Last week I went to the grocery store and while I was casually meandering past the aisle of rice and beans I got quite a shock.
The rice row was completely empty.
Here’s the thing. There is no shortage of rice in the U.S. We produce some 95% of the rice we eat. In fact, we export roughly half of the rice we grow here.
But due to a panic over the very real food shortage faced in other countries and rising prices here, there has been a run on rice in the U.S.
Today’s question is this:
What are your thoughts regarding the current situation with gas, food and the economy? Locally, nationally and/or globally. Do you feel your family is already well prepared? Are you panicked and are you stockpiling? Or are you somewhere in between. Or perhaps your situation is such that you don’t yet have space and/or budget to have a year’s supply. If so, how do you feel about that?
What do you feel you currently doing well to prepare for emergencies?
What do you wish you were doing better?
What are your goals looking forward?
More info regarding the current situation and the church’s new guidelines can be found at the following websites:
providentliving.org (Did you know the church recently changed their focus in regards to food storage?)
By the way, just as I was leaving the aisle of rice and beans, I noticed a small, one-pound package of generic white rice someone had apparently returned.
I bought it.
You know.
Just in case.
If you have an issue or question you’d like to see discussed on Segullah, please e-mail us at askninewomenATgmailDOTcom
I hate this subject.
Not really, but because we are only marginally prepared, and the whole “if ye are prepared ye shall not fear” rings true to me. I get stressed about it sometimes, but I don’t feel panicked.
Regarding our own preparations: On the good side, we have adequate food supplies and capacity for most of the recommended water. We started preparing when we were newlywed and my husband was laid off. We didn’t have space, so used the boxes as a headboard and shoved them under out bed. We were grateful to have what we had, and it’s been not too difficult to gradually add to it since then.
On the down side, we only have some of the supplies for our 72 hour kits, and they are shoved in boxes upstairs because we got side tracked when we were putting them together a few weeks ago. Our water heater is not bolted to the wall–which I’ve been worrying about ever since Tooele’s earthquake. As neighborhood block captains, we have not passed out the emergency flags to our neighbors, and we don’t know half of them. We have no plan in place in case of any kind of emergency. Those are things I am concerned about.
Re: the economy, the rice situation seems to echo a feeling of fear growing in the nation. I’m worried about gas prices, but we moved close to my husband’s work on purpose, and he can walk or bike if it gets to that, we can walk to the grocery store, etc.
Sometimes I think the economy will pull through, and other times I think we are in deep trouble. I do better if I focus on preparing as we are able, rather than on fear. I hope that the Lord will prompt me more strongly to get after my husband about the water heater before the big one comes.
Good subject, by the way!
Wendy, I love your comment. Especially how you begin with “I hate this subject” and end by stating it’s a good one. I understand being conflicted about this. I wish you well with your plans (especially with the water heater–the earthquake situation across the U.S. has been interesting of late, hasn’t it?).
Thank you especially for these wise words:
My husband was at Costco in St. George yesterday and there was NO RICE. We recently bought our first house and have been trying to fill the pantry with staples. We also bought a large container of emergency instant meals.
Honestly, I think that we have enough food to feed ourselves for about two months. Our water storage would probably last a few days. We’re not fully prepared, by any stretch of the imagination, but we could do worse.
“I do better if I focus on preparing as we are able, rather than on fear.”
I agree. And stockpiling now only creates a greater sense of fear. I try to buy extra when things are on sale. Last year, I bought about 30 boxes of my favorite breakfast cereal when it went on sale for a dollar a box. This year, I bought tons of flour when the case lots went on sale at the grocery store. I do what I can when I am able.
Great topic, Dalene. It’s easy for me to get really uptight about it. But, I’m working hard to get out of debt first. Lately, for Christmas and birthdays, I ask for food storage items (this year I want some big water drums, in case you want to take up a collection;).
Being married to a non-member, it’s a bit tricky. He gets the ‘be prepared’ thing, sort of. I’ve told this story before, but once we were out of peanut butter, and he went to the store. I reminded him there were quite a few big cans in the garage and he said in all seriousness, “But I thought we couldn’t eat the Apocalypse peanut butter!”
Right now, I’m working on no debt, and paying my tithing with faithfulness, and hope that things will be okay. Is my head in the sand??
I’ve got a fat bag of brown rice in my food storage thanks to a concerned sister. My husband prefers white rice, but I say that after The Earthquake, you can’t be picky. Plus, fiber.
