actual disasters, I’m not an em-prep junky, but I have some thoughts on 72-hour kits:

    1. Chill out. Panic and anxiety are bad juju, emergency or not. They are even worse before, during, and after an emergency.

    2. Don’t chill out too much. Apathy, lethargy, and delusional interpretations of scriptural promises of protection are also bad juju. You should be doing something toward emergency prep.

    3. Chill out. You’re not going to Mars so step away from the 3,000-piece militia-nut-cake-grade survival kits. You want robust, sustainable plans and materiel. This usually means simple and cheap. These things will get you a long way: (1) Water to drink. (2) Granola bars (or comparably simple) to eat. Also: any special needs, like medicine or baby formula. (3) Activities to do. You’ll probably be sitting for hours/days in a car/shelter/non-electric house. Some sort of distraction, like books or board games or toys, are useful—and importantissimo if you have children. (4) A set of dry clothes to sleep in. (5) Cash to spend. With no ATMs and no change, nothing will be cheaper than the value of your smallest bill, so keep a supply of $1s and $5s. (6) A predetermined source to go for information about family members. It will likely gnaw your insides out to not know where all of your (local) family is, so set up a remote contact person that everyone knows to report to.

    4. Don’t chill out too much. Just because you have a kit that will keep your family alive and partially sane for several days doesn’t mean y’all wouldn’t be better off if you think about your needs, your resources, and the disasters likely to happen in your area and do something about it. For example, you’re probably not going to want to eat granola bars six times a day for the duration, so diversify the diet. (Get a kit together first. Then, the next time you rotate it, make it better. Don’t wait until you can get the perfect setup to act. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.)

    Comment #23 by Em-prep non-junkyOctober 31st, 2008 at 1:00 pm

24. We recently had a similar lesson from some members of our ward. They got into things like buying plastic to quarantine your house and getting kitty litter to take care of human waste. Seriously. Weird.

    Being a novice when it comes to these topics what I would like to hear is how the heck do I get started?

    Comment #24 by BethanyOctober 31st, 2008 at 1:21 pm

25. Just want to say - some comments are going into moderation on this thread today because they contain the word “insurance.” Don’t let that stop you talking about insurance, just spell it differently or wait for it to get approved. We’ll try to stay on top of it. Carry on.

    Comment #25 by The WizOctober 31st, 2008 at 1:27 pm

26. Ardis, what is something that could be applicable to you? When we lived in a small apartment, we had a 72 hour kit and some water, although not very much. I would think that having a gallon of water per person per day (including pets, of course!) and having a 2 week supply of food that is edible without an electric food supply (in case of no electricity) would be something that anybody can handle. Or do you think even that’s a stretch? What kind of emergecny prep measures have you taken for yourself?

    Comment #26 by Heather O.October 31st, 2008 at 1:32 pm

27. I’m confused — is a buttload like a boatload, but grosser?

    Comment #27 by JenOctober 31st, 2008 at 1:33 pm

28. Jen - yes.

    Comment #28 by The WizOctober 31st, 2008 at 1:38 pm

29. yuck

    Comment #29 by JenOctober 31st, 2008 at 2:01 pm

30. 26: Heather, that (and even more) is easily doable by everybody I know, although it would be nice if the RS president made it part of her responsibility to know whether there were any people in the ward who might have trouble doing even that much.

    I’m not sure what would help me be better prepared, which is why I would love to hear a presentation that included apartment dwellers. One thing might be a little coordination among ward members (at least here in Utah — maybe it wouldn’t apply to places where members lived very far apart) so that each individual household were not treated as an absolutely independent unit. Such as:

    Think about the matter of 72-hour kits, meant to help you through an evacuation where (at least in places with Mormons living near each other) means that groups of families are going to be ending up at the same shelters. Does each family’s kit need to have complete first aid supplies, multiple radios, kits for treating waste, and portable camp stoves, or are there tools and supplies that could more reasonably be shared by several households? (The pioneers coming west didn’t stock each wagon with a complete blacksmith outfit — one per every so many wagons was considered sufficient.)

    Does each family in a ward need its own grill and stock of fuel? Or are there groups of families that would be willing to cooperate? While I can’t store propane in my bedroom, I’d be perfectly willing to buy propane to be stored in a neighbor’s toolshed, with the understanding that we’d share supplies in case of need. (Ditto water and other bulky items — must each household be independent, or could cooperation be a better solution?)

