Year supply anyone?

[laronius]

https://www.foxnews.com/world/zelenskyys-global-food-crisis-official

Just came across this news article. I had no idea that Russia and Ukraine together provide almost a third of the world's wheat!!! And with all of Ukraine's ports being blocked and Russia being on everyone's naughty list, that is a third of the world's wheat that may not get disseminated. The United States probably produces enough to be self-sufficient in this matter but that doesn't mean wheat based products won't soar in price. Might be time to check out my cupboards to see how well supplied I am.

Looking on the Church's website concerning year supply I found that they even do the math for us:

"Take the amount of food you would need to purchase to feed your family for a day and multiply that by 7. That is how much food you would need for a one-week supply."

Seriously??? That made me chuckle. 

But any-who, buying some extra stuff might be a good idea. Prices are already going up with inflation but it looks like some of the bigger dominos might be coming down soon.

[laronius]

"I wish to urge again the importance of self-reliance on the part of every individual Church member and family. None of us knows when a catastrophe might strike. Sickness, injury, unemployment may affect any of us. We have a great welfare program with facilities for such things as grain storage in various areas. It is important that we do this. But the best place to have some food set aside is within our homes, together with a little money in savings. The best welfare program is our own welfare program. Five or six cans of wheat in the home are better than a bushel in the welfare granary.” (President Gordon B. Hinckley)

Here's what the price of wheat has done over the years. (I wish I was as good about inserting graphs here as some of you are.)

https://www.macrotrends.net/2534/wheat-prices-historical-chart-data#:~:text=The current price of wheat,2022 is %2412.3075 per bushel.

Edited May 22, 2022 by laronius

[Vort]

2 hours ago, laronius said:

I had no idea that Russia and Ukraine together provide almost a third of the world's wheat!!!

You might be interested to know that the names of many of the most fertile types of soil are Ukrainian. I remember learning that Ukraine had the most fertile grain soil in the world, more so even than Eastern Washington.

[scottyg]

We have approx 6 months saved up for a family of 6. Probably closer to 8 months if we were to ration it out a bit, and likely close to a year if we were to add to it over the months we were using it from our chickens, garden, and fruit trees.

We are bottling much of our freezer meat next week...it would be bad to lose power, and as a result half of a cow. I am going to the store again this week to get a 3 more 5 gal buckets for beans, rice, and pasta. Maybe 1 more 50 gal water barrel as well.

[mirkwood]

Easy Preparedness (preppercop.blogspot.com)

[Carborendum]

I remember that there was a great push during the 70s stagflation era.  And my parents were scared as chicken feathers.  When the prosperity of the Reagan era came, people made fun of Mormons and their doomsday mentality.

Around 1998 or so, Pres. Hinckley gave an address wherein he went over the seven years of plenty and seven years of famine. Right around seven years later, we saw the beginnings of the Great Recession.  Many people listened and got their food storage, and saved up as much money as possible to carry them through the recession.  Although we all made it through, some made it through without having to get on the dole or use the Bishop's storehouse.  Others lived quite peacefully and were able to do with a lower paying job because they had enough savings to carry them through until the times of plenty.

I remember a news magazine show (perhaps 60 Minutes) that did an article on the Church's welfare system.  And they made a particular point to ask why the Church itself had such a large storage itself.  The representative said that it was "just in case".  In case of what?  "Whatever may happen".  The interviewer/commentator then told the audience that what he wasn't saying was that Mormons are actually preparing for the calamities before the Second Coming.  I think they were wrong.  There is no way that a church as small as ours will have the facilities to feed the population of the Church, much less the entire world.

During Obama's Presidency, I remember people hoarding ammunition and buying guns in record numbers because he was doing his best to outlaw guns and ammo.  At the same time, people noticed the economy was recovering.  One guy (self-described former Mormon) got onto a prepper forum I frequented and offered up his whole food supply for sale.  He had kept it for a while after leaving the Church because times were still tough and he was worried.  But when things got better, he declared "What a waste!"

Prior to the pandemic, we realized things were going "a little too well."  So, we checked our inventory and got what we thought we needed to complete the storage for our growing family.  The pandemic hit.  And we were glad we had stocked up.  A sister in the ward was becoming an empty nester.  And she still had some wheat she wanted to unload in the middle of the pandemic.  So, she had some way of making just a little money to get her over a financial hump.  We bought all that she wanted to unload at the time.

[mirkwood]

1 hour ago, Carborendum said:

There is no way that a church as small as ours will have the facilities to feed the population of the Church, much less the entire world.

Correct, nor is it the plan.  We are expected to take care of our own families.  That is the doctrine.  Some don't like it, but it is a fact.

 

Elder James E. Faust said, “The Church cannot be expected to provide for every one of its millions of members in case of public or personal disaster.” 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2022 by mirkwood

[scottyg]

1 hour ago, mirkwood said:

Correct, nor is it the plan.  We are expected to take care of our own families.  That is the doctrine.  Some don't like it, but it is a fact.