I too think it is important not to get paranoid. And, like the church website says, keep it simple.
For instance: I am willing to share my rice with anyone as long as they have a stock pile of soy sauce.
Timely post!
And because Elizabeth and I posted at the same time, I have to say that I really appreciate how explained that she is focusing on one important commandment at a time, i.e. choosing to get out of debt first. It would be so silly to go into debt to have food storage. Though, it has happened before I am sure because the website explains NOT to use debt to become prepared. Good point.
It’s kind of hard not to get caught up in the frenzy feel that’s kicking around, isn’t it? As much as I tell myself to chill out, the headlines and the emails and the radio heads all try really hard to make me run out in search of rice and wheat!
According to the church’s provident living website, our family is supposed to have something like 2,100 pounds of wheat sitting in our basement. We’ve got maybe 800 pounds. Not even half. But it’s better than nothing, I suppose. And I think we’ve got enough rice to ride out this current rice frenzy. But for some reason, I still feel like I should be running out and getting more.
I think that’s the spirit of fear that I need to get rid of. The thing I really want to know is this: If I have to live exclusively off my food storage for a long period of time, how exactly does one make chocolate out of wheat, beans, rice, and potato pearls?
Elizabeth, I love “Apocalypse peanut butter.” Just before Y2K, some families in my ward bought their own drypack canner. We periodically had big neighborhood canning fests. I was glad to notice that they didn’t take themselves overly seriously, and laughed when I saw the labels on the cans:
PANIC: Pre-Armageddon Nutrition Information Council
I think if your food storage suffers becasue you are focusing on debt ahd tithing, the Lord will bless you with generous neighbors in time of need.
I’ve been thinking about this alot lately, mostly because my sister is one of the crazies running around everywhere trying to buy rice. She called me from a store, in a panic, because they were out and ended up paying way to much just to get some from a foreign foods store. I wondered if I was being silly by not worrying about it. I have added to my storage bit by bit every time I go to the store. I will admit to being one of the crazies who got most of my long term items preY2K. Now I just add more cans of chili or beans when I go to the store. (Not sure, maybe the extra gas they produce will come in handy.)
I think I stress more over money. I wish we had no debt but reality is, we do. I am trying to build up some reserves that way. I feel like we definitely need to have small bills around for emergencies.
This economy is crazy, but I can tend to overthink things. I’m just happy I have a roof over my head, some food to eat, and cars to drive - although we are thinking of getting rid of one and maybe downsizing. Gas is ridiculous but I find I’m giving up other things to still drive as much as I do.
Anyway, I’ve rambled. I don’t like to think about this too much or it really makes me feel a little hopeless. I’m not sure I’ll ever feel totally prepared, but I’m trying.
I don’t care for rice, so go ahead and buy it all, ya’ll!
Seriously, though, food storage is a topic I can and do really get into. Just last week my vt’s and another friend and I met in the park for lunch and this is where our talk led. I am a food storage baby. I eat mostly fresh stuff and don’t know what to do with wheat. One lady buys and uses her wheat. I want to be like her. I need a class. I love food storage and being prepared. But I have a long way to go.
Our stake president, who recently passed away, worked for Honeyville Grain. He said “get busy buying your wheat” many months ago due to the craziness out there. It’s overwhelming, but I have big plans for getting there. One involving a Personal Progress project with my teen and some FHE lessons. One VT is on an email list for Enrichment and she is forwarding it all to me. One day at a time!!
Elizabeth-I have wanted to do the same-ask for Emergency things for Christmas-or even give that type of gift.
I think it’s weird how panicked everyone seems to be getting. The counsel for food storage has been the same this whole time. The reason people are getting so panicky is because they are starting to feel a pinch. It’s sort of weird to me that everyone is starting to buy when the prices are higher.
It reminds me of the guy in my ward that made a comment that it was weird that they didn’t really put the emphasis on food storage this general conference. And I was like, um… they don’t usually have an emphasis on food storage. I think people are looking for something to be crazy about.
That being said, I don’t have any personal food storage (just a 72-hour kit), but my parents have a ton. I live with them. Also, we are continually eating stuff out of our food storage and replenishing it when we use it. I think it’s best to do what you can when you can. If wheat and rice are sparse now and high-priced, work on something else that’s a good deal now. In other words, be smart.
Also, I would like to add that once upon a time my parents added chocolate chips into our food storage. They have all been eaten now.
