1.26.2010

iPrepared's Family Home Evening Lesson Links

From The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:
*Finance - 4 lessons for varying ages
*Home Storage - 3 lessons for different ages
*Preparedness Activities - 12 activities for teaching preparedness skills in FHE
*Self Reliance - 2 lessons for older children

From iPrepared:
*Earthquake Scenario

From Safely Gathered In:
*Ready To Go
*It Wasn't Raining When Noah Built the Ark
*Emergency Plans
*Emergency Preparedness

From Let Us Prepare:
*Power in Preparedness (1) - 4 lessons
*Power in Preparedness (2) - 4 more lessons

From LDS Living Magazine:
*Preparedness

1.18.2010

Haiti

[Photo credit: Lynne Sladky, AP]
U.N. peacekeepers from Sri Lanka distribute water in Leogane, Haiti.


I've been thinking a lot about the earthquake and subsequent suffering in Haiti. I've thought about preparedness and have wondered what lessons could be gleaned and which troubles avoided by paying attention to what is happening there.

After a lot of thought, I would like to recommend two things (beyond your prayers):


First, donate to the relief effort.
I was struck by the recent instruction that preparedness is not just about taking care of ourselves, but it is also about taking care of others. Elder Robert D. Hales said "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." (A Gospel Vision of Welfare: Faith in Action, Basic Principles of Welfare and Self-Reliance, World Wide Training, February 2009).

We are truly rich compared to most of the Haitian people. Each of us can sacrifice in some way to help. It may mean waiting a little longer to finish your basement. It may mean going out to eat a few times less this month. It may mean sacrificing the amount you spend on gifts this year. But I really believe Heavenly Father gave us all that we have so that we can help others. If you are unsure of where to donate, I can recommend either Red Cross or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Emergency Response (100% goes to help). Our family agreed unanimously to take money from our basement-finishing fund and donate it to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Emergency Response.


Second, store more water.
The most fundamental need of those affected by the earthquake was and still is water. Jenny Fyall from The Scotsman quoted Jimitre Coquillon, "a doctor's assistant working at a triage centre set up in a hotel car park. 'This is much worse than a hurricane. There's no water. There's nothing. Thirsty people are going to die." A foreign aid worker told Reuters, "Money is worth nothing right now, water is the currency."

I've thought a lot about my own water storage and have asked myself some questions. Would I be able to access my water in an earthquake? Do I have portable containers with which to transport water? Do I have water in multiple locations to increase the likelihood that I could access it? Do I have enough water stored? After asking these questions, I personally decided to store more water in my basement. I already have water in my garage and cars - but I don't have an alternate water location source. So last night I filled my first PETE bottle and my son added it to our storage shelves. Ask yourself the same questions and find some way to increase your water supply.


In both of these suggestions, you can do a little or a lot. Even a little more water stored or a little money donated could make a huge difference.

1.11.2010

iPrepared's Blog Links:

Everyday Food Storage
Food Storage. Alright, Let's Begin.
Food Storage and Preservation (Filling Your Ark)
Food Storage - A Necessary Adventure
Food Storage and Survival
Food Storage Made Easy
Food Storage Plus
Journey to Preparedness
My Food Storage Deals

My Square Foot Garden
Pleasant Grove, Utah Stake - Emergency Prep
Prepared LDS Family
Preparedness Brings Peace
Preparedness Matters
Preparedness Pro
Safely Gathered In
Sisters Always Simplifying
Survivor's Fortress
Totally Ready
Utah Preppers
These links are intended to be sites that discuss home food storage and general preparedness. If I've missed your blog please let me know. Two requests: Please only recommend active blogs (i.e. published posts in the past month). Also, I would prefer to not list business sites unless there is an active blog separate from the product sales. I will delete business listings from the comments.

