As you plan, store, and use your food daily, one thing becomes clear: It needs replenished, and we’re much more dependent on systems and stores than we might have realized.  Right now, many more of us are feeling vulnerable.
 
Fortunately, restocking is simpler than starting from scratch. But that ‘dependency’ issue?  Hardly anybody can be completely self-reliant in this right now.  And we’re made to learn from and help each other. More self-sufficiency, however, is better than less. And almost everyone can grow some sort of food, even if it’s herbs in a pot on the windowsill, or tomatoes in a planter on the porch. You can even grow some vegetables without needing to buy seeds.
 
Ezra Taft Benson- an apostle at the time, who had also served as the United States Secretary of Agriculture-- gave us excellent advice 40 years ago.  He said,

“There are blessings in being close to the soil, in raising your own food even if it is only a garden in your yard and a fruit tree or two. Those families will be fortunate who, in the last days, have an adequate supply of food because of their foresight and ability to produce their own.
 
“The counsel from Church authorities has been consistent over the years and is well summarized in these words:
‘First, and above and beyond everything else, let us live righteously. …
‘Let us avoid debt as we would avoid a plague; where we are now in debt, let us get out of debt; if not today, then tomorrow.
‘Let us straitly and strictly live within our incomes, and save a little.
‘Let every head of every household see to it that he has on hand enough food and clothing, and, where possible, fuel also, for at least a year ahead. You of small means put your money in foodstuffs and wearing apparel, not in stocks and bonds; you of large means will think you know how to care for yourselves, but I may venture to suggest that you do not speculate. Let every head of every household aim to own his own home, free from mortgage. Let every man who has a garden spot, garden it; every man who owns a farm, farm it.’ (President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., in Conference Report, Apr. 1937, p. 26.)
 
“You do not need to go into debt, may I add, to obtain a year’s supply. Plan to build up your food supply just as you would a savings account. Save a little for storage each pay-check. Can or bottle fruit and vegetables from your gardens and orchards. Learn how to preserve food through drying and possibly freezing. Make your storage a part of your budget. Store seeds and have sufficient tools on hand to do the job. If you are saving and planning for a second car or a TV set or some item which merely adds to your comfort or pleasure, you may need to change your priorities. We urge you to do this prayerfully and do it now.
 
“I speak with a feeling of great urgency. I have seen what the days of tribulation can do to people. I have seen hunger stalk the streets of Europe. I have witnessed the appalling, emaciated shadows of human figures. I have seen women and children scavenge army garbage dumps for scraps of food. Those scenes and nameless faces cannot be erased from my memory.”
 __________________________
Meanwhile, gardening season is here-- a beautiful time of year! It’s best to wait until about Mothers Day to plant frost-sensitive vegetables, but everything else can be planted now here along the Wasatch Front.
 
Here are blog posts you might like:
Starting on Your Spring Garden 
 
Start Thinking 'Garden'

Gardening 101

The Early Garden

What Brigham Young said about wheat vs. gold

How to Prune and Fertilize Trees and Shrubs

Or just click on the 'Gardening' category at the bottom of this page if you're on a mobile device; to the right if you're on a regular computer. 
___________________________
Below is information from two of my local resources—the USU Extension office and a local nursery, but it’s helpful stuff for anyone, anywhere.

Your state Extension office has tons of resources.  Here in Utah, it’s the Utah State University Extension office.  Replace “Utah” with any other state name, run a search online, and you’ll find lots of gardening and yard that is specific to your area.

Here are three new gardening videos to help you get started in your garden; they’re from the Utah extension, but these are good advice for any location: 
·         How to Start Vegetable Seeds Indoors 
·         ​How to Start and Grow Sweet Potatoes 
·         How to Create Soil Blocks 
There’s also a great book, Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs guidebook and other gardening resources through their online book store.  One resource I’ve used quite a bit is their free online book, “Common Weeds of the Yard and Garden.”  Use it, and you’ll know better what to weed out, and what to keep.  And it's super useful to know what your soil actually needs to be healthy, before shelling out serious money on fertilizers or supplements.  You can get your soil analyzed, here. (I have this done at every house we've lived in, as we're getting started growing things there.)

The USU Extension has a gardening group on Facebook, called Utah's Gardening Experts.  Post photos, share your knowledge, or ask questions and get help from your fellow gardeners and Extension experts. Join the group here.

The Extension offers online courses. They’re usually $25, but are currently $15 with code GARDEN2020. The code will automatically apply at checkout if you use the link below.   Browse courses.
--------------------
April (Mid-Spring) Gardening Tips from Glover Nursery

They also have an article on Victory Gardens: 4 Steps to a Bountiful Harvest
_______________

What will you grow this year?

“Self-reliance is a product of our work and under-girds all other welfare practices. It is an essential element in our spiritual as well as our temporal well-being. Regarding this principle, President Marion G. Romney has said: “Let us work for what we need. Let us be self-reliant and independent. Salvation can be obtained on no other principle. Salvation is an individual matter, and we must work out our own salvation in temporal as well as in spiritual things.”
(In Welfare Services Meeting Report, 2 Oct. 1976, p. 13.), quoted in “In the Lord’s Own Way” Elder Russell M. Nelson, Ensign, May 1986

2. New Ideas for Cooking with Home Storage (also found here)--
​created to be used with the foods at the dry-pack canneries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  You can no longer dry pack food there, but can still purchase products already packaged.   ​

​This talk was originally given on September 22, 2019.