    Since I can’t see to drive, I no longer have a car. Had I lived in New Orleans during Katrina, I’d have been one of those left behind. Are there people without reliable cars in your ward? Could it be part of a ward or neighborhood preparation plan for Family A to assume personal responsibility to evacuate Widow B in case of emergency? (It may not be enough to leave it up to home teachers — mine is 86 years old, and I’d be more apt to have to rescue him than vice versa.)

    I don’t know what else to suggest off the cuff, but deliberately considering the differing circumstances of people in your area might spark some creativity to solve those problems, rather than distributing a one-size-fits-all solution that really doesn’t fit everybody after all.

    Comment #30 by Ardis E. ParshallOctober 31st, 2008 at 2:09 pm

31. Maybe focus on the cost savings rather than the cost itself. If you buy multiples of one item when on sale, then you save money even if you have to store it for awhile. If you go farther with that, by using powdered milk, we save $800/year and making our own bread saves $500/year. Not everyone is willing to drink powdered milk or make bread, though, so you could mention the possibilities (i.e. part of the reason why the church used to focus on the very basics is b/c it was so much cheaper than buying a year’s supply of regular food), but the principle still holds true with normal food - buy ahead on sale and then slowly use it up until there’s another sale on that item and stock up again (in the meantime stocking up other items while on sale).

    I also go by the principle of “every little bit helps”. My 72 hour kits might be only half stocked, but that’s more than I’d have otherwise. So encourage people to start small and pat themselves on the back for what they have accomplished rather than castigate them for not having done enough (and hopefully they’ll feel inspired to go out and do more rather than rest on their laurels).

    Comment #31 by JESOctober 31st, 2008 at 2:12 pm

32. Before proceeding with this lesson, I would recommend getting the support from your EQ President, as he will be the one physically transporting your year’s supply of food at your next move.

    :)

    Comment #32 by Sore BackOctober 31st, 2008 at 2:48 pm

33. We recently had a cash windfall and took advantage by getting started on our food storage. We took $250 and spent it at Costco — on pasta, granola bars, TP, Mac & Cheese, Bisquick, flour, honey, tuna, canned chicken, canned fruit and veggies, mayo, ketchup, beans, bottled water, chocolate chips, Crisco, cream soups, bouillon… and I think that’s about it. I try and pick up other staples (pasta sauce in reasonably-sized jars) at the grocery store when they go on sale. I honestly don’t know how we’d fare in the event of a catastrophe, but I definitely feel a little better, knowing that we have *something*.

    We’re looking at getting a small freezer to keep meat, butter, and cheese in as well…

    And diapers! I’m kind of hoping that my just-turned-three-year-old would figure out the whole toilet thing if we told him there were no more diapers, but I’m pretty sure the three-month-old is a bit young for that threat. And while I’ve thought about going cloth — an emergency is probably not the best time for that.

    I’m also trying to empty my wallet of anything smaller than a $10 bill every week, and put it in a hiding place. Right now, I’m only up to about $30, but it’s a start.

    A good friend of mine has several bottles of cooking wines that she considers as part of her food storage — she thinks she can trade them for some pretty good stuff if it all hits the fan! All the more reason to make Chicken Marsala!

    Comment #33 by teresaOctober 31st, 2008 at 3:08 pm

34. Ardis, I appreciate your perspective. I know our bishop is particularly concerned with knowing which families will be in need or resuce, like you said. It’s a hard thing, though–how do you keep track of stuff like that, short of being the prepardness police? He specifically says that he doesn’t want to violate anybody’s privacy but would really like to know where to put ward relief efforts first in the event of a hurricane or an ice storm (the two main weather related catastrophes in our area). The coordination of evacuating and sheltering is a good idea, and applicable to more than people who are single–it would probably be easier to hang out with another family in a mini-van for 17 hours (the time they estimate it would take for a family to drive from Norfolk, VA to Richmond, a trip normally done in about 2 hours or so) than by yourself, and certainly in a situation like an emergency, pooling resources is ideal.

    This is, of course, all beyond the scope of a 20 minute presentation, but I will definitely think about it and discuss ideas with the bishop.

    Comment #34 by Heather O.October 31st, 2008 at 3:29 pm

35. I made a list of everything I thought we would need and have started stocking up. I got 18 lbs of cat food at Sam’s for 10 bucks. If we ran out of cat food then the kitties would have to start catching mice. Litter I am not concerned about because they can poop outside.