 

Elder James E. Faust said, “The Church cannot be expected to provide for every one of its millions of members in case of public or personal disaster.” 

 

 

(yes, I know this reply is preaching to the choir)

Unfortunately, my ward (and stake for that matter) is chock full of people who truly think that if a disaster strikes, we are all going to meet at the stake center, bring what we have, and disperse food and supplies to everyone. They have voiced it multiple times in church meetings; that "we are so lucky to have a church that can take care of us in times of need". They just don't seem to get it. These same people only have the food in their pantries mind you...probably enough to only last them 2 weeks max. No dry goods, no extra fuel, no generator, no extra clothing, no vitamins, no seeds, no firearms, no way to purify water, etc... I have had multiple people give me the "are you one of those weird preppers" looks when I told them I have bought 2 large water filters, one of them a Big Berkey. I am in no way a prepper, but I am trying to be prepared, and having the ability to filter over 10,000 gallons of water for drinking puts me at ease.

There is zero chance I am taking anything of mine to the church or city hall to give to others unless I know that my family has what they need first. The church's welfare program cannot be self-sufficient if the members themselves are not so. It is meant to be a safety net...not a support system.

[Ironhold]

In December 2019, I had a feeling I needed to purchase a couple of cases of US military rations (and a case of low-sodium civilian equivalents) that I saw on Amazon. 

When the Covid lockdowns hit, we still had those cases, plus a large supply of bottled water, sitting in the house. We felt comfort in knowing that if anything ever happened to the local food supply, my parents and I had military rations for a while. 

When the lockdown was lifted and family decided to come up for Thanksgiving, my parents decided that the rations were now just taking up space and put them in storage. 

They were *still* in the storage facility when the 2021 blizzard hit Texas, leaving us without power for three days. 

It was only *then* that my parents understood why I'd felt so compelled to stock up, as instead of spending those three days living off of tuna sandwiches and soup we could have had actual, solid food. 

[mirkwood]

1 hour ago, scottyg said:

(yes, I know this reply is preaching to the choir)

Unfortunately, my ward (and stake for that matter) is chock full of people who truly think that if a disaster strikes, we are all going to meet at the stake center, bring what we have, and disperse food and supplies to everyone. They have voiced it multiple times in church meetings; that "we are so lucky to have a church that can take care of us in times of need". They just don't seem to get it. These same people only have the food in their pantries mind you...probably enough to only last them 2 weeks max. No dry goods, no extra fuel, no generator, no extra clothing, no vitamins, no seeds, no firearms, no way to purify water, etc... I have had multiple people give me the "are you one of those weird preppers" looks when I told them I have bought 2 large water filters, one of them a Big Berkey. I am in no way a prepper, but I am trying to be prepared, and having the ability to filter over 10,000 gallons of water for drinking puts me at ease.

There is zero chance I am taking anything of mine to the church or city hall to give to others unless I know that my family has what they need first. The church's welfare program cannot be self-sufficient if the members themselves are not so. It is meant to be a safety net...not a support system.

There are a variety of reasons for that mentality within the church.  I am fortunate to have leaders, including my SP who know the doctrine and there will be no "pooling of the food."

[scottyg]

4 minutes ago, mirkwood said:

There are a variety of reasons for that mentality within the church.  I am fortunate to have leaders, including my SP who know the doctrine and there will be no "pooling of the food."

And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

[mirkwood]

41 minutes ago, scottyg said:

And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

Basically what my SP said Thursday in Bishop's Training (I was invited to talk about food storage, I'm not a bishop.)

[scottyg]

18 minutes ago, mirkwood said:

I'm not a bishop.

...for now.

[mirkwood]

5 hours ago, scottyg said:

...for now.

8% tithing will eliminate from the pool.

[mikbone]

From President Thomas S. Monson, First Counselor, we hear: “Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year’s supply of food … and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year’s supply of debt and are food-free.”

Edited May 24, 2022 by mikbone

[mirkwood]

There are so many quotes like the one above, yet we will still see the parable of the ten virgins play out right in front of us amongst the members of the church.

[Carborendum]

I was weighing whether to put this in my prognostication thread or this thread.  I think this is more important.

We're seeing the effects of famine in the world.  And because "the US is so good" we're going to be exporting a lot more food to other nations to average out the pain in the world.  But it will have unintended side-effects.  We'll fall into a global famine.  I doubt there will be widespread starvation (death or near death).  But everyone will feel the effects of hunger.  There will be a general feeling of malaise and stress.  Violence/crime will go up.  People will generally be highly irritable or prone to panic.

Again, I'm seeing 2024 to 2026 as a pivotal period.

[mikbone]

[Vort]

1 hour ago, mikbone said:

Half of those guys are missing an arm. How tough can they be?

[Emmanuel Goldstein]

Learn to use the storage you have, or in other words, eat what you store. Eat one buy two.

[Vort]

8 hours ago, Emmanuel Goldstein said:

Learn to use the storage you have, or in other words, eat what you store. Eat one buy two.

Or store what you eat.