Cheerfully do all that lies in our power

Up the road from us in Kaysville, Utah, the Church owns a large grain mill along I-15-- Deseret Mills, now also a pasta plant.  The buildings there were dedicated a few days after the Teton Dam disaster, in June 1976.  President Spencer W. Kimball spoke at the dedication of Deseret Mills.  This is what he said.

“I hope, and this is my brief message to you today, that no one ever reads one word about that terrible flood and the sadness that it has brought… without saying quietly to himself,
 ‘No moment will ever pass when I will not be prepared as the Brethren tell me to do.’ One year’s supply of commodities, well cared for, well selected, is a minimum.

It’s the minimum [President Kimball hit the pulpit for emphasis], and every family, if they have only been married a day or a week, should begin to have their year’s supply. 

Now that’s basic, and we mean it!  [He hit the podium again.]

There should be no family under the sound of my voice who isn’t already prepared for whatever eventuality may come. We can’t anticipate it, of course. We don’t know where another dam is going out, or where a river is going to flood, or whether an earthquake is going to come, or what’s going to happen.

We just are always prepared because the Lord said, ‘If ye are prepared ye shall not fear’ (D&C 38:30). And the only way to have peace and security is to be prepared.
May the Lord bless us that not one family of us will go from this room without a determination from this moment forward that there will never be a time when we will not be prepared to meet the hazards that could come.” (Pure Religion p. 266-267)

More recently, Julie B. Beck, then in the General Relief Society Presidency, declared, "We become self-reliant through obtaining sufficient knowledge, education, and literacy; by managing money and resources wisely, being spiritually strong, preparing for emergencies and eventualities; and by having physical health and social and emotional well-being.”[1]

My main message today comes from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians and Timothy, and the Doctrine and Covenants-

“The Lord loveth a cheerful giver” (from our Come, Follow Me reading this week,2 Cor. 9:7, and “therefore, dearly beloved…, let us cheerfully do all that is in our power. (D&C 123:17)  “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (1 Timothy 1:7)
 
There are lots of reasons for having food storage as part of our emergency preparedness – power outages, earthquake, economic crisis (this can be widespread but is more often in our own house with sickness or job loss), health benefits (incl. cooking for those with allergies), ‘everyday emergencies’ like quick dinners, last-minute food assignments for neighbors who need it, and having no time to shop). Ezra Taft Benson declared, “The revelation to produce and store food may be as essential to our temporal welfare as the ark was to the people in the days of Noah.” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1980/10/prepare-for-the-days-of-tribulation?lang=eng
 
  But the biggest reason is that self-reliance can help our spiritual growth.

At the October 2011 General Conference, then-President Uchtdorf told us a little more of why President Kimball had such a testimony of self-reliance.
 
“In 1941 the Gila River overflowed and flooded the Duncan Valley in Arizona. A young stake president by the name of Spencer W. Kimball met with his counselors, assessed the damage, and sent a telegram to Salt Lake City asking for a large sum of money.
Instead of sending money, President Heber J. Grant sent three men: Henry D. Moyle, Marion G. Romney, and Harold B. Lee. They visited with President Kimball and taught him an important lesson: “This isn’t a program of ‘give me,’” they said. “This is a program of ‘self-help.’”
 
Many years later, President Kimball said: “It would have been an easy thing, I think, for the Brethren to have sent us [the money,] and it wouldn’t have been too hard to sit in my office and distribute it; but what a lot of good came to us as we had hundreds of [our own] go to Duncan and build fences and haul the hay and level the ground and do all the things that needed doing. That is self-help.”10
 
By following the Lord’s way, the members of President Kimball’s stake not only had their immediate needs met, but they also developed self-reliance, alleviated suffering, and grew in love and unity as they served each other.
 
Pres. Uchtdorf continued, "Too often we notice the needs around us, hoping that someone from far away will magically appear to meet those needs. Perhaps we wait for experts … to solve specific problems. When we do this, we deprive our neighbor of the service we could render, and we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to serve...
 
“…the Lord’s way of caring for the needy is different from the world’s way… He is not only interested in our immediate needs; He is also concerned about our eternal progression. For this reason, the Lord’s way has always included self-reliance and service to our neighbor in addition to caring for the poor.” [1]              
                                             
Doctrine and Covenants 105:5 tells us that Zion can only be built up by living celestial law. 
 
Oh, how we want Zion! 
 
There’s a conference talk that President Marion G. Romney gave that is so central, so important, that it’s been printed in the Ensign three times.  It’s called “The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance”. (Study it sometime!) In it, he explained, “the principle of self-reliance is spiritual, as are all the principles of the welfare program. This is not a doomsday program, but a program for today.[2] One of the… mission[s] of the Church is to perfect the Saints, and this is the purpose of the welfare program. Today is the time for us to perfect our lives.”[3]

It’s about learning to consecrate ourselves.
Neal A. Maxwell told us this “is a deliberate expanding outward, making us more honest when we sing, ‘More used would I be’.[4] Consecration… is not shoulder-shrugging acceptance, but, instead, shoulder-squaring to better bear the yoke."[5]
Living providently -- which includes "preparing for eventualities" and storing food-- IS PART OF THE GOSPEL.
 