Inclusion on this list is not intended to be an endorsement by iPrepared. There are many sensibilities when it comes to home-storage, self-reliance and preparedness and these blogs span the divide. You may find an approach that motivates you or provides information to help you in your quest for preparedness. Disclaimer - you may also find inaccurate information on these blogs. It is always wise to find multiple, valid sources to verify information.

iPrepared's Links

I've not been happy with the link structure that filled up my right column on this blog. So, I've revisited these links, updated them, and will now have several link pages available, depending upon what you are looking for. Over the next two weeks, I'll be adding these pages. Thanks for your patience.

Please let me know if I've missed a great link or fabulous site.

1.06.2010

Preparedness Sales (January 2010 - Intermountain West)

For those of you with a Maceys close by, they are having a "case lot sale" this week. Smiths also has a few items listed as a case lot sale. These sales are good opportunities to stock up on both your three-month supply and longer-term supply.

Some well-priced items that I noticed:

Maceys:
*Powdered Milk: #10 Country Cream (white or chocolate) - $8.88 (This is the best price I've seen for a very long time - stock up if you like this brand!)
*Sugar: 25 lb bag, Western Family - $9.68 (This is an okay price, but is good given that sugar prices are on the rise)
*Sugar, powdered and brown: 2 lb bags, Western Family - $.98 (I sometimes see this price drop to $.89)
*Beans: 15 oz. cans, Western Family - $.48
*Eggs, powdered: #10 Morning Moo - $14.78

Both the flour and white rice are cheaper at Costco right now.


Here are two past posts to help in price comparisons:
The Price of Grains and Home Storage Best Prices

Did you find any great deals?

1.04.2010

Being Independent; Being Prepared

Being Independent; Being Prepared
How some young adults are applying principles of preparedness to their busy, mobile lives.


This is a great article put out by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this month. Here are some highlights:

". . . Jocelyn Winter attends medical school. Much of her time and energy go into balancing schoolwork with meeting financial obligations. Marcia Brisson is finished with school for now and is working full-time. Abby Croshaw is also working full-time but is considering a career change. And Emily Hardman is planning to move across the country to go to law school. All are finding that by applying the principles found in All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage and Family Finances they are better able to adjust to the shifting demands of young-adult life. Not only do they feel better prepared for new stages of life, including marriage or career changes, they also feel more secure about the future, no matter what it brings. As the Lord said: “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30).

Furthermore, as these women apply the principles of provident living to meet their current needs, they find greater peace and have more faith as they seek emotional, spiritual, and temporal blessings."

. . . Abby, too, knows the blessings that come from obedience. She recalls that when a series of bad rainstorms hit her city, she was grateful she had followed the counsel of the prophets to build up a short-term home storage supply. During the inclement weather, she was safe in her home while others in the community were rushing on crowded roads to the grocery store for supplies. “Even if you made it to the store, the shelves were completely empty,” she says. “My roommates and I didn’t even feel the stress because we had food stored at our house. I was grateful we had listened.”

. . . Jocelyn says, “It really gives me a sense of security to know that the teachings in the Church focus on things to help us succeed, especially in times of trial.” Years ago, Jocelyn’s stake in Texas temporarily housed members displaced by a hurricane. Her personal resources proved valuable. Even though she didn’t use them for herself, someone else needed them. “I gave away what I had to others. Just helping one person can make a difference if everyone pitches in,” she says."

. . . I took a job in a new city and began to build a small reserve of food and household necessities, as well as a savings account. Later, I broke my foot and became helpless for nearly two months. Help from good friends and having that small reserve in place allowed for far fewer trips to the grocery store. Although this was not the type of disaster I was anticipating, I was grateful for the counsel to be prepared.” -Shannon Wilson, Texas, USA

“. . .Thankfully, there hasn’t been any major disaster or need for me to rely solely upon my food storage or other supplies, but I consider it a blessing to have the security of knowing I could live on my storage if needed. It is also a blessing to be able to partially rely on it when I don’t have as much income at a particular time due to extra expenses or fewer hours at work. I know that implementing provident living principles in our lives is a commandment from the Lord that helps us be more fruitful and independent.” -Jaci Smibert, Australia"