Thoughts on Preparedness from Readers

Dear Readers,

Last week I wrote the following comments and received many reader responses.  Please read on:

We have been thinking we will all be called to depend on or teach some old-fashioned skills like bartering, gardening, food pantries and neighborliness as the means to survival.

But, we don’t have everything figured out yet.  I actually believe God may be calling each of us individually, as families, and as the church corporately to address needs in ways the government “stimulus”package will never be able to meet.

I would love to hear from those of you already involved in individual, family or church outreaches.  I want to know how you are assessing needs and determining how to help those in need.  Please email me at marilyn@urbanhomemaker.com with your thoughts and insights.”

Marilyn,

A lady in England had the same idea for helping people who are trying to get back to basics.  We blog frugal ideas every Friday.  Try to encourage families who are facing tough times.  Check out her Buddy posts and the group who is joining her.  Nothing fancy – just folks trying to do what they can. http://margarets-ramblings.blogspot.com/2009/02/begining-our-buddy-group.html   Glad you are feeling better.  LizBeth

Dear Marilyn,

We’re not involved in anything, yet (I just re-read your question), but I’ve been thinking about what we might do to help our neighbors in times of emergency for a while now.  I think we need to settle in to our church setting, first, and then start more seriously evaluating what we can do and how we could go about doing it.  A couple months ago Lee helped a recently widowed lady fix a faulty door in her home after we purchased some honey from her and saw how she was struggling with it.  However, we need to know how to find out about problems and needs, and in a farming community like this one the needy usually have friends and family around to help.  We may need to put out an offer of help to our neighbors so they know we’re available when they need something.

Also, in our church, the deacon had a meeting with the men in the church who wanted to help with any fix-it problems.  This would apply to church maintenance, but it’s also for helping those who don’t have the skills nor ability to do what’s needed to upkeep their homes and properties (within the church and outside of it).  The men were to write down their available hours, when they’d be available for phone calls, what skills they have, what equipment they have available to be used, what they’d be willing to do.  I don’t know how this will all work out, but we now have an availability list that can be referenced when there’s a need somewhere.  They’ve already been doing things, but they didn’t know what resources were available in the church until this latest effort to organize.   Rhoda D (Idaho)

Marilyn,

I have been making my own benevolence pantry lately.  After New Year’s our local grocery store had a buggy of black eyed peas for sale for $.20 a can.  I bought the whole buggy.  Recently, they had Chef Boyardee pasta for $.58 a can if you bought 10 cans.  I bought 30 cans.  Whenever they have stuff to get rid of I try to buy all they have and use it to stock my give away pantry.  I realize that it might not all be the best nutrition but if you are truly hungry it will help.  I don’t always have a loaf of bread to hand to someone in need but I can give them a few cans of food. Blessed,  Kathy

Dear Marilyn,

My name is Audra. I have been reading your emails for some time. I am  42, married and have 5 children under the age of 13. I do not homeschool but they are in a good, well diciplined charter nearby. I was raised in a church that read the bible every sunday for 1 hour and 1/2 and I am in one now that will absolutely follow the bible as inerrant truth.
We have a Titus2 ministry for women and we are exhorting women to help other women all the time.
I try hard to share my survival skills and cooking no how with my kids and friends. I confirm this conversation you had with your friend- ABSOLUTELY.

This is the first time I have heard it spoken out loud just as I felt it in my spirit.  Some time ago I realized Martha Stewart was a wild success because there is a generation (mine) who was not trained in survival and homemaking. Moms went to work outside the home and alot of the day to day training was not accomplished. Money management was also one key area that was not handled properly seen in the evidence of our economic disaster.

I have seen in 5 years the urgent need of money training come up in the church and the resources being provided.But what if the church could help train others in depression area type survival ? That has been heavy on my mind off and on for awhile now.  I joked with friends that I know how to skin a rabbit and cook it. I wouldn’t want to do it now. But really, how many people would starve in this day and time for ignorance?

I have been thinking on it and one idea I think would be helpful is a cookbook that is very specific. You may already have it covered.

I want to accomplish something like this but the task is daunting. I have looked for awhile for this resource.

Alot of people made foolish choice with excessive credit. We were one of them.  Alot of people are working hard to pay it all back ,(we are one of them) All the Mary Hunt Debt Proof Living fans, The Dave Ramsey fans, The Larry Burkette Fans. Here is the market as well as newly weds and new parents. Your ministry is blessed with wisdom and I am thankful always.  “Audra S.

Dear Marilyn,

I am a nurse in a small animal hospital and have met so many folks  effected by the situation. Ours is a very small community and we need to be supportive of each other. I truly believe that this in turn will shrink our world and make us more supportive of everyone in it.
The point is keep the faith, this too shall pass and leave us better people for it in the end for we will have learned to work together as family.
Terry C. G.  Walnetto Farm Nubian and LaMancha Dairy Goats

Marilyn,

Last night, my dh came home from a meeting at the church.  He met with other 12 other pastors in the community and they have agreed to serve a meal a week to those who are struggling financially.  The churches will rotate responsibility, but the meals will be at our church.  We already have an outreach on Wed nights to children (meal and kids time).  He was pretty excited about this new addition!  Our county was really hard hit several years ago when we lost the steel mills and now GM is talking about letting 10,000 employees go!  Locally, at least 400 people have lost their jobs and it’s getting worse. Blessings,  Becky S.

Dear Marilyn,

I continue to read about pantries and food storage, believing that if we have food stored, we will have something to share if our neighbours are in need. The truth is, we are not there, and God keeps bringing me back around to what a blessing it is to be dependent on Him.