If each of us are going to focus on “cheerfully do[ing] all that is in your power,” what is in your power to do? The question isn’t ‘what do others do’, but what can you do right now.
 
Have you already done the things that cost little or no money? 
You can store water in cleaned soda or juice bottles. 
Inventory what you have. 
Find ways to use leftovers and reduce food waste. 
Get better at making and keeping a budget.
Gather and preserve food from those who have extra. (Anyone want to make applesauce?  I have extra apples ripening, and so do half the people on my street!)
Avoid debt.
And then prayerfully consider what you can do next.

Brigham Young said, “I need the Spirit of the Lord continually to guide…and the more I have to do the more revelation I need, and the more acute [sensitive] my spirit must become… Never worry about anything, but have the Spirit of the Lord so as to know what to do, and when you have done or counseled right never fret about the result. It is in the hands of the Lord, and He will work out the problem”. (Journal of Discourses 13:308)

President Nelson has told us, “Pray … And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions you are prompted to take. As you continue to be obedient, …Every blessing the Lord has for you—even miracles—will follow. That is what personal revelation will do for you.”
 
THE DETAILS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
If you look on the Church website under “Topics”, “Food Storage” is listed and says this: “Our Heavenly Father …has lovingly commanded us to ‘prepare every needful thing’ (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors, and support bishops as they care for others.”     

This is part of ministering!

I saw an example of this kind of ministering from a friend. Our first home was in Cache Valley, and Sherrie Schiess lived up the street from us.  Her husband loved to fish—he even took a trip to Alaska and caught  lots of salmon, and Sherrie bottled most of it.  One lovely Mothers Day, the nearby Blacksmith Fork River overflowed its banks. It flooded homes that had stood dry for decades, and the local bishop sent out a call for neighbors to help. Sherrie ground wheat, made a few large batches of fresh bread, pulled jars of home-bottled salmon out of her basement, and fed 50 displaced people. 

That’s caring for your neighbor.
 
Earlier this year, the bishop asked me to create a get-your-food-storage-in-one-year plan that anyone in the ward could use. The current Church counsel on food storage is found in the “All is Safely Gathered In” pamphlet, on the Church’s “Provident Living” site.  In addition to 2 weeks of basic water storage, the counsel includes “a three month supply of food that is part of [your] normal diet” + “a longer-term supply of food that will sustain life”.[6]  Elsewhere on the Provident Living website, it clarifies this as at least one year’s worth—this was not rescinded-- in countries where it’s legal.
 
It’s legal here.
 
Most of us don’t eat whole wheat, rice, beans, and powdered milk as part of our daily diet.  If we switched over suddenly, it would put us in the hospital.  The three-month supply gives your body time to adjust if your crisis lasts that long, and gives you time to improve your cooking skills!
 
Any thorough food storage plan has to include more than lists of food. It needs to help build skills to cook, rotate, and preserve the food, ways to waste less and make your grocery money go further. There’s a new post on the blog most weeks.  (The Church site is Provident Living.org; mine is The Provident Homemaker.com).  If you forget, or want to see what’s up, it’s listed in the ward bulletin each week.  The plan listed on my blog takes 6 months to build your 3 month supply, then 6 months to build your long-term supply.  You really can do it!
 
The Home Storage Centers are a good resource. The one nearest us is in Sandy.  Now we don’t have to can our own food there; you walk in and buy it ready off the shelf. They even have monthly sales.

In March this year, we had a special 5th-Sunday lesson from the First Presidency on finances.  They said,

“Heavenly Father cares about how we manage our financial resources; to Him, temporal matters are also spiritual matters.” (see Doctrine and Covenants 29:34)
Two financial principles and practices to consider, listed in the lesson, are “Be a good steward over spiritual and temporal blessings. Remember that we are accountable for our actions toward ourselves, our families, others, and the Lord.”[7]
Let us cheerfully do all that is in our power.

 Ezra Taft Benson stated, “The Lord has warned us of famines, but the righteous will have listened to the prophet and stored at least a year’s supply of survival food.”
 
Sometimes we think that the General Authorities don’t say anything nowadays about food storage.  They do, just not always in those words.  Again, it’s a major piece of self-reliance and consecration, which are celestial principles. Last Conference, for instance, we heard these statements:

President M. Russell Ballard- “Loving God and loving our neighbors is the doctrinal foundation” of all programs in the church…Teach members to provide for themselves and their families and to assist the poor and needy in the Lord’s way.”
- “The True, Pure and Simple Gospel of Jesus Christ”
 
Elder Neil L. Anderson --“I try to keep the focus off what I don’t have and instead on what I do have and how I can help others.” (quoting then-Elder Nelson,) “Prophets see ahead. They see the harrowing dangers the adversary has placed or will yet place in our path. Prophets also foresee the grand possibilities and privileges awaiting those who listen with the intent to obey.”
- “The Eye of Faith”
 
Sister Becky Craven- “There is a careful way and a casual way to do everything, including living the gospel.” 
-“Careful Versus Casual”
 
Brigham Young said it this way: “My faith does not lead me to think the Lord will provide us with roast pigs, bread already buttered, etc. He will give us the ability to raise the grain, to obtain the fruits of the earth…and when harvest comes…it is for us to preserve it—to save the wheat until we have…enough of the staff of life saved by the people to bread themselves and those who will come here seeking for safety.”[8] 

The overall goal is preparing to serve by becoming more self-reliant; the point of self-reliance is the increased capacity to help others.[9]
 
Let us cheerfully do all that lies in our power.[10]
 
INVITATION TO ACT

Ponder how you will apply what you’ve heard. What did the Spirit tell you?  The most important thing you get from this talk is what the Spirit tells you while you’re listening (reading) and thinking about it. Counsel with the Lord this week and seek His help. As President Nelson shared, Pray, Listen, Write, Act.

