Earthquake Kit

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexmagdaleno/how-to-make-an-earthquake-kit?utm_term=.whKEpx14q

Food with a Long Shelf Life

Straw Bale Gardening

This post comes from a blog written by a good friend of mine.  I am going to try this next year.

What is straw bale gardening?  You use straw bales as the soil for your garden plants.  They don't have weeds and you eliminate a lot of bending.

Continue reading: straw-bale-gardening

General Family Preparedness

Why Preparedness?

Disasters can affect any part of the United States at any time of the year, swiftly and without warning. Most people don't think of a disaster until it is too late; then they suddenly realize how unprepared they are for the massive changes it makes in their lives. Local officials can be overwhelmed and emergency response personnel may not be able to reach everyone who needs help right away.

Each type of disaster requires clean-up and recovery. The period after a disaster is often very difficult for families, at times as devastating as the disaster itself. Families which are prepared ahead of time can reduce the fear, confusion and losses that come with disaster. They can be ready to evacuate their homes, know what to expect in public shelters and how to provide basic first aid.

Continue reading:  General Family Preparedness

Emergency Survival 72 Hour Kits

I’m sure everyone has heard about the earthquake that hit in Virginia this week.  I always get so nervous when I hear about natural disasters and being prepared in case one hits close to home.  When disaster hits, it can take up to 3 days for relief workers to reach some areas. Having a 72 hour kit will supply you with supplies and food you need to survive for 3 days.

Continue reading at six sisters stuff:  sixsistersstuff.com emergency-survival-72-hour-kits

Just A Thought

Vehicle Emergency Kits

What should you put in your vehicle kit?  It depends on how many people ride in your vehicle, when and where you travel.

Everyone needs the basics....

• A good First Aid Kit
• A basic Set of Tools
• A Good Set of Jumper Cables
• A Coat or Jacket
• Flares and Reflective Triangle
• Gloves
• An old Rug or Mat to lay on
• Water
• Food or Nourishment of some type that will survive the hostile environment of your trunk
• A Blanket 
• A Shovel

Add to these contents based on your lifestyle.  If you drive very far to work you may want to add a good set of walking shoes.

Save on Prescription Drugs

The cost of prescription drugs can be an enormous drain on the budget. Enjoy this great article which gives some excellent suggestions on how to treat the high cost of prescription drugs.

http://www.walletpop.com/2011/02/15/savings-experiment-treating-the-high-cost-of-prescription-drugs/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl9%7Csec1_lnk3%7C201866

What Is Food Storage?

The Utah State Extension Service defines food storage this way “Proper food and water storage can assist families in case of a disaster. When a disaster strikes it may be impossible to obtain food and water, even at the supermarket. Therefore it is important to have adequate food storage and water available in case of a disaster. The Civil Defense recommends storing food and water adequate for each family member for two weeks.” In a nutshell food storage is food that you store for a time of need. In today’s world we see many needs for food storage either with a natural disaster or a disaster of an economy lurking all around us

The 25 Documents You Need Before You Die

It isn't enough simply to sign a bunch of papers establishing an estate plan and other end-of-life instructions. You also have to make your heirs aware of them and leave the documents where they can find them.

A site for getting your paper work in order
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303627104576410234039258092.html#project%3DDOC110702%26articleTabs%3Darticle

7 Tips to Get Your Car Out When Stuck in the Snow

Want a few foolproof ways to get your car out when it's stuck in the snow? We've pulled together our 7 best tips for getting—and staying—unstuck!

Read more tips-to-get-your-car-out-when-stuck-in-the-snow

Self Reliance: How to Make a Go-Bag

Aaron Titus is a disaster industry technologist and emergency preparation expert. Here, he shares with us how to build a “go-bag” so that you have the basic necessities on hand during any type of disaster.

Some disasters, natural or man-made, can require you to evacuate. Examples include a flood, civil unrest, a chemical spill, or a house fire. It often takes days or more before you can return. Even when evacuation is not required, many disasters knock out basic services like power, water, and communications for several days.

A go-bag or 72-hour kit helps you meet basic needs immediately after a disaster. A go-bag or 72-hour kit must be tailored to each family and updated as your family situation changes.

Read more how-to-make-a-go-bag

How Long Do All Your Favorite Foods Last After They're Opened?

