What was the most obvious result (at the time—not now looking back)?
1) An increased sense of security knowing that you were prepared for some unknown disaster. 2) An increased feeling of spirituality knowing that you had followed the inspired counsel of the Lord’s anointed. 3) Less money for things other than food (or food that you might actually enjoy eating). 4) Food that passed its expiration date before it was eaten.
For me, it was #4. Our food storage was mostly canned goods and some big bags of rice. I tried to remember to rotate the stock, but I didn’t do a good job. Plus, the things that have the longest shelf life weren’t things that we used in most of our meals. Once I went through everything and donated the stuff that hadn’t expired, but would soon expire, to a local food bank.
I think that having some extra food, and other essentials, on hand is a good idea, but a year (or two) supply just seems like ridiculous overkill to me.
We lived in a small apartment, so not much room for food storage. We'd buy a case of vegetables we liked when the store had a sale and get canning from my grandma. I do know a couple who lived off their food storage when the husband was out of work.
3&4. We had two kinds of food when I was a kid: the garbage we ate and the garbage in food storage. Had the money for the two been combined we could have eaten better. Obviously the food storage was a waste, but the church was always right. I was bad for bringing it up.
I'd say #1 was my motivation. I thought it was a very good idea to have plenty of food on hand. I often fed seven to 12 people at a meal. Never had more than about six months of some items on hand. The idea of a year or two of food is just plain impractical and wasteful as it is not used easily.
Most of our "food storage" was about buying in large quantity to save money. Most of the time I had two frig's or a large freezer.
I'd buy large quantities (25 to 50 lbs) of dry goods: red winter wheat (ground my own, made bread etc.), sugars, noodles, honey, powdered milk, rice, and other items. I also went to an egg farm to buy 20 dozen eggs at a time. I bought foods (peanut butter, jam, canned fruit, etc.) and condiments in large size containers. I bought canned goods (tuna, veggies, etc.) in boxes of 12 or 24 also.
Everything fit in my frig's, freezer, and pantry and was used on a regular basis.
The only time I threw anything out was the water we saved in large barrels that were placed by the huge sliding glass doors to keep people from driving into them as they were in place of a garage door. The typical garage was a completed room in our house.
My relatives and friends that lived in Utah did a lot of canning and usually had a "root cellar" which was often a small dug out under the kitchen floor someplace. Some had basements which had a lot of canned items that we liked to eat when we visited, especially my mother in law that lived in Portland. She canned cherries that my kids loved!
I still try to keep a supply of extra items on hand. The items have changed greatly from years ago as I am only feeding one or two lately.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2016 12:33AM by SusieQ#1.
Babyloncansuckit Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What unknown disaster? Armageddon was coming and > we were ready with all the prepper stuff. > Including lead for the neighbors.
Oh no. Nothing like that. Job layoff, truckers strike, weather, electric outages, shortages, family injuries, car broke down etc. All of those kinds of things are a "disaster" to the family.We had experience with all of those from time to time and we could not get to the store or get the items we needed. The back-up food items were used and greatly appreciated when there were emergencies.
davetheseer Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Still do it. It became a way of life for me and > one of the few positive habits kept from those > days.
+1. Preparedness, albeit for real emergencies rather than religious bulldink, is one of the few things from Mo culture that has been helpful in life.
Well, I've got a shit load of 35+ year old food storage that you're welcome to if things get bad. The reason, at that time, that we got it was that we got to pack it ourselves for cheap. I figured that we'd get rid of it eventually, but, it's still there. Mrs. Boner says it makes her feel secure. The Boner.
For the example, my son was laid off. My supplies of soup, canned pasta, boxed cereal, tuna fish and various sundries like shampoo and soap helped him until he was on his feet.
When I was furloughed I was able to cut food purchases to dairy only.
I never fell for the buy wheat scheme. My supply room is chef boy r dee, sunkist tuna, canned veggies and fruit. Plus dry goods.
Very little ever goes to waste. I threw out three expired cans I missed on inventory.
The message has changed continually just like everything else in tscc...it used to be all about armageddon and christ returning...and wed be the worthy brownshirts to usher in the millenium...guess what...didnt happen...over and over and over...it went from seven years supply to two years to three months yadda...cuz the big deal aint happening and they finally admit how stupid seven years was...id venture likely no church deal has been as big a personal waste and hardship as food storeage...millions wasted...tons of thirty year old food good for nothing but being buried...id guess between 30-50 thousand easily weve pissed away...the real irony is morms dont believe gawd can do anything but whine about how tricky stan is...outside of that...hes weak...too bad we hooked our wagon to a puny putz who couldnt help you out of a wet paper bag...sides...whats so bad anout dying early in any apocalypse...mad maxx doesnt look so wonderful
I have a contractor friend that did some work for a wealthy mormon family. Last week he had to return to replace a fixture & I tagged along. Beautiful, multi million dollar home in Utah. They had a separate, underground concrete bunker. About 1100 square feet. On room was food storage. They had 3 elaborate shelving units that contained large cans. Each shelving unit held 96 gallon cans. Rolled oats, wheat, rice, etc. 96 gallons. Then, they had box shelving units that contained cases of powdered eggs, powdered peanut butter, freeze dried beef macaroni, beef stroganoff, refried beans, 3 kinds of muffin mix, chicken ala king, peaches, apple slices, powdered milk, etc. THEN they had about 2 5 gallon buckets of rice, wheat, oats & other stuff. They had 8 55 gallon drums of water & about 200 water purification kits. It was like they're ready for a zombie apocalypse. I told my friend that for members of a church that is based on the "latter days" and are supposed to look forward to the end of the world, they sure seem to have to be dragged kicking and screaming. Seems contradictory or maybe they're just hedging their bets in case the church isn't true.