Stock up on bulk chocolate chip from Costco, Justine. Seriously. I’m better at rotating those than I am my rice and wheat.
We had a year’s supply two year’s ago. We’ve moved once and are about to move again during that time, so i have been purposely using as much as I can without replacing it, but we still have quite a bit of wheat and rice (among other things). I am in the habit of cooking quite a bit from food storage staples all the time.
I’m bugged by the run on wheat and rice. I mean, if people really used that much wheat and rice wouldn’t they have it on hand? I just visualize all this food getting wasted, like the Y2K panic food people bought a few years ago and never used. And if we were heading into a true emergency (which I doubt) it’s not like hoarding an extra 20 pound bag of rice is going to make up for not having 2,000 pounds of it or whatever in the basement.
I am concerned about the price of gas and how that will impact other aspects of the economy, though. We live within walking distance of the library, the park, and my husband’s work, so we are somewhat insulated, but we can’t escape the broader impact that it will have on the economy.
We don’t eat a lot of rice, so I didn’t notice there was a shortage! Living near the Texas Gulf Coast, we try to stay prepared for hurricanes, so we always have a surplus of water in 5 gallon bottles (thank you water delivery man!) and canned goods, like soups and tuna. But other than that, I can’t say we are really prepared for a food shortage. To be honest, I haven’t been worried about it…but that doesn’t mean it isn’t something I should be worried about. Sometimes the every day stuff gets in the way of looking at the big picture.
You’re making me giggle today:
Maybe if we can laugh about it a little it won’t be so scary and intimidating to talk about it.
I’m loving your discussion here everyone. Keep it coming. I’ll throw in my two cents later, but for now I will divulge two truths about me:
1. The only panic at my house is because we just ran out of the potato pearls we stocked up for Y2K.
2. I do however have a year’s supply of Midnight Pomegranate Body Cream from Bath & Body Works.
I have not heard one thing about a rice shortage. There rice shelf isn’t empty at my grocery store. Perhaps that is because I live in the Northeast where people don’t know or believe in food storage???
I’m working on food storage just like everyone else. I go in streaks where I am very focused for a while, then other needs seem to come up.
I’m puzzled by the current rice situation. Back in January (during the Macey’s caselot sale) everyone where I live was dying because no wheat was available. But rice was $4.99 for a 20 lb. bag and they had loads of it. It wasn’t even an issue. I think we Americans hear about rice shortages in other parts of the world and create our own shortage here by panicking.
My guess is that this is heaven’s way of clueing in the general population to the idea of storing a little food. If I wasn’t LDS and had never heard of food storage, I think I still might consider having a little extra food on hand to weather these types of shortages.
P.S. CJane, you may want to keep your brown rice in the freezer. I’m no expert (we don’t use brown rice), but it seems like I’ve heard that brown rice only has a shelf life of six months. Anyone else know about that?
So now, to answer the questions. I am more concerned about gas prices at this time than anything else. Yesterday, I paid 3.79 a gallon and that was after searching to find the best deal. I feel like I have to be more careful to plan my trips so that I don’t needlessly waste fuel.
I’m not so concerned about food because I am trying to shop wisely anyhow. I feel like if you plan your menu wisely based on what is on sale and work hard to keep your costs low, you’ll stay on track.
I just moved from Sweden and we ate our entire food storage before we moved. Now I am building it up again. I realize it takes time. But I am very good about making good meals out of what I have on hand.
I guess it’s funny to me that people are panicking because at times there shortages of food. I think the best thing to do is be sensible and adapt and change. Rice shortage? I’m not going to buy it at higher prices. I’ll have substitute pasta for rice or potatoes.
I have already planted my garden and my main goal is to learn how to can and freeze vegetables and fruits. I think that skill is very important and one which I wish to learn.
We have done everything on provident living with exactness, and it feels good. We joke that although we are counseled not to go to extremes, if you follow the recommendations on provident living, ITS EXTREME. Huge amounts are called for. Huge amounts. Not just an extra bag of groceries here and there. Its unreal what they are asking you to store. But we have done it with no questions asked and I’m so glad. Even if we never need it, we are obedient and we have peace. That’s benefit enough.
In light of what prophets have said, “don’t panic” is a shallow maxim. I think “prepare so you don’t have to panic is more like it.