Focus on what you have power to DO- have I done what is free? Have I sat down and figured how to make the food budget allow for building storage? Can I spare extra from somewhere else for a little while?  Have I taken time to inventory what I already have?
 
President Gordon B. Hinckley, in Oct 2002 and again in April 2007, said, “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.  Begin in a small way, … and gradually build toward a reasonable objective.”[11]   “Regardless of where we live or our financial situation, the path to preparation will open before us as we comply with the counsel of the prophets and go forward as means and circumstances permit.”  -Gordon K. Bischoff, Sept. 1997 Ensign, pg 67

“The law of consecration is that we consecrate our time, our talents, and our money and property to the cause of the Church; such are to be available to the extent they are needed to further the Lord’s interests on earth… Now I think it is perfectly clear that the Lord expects far more of us than we sometimes render in response. We are not as other men. We are the saints of God and have the revelations of heaven. Where much is given much is expected. We are to put first in our lives the things of his kingdom.” (Bruce R. McConkie, April 1975 General Conference)

I hope that each of us will go and “cheerfully do all things that lie in our power”, turning to the Spirit of the Lord to guide us to know what IS in our power—and then to do it today, tomorrow, and always.  He will open the way and give us miracles, as we grow in capacity to serve our family, neighbors, and God.
 
 ----------------------------------------------------------
[1] This description of self-reliance is shared in at least three places within Church materials—in “The Eternal Family” manual, in the “Welfare and Self-Reliance” manual, and in the Ensign/Liahona as part of a Visiting Teaching message.

[2] President Kimball said, “No amount of philosophizing, excuses, or rationalizing will ever change the fundamental need for self-reliance."[2]
https://scriptures.byu.edu/#:tc0a:g94 

[3] Elder L. Tom Perry taught, “The principle of self-reliance is spiritual as well as temporal. It is not a doomsday program; it is something to be practiced each and every day of our lives.”   https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1991/10/becoming-self-reliant?lang=eng

[4] Marion G. Romney of the First Presidency explained, 
“I do not want to be a calamity howler. I don’t know in detail what’s going to happen in the future. I know what the prophets have predicted. But I tell you that the welfare program, organized to enable us to take care of our own needs, has not yet performed the function that it was set up to perform. We will see the day when we will live on what we produce.

“We’re living in the latter days. We’re living in the days the prophets have told about from the time of Enoch to the present day. We are living in the era just preceding the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are told to so prepare and live that we can be … independent of every other creature beneath the celestial kingdom. That is what we are to do.

“This welfare program was set up under inspiration in the days of President Grant. It was thoroughly analyzed and taught by his great counselor, J. Reuben Clark, Jr. It is in basic principle the same as the United Order. ***When we get so we can live it, we will be ready for the United Order.*** You brethren know that we will have to have a people ready for that order in order to receive the Savior when he comes.

“I know from my own experience and the witnesses by the thousands that I have received of the Spirit that this is the Lord’s work. It is to prepare us. If you’ll think of the most sacred place you ever have been, you’ll remember that the final thing that we are to do is to be able and willing to consecrate all that we have to the building up of the kingdom of God, to care for our fellow men. When we do this we’ll be ready for the coming of the Messiah.” (In Conference Report, Apr. 1975, pp. 165–66.)
https://www.lds.org/.../section-78-consecration-an...
 
[5] “More Holiness Give Me,” 1985, Hymns, no. 131

[6] See All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage, 3.
This pamphlet with its prophetic counsel was distributed about 6 months before the worst financial downturn in 60 years (October 2007), and Vaughn J. Featherstone gave a very helpful talk, appropriately titled “Food Storage”, along with a challenge for each family to get it in place within a year, shortly before the recession of the late 70s.  But if you want to have your eyes opened to this being a PATTERN of timely revelation from God through our leaders, read this talk by Harold B. Lee in April 1943, “Hearing the Voice”. It's a remarkable thing to have living prophets! 
https://scriptures.byu.edu/#:t47:j01
 
[7] Also see “Top Ten Food Storage Myths” https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tzkTKfOuz6YXaWjtiAtKEsQvKf4epET5bVFqhAMQ9is/edit
 
[8] Brigham continued, Will you do this? “Aye, maybe I will,” says one, and “maybe I won't” says another; “the kingdom that cannot support me I don't think of much account; the Lord has said it is his business to provide for his Saints, D&C 104:15 and I guess he will do it.” I have no doubt but what he will provide for his Saints; but if you do not take this counsel and be industrious and prudent, you will not long continue to be one of his Saints. Then, continue to do right, that we may be His Saints; sow, plant, buy half a bushel of wheat here, and a bushel there, and store it up”.
 
