Quick reminder, because of my concern for rising food prices, until the end of the month  I will send any new subscribers to the Totally Ready Newsletter a copy of our March issue which includes the information you will need to store a nutritionally balanced three month supply designed for your family’s needs, not the generic list you find other places. After that the issue will be bundled with the past 12 issues for purchase.

I had a great talk with Halli Stone this morning on blog talk radio. We spoke about an EMP attack, civil unrest, HAM radio, survivor stories and much more. Take time as you work at your computer today to tune it in and listen. I love speaking with Halli and I think you will enjoy her relaxed manner and passion.

As we spoke I reflected on the things we need to be doing, skills we need to be learning or honing, and remember one of the best summers raising my kids. Our school district had a fabulous summer school program but attendance was determined by a drawing and if your sibling’s name was not drawn but you were, well, that’s life. A group of friends and I decided we were not going to take any chances and we were going to hold our own summer school. It was great. Each of the moms decided on a skill they could teach and we forged ahead. We rotated homes and most times all the moms stayed to help but if you needed to run an errand you were free to leave and your children were in a safe place where they were learning and having fun. We had a swimming class, cooking class, weaving class, crafts class, and a quilting class. We even too field trips. All these little third and fourth grade girls making quilts was awesome! There were a few boys who were younger and we occasionally held a class especially for them, but what little boy doesn’t love to cook and swim? At the end of the summer we hosted a dinner for the dads and displayed all we had made and of course, the kids prepared all the foods they had learned to cook.

As I remembered these fun day it hit me, let’s do this in our homes with our children and grandchildren this summer and teach them preparedness skills. Wouldn’t this be a great way for those of us who are passionate about preparing to help our friends and family, adults here, who are not? We could teach adults skills while they were also having a great time with their kids. Think about it.

You could have a cooking class but everything needs to be prepared without electricity. You could use a dutch oven, make foil dinners, roast hot dogs on a stick, the possibilities are endless.

You could have a gardening class and plant things you know will grow like lettuce,radishes, carrots, and zucchini and then use those foods in your cooking class.

You could take a field trip to a dairy and come home and make butter and ice cream, again, without electricity.

You could teach them to sew and make a quilt or apron or pillow. When I was student teaching I had a sewing class which was all junior high school boys and we made hunting vests.

You could go to the library and check out books about pioneers, or even Huckleberry Finn or Little House on the Prairie, read the books and then spend a few weeks creating some pioneer experiences. You could dip candles, play pioneer games, even build a lean-to or a tee-pee.

You could take a field trip to an orchard, farmers market or just a neighbor’s with a fruit tree, pick the fruit and them bring it home and make jam or juice.

You could teach the kids (and their moms) to grind wheat and make pancakes, and scones. Both are easy and kids love them.

Let them practice washing clothes in a bucket and then hanging them on the line. I bet lots of moms have never even done that.

Visit a living history museum and learn about the life of those who lived when our nation was founded or who were trail blazers.

Hold a wood working class and learn to use a hammer and nails while building a simple stool. You can probably get enough scrap wood from a building site to complete the project.

If you have lots of boys help them make “uniforms” and then spend a few days living like a soldier during the Revolution or Civil War. Made biscuits in a Dutch oven or on a stick. Wash on a wash board. Write with a quill. Make a sling shot.

If you are a grandparent why not make some of these classes part of your family reunion this summer.

Please send us notes, updates, successes and even failures, and of course pictures as you hold your classes this summer.

Listen to my talk with Halli:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/idahotalk/2010/05/18/halli-friends

A few sites to spur the imagination:

http://www.osv.org/

http://www.gettysburgfoundation.org/forkids.htm

http://www.stepintohistory.com/

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This week I heard about a friend who had a collector car. It was one of those “hot rods” every boy wanted to own in high school. He sold it this week because of the tough economic times. Really? I guess our definitions are very different as his wife still gets manicures and pedicures, makes trips to the mall so she will have the “right look” and belongs to the gym. All of that would be fine but they have no food storage and still have kids at home. When are they going to understand tough economic times means we need to put the credit card back in our pockets and we need to cut out all the extras that most people in the world live without. I continue to get my hair done but I barter for the luxury. My hair dresser has accumulated 72 hour and car kits for her family and I feel pampered.