“I hate this topic” was also the first thing I thought of. I’m trying, I honestly am. But with a close to $0 income as students (and we will be for 7 more years because my husband is going to now begin medical school), this causes me some anxiety. Unfortunately student loans are our survival, and while we’ve begun our food storage, it consists of two cans of oatmeal, a bunch of beans, a 2week supply of water, and…no rice.
So yes, I feel the panicky feeling a lot, because even if I WANTED to, I couldn’t go to the store and buy a bunch of rice. There’s so many commandments that I just can’t seem to keep up. Missionary work, genealogy, food storage…I feel like I can’t do it all. Maybe someone will be kind enough to share their rice with me if we need it in the next 7 years. Is God gracious to student families? I hope so.
The the last 6 months our RS pres has been sending massive amounts of email and constantly telling us to store up food. I’d been taking all of this with a grain of salt because… well - credibility is important to me. Then she started fwding all these articles and more food storage info. It got to be nearly every day so - it started to freak us out. After I got my food storage up to date…I found out that the RS pres loves to collect food storage information so it’s like her personal mission. Whether it’s inspired or not is debatable… in the mean time it’s really scary the doo doo out of all the ward members.
When I first started getting onto the food storage bandwagon I bought about 20 jars of peanut butter and 80 cans of chili (we are a family of 8). I figured those are things that everyone likes and are pretty filling. It made me feel good that we had at least something that we could live off of. Since then we’ve gotten an entire year supply, but some of the things (like peanut butter) we have eaten a lot of.
I think of my year supply as being like home or car insurance. Usually it’s totally unnecessary, but when you need it, it sure it wonderful. Plus, I would completely die if I had to watch my children starve just because I didn’t want to worry myself about food storage when I had the opportunity to buy everything we needed.
I went to Costco today. Tons of rice! I don’t know if it was more expensive…but it was there. I thought about buying you all some, but I don’t have your addresses. So I just walked right past it.
Gas here stinks! I paid $70.92 to fill my tank this week. It was really empty, but that is the most I have ever paid. I cried a little. I drive a Honda minivan. Boo.
Dalene, that bath & body stuff will be good bartering material–if you can part with it!
We always have a ton of toilet paper on hand - I figure that will be good bartering material. Hmmm… toilet paper and chocolate chips.
I usually have several months worth of basic food on hand, but I prefer to eat fresh stuff. I actually plan most of my menus and shopping around the “eat from your pantry” idea, where I stock up on what’s on sale and plan my meals around what I’ve got in the house. Like one week I’ll buy a bunch of canned veggies since they’re on sale, the next I’ll stock up on cereal, etc. I’m not really panicking about rice and flour (yet) because we still have quite a bit of them for now.
We’ve never had much long-term storage because I feel sort of overwhelmed and I worry that I’ll buy a bunch of food that will sit around and get moldy and we’ll never eat it. I am thinking that we’ll go get some of the stuff from the church that’s made for long-term storage just to have on hand for bigger emergencies. Right now we’re actually trying to eat up most of our stored food because we’re moving and don’t want to pay money to ship and store a bunch of canned goods. It still makes me nervous though because I don’t want to get stuck this fall with nothing to eat and food costs out the roof.
We store boxes of Fruit Loops — because if you’re in a crisis, you should be allowed to have some Fruit Loops, even if it is with gross dried milk.
And queenscarlet and I must be in the same ward. I get emails almost every day portending our imminent death from someone in our ward. Wasn’t it President Hinckley who said, “It is the destiny of man to have joy?”
So let’s have a big helping of joy — maybe it tastes good with freeze dried carrots.
Ok, this whole food shortage thing had me FREAKING OUT last night, to the point where I literally couldn’t sleep worrying about the wheat shortage (which is in this country, by the way. Farmers are cutting back on planting wheat in favor of subsidized corn. Oh, the HUMANITY!) I don’t think it’s the last days, but you can bet I wish I had bought more wheat at the last trip to the cannery.
In the light of morning, I realized that I shouldn’t spend my life savings on a year’s supply of MRE’s, and that I should just keep plugging along–getting as much as I can afford at my ward’s quarterly trips to the cannery, and continuing my gardening and preserving of my food there (I just pulled about 50 radishes today. How do you preserve radishes? Hmmm….) I feel that nobody in my family benefits from us going into debt over wheat and rice. And I have built up 3 months worth of food in less than a year, so I figure I can, like I said, just keep plugging along.
I will buy some rice at Costco, if it is there, when I go this weekend. And I did ask my husband if we could plant wheat, though. He told me to go to sleep.
