mirkwood
10-02-2008, 12:15 AM
http://meridianmagazine.com/emergency/081001food.html
Pulled up Sharply by the Soaring Price of Food
By Carolyn Nicolaysen
With an avalanche of economic news this week, you may be wondering what to do next. I am not an economic expert but there are a few facts I do know, and they underscore the fact that food stored yesterday is worth more today. That's right Wall Street, ?food? is one of the most impressive investments in my portfolio. While we may have to eat our economic losses, at least those with food storage can enjoy a meal of their food storage profits ? profits that are so far tax free, as well.
The consumer price index for food increased 0.7 percent in August and is now 7.5 percent above last August.
Beef prices surged 2.4% in August and 7% for the year.
Pork prices jumped 1.2% in August and 3.4% for the year
Poultry prices increased 0.9% in August and are up 4.2% from a year ago.
Egg prices dropped 4.1% in August and 6.9% for the year.
Dairy prices were up 0.4% in August and 6.4% for the year.
Milk prices dropped 1.4% but are still up 2.2% for the year.
Cheese prices were up 1.4% and 12.6% for the year.
Apple prices are up this year 18.9%, banana prices up 22.3%, and citrus fruit up 6.0%.
Fresh vegetable prices are up 14.2%, lettuce up 9.7%, tomato up 16.0%, potatoes up 29.4%, and other fresh vegetable prices up 9.2% for the year.
Cereals and bakery product prices are up 11.7% for the year.
Sugar and sweets prices were up 0.4 percent in August and 5.4% for the year.
Noncarbonated juices and drink prices were up 0.4% in August and 3.8% for the year.
It's not your imagination, grocery prices are up, up, up. Experts expect this trend to continue for at least the next five years.
We have known the Lord's stand on preparedness since long before the restoration. Paul wrote to Timothy, ? If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." - 1 Timothy 5:8.
Every modern day prophet since Brigham Young has warned us that we need to be storing food and preparing for a time of scarcity. I have thought of the Latter-day Saints during the "great depression" and wondered if to some degree they, like so many of us, ignored the prophet's counsel.
Referring to the plague of crickets which nearly destroyed the crops of the early saints, Brigham Young advised:
? View the actions of the Latter-day Saints on this matter, and their neglect of the counsel given; and suppose the Lord would allow these insects to destroy our crops this season and the next, what would be the result? I can see death, misery and want on the faces of this people.
? But some may say, ? I have faith the Lord will turn them away. ' What ground have we to hope this? Have I any good reason to say to my Father in heaven, ? Fight my battles, ' when He has given me the sword to wield, the arm and the brain that I can fight for myself? Can I ask Him to fight my battles and sit quietly down waiting for Him to do so? I cannot. I can pray the people to hearken to wisdom, to listen to counsel; but to ask God to do for me that which I can do for myself is preposterous to my mind. ?
Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, quoted in Victor L. Brown, ? Prepare Every Needful Thing, ? Ensign, November 1980.
More recently we have been warned:
? Should evil times come, many might wish they had filled all their fruit bottles and cultivated a garden in their backyards and planted a few fruit trees and berry bushes and provided for their own commodity needs. The Lord planned that we would be independent of every creature, but we note even many farmers buy their milk from dairies and home owners buy their garden vegetables from the store. And should the trucks fail to fill the shelves of the stores, many would go hungry.?
Spencer W. Kimball, Conference Report, Oct. 1974, 6; or Ensign, Nov. 1974.
There is still time to fill our fruit bottles. For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere you need to start now to plan and plant. For those of us approaching winter we need to hurry and seek out opportunities to glean or share with those who have canned all they need from their gardens and are now ready to give food away. Don't be afraid to knock on the door of a neighbor whose fruit is falling on the ground. They might love some help getting the fruit or veggies picked and be more than willing to let you keep part or all of it. No time or resources for canning - then create a plan and begin buying.
President Hinckley warned us immediately following the attack of September 11th that hard times were coming. He knew our economy was going to take a dive, and now it has. Did we listen? Some did.
