Ward Preparedness Fair- handouts

Well, I thought the Fair went very well. Thanks to all who did so much. The Relief Society worked so hard and breakfast was wonderful!!

If you missed it, we have lots of extra handouts. Leave me a comment here or find me at church and I'll get you a packet. The information is great so you don't want to miss it.

My 72 hour kit menu

After I finished that last post it occured to me that somewhere on this computer of mine I had a menu I had made. So I found it and thought I'd share it. A quick disclaimer: This is the menu that I mentioned in the last post. I'm pretty sure it's got enough sugar to put my 3-year old into a full-scale meltdown in less than a day. But- here it is.

Day 1
Breakfast: oatmeal packets, juice, raisins
Lunch: tuna lunch kits, fruit rolls
Dinner: Rice & Chicken dinner (freeze dried), juice
Snacks: granola bars, fruit snacks, jerkey, candy

Day 2
Breakfast: oatmeal packets, juice, dried apples
Lunch: granola bars, can tuna, crackers, jerkey
Dinner: Beef Stew dinner, fruit rolls, juice
Snacks: cookies, crackers, candy

Day 3
Breakfast: oatmeal packets, juice, raisins
Lunch: tuna lunch kits, fruit rolls
Dinner: Spaghetti dinner, juice
Snacks: cookies, fruit snacks, crackers, candy

72 hour kit- The Next Step

I've been getting ready for our ward preparedness fair and have gotten a little distracted from the 72-hour kits we were working on. Here's your next step: Plan and purchase your food and water. This is a highly individual step so I am listing links to several menus and articles. Remember to keep it relatively light and easy to prepare. Also, keep in mind the utensils and supplies you will need to prepare your food and include them. And one more thing, you might have to eat the stufff! Last year as I rotated our kits it occured to me that they were so full of sugar and processed foods that I'm pretty sure we'd have all been sick by the time we hit day two. So keep a balance between ease and good nutrition. Oh, and be careful with the gum. That mint is strong stuff and will quickly make everything around it taste like mint. (There's a reason mac & cheese doesn't come in "Mint".) One last idea... I recently discovered that you can buy milk that doesn't need to be refrigerated and is packaged like a juice box. If your kids are milk-dependent like mine, you can find it near the canned milk in the "ingredients" isle.

http://preparedness.families.com/blog/three-days-worth-of-food-for-your-72-hour-kit

http://safelygatheredin.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-72-hour-kit-journeywarning-my.html

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2008/06/13/how-to-make-a-72-hour-kit/

http://beprepared.com/article.asp_Q_ai_E_44_A_c2a_E_mt_A_name_E_72-Hour%20Food%20Planning

Macey's Case Lot Sale

Maceys is having their caselot sale for the next 2 weeks. It's a good chance to do some stocking up. I thought it might be helpful to list a few of what I thought their best deals were in a couple different categories.

If you are working on your 72 hour kits....
WF water bottles- pkg of 24 $3
Mountain House Freeze dried meal (serves 3?) $5-$5.50
WF fruit snacks $0.88
Zone Perfect bars $1
(They also have 72-hour backpacks already assembled. I have no idea if they are adequate or include food, but if you haven't started, it may be worth checking into. They are $34 and $50.)

If you are working on your 3-month supply...
WF veggies (including tomatoes) and canned beans $0.59/can
WF Applesauce $0.59/can
Harvest King Flour 50 lb. $13
Campbells Cream soups 4 for $3
Progresso Soups $1.10


If you are working on your Year's supply...
Food storage bucket w/ lid 5 gal. $4
WF salt, 26 oz. $0.42
Morning Moos 45 lb. bucket of wheat $19
Morning Moos Potato Gems $7
Western Sugar 50 lb. $19

Food storage in small spaces

I came across this link about finding space to store food storage. I thought it might be helpful for those living in tight quarters.

http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2009/01/26/small-spaces-storage-solutions-results/