Did I already tell you how much I am loving this discussion? I wish I could respond to everyone’s comments personally, but I need to go make a pie for my son’s birthday.
Here are a few more thoughts to chew on:
I love the recent focus (it was announced several weeks ago and is linked on the provident living website) on having three months supply of the things you actually use and eat. If you pick up one or two extra items every time you go to the store and try to stock up a little when you find a really good sale, that seems doable.
And what about this? What if food storage is kind of like the story of the loaves and fishes or the parable of the widow with the oil and flour? Or similar to how the Lord blesses our efforts and magnifies us in our callings? If we do the best we can under our circumstances for food storage and preparedness, do you think the Lord will bless those efforts?
Also, the more I think about it the more I don’t think in the event of a real disaster we would necessarily all be holed up in our homes toughing it out by ourselves. While I see the need for having a good supply on hand to get us through various shortages or times of unemployment or personal financial disasters, I envision a different scenario for any sort of natural disaster.
I picture us gathering together at our various ward and stake buildings and bringing our various collections of our rice and our wheat and our chocolate and our Froot Loops and our TP (and my Midnight Pomegranate) and working together to care for ourselves and one another.
If that’s the case I want you all to know I have more than just body cream to bring to the table. I believe in only having pets you can eat. So in addition to the venison in the freezer, I’ll pledge a good supply of fresh squab and a little fresh rabbit as well.
Does anyone have a large jar of lemon pepper?
I know a blogger who shall remain nameless until she reveals herself who has stockpiled cigarettes. She said that would be the best bartering material of all.
Of course, when the Regional Reps ask everyone to bring to the Bishop’s Storehouse all they have so we can live United Order style, I wonder what she’ll do.
If someone were to tell me that I was in charge of just buying a two years’ supply of “X” product, I could do that.
So far in the bartering camp it looks like we have TP, chocolate chips, lotion, and cigarettes. My contribution is products that we don’t talk about in mixed company.
Oh no, I was writing mine while you posted yours, Dalene.
I have every spice known to humankind.
I’ve been thinking about this all day and decided not to be a stress cow about it. The only thing I really started to worry about was if we’d have enough toilet paper and feminine products (we are a house of four women, much to my hubby’s monthly dismay!). So I just went out and stocked up on ALOT of those products.
I also think in a true disaster we would all be combining things and making up for our lack of one thing with something else.
I have a friend with cases of Coke - she figures that’ll trade well. I’m seriously thinking of getting some Mr. Pibb on hand!
Great discussion Dalene!
Oh, I love the stock piling of things I never thought I would need to barter with. I don’t think I could buy cigerettes, but I did offer to have water for my neighbor if she would share her generator.
My real concern is not so much food-although I do need to work on that-but electricity and the ability to cook the food. That will be why we eat out of a can and I should buy more soup.
Getting a 3 month supply of normal food is a lot less intimidating than the whole year, especially since we don’t have the space for all the wheat and rice right now. We probably have a good 3 month supply now. What we need to work on is the water supply.
I agree that if we do our best with our circumstances, we will be blessed and things will work out. So if getting out of debt is the current project, then go for it!
Lately I have been thinking about how we need to update our 72 hour kits now that we have a little one. Gee, with the way she’s growing I will have to update it every other week! I have also been meaning to scan copies of our important documents (to email myself) for ages now. Maybe we’ll do it this Monday night.
Thanks for the discussion! Now I have a better excuse for my chocolate cupboard. Next time my husband rolls his eyes as I buy dozens of discounted holiday M&Ms and Kisses I’ll just tell him about the trade value!
So that’s why there was only one box of minute rice left on the shelf. I wondered.
I’m oblivious. I had no idea there was a shortage or a panic. We don’t have much space or income, but we try to keep stocked for the space and money we have. Just like everyone, we probably could be doing better. We’ve been working on our water storage; we use our water bottles all the time, and have quite a collection. Instead of putting them in the cupboard empty, we fill them back up after they’re washed. It’s not a lot, but it’s a step.
Someone once told me that all you need in your emergency storage is chocolate and tampons. You can trade those for everything else.
I’m glad to be reminded to check our 72 hour kits. I just looked through one of ours and discovered that I have a newborn size diaper inside…uh, my baby is 14! We’ve never needed them but it’s quite obvious I need to do some updating.
