Principles and Warnings

I was forwarded this short article and thought I would share.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/SuperModels/CouldWeReallyRunOutOfFood.aspx

I have had people say to me before that they feel that they are financially secure so why store food. If they have an emergency fund, won't they be able to buy food if they have a disability or a loss of income? This is not necessarily the case. Food is not always available. I don't subscribe to alarmism. I don't think that panic is a good reason to be living providently. However, I do think there are enough signs out there that our sources of necessities are limited. We cannot count on others to feed our families. Self reliance is a principle that is taught in our church as a means to secure liberty and blessings to its members. It is unfortunate that we waste valuable energy debating whether or not we should practice this principle. The process by which we learn to live below our means with prudence and self restraint is one that is sanctifying and freeing. What if we could consume less? Live without more? Be more free of material things. This is a true blessing because it frees up valuable brain power to concentrate on other more important things. I classify certain kinds of eating as materialistic as well. Now, I like to eat as much as the next guy. But I have a hard time paying $5 a pound for one steak that will only feed one person. We rarely eat red meat because of that. Even ground beef is highly expensive and in my opinion not very nutritious. There are better sources of protein out there but they are not fashionable and they are not easy to cook. Our society does not know how to eat a grain and legume based diet. Many people would argue about health and taste and comfort. For our family, eating a more vegetarian based diet works. We consume less food, we are more full and we feel better. (Aside from all the chocolate we've been eating because CVS has had some good deals). I wanted to post about this because I think it is a common idea that we "deserve" to eat certain things, or we are accustomed to a certain type of diet that cannot be changed. Change is something we need to be familiar with. It happens everyday all around us. Being flexible is a good start to begin or continue a food storage program. It is important to be open to new foods. One of the points the article makes is that the prices for wheat have gone up quite a bit. Wheat is not the only grain that will store a long time. There are other sources of grain that could be more afforable, such as quinoa. I haven't priced it for a long time but the point is that there are alternatives. Saying "my family just doesn't eat this way" is a way of saying, "I'm not willing to try something new" There is so much variety and so much available whether through the mail or locally, there are no excuses to engage your family in being prepared.

This is my favorite article on preparedness. It thought I would round out the post with something great.