Our church feeds between 110-150 people a Friday night dinner every week. It is by donation and usually what we take in covers the cost of the food. We collect food for hampers, too, from our congregation, but distributing it is not our strongpoint, so have begun taking it to the Salvation Army because they have many families they regularly supply with food. It has greatly encouraged the Salvation Army workers and has encouraged us, too, to be able to help them. Perhaps God uses crisis to draw His body together and make us one 🙂 Love,  Connie G.
Dear Marilyn,

Since gas prices have come down, we have been donating the difference between amount spent and amount budgeted for gas to the local food bank.

Another idea I heard was to purchase food locally at the grocery store and then donate the food to the food bank. That helps the needy family directly but also helps protect vulnerable jobs by supporting the grocery store.   Becki in Florida,

Dear Marilyn
I just want to encourage you. You are and have been a huge
blessing to me and to my family! You simply can have no way of knowing
the impact you have had on us through your business. When I found your
catalog years ago, it set us on a journey – and today, we are eating
all of our foods, made from scratch – many grown in our own garden!
I’ve been developing countless skills and have gained encouragement,
practical help, and ideas from both your articles and the teleseminars
that I enjoyed so much. I’m not the most “regular customer” – as our
finances are so unbelievably tight……. but I buy whatever I can from
you, and I encourage many to support your business when I’m asked where
I get things like my bread pans, grain mill, Bosch, etc.

I appreciate you!  In Christ,  Shauna B.

Dear Marilyn,

I can’t help but also respond to the current discussion on how to prepare when we don’t really know what to prepare for. I know that the body of true believers has felt for a while that things were about to get tough. I think it was the Lord’s way of saying, “start getting ready! Times are gonna get tough!” For a while now, we’ve been stockpiling rice and wheat, beans and sugar.

Buying in bulk from the amish is ideal, but unfortunately we don’t live near them. That would be step one for me. I buy from them whenever we are back home in Missouri. Their prices are great and usually the quality is good. I store everything in 5 gal. buckets sealed with gamma seal lids which I purchase from Pierce-Ohio online for a lot cheaper than i’ve been able to find anywhere. I use a lot of coupons these days, and when I have time (which is not much since we are going through the adoption/foster process) I play the grocery game online and try to get good deals on items that we use most often. I’ve learned to ad-match at Walmart and have saved there too.

On clothes, usually I buy tops, dresses and odds and ends on the sale racks. But jeans I buy new or gently used at the thrift shops etc. I always buy new undies and bras and socks. They don’t make these items like they used to and we need to get maximum wear out of them. I think that now that things are getting even more squeezed, i’m going to start looking at the resale shops for our clothing. We have some great shops all around us, it would be silly not too. I also don’t buy a lot of clothing. Everything we get is able to mix and match with jeans, jean skirts and such. This way, everything is always clean and ready, no stressing over what to wear with what on Sunday morning. More clothes to me means more stress! Also an excuse to let the laundry pile up as you feel secure knowing there are always more clothes in the closet. This leads to huge laundry days, and clothes that barely get worn, which also costs tons of money! So, a few well thought out items chosen for good quality and mix and match is what we shoot for.

We will be adding to our numbers soon, so we know that the resale shops will help us a lot on the clothing bill. When something wears out, we replace it during a birthday or other holiday. For instance, for Valentine’s day, I bought the kids a box of chocolates and some new pj’s. They don’t need a lot of toys, they have their favorites anyways! I’m big into decluttering. I do have my share of junk, just as the next person, but I have tried to keep my closets and cabinets paired down to only what I really use. Everything is clearly marked and stored. Most everything has a purpose.

Dear Marilyn,
Feeding our family…well…I have been one of those mom’s who turned into a short-order cook because I did not make my children eat what has been in front of them whether they liked it or not! Big mistake! But, over the past several years, the past several months even more heavily, there is not an option when it comes to meals. Knowing that our family is expanding and seeing the prices of food rising, they have only one choice now…EAT IT OR BE HUNGRY!

We have not re-introduced all foods yet (they still don’t like oatmeal!) but we are a long ways towards where we should have been years ago. And I am not a bad cook! I actually have some grace in this area! This is just lack of discipline on my part when they were younger. We enjoy healthy good foods most of the time, we do however also enjoy a trip to Arby’s or the occasional pizza joint! But really, have you seen how much they charge for just the drinks these days! I’ts a killer!

So, we have tried to be even more frugal and I make my husband a lunch to take most days when we are able. He works long hours in town, all over the state sometimes, and so eating out is something he does usually once a day. If I make it, he takes it. Again, another discipline. It does save us a ton when he takes a lunch!
I do encourage anyone who has the space and is not enforced by codes to keep chickens! Truly, they are a joy for us and we get great benefits from having such wonderful fresh eggs! They do not require a lot and we have not bought eggs for over two years! Have you seen how much eggs cost at the store, organic is even worse. I would never eat an egg before, I never liked them. But now, with these orange yolks from all the grass, bugs, and corn…they are wonderful. I have become an egg convert. I use them to trade for piano lessons for my daughter and we have never run out! We always have enough for our use, and they are a cheap meal when times are tight.

Hope you have a blessed day! I love getting your updates and have been a customer when there has been need. God be with you. I know that you miss him so much…and I know that things will be harder without dear Duane. Just know that you are not alone! There are many of us who really believe in what you are doing. Thank you for all you do and for the support you give to us mom’s who are really trying to do things God’s way. Love to you, Nichole Wade

Readers, if you have any further insights or ideas or questions, won’t you join in the discussion and post a comment?  Marilyn Moll