I will just agree with what others have said - I think this is a pretty artificial panic, and it’s a lot nuttier in Utah than anywhere else, I think. I went to Costco today here in Las Vegas and there was plenty of rice. I know, because I bought a bag. (A normal size bag though.)
Anytime there is media hype, that creates panic, which creates a run on resources, which leads to artificial shortages, which lead to more panic. Personally, I think people need to calm down and go about putting together their food storage at a normal pace.
I love that Stephanie has a chocolate cupboard.
daredevil mom–you know people are desperate when they’re stockpiling minute rice!
tonya–hang on to that diaper. You might need it for grandbabies in a few years (don’t hate me!)
I have never had a year’s supply and have always felt anxious about this failing of mine, and my feelings of urgency about it were already escalating even before the cost of wheat went up. My problem is where to put it all, which is ridiculous because I have a large home — but I’m not humble enough to put it all in my dining room, and my basement needs cleaning out, and I’ve had health issues keeping me from getting it cleaned out . . . etc. I probably just need to go buy the food and pile it in the dining room, and then hire someone to help me get my basement cleaned out.
I do, however, have a large lovely bag of Basmati rice in my pantry, which is probably about a year’s supply for us. I fully agree with those who are stockpiling cheaper things until the rice makes its way back onto shelves
I’m puzzled why I have such a mental block about stockpiling food, since I do have about a five to ten to fifty years’ supply of fabric (depending on what I would be sewing and for how many people — at my current sewing speed it’s definitely a 50-year supply.) Somebody joked to me recently that in an emergency I could swap fabric for food, but I would feel terrible if my children were hungry and nobody had enough food to trade with me, and we had to eat cotton for breakfast and silk for dinner. And vintage buttons for dessert. (That would last us about a month.)
I agree with everyone that panic is not the Lord’s way of doing things, but this is definitely something I hope to make major improvements in very soon. I’d just hate to have hungry children and be looking back and saying “I could have bought food and instead I bought a new TV (or new sewing tool, or new camera, etc. etc. etc.) first?!”
Alongside the scary news stories, there is the good news that most Americans will be receiving a sizeable chunk of change from the government. Let’s use that money for food storage. Its a win-win - Uncle Sam is happy we’re spending it to boost the economy and we’ll be happier knowing we’re better prepared!
Prices are still quite reasonable for most items we need. A few times I have remembered to pray for help as I plan and do my shopping and honestly I have come accross some amazing deals (my kid’s favorite healthy cereal for .35 a box!) Who knew Heavenly Father even knows & cares about good sales!!!! Gradually -and with a few blessings- we can do this hard thing.
Zina–I sometimes feel a little smug about my more than adequate supply of quilt fabric. Then I realized one day that it will do me no good without an equal supply of thread!
Kate–you bring up such an excellent point about preparing prayerfully. There have been times I need to make a certain purchase that I haven’t been really able to afford (and sometimes it’s something so simple as a suit for one of my boys or a new pair of shoes) and I have been led to the best sales and deals on just what I needed. It’s good to remember that the Lord cares about our temporal needs and will help us if we ask.
Its interesting that when people imagine various disaster scenarios, they usually imagine some kind of pooling, sharing, bartering etc.
But what if it plays out more like the Ten Virgins, where sharing isn’t possible and those who are unprepared have nothing? I’m not saying for sure, but it would seem scriptural. “Someone will share with me when the time comes” might not be the most reliable philosophy, based on that parable.
An example might be infectious disease. You could be stuck in your own house with your own food, whatever it may be.
Good point bettyjo. I’ve always thought that the ten virgins could be about temporal preparation as well as spiritual. It makes sense that at some point it’s just going to be too late. Nobody wants to believe that.
Even if everything were pooled and only half of people were prepared and the other half expected to depend on others’ largess, then there would only be half as much food for everyone. I don’t want to count on those kinds of odds for my family. (Theoretically. In practice, I’ll have to make some changes before I’ll be on the safe side.)
Oh, and good point about the thread, Dalene.
I have enough to sew up maybe 1/10 to 1/5 of my fabric (which is still a lot of thread) but I guess maybe I should buy a few cones of white (which would be good enough in an emergency. Well, in fact, if I used serger thread I probably already have enough, but even in an emergency I don’t think I’d want to be sewing construction seams with weak thread.) My motives for fabric stashing actually have little to do with planning for disasters (other than the disaster of wanting to sew and not having supplies on hand, or of wanting to buy a fabric after it’s no longer on clearance, etc.) but it couldn’t hurt to add some thread to the stash.
