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/

Ward Preparedness Fair

Are you having a little trouble working up the "umph" to get going on your food storage and emergency preparedness? Great news... our ward is having a Preparedness Fair! We'll get you going with lots of ideas and info. Here are some details:

Saturday, March 21st, 8-11 am at the church
Breakfast: 8-10
Booths on: Food storage, 72-hour kits, Family Emergency Plans, Financial Planning, and lots of other Emergency Preparedness topics

Mark it on you calendars & plan to be there!!

Start your 72-hour Kits

First of all a little background. I think the Church used to specifically recommend 72 hour kits, but this is no longer true. In the Church's new preparedness plan they are not mentioned. However, I feel that in our area they are extremely important.

The first step in preparing a 72 hour kit is to consider how it will be used. Do a little research on possible disasters in our area. Think about circumstances in which you would need to leave your home. Consider what type of bag or container would be most convenient.

This is a site that has been put together by a member of our stake. It deals with many possible disasters.
http://www.ldsready.org/Disasters.html

Here's a really great publication about earthquakes. http://ussc.utah.gov/putting_down_roots.htm

Now decide what's best for you and your family. Here are a few ideas.
1. Backpacks- Some children can carry their own. Pack accordingly. Small children could carry toilet paper, clothing, or other light items.
2. Wagon- Can carry your backpacks or other containers as well as small children.
3. You may want at least part of your kit in your car. (We have one day's worth in the car. The rest is in backpacks in the house.)
4. Begin a list of items that are not in your kit that you may want to take in case of evacuation. (Sleeping bags, camp stoves, etc.) These are items that you could live without, but would add comfort. We do more with your list later.

TO DO: Get containers. Choose a location for them.

Macey's Food Storage Sale- BEST DEALS

Macey's Food Storage Sale is on. These are some of their best deals on the most important items. (I'm rounding to the nearest $.)

* 55 gal water drum $40
* 5 gal water storage container $4
* 5 gal food storage bucket $3

* 45 lb. wheat- in bucket- Morning Moos $20 (They have red or white. White is easier to digest and tastes better- for most people. Red lasts longer.)
* 25 lb. sugar- in bags- WF $10
* 23 lb. rolled oats- in bucket- Morning Moos $20 (regular or quick)
* 24 lb. case of pasta- in 3 lb. bags- WF $20 (You can also buy this in bags for $2.50. spaghetti or macaroni)
*25 lb. flour- in bags- WF $8.50
* 41 lb. pinto beans- in bucket- Morning Moos $40
* 37 lb. dry milk ALTERNATIVE- in bucket- Morning Moos (This is not REAL milk. Many say it tastes better than regular dry milk, but it has some added ingredients. It's a lot cheaper, and in my opinion, fine for food storage, but be aware that it's not regular milk.)

If all this leaves you feeling overwhelmed, I would suggest that you focus on getting your water stored (14 gal/ person) and choose one or two other items that your family USES regularly. If you feel like you can afford a little more than that- get a bucket of wheat- it's a great deal! That will give you a start!

Macey's Food Storage Sale

Macey's semi-annual Food Storage/Home Preparedness Sale begins this week. It runs January 14-27. Watch your mail for the flyer which should give more details.

Great Deal on 55 gallon drums

This is from a comment on the previous post, but I wanted to make sure no one missed it.


I found some used (fruit juice) 55 gallon barrels here in Pleasant Grove for $18 each. He also has metal barrels for dry storage. Call 785-8032 (home) or 706-1430 (work). Just do a little cleaning and disinfecting with bleach and get a plastic pump to take water out.

What a deal!!

Water Storage Containers

I've been searching for deals on water storage containers. As you think about which containers are best for your family, consider the space you have available. Also, remember that water weighs over 8 lbs. per gallon. A larger container is more affordable (per gallon), but if you will be moving frequently it may not be the best choice for you.

* Macey's has their containers on sale. Here are the prices.
15 gallon drum $30
30 gallon drum $46
55 gallon drum $56
pump $10
5 gallon jug $7

* Emergency Essentials has boxed water kits. These are designed to be small enough to take some with you in an evacuation. They are also supposed to be easier to store in small spaces.
http://beprepared.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_KW%20S100_A_name_E_[[ProductNameURL]]

If you see or know of any other deals, please let me know.

January Goal

A new year is ahead of us. What a great time to start (or continue) working on your family's preparedness.

This month I would like to encourage you all to make sure you have adequate water stored for your family. It is generally recommended that you store at least 14 gallons per person.

You can buy bottled water or store it yourself. If water comes directly from a good, pretreated source (like your faucet), then no additional purification is needed. Store water in sturdy, leak-proof, breakage-resistant containers. Juice containers that have been thoroughly washed work very well.

For more information:

http://www.providentliving.org/content/display/0,11666,7534-1-4065-1,00.html

*If you already have your water storage, the next step would be investing in a water purification system.

Here are a couple of pictures of parts of our water storage. (We still have some work to do!)