"Occasions of this kind pull us up sharply to a realization that life is fragile, peace is fragile, civilization itself is fragile. The economy is particularly vulnerable. We have been counseled again and again concerning self-reliance, concerning debt, concerning thrift. So many of our people are heavily in debt for things that are not entirely necessary. When I was a young man, my father counseled me to build a modest home, sufficient for the needs of my family, and make it beautiful and attractive and pleasant and secure. He counseled me to pay off the mortgage as quickly as I could so that, come what may, there would be a roof over the heads of my wife and children. I was reared on that kind of doctrine. I urge you as members of this Church to get free of debt where possible and to have a little laid aside against a rainy day. We cannot provide against every contingency. But we can provide against many contingencies. Let the present situation remind us that this we should do. As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time in case of need. But let us not panic nor go to extremes. Let us be prudent in every respect. And, above all, my brothers and sisters, let us move forward with faith in the Living God and His Beloved Son."
Gordon B. Hinckley , ?The Times in Which We Live,? Ensign, Nov. 2001, 72.
I had a really great experience last Friday. I was invited to speak to a Relief Society Enrichment group in Manteca , California who call themselves The Posse. Each month these sisters gather and discuss an aspect of emergency preparedness on their own initiative. They purchase food in bulk, share their knowledge, review products, and seriously work to follow the counsel of the prophet. I was asked to help them understand the ins and outs of water storage and which important documents they should be storing and why. I have been invited to return in November to speak about food storage.
One of the Posse sisters showed up with a can of peaches and a peach crisp. She then shared the information about the great deal she had gotten on peaches. They also took orders for apples that were being purchased from a local farmer. Every ward could have proactive groups like this one, and what a blessing it would be to the families in those wards.
Today I received an email from another sister who has listened, read, and acted. She wrote:
? I went to a store in West Jordan yesterday. The prices were very good--some things 1/3 off the regular price. There were hundreds of cases of food stacked 15 cases high as you walk in the store. It was overwhelming, but also, almost inspirational. How can anyone not take advantage of this? I had a carefully prepared list, came home, labeled everything with the date, put things away, and am now headed back before this sale is over to get a few more things. As I compared, I found that the prices on the dry beans and oatmeal aren't as good as the Church's storehouse prices, so I'll go there for those. The Church offers all their food storage items at cost. I noticed in the Ensign today (Oct. 2008, p. 78) that the Salt Lake Distribution Center will take orders on the internet or by phone for the starter kit and deliver the food right to your door. They do charge shipping. That would be helpful for some people. Hmmmm. I wonder if they are trying to tell us something! I'm getting more organized---not there yet, but better than I have ever been in my life! Thank you so much for your concentrated effort in hammering it home. I think a lot of people are finally figuring it out!?
Now that is a sister who is listening and is humble enough to be teachable. She mentioned the Starter Kit available from the church. It is a great way to get some of the basics, but remember it is called a ?Starter? Kit. It is a place to begin. We still need to add that 3 month supply of the foods we eat. And after that, round out our year's supply with the basics. If you do not already have a copy - print off a copy of the pamphlet ? Family Home Storage ? at the church website.
When preparing for the unknown disaster it is wise to store foods we eat every day. These are foods we will rotate. They are the foods our family will enjoy and will become comfort foods during a time of crisis. No one is immune from a crisis that would require us to fend for ourselves: not even the rich or famous. Not the family with the paid off mortgage. Not the CEO of a company or the teacher. Not even the Bishop or General Authority.
Recently a survey was conducted at BYUI and the students where asked what they would most like to learn about during a day long workshop they are planning for March. The number one answer was ?food storage?. I am so excited that these young couples and single students are listening and want to be taught. I will be teaching a food storage workshop based on my book Mother Hubbard: What She's Doing Now during Mothers Weekend at BYUI. If you are in Rexburg October 11th , join us. I will post all the specifics about the time and place on my blog.
Time again to assess our food storage situation, to plan our next move, and most of all, to act. Sit down with your family tonight and commit to your next food storage activity. Then, the next time the prophet talks about preparing, storing food, and saving for a rainy day, you will be able to look at your family and say, "We are doing that!" You may even have that opportunity this weekend!