I agree it is definitely important to consider all possible scenarios. This isn’t an excuse for anyone not to do what they can to prepare, but in my mind that includes being prepared to be called upon to share. There are certainly historical (the saints’ experiences while crossing the plains and their various attempts to establish zion) and even modern-day (we covenant to be willing to consecrate all we have) precedents to support that possibility. It may be for some more of a test of faith to be asked to share than it was to obtain storage in the first place.
Although world food shortages and large calamities certainly feel more real and possible, I find it more likely that we’re going to need our personal food storage for personal family crises. That always seems to be the reason people actually end up using it, right now anyway.
Those personal realities are much more likely to occur, I think. In that case, no sharing necessary, and no sharing to count on.
I’m with Justine–for me food storage is not really about some large-scale catastrophe, but the smaller, personal things. My pantry is usually pretty stocked with food, so if I need to cut my budget for a few weeks I can. Or if we lost our employment we’d have a cushion for a few months. The thing is, shortages and inflation are looking like they could be more of a reality. What if you went to the store one day and bread was suddenly 20 dollars a loaf? It happens in other countries, it could happen here. I’d rather spend my money on other things and make bread at home from stored wheat. Of course that means that now I need to get some wheat and store it…
A fascinating and timely topic, Dalene. I’ve appreciated this little shortage/panic and the accompanying hype — I think I needed a li’l somethin’ to get me in preparation mode. However, I don’t think there’s a need to get fanatical about it. I’m just rededicating myself to preparedness — picking up extra things here and there, scheduling in trips to the cannery, making sure we have batteries and TP on hand. Hopefully, if we can maintain this continual commitment, we’ll eventually be adequately prepared for whatever might happen.
I love the point that was already made about praying about these kinds of things — I think Heavenly Father absolutely cares about helping us get prepared and helping us do it within our budgets. As soon as we decided to really kick up our preparedness efforts, the topic was on my prayer radar (mostly because I feel so clueless and humbled by the task that I am genuinely hoping for some intervention.)
We have not been asked to “dabble in” food storage. We have been asked to have a three month supply, a year supply, a 2-week water supply, a financial reserve, and get out/stay out of debt. Its not like you can do these things without “going to extremes”. Its extreme. It takes a lot of time, a lot of space, a lot of money and strong personal commitment and sacrifice. There just isn’t any casual way you can accomplish it all.
I know the Lord understands our personal circumstances and allows leeway for that, but I also know we all love to justify ourselves. My guess is the “don’t stress” folks have about 1/10th what they will need. It would be great if a widespread calamity never occurs, but that doesn’t hold up in LDS doctrine. Something is coming, sometime. Its not been spelled out for us, but the counsel on food storage has been plenty specific.
When you think about it, a “year’s supply of food” is just such a strange bit of counsel. Really off-the-wall, don’t you think? We may find ourselves admitting it was uncanny prophecy.
Like Emily said, sometimes we need a little something to compel us to move forward from wherever we are in terms of preparedness. I think a lot of what is being said here is summed up so nicely in this statement by the first presidency regarding home storage.
Last year I was asked to teach a Relief Society lesson about provident living. One of the points from the lesson that had the most impact for me was about how we also need to be mentally, physically and spiritually prepared as well. That’s certainly food for thought as well.
Our .30-06 is our food storage.
Does that make me a grasshopper? Probably, but at least one with some power of persuasion.
Dude, Elizabeth–cigarettes? Now that’s one I’ve never heard. Verrrry savvy.
And wait, what’s this about fabric? CRAP, we need FABRIC now???
Heather, I’m not the one storing them, just to be clear. But savvy is definitely the word, or perhaps Machiavellian?
Fabric in case we run out of clothes. Or they wear out. (I don’t think that’s in the brochure, but I’d rather be hungry than naked.) But don’t worry Heather O. I have enough for both of us.
Wonderful discussion.
There is a fine line between living in fear/responding from fear (which is where much of the world lives and which is where we shouldn’t be living if we believe what we say we believe) and living providently.
I know several otherwise good Christian souls who say they would actually kill someone in order to protect their food storage in a time of crisis. . . go figure.
Food storage has always been a stuggle for me. And, like Daredevil, I was oblivious to what was going on “out there.” I have rice on my shelf.