[9] See The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance, by Marion G. Romney, and another statement from him: "As we prepare for the building of Zion, we must not and we shall not abandon the basic principles upon which our Church Welfare Services are founded: love—love of God and neighbor—and work, or labor."- "Church Welfare Services Basic Principles", April 1976 General Conference

[10] You all know the verse in Proverbs 31 that says, "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." I've never looked up the Hebrew word translated "virtuous" before; I sort of assumed it was mostly based in moral purity.  And that is a piece of it.  But the verses following indicate it's much more. I looked up the Hebrew this week. The word is chayil. It means power. https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/pro/31/10/t_conc_65901 A 'chayil' woman is one who is active in doing good, one who taps into God’s power to increase her ability to serve.[11]
Who can find a 'powerful, able' woman? For her price is far above rubies.

[11]  President Monson said, “The best storehouse system that the Church could devise would be for every family to store a year’s supply of needed food, clothing, and, where possible, the other necessities of life.”  Treat it as you would a storehouse – inventory!

“Prophets see ahead. They see the harrowing dangers the adversary has placed or will yet place in our path. Prophets also foresee the grand possibilities and privileges awaiting those who listen with the intent to obey.”
-Neil L. Anderson, quoting then-Elder Russell M. Nelson, in “The Eye of Faith”, April 2019 
 
Recently, I ran across a talk that Harold B. Lee-- then of the Twelve Apostles-- gave during the middle of World War II.  He shared several things that the First Presidency had asked the people to do in the few years before, and what happened afterwards nationally that made it apparent that our prophets were prophetic in their counsel. The biggest takeaway for me was the pattern of counsel given and how it later proved them prophets, though not given in a manner we'd usually consider as 'prophesying'. I highly recommend reading it; there was a lot of Church history that meshed with bits I knew of WWII history.  And there were pieces I had to look up.

"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”(2 Peter 1:19-21)  "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)  "Wherefore, I the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments."(D&C 1:17) 

Prophecy most often comes in the form of commandments, not as "thus saith the Lord" or "this is going to happen" statements.  (President Nelson has, however, given plenty of prophetic promises too. I have a list you can see if you want it.)

Here's more of the pattern.

In 1998 and 2000, President Gordon B. Hinckley said he couldn't get Pharoah's dream of the seven good and seven bad years off his mind, and said, "There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed."    In 2001, when the Twin Towers were destroyed, the stock market fell a huge amount.  It wasn't a huge deal economically for long, but it was for a little while. And 7 years later, a huge shift in the economy occurred.

In 2007 the church (First Presidency) published the "All is Safely Gathered In" guides for financial safety and food storage. They created food storage packs at the Home Storage Centers- those boxes with 6 big cans in them. Each included wheat, rice, milk, the All Is Safely Gathered In booklets. In January 2008 this information was shared again through the Church News.

Do you know what happened at the end of September 2008?

It was the stock market crash, followed by 'the Great Recession', from which the nation has only recently recovered.

Have you ever noticed that the Church is always ahead of the curve, whatever the curve happens to be?

A couple months ago, the First Presidency sent bishops a letter and a lesson outline, asking them to use one of the two next possible 5th Sundays (2nd hour block) to teach "Being Wise in Managing our Finances" to their ward members.  This included an impressive amount of cautions concerning investing, like this line- "Do not invest if you cannot afford to lose your investment".  

The Lord works through small and simple means- including through living prophets' counsel and commandments.
 
As Harold B. Lee said in his talk,

"We as a people seem to be willing to accept many of the ancient prophecies as having been literally fulfilled but when we see prophecies fulfilled in our own day we are prone to question and to express some doubts. As the Master said, ' . . A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country'  Mark 6:4 and he might have added, 'Save in his own time'."

What else have our modern prophets said? Here are several quotes.

“Liv[ing] principles of self-reliance and provident living… are essential things which must be done before nonessential things. … What a different world and Church this would be if every Latter-day Saint sister… was self-reliant enough to be able to give freely of her knowledge, talents, and resources”.  -Julie B. Beck, "What Latter-day Saint Women Do Best"

“Loving God and loving our neighbors is the doctrinal foundation" of all programs in the church.  "Teach members to provide for themselves and their families and to assist the poor and needy in the Lord’s way.”
-M. Russell Ballard, “The True, Pure and Simple Gospel of Jesus Christ”

“A cardinal principle of the gospel is to prepare for the day of scarcity. Work, industry, frugality are part of the royal order of life… Inspired preparation rests on the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ, obedience, and a provident lifestyle. Members should not go to extremes, but they should begin. We call upon priesthood bearers to store sufficient so that you and your family can weather the vicissitudes of life.” 
-Keith B. McMullin, https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/lay-up-in-store?lang=eng  
 
“There is a careful way and a casual way to do everything, including living the gospel.” 
-Becky Craven, “Careful versus Casual”
 
"We no longer have the luxury of spending our energy on anything that does not lead us and our families to Christ. That is the litmus test . . . for our lives. In the days ahead, a casual commitment to Christ will not carry us through." 
-Sheri L. Dew, "We Are Women of God"