Another friend of mine, who is a single mom, had her daughter move out this week and decide to go live with a friend. Life became too hard at home as mom actually expected her to go get a job to help pay for her own cell phone. This girl had no chores around the house except to do her laundry and keep her bathroom clean. What has happened to our society when our kids move out when asked to do simple things? Even more important is the question when did a mom allow someone else’s child move in? All of this makes me very frightened for the future.

It is time for all of us to take account of our priorities. Do we really NEED the items we want to purchase? Today I spoke with a friend who has lost her job. We were discussing another friend who is having a hard time financially. My friend mentioned that this second friend only shopped at the thrift stores for her clothes. That is great but does she really need new clothes? No, she doesn’t, so why is she spending any money at all, even if it is only a few dollars?

The best way to save money during this tough time is to really questions every penny we spend. Last year I asked you to commit for one week to spend no money except on gas to get to work. I told you the very first day I wanted to stop to get hamburgers off the dollar menu. That was cheap but I didn’t do it. The next day there was another temptation. It was hard to walk away but I did. Since that time I have really tried to analze my purchases and the real reasons I was making those choices.

If we want our children to thrive during the next years we must help them to learn to work, earn and save. We must. If you are afraid your children and grandchildren will rebel, well, just expect it, they will. I have never met an adult who complained about their parents making them work and save. I have met many who never learned because their parents wanted to be friends more than they wanted to be parents. Those children suffer as adults. They feel cheated because they don’t know how to manage money and therefore never seem to get ahead, unless they charge it! We have seen that “charge it” mentality grow over the last few decades, and in the end, many of those people are now losing their homes, having cars repossessed and having to sell furniture to pay bills. May I be so blod as to say that if you really, truly love your children and grandchildren you will teach them to work and to save.

We can discuss thousands of ways to save money. We have already talked about dozens. None of this will really relieve the problem until we question every purchase we make and ask ourselves, do we really need this? As your children see you practice this you will save money on all the things they think they needs as they learn to determine if they really have a need or just a want.

Many do not understand how to help to teach the work ethic or how to teach saving. Will you please share what you have done in your family or how your parents taught you.

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Really…I am posting late because I wanted to leave yesterday’s post up long enough for everyone to see it and get in on the give away fun. If you missed it please check the last post. You won’t want to miss out!

This year I told you I want to do a few more things which will focus on dealing with the economy and financial hard times. This means more ideas for saving money and more ideas for making money as well. What are your most successful belt tightening ideas? Please share them here or in our yahoo group. We really would appreciate any you may have.

I remember when I was little that my mom had a Christmas Club Account at the bank. Each week we would go in and she would add $2.00 to her account. When Christmas came that was her gift money. I remember being fascinated by that account and it wasn’t long until our school began a savings program. We would bring in our $.25 each week and we would watch it grow. How I wish banks and schools still promoted those money saving practices.

This year I would encourage all of you to take up the challenge and begin your own Christmas Club account. You don’t have to use the bank, just get a bottle or use the cookie jar and start putting something aside each month. If you saved just $5.00 per week from now until Thanksgiving you could have enough saved to pay cash for all the special foods you want to purchase for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve! If you saved just $10.00 a week until Thanksgiving you could pay for all of your Christmas gifts with cash! That is, if you spend what the average family spends, $450.00. No matter the amount set aside some each week to be used for a specific purpose next December with the added comittment that the credit card will stay where it belongs, in your wallet!

We actually made it through the holiday season this year without credit card expenses and it is an incredible feeling. We saved ahead of time, and gifts were smaller, but fancy foods and gifts are not the important things in life. Being with our family and being stress free after the holiday because we don’t have that bill hanging over our heads, is the real gift.

Why not have your children start an account too? Help them start good savings habits now.

I’m going to be asking… so get out the jar today and add your first deposit.

Start posting and linking and win our first give away of the year!!!