I have a month or so of food; I have four fifty-gallon barrels of H2O, many large black trash bags and paper towels (years ago a gentleman who had been involved in the big quake in Cali spoke to a group at UVRMC and mentioned these two items have multiple uses so we should stock them for times of disaster); I am a nurse; I am emotionally stable; I have gallons and gallons of faith, hope and courage that I can share with my neighbors in times of need.
Recently, as with many other goals in my life that have been waiting until I had the time and energy to pursue them with greater vigor, I have felt an inner urge to do more with food storage. BUT, if the big quake hits before I have my hundred pounds of wheat, I hope I can share some of what I have with you and you can share what you have with me.
Dalene - lemon pepper! you crack me up. . . I have a cat I keep threatening to make into soup! Will lemon pepper work for her?
I have a sewing book from the 1940s that shows some thrifty ways to re-use things, such as cutting down a man’s suit to make a boy’s suit, etc. (Actually there are some trends along these lines that are popular right now, such as web sites or books that show you 100 ways to remodel a t-shirt to make it a creative new item of apparel (typically an immodest one, incidentally,) and I don’t get the feeling that the devotees of these crafts realize they’re drawing on such an old well.) Although we all may be wearing curtains a la the Von Trapp children, I think there’s probably enough cheap raw material around to clothe us all for a while.
(This will in no way diminish my fabric habit, which doesn’t have much to do with provident living any more at this point. Yeah, it started that way . . . but, somewhere along the line, things got a little out of hand.)
Just a note…for all those doing 72-hour kits, I personally think they are a good idea, and I have them, but they are not part of the Church’s official, specific counsel about preparedness. FWIW. But they are part of the government’s.
I personally have seen this panic thing as one example of very real things that could make food storage important and beneficial. Whether or not there really is a shortage of certain things, if people THINK there is, that WILL affect supply and likely price. When people panic, that is a potential disaster in and of itself. If we buy when there isn’t a panic, we can more easily sit the panic out — even for weeks or months if necessary. (On my blog I wrote about the effect of store supplies on a storm that shut things down for a day or two — it took a month for supplies to get back up to normal levels. A month! Don’t underestimate the power of panic to affect your life, whether or not the panic is warranted!)
I also think that rising prices of gas can likely affect prices of food (and they are). If we are on fixed budgets for food, that will change our ability to buy as much or as often or the same kinds of food. These kinds of global and personal economic situations to me are very real, and seem to be what we are going to face for a while as long as we have corn and wheat issues (what isn’t made with corn and wheat as a basis somehow?) and gas prices as they are.
I think if nothing else, this latest weirdness is a good reminder to get going and tackle it as best you can. And yes, be prayerful. The stories of help that people receive with this are amazing. The Lord can help us know what we can and should focus on, and He can and will open doors to make progress possible.
And wherever possible, my new mantra (half tongue in cheek, but seriously, too) is ‘buy low, eat high.’ I’m not sure that we can know when/if prices will go down on some things, though, so again, revelation is the best way to know. But to me, this is all an example of the fact that our leaders are inspired, and that we will be blessed for following their counsel as best we can.
P.S. Personally I’d rather be naked than hungry, even if my stashing habits don’t reflect that. (Another reason to make some changes.)
Excellent points, m&m, I couldn’t agree with you more about panic, supply and demand, and the trickle-down effect even something such as the price of oil can have. I also believe we will be blessed for doing the best we can.
Zina–I should clarify that my fabric stash has nothing to do with provident living and everything to do with the addictive nature of fabric. But it could come in handy in a pinch.
Fabric is addictive in nature!???!!? That must be why I’ve got drawers full of it…
Interestingly, I went back to Pres. Hinckley’s 1998 ‘get your homes in order’ counsel to the men, and he talked about this whole global economy issue, and how something that happens in one place can affect what happens to us.
Also, just got wind of this woman’s bulk-ordering service, for anyone in the SL/Utah County area.
http://www.alpinefoodstorage.com/
She also has been told that farmers are going to do more wheat for the next season, so that may affect the prices of beans and potatoes. (See her post on bulk orders, 5/5)
We have about two months’ worth of food, and not nearly enough water because it’s time to rotate it out.
I wanted to stockpile wheat months ago, before all this happened. The problem? I don’t have a wheat grinder. Or space to store it (500 sq. ft., a baby, and no closets). And we’ll be moving twice in the next year. And we can only take what fits in the car.
But I try not to fret, and I do the best I can to have a working pantry and money in the bank.
There is definitely something to be said for a working pantry and money in the bank!