Prepare to Prepare

There is such an urgency to get prepared lately!  THIS recent message from the prophet has really stirred me to refocus on what is important and not spend too much time on “that which is of no worth.”   I often think, what would be worse than not having food to feed your children when they are hungry?  Thankfully there are so many great resources out there that can help us in becoming self sufficient.  What better time than end of year planning to make new goals to increase our family preparedness?

One of my favorite “helps” has been Prepared LDS Family, I just love her website and timely advice!  She breaks every month down into simple and easy steps that anyone can do, and has great advice on so many topics!  I could spend all day on her site.  I’m so grateful for good people who share their knowledge like she does!  If you haven’t checked her site out, I would highly encourage you to do so each month!

For LDS guidelines about storing food, click HERE.

Another of my favorite of all resources comes from Deals To Meals.  On this website, you can type in your state and see all the weekly grocery deals in the stores in your area.  What I like best, is that she rates the deals so you know when a price so great that you need to buy a bunch and stock up while the price is low.  There is a small fee of only a few dollars a month, SOOO worth it as you will save that much PLUS some, in your first grocery trip of the week!  Armed with my shopping list that I print every week, I walk into Walmart and price match each great deal from every store in my area.  It’s the ultimate one stop shopping!

It’s great for saving money on groceries, especially for families with teenagers and ravenous appetites!

*What makes this even better, is that you can download the Walmart Savings Catcher app on your phone, scan your receipt, and if there are any better deals in other stores in your area on things that you have purchased, they will automatically pay you the difference in an e-gift card!  You can redeem it immediately or let it add up like I do!!  So cool! 

My advice would be to find a specific area family needs to work on and focus on taking baby steps to get solid there.  Is it food?  Is it water?  Is it 72 hour kits?  Any little bit that you do makes you that much further prepared.  I like to think about making it a priority, that way when I find myself getting immersed in other parts of life ..projects….vacations…callings…school………I can have peace of mind knowing that my preparedness foundation is becoming more and more solid each week.

These are just a few of my favorite helps, I know there are so many other great ones that I know nothing about!   If you have a favorite, I’d LOVE to hear about it!

If you need some motivation to get started watch this short video.  It’s best not to ignore a prophetic warning.  Here’s to a New Year and a new sense of preparedness!