I'm not betting against you. Those "food bank" people are exactly whom they are shuttering themselves from in their bunker. I'm guessing they had about 100K invested in the bunker & supplies.
Staying with me. And a bag of tea from India, not a box with 5 packets left. And unsweetened cocoa powder for magnesium (right?) and cinnamon just a pinch in my chocolate or homemade coffee chcoclate latte. And a French press (gonna make a coffee- even when the electricitys gone..a latte or maybe a real express.)
Like I used spaghetti in food storage to raise my kids, I use th best of it now. Like another in the thread, Having canned goods and staples like cans of milk and chicken for cream of chicken soup, gravy with rice or potatoes ready to go .... in a jiff, in a moment, no matter how I am feeling.
Just likeI once talked about prep before a kids surge rica like procedure, getting a house and meal preps powered down for life on the go with sick kids right? With calendared appointments hospital visits and fuel costs and co pays draining funds, learning how to eat and prep. And buy what you eat in advance or mid procedure , how to do it. What a challenge that was.
So... bringing those skills forward, to this moment in your life....First having a doable meal plan menu. It has to be cookable (like I can cook it. No distess) Second, it has to be via, affordable (for me no caviar or imported sauce) Third it has to taste good (I forward unshared favorites to lunch time) and pull favored food styles forward to joint meals.
Above all (privately preplanned, identifying most nutrient dense food I can afford now, and layering it into the lowest glycemic load meal items I can tolerate or enjoy)....
Bundling that menu with those affordable in season items or incorporating fresh local items in season.... with those specific menu parts only..into shopping. Like a one month rotating supply on every itemUtilizing Mormon food storage skills. Lest dr costs or copay s or engine repairs wipe out access. Meals that are things I can make in deepest despair or without my glasses on, gravy I can whip up in five minutes and serve. No matter what is going on around me, or to me.
That's what this journey through Mormon food storage has been. Like got a cane. No gotta get a cane when my knee is out!
We always do food storage. We have a pantry that we add to when sales are on and when we can buy in bulk at a discount. But we eat it. There's no difference between what we eat on a daily basis and "food storage." A never-mo friend was once waxing on about how civilization is going to collapse and the super markets will be empty.
"Can you live for three months on the food in your house right now?" he asked me.
"Yes." I answered.
"Really?" He was surprised.
It has nothing to do with Mormonism or "obedience" or expecting an apocalypse. We have a bank account with money in it that sees us through emergencies. And we have a food account. No biggie.
We had to break into our food storage after my mother died and my dad couldn't earn a living. I remember finding the dehydrated vegetable soup mix full of maggots. We were so hungry; my father too proud to ask for help. Having a lot of food and having food that comforts and sustains are two different things. There's a hunger that can't be filled with rice or even Chef Boyardee. We TBMs always wondered, too, how those with food would feel, watching others starve, or having to give it to the unrighteous. I feel for those of my generation who, like Don, lived on pasta and cheap food, giving their all to the church, living righteously. That diet was a recipe for misery, bitterness, diabetes and heart disease. Why hoard, when there are so many who need it now?
Have to say when the apocalypse hits I know what will be a money maker if you stock up and have the only local surplus. Tampons and q-tips. No joke..they are essential and not usually on the standard list of needed supplies. Money can be made if you supply the locals when the stores dry out.
I used to volunteer at the food bank, in Salt Lake City, and half of the food donations were expired. Wonder where those came from?
Actually, our local supermarkets did run out of certain foods, during a trucking strike. It made us feel insecure for about a week. I was glad to have powdered milk, and a pantry full of tuna fish and peanut butter and spaghetti-o's and crackers and canned fruit. Normally, we always have a good supply of those items. I was glad I was breast feeding my baby, at the time.
People with food bunkers usually have guns and ammo in there, to keep the neighbors away. Remember the Simpson's episode about the bunker?
In our old ward, it was all about earthquakes. We had Mormon "CERT" representatives hold ward workshops on how to treat earthquake-related injuries. On Saturday CERT instruction days, we had to put a towel on the front railing of our house, as a signal we were OK--otherwise, the Mormon would knock on our door and wake us up at 7:30 on a Saturday morning! I'm not kidding!
I did food storage because it was "god's commandment" and also because we live in the last days and there is sure to be a doomsday just around the corner that I will survive if I have 200 lbs of wheat. So, with a very limited income, I made sure that I would buy an extra can or two of green beans(or something else )a week and within 6 months, I would have enough canned goods for our family for a week or two. And then the car would break down or we would have a medical bill and we would use up our food storage because the money went to the bill. Always thought how great it was that god knew about these events and had me prepare with the food storage... now I realize that had we saved that money each paycheck instead of buying canned green beans, we would have had the money for the emergency and still had money for food. Oh well. I do like to keep my pantry well stocked, but I threw out my (7 year old) MRE's and my (20 yr old) cans of wheat. Don't think they would do much good for anything in case of emergency. Plus, I never could figure out how to put the MRE's into my food rotation for dinner.