“How do we become self-reliant? We become self-reliant through obtaining sufficient knowledge, education, and literacy; by managing money and resources wisely, being spiritually strong, preparing for emergencies and eventualities; and by having physical health and social and emotional well-being”.
-Julie B. Beck,  Basic Principles of Welfare and Self-Reliance, 4)

"Self-reliance is taking responsibility for our own spiritual and temporal welfare and for those whom Heavenly Father has entrusted to our care. Only when we are self-reliant can we truly emulate the Savior in serving and blessing others. It is important to understand that self-reliance is a means to an end. Our ultimate goal is to become like the Savior, and that goal is enhanced by our unselfish service to others. Our ability to serve is increased or diminished by the level of our self-reliance.”
-Robert D. Hales, "Becoming Self-Reliant"

“There may be…times when we recognize a need but feel inadequate to respond, assuming that what we have to offer is insufficient. To do just as He did, however, is to minister by giving what we are capable of giving and to trust that the Lord will magnify our efforts to bless our “fellow travelers on this mortal journey.” … Although we may feel that our efforts are inadequate, … small and simple acts are powerful because they invite the companionship of the Holy Ghost”.
-W. Christopher Waddell, “Just as He Did”

“the Holy Spirit affirmed two things to me. First, the work of ministering to temporal needs is vital and must continue. The second was unexpected, yet powerful and clear. It was this: beyond selfless service, it is supremely important to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
-D. Todd Christofferson, “Preparing for the Lord’s Return”

The week 4 assignment:
Going off your new Inventory Shopping List and this week’s sales, buy the 3 months’ worth of as many different items as you can as your new budget allows. This plan calls for buying your 3 month foods each week over the next 18 weeks. From now on, I'll refer to this as B for 3. 

My friend Heidi recommends this inventory app- you scan items and they’re automatically entered.  I can’t vouch for it yet, but she loves it.

How can you afford to buy all this extra food?

Waste less- this saves $$ on your regular food budget, freeing up money. Did you know the average family of 4 throws away more than $2000 of food every year?  (See ways to waste less, here.)  This alone has the potential to completely fund your food storage!

Budget it in- in addition to freeing up money by reducing the food you waste, there are other ways to find money you already have.    Plan on finding $14/person/week.  Vaughn J. Featherstone gave a talk years ago on how to get your full year’s worth of food within just one year.  He recommends sitting down as a family and deciding on ways.  Some of his suggestions include

-skip going on a vacation; use the money for food storage, and spend the time on growing a garden.

-at Christmas time, designate 25-50% of the regular gift budget for food storage.
-make your clothes last longer.  Don’t replace anything that still has good use in it, and mend or repair what can be.

- cut your entertainment budget by 50%.  Find memory-building activities that are free.

-Sell a ‘luxury item’ like a snowmobile, ATV, boat, camper, etc.  (Modern note: If you have a storage unit, sell what’s in it; use the proceeds --and the rent savings-- for food.)

-watch the grocery sales, buy extra when what you need is on sale.

-reduce the meat you buy and switch in a protein source that costs less. Buy less ice cream, candy, chips, magazines… whatever is tempting to you there.  Spend the difference on what’s on your inventory purchase list.
 
If after going through Elder Featherstone’s suggestions it still looks impossible, pray to see what you can do.  Ways will open. God is still a God of miracles!

Grow and Glean- Grow the food you can- berry bushes can fit easily in a landscape, as can fruit trees, herbs, and vegetables.  Gleaning- when a neighbor has too many zucchini or tomatoes, volunteer to take some.  Use them in recipes, freeze them, bottle them, dehydrate them-- seasoned dried zucchini slices are great for snacking! Very often there are people around who have fruit trees they don't harvest. Knock on a door and ask!  Usually they're a little sad about it going to waste otherwise, and grateful to have someone use it.

Buy smart – My dad laughingly said he learned in college about the ‘SOS’ Method. This can mean Stay Out of Stores or Stock up On Sales.  Both have their place and their limits.

Stay Out of Stores-- the fewer times a week or month you visit stores, the less money you will spend there!  

Stock up when things are on sale- know what the regular prices are, so you can recognize a good price.  Buy as much of your 3 month's worth as you can fit in the budget.  (Remember it’s only a ‘deal’ if you were going to buy it anyway.  Don’t buy stuff just because it’s on sale. Be intentional!)  If chicken is an amazing price, you can buy a case or however much your family will use; divide it into meal-size freezer bags, raw or cooked, or bottle it to store on the shelf.

Buy when others don’t want it.  Buy foods that are marked down because they are at or near the ‘best by’ date.  (The date matters much less on some foods than others.)  Work this week’s sale produce into your meals and snacks.  Ask the produce guy at the grocery store if they have too many bananas; several times I’ve been able to buy a 40-lb case of bananas for $10 or even $5.  That’s enough for about three rounds of filling my dehydrator with sliced bananas, plus a batch or two of banana bread for the freezer.  (My kids adore home dried bananas.)   Some stores give away their day-old bread and other bakery items rather than marking them down.  If you’re local, give me a call; I have access to some of this and am looking for people to share with!

Know the best places to buy things - call around or look online. But don’t spend too much time running from place to place. Remember the first SOS.