After you’ve opened a jar of pasta sauce and put in the fridge, it’s good basically forever, right? Sorry, Andre 3000, it’s not good forever, or even forever ever. Because we’re often confused about how long our favorite packaged food, fruits, and veggies are good for, we talked to Chris Bernstein from the Food Safety Education arm of the Food Safety Inspection Service/USDA.

Read more how-long-do-all-your-favorite-foods-last-after

Beginning Food + Water Storage

While many of us may not experience a natural disaster in our lives, there are still many reasons to prepare now with emergency food and water storage. Loss of a job, economic crisis, dangerous weather conditions, and experiencing a homebound sickness are just some of them.

It can seem daunting to provide for your family in this way, but food storage blogger Valerie Albrechtsen breaks it down easily for us here:

Continue reaading: self-reliance-beginning-food-water-storage

4 Ways to Kill Your Food Storage

Another great article from Misty Marsh.  Building a “home store” of food and other supplies isn’t easy: it requires a lot of time, effort, expense, and dedication.  It takes work.  I doubt that any of you want to waste the time and effort that you’ve put into building this supply.  Am I right?  Continue reading 4-ways-to-kill-your-food-storage

Self-Reliance: Emergency "Grab-and-Go" Binders

Misty Marsh is an emergency preparation blogger in Utah. Here, she shares with us some tips and helpful printable documents to aid you as you build your family’s emergency binder.

I love the truth found in Doctrine and Covenants 38:30, where we learn that proper preparation can dispel fear. This truth applies to spiritual, emotional, and financial preparation, as well as emergency preparation. But I also love that in Doctrine and Covenants 10:4 God teaches us to not run faster or labor more than we have strength or means.

Continue reading self-reliance-emergency-grab-and-go-binders

19 Unbeatable Deals You Can Only Find at Costco

Every time I get my Costco membership renewal notice in the mail, it’s these 19 items that keep me writing that $55/year check.  Read more  19-unbeatable-deals-you-can-only-find-at-costco

Constancy Amid Change

This is an address given in General Conference in 1979 by President N. Eldon Tanner of the First Presidency.  It is still relevant today.

During World War II, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Albert E. Bowen, wrote a book compiled from a series of radio addresses, which he entitled Constancy amid Change (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1944). The messages of these talks were very timely. We were a world in conflict, and people the world over needed a message of certainty, assurance, and stability. 
Continue reading http://www.lds.org/ensign/1979/11/constancy-amid-change

Financial Readiness: As Critical as Fully Charged Batteries

Here are some thoughts from the FTC on Financial Readiness:

Home is where most people feel safe and comfortable. But sometimes — say, when a hurricane, flood, tornado, wildfire, or other disaster strikes — it’s safest to pack up and go to another location.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, says that when it comes to preparing for situations like weather emergencies, financial readiness is as important as a flashlight with fully charged batteries. Leaving your home can be stressful, but knowing that your financial documents are up-to-date, in one place, and portable can make a big difference at a tense time.

Here are some tips from the FTC for financial readiness in case of an emergency:

• Conduct a household inventory. Make a list of your possessions and document it with photos or a video. This could help if you are filing insurance claims. Keep one copy of your inventory in your home on a shelf in a lockable, fireproof file box; keep another in a safe deposit box or another secure location.
• Buy a lockable, fireproof file box. Place important documents in the box; keep the box in a secure, accessible location on a shelf in your home so that you can “grab it and go” if the need arises. Among the contents:
  • your household inventory
  • a list of emergency contacts, including family members who live outside your area
  • copies of current prescriptions
  • health insurance cards or information
  • policy numbers for auto, flood, renter’s, or homeowner’s insurance, and a list of telephone numbers of your insurance companies
  • copies of other important financial and family records — or notes about where they are — including deeds, titles, wills, birth and marriage certificates, passports, and relevant employee benefit and retirement documents. Except for wills, keep originals in a safe deposit box or some other location. If you have a will, ask your attorney to keep the
    original document.
  • a list of phone numbers or email addresses of your creditors, financial institutions, landlords, and utility companies (sewer, water, gas, electric, telephone, cable)
  • a list of bank, loan, credit card, mortgage, lease, debit and ATM, and investment account numbers
  • Social Security cards
  • backups of financial data you keep on your computer
  • an extra set of keys for your house and car
  • the key to your safe deposit box
  • a small amount of cash or traveler’s checks. ATMs or financial institutions may be closed.
• Consider renting a safe deposit box for storage of important documents. Original documents to store in a safe deposit box might include:
  • deeds, titles, and other ownership records for your home, autos, RVs, or boats
  • credit, lease, and other financial and payment agreements
  • birth certificates, naturalization papers, and Social Security cards
  • marriage license/divorce papers and child custody papers
  • passports and military papers (if you need these regularly, you could place the originals in your fireproof box and a copy in your safe deposit box)
  • appraisals of expensive jewelry and heirlooms
  • certificates for stocks, bonds, and other investments and retirement accounts
  • trust agreements
  • living wills, powers of attorney, and health care powers of attorney
  • insurance policies
  • home improvement records
  • household inventory documentation
  • a copy of your will
• Choose an out-of-town contact. Ask an out-of-town friend or relative to be the point of contact for your family, and make sure everyone in your family has the information. After some emergencies, it can be easier to make a long distance call than a local one.
• Update all your information. Review the contents of your household inventory, your fireproof box, safe deposit box, and the information for your out-of-town contact at least once a year