Pulled up Sharply by the Soaring Price of Food
By Carolyn Nicolaysen
With an avalanche of economic news this week, you may be wondering what to do next. I am not an economic expert but there are a few facts I do know, and they underscore the fact that food stored yesterday is worth more today. That's right Wall Street, ?food? is one of the most impressive investments in my portfolio. While we may have to eat our economic losses, at least those with food storage can enjoy a meal of their food storage profits ? profits that are so far tax free, as well.
The consumer price index for food increased 0.7 percent in August and is now 7.5 percent above last August.
Beef prices surged 2.4% in August and 7% for the year.
Pork prices jumped 1.2% in August and 3.4% for the year
Poultry prices increased 0.9% in August and are up 4.2% from a year ago.
Egg prices dropped 4.1% in August and 6.9% for the year.
Dairy prices were up 0.4% in August and 6.4% for the year.
Milk prices dropped 1.4% but are still up 2.2% for the year.
Cheese prices were up 1.4% and 12.6% for the year.
Apple prices are up this year 18.9%, banana prices up 22.3%, and citrus fruit up 6.0%.
Fresh vegetable prices are up 14.2%, lettuce up 9.7%, tomato up 16.0%, potatoes up 29.4%, and other fresh vegetable prices up 9.2% for the year.
Cereals and bakery product prices are up 11.7% for the year.
Sugar and sweets prices were up 0.4 percent in August and 5.4% for the year.
Noncarbonated juices and drink prices were up 0.4% in August and 3.8% for the year.
It's not your imagination, grocery prices are up, up, up. Experts expect this trend to continue for at least the next five years.
We have known the Lord's stand on preparedness since long before the restoration. Paul wrote to Timothy, ? If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." - 1 Timothy 5:8.
Every modern day prophet since Brigham Young has warned us that we need to be storing food and preparing for a time of scarcity. I have thought of the Latter-day Saints during the "great depression" and wondered if to some degree they, like so many of us, ignored the prophet's counsel.
Referring to the plague of crickets which nearly destroyed the crops of the early saints, Brigham Young advised:
? View the actions of the Latter-day Saints on this matter, and their neglect of the counsel given; and suppose the Lord would allow these insects to destroy our crops this season and the next, what would be the result? I can see death, misery and want on the faces of this people.
? But some may say, ? I have faith the Lord will turn them away. ' What ground have we to hope this? Have I any good reason to say to my Father in heaven, ? Fight my battles, ' when He has given me the sword to wield, the arm and the brain that I can fight for myself? Can I ask Him to fight my battles and sit quietly down waiting for Him to do so? I cannot. I can pray the people to hearken to wisdom, to listen to counsel; but to ask God to do for me that which I can do for myself is preposterous to my mind. ?
Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, quoted in Victor L. Brown, ? Prepare Every Needful Thing, ? Ensign, November 1980.
More recently we have been warned:
? Should evil times come, many might wish they had filled all their fruit bottles and cultivated a garden in their backyards and planted a few fruit trees and berry bushes and provided for their own commodity needs. The Lord planned that we would be independent of every creature, but we note even many farmers buy their milk from dairies and home owners buy their garden vegetables from the store. And should the trucks fail to fill the shelves of the stores, many would go hungry.?
Spencer W. Kimball, Conference Report, Oct. 1974, 6; or Ensign, Nov. 1974.
There is still time to fill our fruit bottles. For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere you need to start now to plan and plant. For those of us approaching winter we need to hurry and seek out opportunities to glean or share with those who have canned all they need from their gardens and are now ready to give food away. Don't be afraid to knock on the door of a neighbor whose fruit is falling on the ground. They might love some help getting the fruit or veggies picked and be more than willing to let you keep part or all of it. No time or resources for canning - then create a plan and begin buying.
President Hinckley warned us immediately following the attack of September 11th that hard times were coming. He knew our economy was going to take a dive, and now it has. Did we listen? Some did.