Two places you might not have considered that have great deals are the Home Storage Centers -- you can buy in person or order online-- and NPS-- a store that sells inventory overage, lost and missing freight.(This is in Salt Lake and Utah counties only.  Other areas may have similar stores.)
Again, if you’re local, I’m glad to show you around at either place.  NPS has amazing deals- including on GF and dairy-free items-- but not everything there is inexpensive. I tend to shop there once every couple months, and get a lot of what’s good.


How can you afford to build your food storage?  
-Waste Less
-Budget it In
-Grow and Glean
-Buy Smart!

​Now that you've decided it's time to prepare for your family and neighbors, where in the world are you going to fit the necessary food into your house?  If you have a cool, dark room available, that's perfect.  If you're struggling to come up with a place to put food storage, read through these reader-generated suggestions: 
​
​Small spaces solution list 

Wherever it is—a spare room, a spare corner of an occupied room, a corner of a basement, in an insulated garage or shed, in a closet—you will certainly want at least one shelf to store on.  Find one and set it up.  Strong shelves (ones that can handle at least a couple hundred pounds per level) can be purchased at stores like Lowe’s, Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Costco. One 4’x2’x8’ shelf will typically cost between $70-120. 

If you'd like some ideas on earthquake-proofing your shelves, see here.

To sum up, your task this week is to find a place you can store shelf-stable food,

Get a shelf, and

Set it up.

That's it!

WHY?
“Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to ‘prepare every needful thing’ (see Doctrine and Covenants 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we may care for ourselves and our neighbors, and support bishops as they care for others.”
“We encourage members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. We ask that you be wise, and do not go to extremes. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.” (See All Is Safely Gathered In.)  

Personal preparedness and provident living are part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They allow us to handle more of our own needs, and to serve others. 

An earlier Presiding Bishop declared, "The Lord will make it possible, if we make a firm commitment, for every Latter-day Saint family to have a year’s supply of food reserves by [a year from today]. All we have to do is to decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place; the way will be opened, and next April we will have our storage areas filled. We will prove through our actions our willingness to follow our beloved prophet and the Brethren, which will bring security to us and our families."  

This 52-week blog series is designed to help you get your 3-month and year-supply over the next 12 months.   If you already have your short-term storage, start at Week 26, with the long-term storage foods plan.

Spencer W. Kimball taught,

“Zion is a name given by the Lord to his covenant people, who are characterized by purity of heart and faithfulness in caring for the poor, the needy, and the distressed. (See D&C 97:21.)
‘And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.’ (Moses 7:18.) This highest order of priesthood society is founded on the doctrines of love, service, work, self-reliance, and stewardship, all of which are circumscribed by the covenant of consecration.” (General Conference, Oct. 1977; or Ensign, Nov. 1977)


What should you have in your food storage?  
1- Food -- a 3-month supply of things you eat every day, and a year's worth of foods that store well for a long time.  The 3-month supply will be used on a daily or weekly basis; the long-term foods can be used any time-- but do spend time learning to cook with them!  Here's a little-known secret: Once you get your 3-month supply, you're more than halfway done; a year of long-term basic foods are cheaper and simpler to get.  

2- Water-- at least a two week's supply.  A gallon per person, per day, is the minimum.  That's fourteen gallons per person, as a starting number.  I like to keep some of it under each sink in the house.  2-liter bottles and plastic 2-quart juice containers, washed out and refilled, are the perfect size for this.  This is great for the times the water is off for a little while, and the sinks are exactly where you'll want to have containers you can easily pour.  Bigger water storage containers may be kept in the basement, the garage, or in a protected area outside.

3- Financial Reserve   This will likely take a few forms. One is to have some cash on hand, in small bills, in event of short-term emergencies like widespread power outages. Another type of reserve is a personal emergency fund.  A thousand dollars, sitting in a safe and accessible account, will be enough to deal with most emergencies.  A third kind of reserve is to have is enough savings to cover bills for at least 3-6 months.  A year is even better. 

See the ProvidentLiving website for more details on these. 
​
How do I begin?
First, be determined that this is going to happen, starting today.  As Bishop Featherstone said, above, "All we have to do is to decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place"!  Pray to see how to do this. Bishop Featherstone lists several ways to find the money.

The next step in getting your family storehouse is to take inventory of what you have.  (All stores have to take inventory! At least yearly.) Get a notebook or a clipboard, and write down all the food you have in the house.  Group them in categories that make sense to you.  Put it in a safe place that you'll remember, whether digital or hard copy. You'll use this list in the next two weeks.  

Go through your budget and see where you can free up some money; for food prices in my area, you'll likely need $12-24 per person, per week, to get the 3 month + year's supply within a year. If that seems out of reach, read the Featherstone talk, and remember that the Lord can multiply your efforts.  

There are lots of fresh foods you can store without needing a freezer, canner, or fridge.  I haven't built a root cellar, but discovered that different places in my yard, garage, and house have the right conditions for several of these foods.
Potatoes are happy on my bare garage floor until late January. After January they have to be moved up 1-2 feet, onto the cement stairs, to avoid freezing. Same with onions. Apples are better in the garage on the workbench, which is a couple feet off the ground and a few degrees warmer (but still cold). Pumpkins are happy in the basement or in a dark closet, off the floor so they avoid moisture. Carrots and parsnips are fine to leave in the ground, covered with a pile of dead leaves or a thick layer of straw if I want any hope of digging them during the winter. Otherwise they can be dug in spring, after the winter cold has made them sweeter.The link below is a 5-page handout from the University of Wisconsin which lists types of foods, their ideal storing temperature and any necessary humidity, expected length of storage, and plans for creating your own root cellar.