Practice Thrift and Frugality

The depression era saying of “Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without” sums up the practice of Thrift. Living thriftily is not a popular concept in our “Staying up with the Jones’s” mentality, but the folly of that mentality is that if one thing goes wrong and your family slips into crisis, you will have to learn all about “Staying above water”. Living thriftily is a very simple, effective and immediate method to increase your spending power. Imagine being, instead of a consumer; a creator, a repairer, or simply abstaining. It is phenomenally financially wasteful to eat at restaurants on a regular basis, in addition to being typically un-healthy, it also takes away from time spent together as a family creating a personal dining experience at home, together. Thrift is a practice of not wasting anything including time and money.
Frugality dictates that we live within our means and “Waste not, want not”. It requires us to be prudent with how we spend our money and to cautiously and guardedly decide how to distribute it. Why do Americans work themselves so hard and as soon as the paycheck comes in, they throw it to the wind as quickly as they can – leaving them with no reserves, no safety and no peace? It is because we have come to accept abundance as our standard. We foolishly assure ourselves that there will be a check next pay period – which there normally is, until there is not. It is the high possibility that at some point something critical will happen in our lives that brings us to the conclusion that it is very likely that at some point, that check will not be there.
One massive waste that Americans have become very comfortable with is living on credit. We have become extremely complacent with our finances in this regard. Instead of doing without for a short time while we save, we finance everything and as a consequence, pay financing fees and interest that we somehow justify as necessary. It is not necessary that we ever pay financing fees or interest for anything, even a house, if we are willing to be prudent. Instant gratification is the bane of thrift and frugality. We Americans have deceived ourselves into believing that we ‘deserve’ to live a better lifestyle than our parents (which took them a lifetime to achieve) – when in reality – we DESERVE to be secure and at peace in our lifestyle. It is ironic that as a society, we will dicker over $3,000 on a new vehicle and then finance it for 5 years – wherein we condemn ourselves to paying several times that in financing fees and interest.
What good have we done ourselves by shaving $3,000 of off $30,000 when we just finance it? If you’re willing to pay astronomical fees for the pleasure of immediate gratification, amortizing $3,000 does NOTHING to our monthly bill. A frugal person would take 3 years and save monthly as much as they would have paid out on their car payment with a little bonus savings here and there over time. In that short period of time they would accumulate enough cash that they could go into the car dealership and lay down a pile of $23,000 in cash and say they want to walk out with either their money or that $30,000 car. They’re going to walk out with the car because the dealer wants the instant gratification of the cash versus selling an amortized note at a discount.
Living a thrifty and frugal lifestyle is truly simple. Use it up. Wear it out. Make it Do. Do Without. Waste Not. These things lead us to not being left wanting when a crisis strikes our family. These two highly empowering tools not only give us the ability to build up our Standard of Living Insurance, they also bring an assured peace and allow us to live a truly abundant lifestyle where we are in control of our money instead being a slave to lenders.
A Prepper who successfully follows this principle for a few years will find themselves in a position where they are able to spend time not working without it affecting the family in an adverse manner.

Taken from the following web site: http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/the-five-principles-of-preparedness