- Will you be able to answer, "Yes"?

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Parts of the following are extracts from
January and March 2008 issues of the Prepare Today Newsletter.

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"Please . . .can I have some more?"

Will you be able to answer, "Yes"?

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"Every father and mother are the family's storekeepers. They should store whatever their own family would like to have in the case of an emergency." (James E. Faust, Ensign May 1986)

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"The best place to have some food set aside is within our homes. . . .

"We can begin ever so modestly. We can begin with a one week's food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. . . . I fear that so many feel that a long-term food supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all." (President Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign November 2002)

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We call upon priesthood bearers to store sufficient so that you and your family can weather the vicissitudes of life . . .As we do our very best, we can be confident that "the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail." We shall enjoy greater wisdom, security, peace of mind, and personal well-being. We shall be prepared, and because we are prepared, we "shall not fear." (Bishop Keith B. McMullin, Ensign April 2007)

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Yeah, I know all that; I even agree with it. Now what?!

Hey, I'm so glad you asked! If you've never gotten beyond storing the few dusty boxes of mac and cheese your great aunt gave you when you left for college you may find the whole concept of food storage to be a bit daunting. Fear not! There are many ways to approach this and one of them is right for you. Usually it's more a matter of breaking through the storage-stupor that has given rise to your pantry-paralysis. Buck up, Bunkie. This is doable. Let's start with the basics:

FIRST YOU HAVE TO DECIDE IF THIS IS A PRIORITY
Is your family's welfare important to you? Is your own welfare important to you?
If you've decided this is a priority it then becomes a matter of planning and action.

"Will this help keep my family or me alive?"

Shopping habits can be hard to break so the next time you pick up something with the idea of buying it ask yourself this question, "Will this help keep my family or me alive?" Some things are Good to have but we're striving for Best in this case; after all, we're talking about the welfare, and perhaps survival, of those whom you love. There will always be countless unnecessary directions for your money to go - most of which have little or nothing to do with preparedness or food storage. There's even a time and place for non-essentials. However, this isn't it. We've been counseled to first concentrate on having enough food for three months. This needs to be the kind of foods your family eats on a regular basis, you know, everyday, familiar food . . .chili, soups, stew, tuna, rice, peanut butter, crackers, oatmeal, hot chocolate, spaghetti. See? Don't they have a cozy, friendly feel to them? You know how to use all of them and you've probably even thought of others that aren't on this list. You're definitely getting the hang of this already!

WARNING!! WARNING!! You may be leaving your comfort zone!

Now, it's time to consider the benefits of putting together a menu. Hey, relax. It's all right! Lots of people complete their food storage and never get within a country mile of a menu - they were probably born with the Food Storage Gene. However, there are others who are more confident if they use a menu. Only you know where you fall on the menu spectrum. If you're still in the "I'll consider it" stage then look at the benefits of making up a menu that covers a minimum of two weeks and create a shopping list to reflect what's needed to cook for those weeks. (Oh, stop it! This has absolutely nothing to do with hell freezing over!) Knowing what foods you use for each week allows you to determine how much of each item you'll need to have a one-month, two-month and then ~ta-da~ a three-month supply on hand.

If you've hesitated getting started with your food storage because funds are tight it's even more important that all unnecessary purchases be eliminated. Regardless of the reasons you've given yourself to justify making imprudent purchases in the past see if it isn't helpful to ask yourself the question mentioned earlier, "Will this help keep my family or me alive?"

Don't overlook the power of "one"

If you really don't have any frivolous expenditures to eliminate and money is still an issue then shopping sales, using coupons, and rebates are even more important. Don't overlook the power of "one". You can add one or two extra cans to your storage each shopping trip; it adds up.

If you are doing your best then you're doing your part and the Lord has promised He will do His. Whatever you do, do it prayerfully. The Lord sent us here to succeed, even at getting our food storage!

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President Ezra Taft Benson

"When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power."

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This is an invitation to feel that power!

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Sacrificing to Obey

It's heartwarming to learn of humble saints with limited means who do all they can to obey the commandment to obtain their food storage. Here are examples of what some faithful saints are doing to obey:

• One sister no longer eats lunch; the food she would have eaten gets put into her storage.

• Another sister only has the means to add one can a month to her food storage. Her sacrifice is as the widow's mite, it's all she can do but she does it faithfully, month after month.

• One couple now fasts every Sunday; one Sunday they donate to the poor and needy, the other Sundays they add the food from their missed meals to their storage

There are many with the

Test of Poverty

whose efforts to obey

far exceed

those of others

who have the

Test of Abundance

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"Statistics show that no matter what the Church does,

no more than 15% have storage."

~ Presiding Bishop H. David Burton ~

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Maximizing Your Shopping Dollars

Below are just a few options

Portal for current LDS Cannery Forms
http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,8133-1-4352-1,00.html

Grocery Outlet
http://www.groceryoutlets.com/storefinder.aspx

Big Lots
http://www.biglots.com/store_locator_adv.aspx

Costco
http://www.costco.com/Warehouse/locator.aspx

Smart and Final
http://www.smartandfinal.com/locations.aspx

Bulk Foods
http://www.bulkfoods.com/default.htm

Azure Standard
http://www.azurestandard.com/

GasBuddy
http://gasbuddy.com/

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President Spencer W. Kimball

We speak not by way of alarm but by way of gentle counsel. Let us go back to the basics and follow the fundamentals. Thus we will experience a spiritual resurgence in our lives which will help us through these tempestuous times.

(Ensign, May 1981, p. 80, emphasis added)

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