"Occasions of this kind pull us up sharply to a realization that life is fragile, peace is fragile, civilization itself is fragile. The economy is particularly vulnerable. We have been counseled again and again concerning self-reliance, concerning debt, concerning thrift. So many of our people are heavily in debt for things that are not entirely necessary. When I was a young man, my father counseled me to build a modest home, sufficient for the needs of my family, and make it beautiful and attractive and pleasant and secure. He counseled me to pay off the mortgage as quickly as I could so that, come what may, there would be a roof over the heads of my wife and children. I was reared on that kind of doctrine. I urge you as members of this Church to get free of debt where possible and to have a little laid aside against a rainy day. We cannot provide against every contingency. But we can provide against many contingencies. Let the present situation remind us that this we should do. As we have been continuously counseled for more than 60 years, let us have some food set aside that would sustain us for a time in case of need. But let us not panic nor go to extremes. Let us be prudent in every respect. And, above all, my brothers and sisters, let us move forward with faith in the Living God and His Beloved Son."
Gordon B. Hinckley , ?The Times in Which We Live,? Ensign, Nov. 2001, 72.
I had a really great experience last Friday. I was invited to speak to a Relief Society Enrichment group in Manteca , California who call themselves The Posse. Each month these sisters gather and discuss an aspect of emergency preparedness on their own initiative. They purchase food in bulk, share their knowledge, review products, and seriously work to follow the counsel of the prophet. I was asked to help them understand the ins and outs of water storage and which important documents they should be storing and why. I have been invited to return in November to speak about food storage.
One of the Posse sisters showed up with a can of peaches and a peach crisp. She then shared the information about the great deal she had gotten on peaches. They also took orders for apples that were being purchased from a local farmer. Every ward could have proactive groups like this one, and what a blessing it would be to the families in those wards.
Today I received an email from another sister who has listened, read, and acted. She wrote:
? I went to a store in West Jordan yesterday. The prices were very good--some things 1/3 off the regular price. There were hundreds of cases of food stacked 15 cases high as you walk in the store. It was overwhelming, but also, almost inspirational. How can anyone not take advantage of this? I had a carefully prepared list, came home, labeled everything with the date, put things away, and am now headed back before this sale is over to get a few more things. As I compared, I found that the prices on the dry beans and oatmeal aren't as good as the Church's storehouse prices, so I'll go there for those. The Church offers all their food storage items at cost. I noticed in the Ensign today (Oct. 2008, p. 78) that the Salt Lake Distribution Center will take orders on the internet or by phone for the starter kit and deliver the food right to your door. They do charge shipping. That would be helpful for some people. Hmmmm. I wonder if they are trying to tell us something! I'm getting more organized---not there yet, but better than I have ever been in my life! Thank you so much for your concentrated effort in hammering it home. I think a lot of people are finally figuring it out!?
Now that is a sister who is listening and is humble enough to be teachable. She mentioned the Starter Kit available from the church. It is a great way to get some of the basics, but remember it is called a ?Starter? Kit. It is a place to begin. We still need to add that 3 month supply of the foods we eat. And after that, round out our year's supply with the basics. If you do not already have a copy - print off a copy of the pamphlet ? Family Home Storage ? at the church website.
When preparing for the unknown disaster it is wise to store foods we eat every day. These are foods we will rotate. They are the foods our family will enjoy and will become comfort foods during a time of crisis. No one is immune from a crisis that would require us to fend for ourselves: not even the rich or famous. Not the family with the paid off mortgage. Not the CEO of a company or the teacher. Not even the Bishop or General Authority.
Recently a survey was conducted at BYUI and the students where asked what they would most like to learn about during a day long workshop they are planning for March. The number one answer was ?food storage?. I am so excited that these young couples and single students are listening and want to be taught. I will be teaching a food storage workshop based on my book Mother Hubbard: What She's Doing Now during Mothers Weekend at BYUI. If you are in Rexburg October 11th , join us. I will post all the specifics about the time and place on my blog.
Time again to assess our food storage situation, to plan our next move, and most of all, to act. Sit down with your family tonight and commit to your next food storage activity. Then, the next time the prophet talks about preparing, storing food, and saving for a rainy day, you will be able to look at your family and say, "We are doing that!" You may even have that opportunity this weekend!