September 19

Okay, I have had lots of people ask me how I get by on such a small food budget in a month. I will share some thoughts. First off you need to learn to buy things in bulk. For example: if you like pasta, and it goes on a great sale, and you would normally buy 2 packages, instead buy 20 packages or 40. Whatever your budget will allow you to buy, do it. For example, this week
I just purchased 100 lbs of brown sugar, and 75 lbs of pasta. Now I don't have to buy pasta again until it comes on sale the next time, or my store starts running low. If you get into the habit of doing this, pretty soon you will have yourself a grocery store in your storage room and you will never have to purchase things (except fresh stuff), unless it goes on sale. And if it doesn't go on sale, then only purchase it in bulk, like a 50 lb bag instead of a 1 kg bag. When I first started on this way of purchasing we ate alot of pasta and rice in the beginning until we built up a supply of other things, but now we do not HAVE TO buy anything unless it is on sale or in bulk.

Sometimes we still impulse buy, and that is soooooo not good, but we are getting better! So start changing your mind set on how to smart shop, you will be amazed at how fast it can build up. And if you have any questions, please call me because I would love to tell you more about it, and how to store it, and all that jazz!

Challenge for you this week:
Whatever is at the top of your priority list for your storage, locate the best place to purchase it, figure out how much you need, and go for it. Start shopping smart! Start your own store. No more excuses!


Following is a brief outline of what the prophets through the years have couselled us concerning food storage. It is in no way a complete list, as much has been said, lots more recently that I have not included. Search the past few years of Ensigns and church articles on the lds.org website and you will find many more that are recent.

1856 – Brigham Young – store 3 to 5 years of wheat
1857 – Brigham Young and Heber kimball – store 7 years of wheat, pumpkin, squash, currents, apples, peaches, beans, peas and others
1864 – President Young – store 7 years of wheat
1867 – George Albert Smith – store 7 years of wheat
1868 – President Young – still 7 years of wheat, oats, barley, corn, vegetables, and fruit
1891 - George Q. Cannon – still 7 years of grains and fruits
1893 – George Q. Cannon – 1 to 2 years of grains and fruits
1916 – Charles Nibley – 1 year supply of food
1936 – President McKay – 1 year supply
1942 – First Presidency – 1 year supply
1954 – Bishop Buehner – 1 year supply
1958 – July Improvement Era – Counsel Regarding Food Storage - long term & short term storage – parable of the 10 virgins
1959 – September Improvement Era – Wheat 300 lbs, pwd milk 100 lbs, sugar 100 lbs, salt 5 lbs, vitamins 365, water – per adult
1966 – President Lee – 1 year – think what it would take to survive
1973 – President Benson – 1 year of leather and bolts of cloth
1973 – First Presidency – 300 lbs grains, 100 lbs sugar/honey, salt 5 lbs, first aid items, fuel, sewing stuffs
1973 – President Benson – clothes, and sewing stuff
1976 – President Kimball – 1 year supply
1978 – President Packer – 1 year
1980 – President Benson – 1 year supply and grow stuff and be self sufficient with fuels and sewing
1982 – Elder Busche – oils, honey, and pwd milk – 1 year
1988 – First Presidency – 1 year – clothing, fuel, grains, etc, etc,
1995 – Elder Perry – Life sustaining foods
1995 – Elder Perry – If ye are Prepared ye shall Not Fear
2007 – Bishop Keith B. McMullin – Lay up In Store
2007 – August Ensign – Are You Prepared?