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/store/wisc_vegetables.pdf

What will you store this year?

Week 4- make a plan to obtain the food storage. Do something to start. What you do depends on where YOU are and what your circumstances are.  This article is a good starting point.  
This post is longer, in order to try to give pointers and resources to everyone in every stage of preparedness.  Use what's useful, ignore the rest until you're ready for it.
If you're trying to figure how on earth to buy that extra food... case lot sales are going on right now, where items are often half the regular price. Some places- like the Bosch Kitchen Centers in Orem, Sandy, and on Highland Drive--  have Conference sales for long-storage items like wheat and honey.  Plus the Home Storage Center has fantastic prices on wheat, beans, and more.  You do not need to be a LDS church member to purchase items there.
Set aside a certain amount of money each month, and use it. For more ideas, see this Conference talk by Elder Featherstone.

Do you need your 3-month supply?  Do you have that in place and are ready to move on to building your long-term ("year") supply?  Do you have long-term storage but just need to get organized or fill in some gaps?  

To build a three-month supply, you and your family decide on 2 weeks of meals that they like.  Figure how much of each food item you need for that two weeks, and multiply by 6.  This gives you three months!  Remember that what you already have counts towards this amount.  I have a series of blog posts on a three-month supply, too.

To build long-term storage, first figure how much you need.  I've compiledinformation about that, here. There's even more, here.  It really is not as overwhelming as it sounds.  You'll likely spend as much money on the three-month supply as you will the entire rest of the year's worth; basics are cheap.  Last time I ran numbers, getting that 9-months-more of storage was under $250 per adult, and less for children. (See the link earlier in this paragraph for children's quantities.)  There is a useful spreadsheet here; feel free to change quantities for the different grains, as long as the total remains 300-400 lbs.

"Food storage is often characterized by worldly critics as eccentric — just steps away from building a nuclear bomb shelter under your house and stocking it with guns, ammo and dehydrated rations.

If you have held back from applying your imagination and effort to storing some necessities for a rainy day, let me ask this: Have you ever saved for your child’s education? Have you ever hurried to buy airline tickets a month in advance of Christmas, because you knew that available seats would disappear if you waited longer?

Do you pay for health, disability, auto, or life insurance, even though you are healthy and able, you don’t plan to be in an auto accident, and you are indeed alive and well? Then you are a candidate for food storage and a provident lifestyle.

Even if you never use your food storage for an emergency if you store what you eat and eat what you store and you will always be eating at last year’s prices. You will never have to pay full price for food in the future. Even food goes on sale. It is really that simple. Who wouldn’t love that?" -Carolyn Nicolaysen

President Monson said, one year ago, "We should remember that the best storehouse system would be for every family in the Church to have a supply of food, clothing, and, where possible, other necessities of life... Are we prepared for the emergencies in our lives? Are our skills perfected? Do we live providently? Do we have our reserve supply on hand? Are we obedient to the commandments of God? Are we responsive to the teachings of prophets? Are we prepared to give of our substance to the poor, the needy? Are we square with the Lord?

"We live in turbulent times. Often the future is unknown; therefore, it behooves us to prepare for uncertainties. When the time for decision arrives, the time for preparation is past." 
("Are We Prepared?", Sept. 2014 Ensign magazine)

"It requires faith even among the Latter-day Saints to believe the revelations of God, and to prepare themselves for those things which await the world… And what I wish to say to the Elders and to the Latter-day Saints is—Have we faith in God and in his revelations? Have we faith in our own religion? Have we faith in Jesus Christ? Have we faith in the words of the Prophets?...
If we have faith in these things, then we certainly should prepare ourselves for the fulfillment of them.'
-Wilford Woodruff, "The Parable of the Ten Virgins"

September is National Preparedness Month.  Each week this month I'll post a weekly challenge of something simple you can do, with no money at all if that's where you are.

We should be prepared for what?
Emergencies. Job loss.  "Eventualities"... like that earthquake we've been told to expect someday.  Illness.  Unavailability of water because somebody broke a water main.  Power outages, long or short.  You name it.
Life.  

Here's a quick overview of some good recommendations for Personal or Family Emergency Planning

Items to consider may include:
•Three-month supply of food that is part of your normal daily diet.
•Drinking water.
•Financial reserves.
•Longer-term supply of basic food items.
•Medication and first aid supplies.
•Clothing and bedding.
•Important documents.
•Ways to communicate with family following a disaster.

See providentliving.org for more information.

WEEK 1 CHALLENGE:
Create a family emergency contact plan and share it with your immediate family so everyone knows what to do, where/who to call or text, who will be your out-of-state contact, what are the emergency plans at your kids' schools, workplace, how to get people back home... 

The link below has a simple form you can use, and the second page of it has cards to fill out with the info you need, for you or your children to carry.

http://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/documents/files/Family_Emegency_Plan.pdf

Will you accept the challenge?  I'd love to hear what you did.