    For my son, I have two extra cans of formula packed away. We try not to use them but they have come in handy when it’s late Saturday night and we run out - we just open an emergency can and then replace it on Monday.

    I did a lot of bulk shopping recently and bought a ton of laundry soap, shampoo, soap, and toothpaste. I have started ordering my medicines in 3 month supplies (mostly because I suck at re-ordering every month). Don’t forget some Advil and multivitamins for your storage. I also buy a container of anti-bacterial hand gel every time I go to the store because that’s a great way to clean your hands without using your water supply. I am not stocking up on diapers because we are early potty-teaching my son and if anything ever happened and we ran out of diapers, a little pee on the carpet will be the least of our worries I am sure.

    I live in a 2 bedroom apartment and we don’t have a lot of space. I’ve gotten creative. We have cans of food hidden behind our books on the bookshelves. There’s food under the couch, in all of our cupboards, and under our bed and the crib. Our 2 week water supply is being stored on top of our kitchen cabinets. Our big buckets of beans and wheat are stacked in the closets. We’re nowhere close to a year supply and I suspect if we ever get there we’ll practically be swimming in food, but I feel better knowing we have a little extra security here. Having to find a place for my food storage really helped me to de-clutter as well We are lucky that my family is fairly close and they have a generator, so I haven’t gotten a camping stove or anything, but thanks to that Safely Gathered In blog I know how to make an oven from a cardboard box! My husband and I have also made it a goal to never let our gas drop below 1/2 tank, and I also want to get a 5 gallon can and store it in our storage unit (outside).

    You can build up your storage for very very cheap (I’ve even seen some do it for FREE) by using coupons. I suck at couponing but some ladies are incredible at it - just search for couponing tips and you’ll come out with tons.

    This was really long, but I hope it helps someone. I’ve always felt a real need to build up our food storage but haven’t really started in earnest until just recently, so I am learning as I go along. One thing is for sure, buying in bulk has been a huge help for us, and I am just figuring out that we could probably go for at least 3 months without having to shop, which is really nice because sometimes I am lazy and don’t want to do the weekly shopping. We have like 30 lbs of spaghetti and almost as much sauce, so if all else fails we can eat noodles for a month

    Comment #35 by KrisOctober 31st, 2008 at 7:49 pm

36. Oh, and I also bought a crank lantern, a crank radio and a crank phone charger and flash light a while ago. We suck at keeping our battery supply updated, so having things like that would be a huge help in an emergency. (Though we also did just buy some rechargeable batteries)

    Comment #36 by KrisOctober 31st, 2008 at 7:51 pm

37. We have had a push in our ward to get our food storage going and DH and I worked all summer to fill our storage with shelves and food. This is what we have learned…..There is not enough food to keep three teenage children feed for year. You can not store enough. Our 3 months supply is gone, they ate it all in a month. There is no way to keep them full.

    Comment #37 by CindyNovember 1st, 2008 at 6:24 am

38. You have ten whole minutes?!? You lucky, lucky woman. My mother has been the “prep pep teacher” for three years and she gets a whopping 2 minutes on fast Sunday. She covers a very basic topic and gives handouts of where to go for more info. She is really good about making it a learning process, even gave the example of the exploding tomato sauce cans from the case that wasn’t used in time. She doesn’t make it a perfectionist do-or-die thing, but does stress that we have been given warnings. We are expected to make an honest effort, but will be blessed for doing what we can. I told my Bishop that I would share basics if called upon to do so, but the chocolate leaves the house over my dead body!!

    You would be amazed at some of the misconceptions people have. One sister (big home, two high income jobs, 3 kids) thought that in the event of an emergency, she would be bringing her single 5 gallon bucket of wheat to the church and combining it with everyone else’s storage to be divided up. Um… not quite how it works. Another sister commented that she just couldn’t see eating the same things for an extended period of time (months). Hello, manna for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 40 YEARS!! I’ll take my limited storage any day. As I see it, it’s more like the 7 years abundance/famine rather than the 40 years in the wilderness any way.

    She tries to make it fun too. They had changed her lesson to the second Sunday for a few months and she made 4 different cookies using starch “eggs” and had the sisters try to guess which cookie didn’t have the “fake eggs”. (It was the recipe that didn’t call for eggs to begin with!)

    Best of luck. The prophets have told us what the long-term goals are, to start where you can with what you can even if it’s only a few cans extra a week in your normal shopping, and to be aware of your own situations/needs. For example, it’s better to buy a few cans at a time and continue to be debt free (or pay off any debt) than to go into debt for storage.

    Comment #38 by JCNovember 1st, 2008 at 8:02 am

39. Heather-
    One of the easiest ways to do food storage is by doubling up. If you need 2 cans of corn, buy 4. If pasta is on sale instead of buying 4 boxes of spaghetti, buy 8. Your budget probably won’t allow you to do this for your whole shopping list, but you can pick a few items each trip (focus on items on sale and you will get your dollar to stretch farther). You can also set little goals. I had a rule that if I stepped foot in Costco, I had to buy bottled water. I did this until I had my supply of drinking water. Then I have added things like toilet paper, paper towels, etc. As far as the monthly thing, you can create a list with items to purchase as well as an activity to do like check clothing sizes in your 72 hour kit, practice a fire drill, learn CPR, etc. Even those who may have items in their homes need to practice their skills. Remeber, by small and simple means are great things brought to pass.

    Comment #39 by Mayoress of crazytownNovember 1st, 2008 at 1:13 pm

40. Besides the typcial 72 hour kit stuff this what I would add. It’s kind of hard not knowing where someone lives and what are the usual emergencies due to climate.

    If possible pay your bills/rent one month ahead of time. For a mortgage pay it out of a seperate checking account and always keep an “extra” month in there.

    If possible always keep $200 in cash if you need to travel out of town.

    Never let your gas tank get less than 1/2 full.

    Buy a few 12 or 24 packs of water bottles. Do not buy gallons, they leak!

    Ask you pharamcist for an labeled Rx bottle for every med in your household, store 7 days in each one and keep it on you.

    Keep one box with scrapbooks or photo albums in a place to grab quickly.

    Type up a page with your utility, insurance, bank/routing account #s and customer service numbers. Type out a page with each family members dob, allergies, chronic diseases/medications, physician/specialist, pharmacy #s. Make a copy of birth certificates and social security cards. Keep this all in an emergency folder. If you are divorced and have a custody agreement, obtain an extra official copy from the clerk at the courthouse. That is one thing you do not want a copy of but you want the official document. It’s usually around $1/page for an official copy.

    Stock up on dollar store toys for the kids, puzzle bucks, card, book of card games, puzzles and stuff to do. I buy old magazines (Woman’s Day, NG..) from the thrift store for .25 cents a piece and keep them in my emergency bag.

    If you know an emergency is headed your way fill your bathtub with water.

    Keep paper plates, plastic cups, utensils and trash bags to eat without running water to wash things. Make sure you have food that does not require heat or prep that your family will eat without drama. I always have pop tarts, cookies, little debbies and peanut butter crackers. These do not have a long shelf life so they need to be rotated.

    Keep a spray bottle and bleach, without power and a/c mold grows very quickly.

    Bug spray with DEET in case you have to keep windows open with no power and the screens are damaged.

    Comment #40 by LENovember 1st, 2008 at 4:28 pm

41. I spend $10 extra dollars on food storage stuff every time I go shopping. It fits in our budget well, and it’s slowly getting us a pretty good supply of cans in our itty-bitty pantry. I need to start building up our water supply, too. And make 72-hour kits.

    Partially off topic: I think it’d be a nice Super-Saturday sort of activity for Relief Society if there was a class on food storage where the attendees each brought their favorite recipe that could be made entirely from pantry items (perhaps with the recipes gathered ahead of time) so that everybody could get a nice little collection of ideas of things they could build up/make for their 3-months supply. Most of my favorite recipes to make for us require fresh foods, or frozen foods, so I’m not entirely sure what sorts of things would be the most useful for us for our 3-month supply. I’d like to find some really good recipes.

    Oh, yes, and I only recently found out about powdered eggs and powdered buttermilk. So many recipes that I previously thought wouldn’t work from food-storage only are now perfectly do-able!

    Comment #41 by kaduseyNovember 1st, 2008 at 9:25 pm

42. Just don’t suggest using refried beans in the brownies. Please.

    Comment #42 by Lindsay1138November 2nd, 2008 at 12:05 pm

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