DON’T BE LEFT OUT !!!

This season instead of spending money create a few new holiday traditions. You may be in the habit of getting pizza for a simple Christmas Eve dinner. This year begin a new tradition and make pizza from scratch. You can purchase crusts with sauce packets included or make your own. The just raid your food storage and check the fridge for leftovers and enjoy this time together as a family making your own amazing creations.

If you normally give gifts to friends and neighbors, this year make some homemade rolls or muffins and take a few on a paper plate with cute wrapping and sing a Christmas Carrol or two. We did this a few years ago with a loaf of homemade cinnamon bread, very inexpensive, and took it to a friend who had recently remarried. The new husband was fifty something and he was so touched he said no one had ever come caroling to his home before. So much better than spending the night watching movies or delivering a more expensive gift.

Many years ago we began delivering small gifts to friends by placing them on their doorstep, ringing the bell and running like mad! When we had a rough year financially and could no longer do gifts for Christmas we asked our  children what the one thing was that they wanted to do for Christmas. I wasn’t having stockings filled or new jammies or the traditional new ornament, it was door bell ditching. So, again the homemade bread came out and we had a blast! And, it was all cheap!!

If you normally give your kids an ornament each year, make them. You can even take a pine cone, add a little glitter and a Christmas ribbon. f you normally give pajamas why not get some inexpensive white t shirts and tie dye, paint or use fabric crayons to decorate them.

If you normally stop for fast food while traveling, brown bag it. We had a tradition in our family that the only time I purchased sugary cereals was when we were on vacations. The individual size boxes make fun snacks while traveling and can become a tradition for your family too. One year I packed carrots, before the days of mini carrots, as part of our lunch, and the kids spent an hour biting the carrots and creating sculptures.

Remember the most important gift you can give family and friends is the gift of your love. You can do that in so many ways that require little or no money.

Today is the anniversary of one of the greatest disaaters in the history of the United States. Thousands of innocent people lost their lives and thousands more were thrust into a nightmare they will never fully awake from.Today is 9-11-2009. Eight years have passed and many of the monsters who caused all this hurt are still plotting to disrupt our lives and thrust fear upon us again.

I remember that day. I remember watching as the first plane hit the tower, and then the second. By that time I knew our country was at war. When the plane hit the pentagon and another was taken down by heroes so no more would die, I knew a part of me had died. I sat and watched the news crying with my high school aged son and praying for my son who was thousands of miles away living in a country just recovering from a devastating war.

I grew up with grandparents who were emigrants and told of the horrors of the first World War. I remember clearly the story of my mom when she was just in kindergarten being afraid to go home because she had been attacked by a dog who had ruined her birthday present, a new dress. It was the depression and she knew purchasing the dress had been a real sacrifice.  I heard the stories of the victory garden they planted during World War II and the horrors my dad saw on Utah beach. I watch him suffer the rest of his life due to the wounds he received in Germany. I heard the stories of my Great grandmother who refused to stop shopping at stores owned by Jews and the fear my grandmother had that the next letter she received from Germany would tell her my grandmother was in a concentration camp.

We have had a pretty easy ride the last 50 years. Vietnam was awful but most of us never had to make much of a sacrifice during that time. There have been economic downturns before but people were better prepared to handle them because they were living a more self reliant life style do to the experience of a generation who had lived through very hard times.

We are no longer prepared to care for our own needs. Many do not know basic life sustaining skills such as gardening, sewing and repairing what you already own. Cooking from scratch? What is that? A budget? I’ll just charge it. We had become a very spoiled generation. Compare the response to the disaster on 9/11 to the reaction after Katrina. After 9/11 communities came together. People collected money, clothing, even gloves for the rescue workers at ground O and the only call was to get the________ who did this.

Katrina was another story in some, but not all locations. Some screamed they did not get help fast enough but first responders were busy trying to save people trapped in flooded buildings. Many did not pull together but rather stole from their neighbors in shelter or looted former neighbors homes. I remember the couple imn New Orleans. The husband was walking through the water pulling his wife who was sitting on a door. The only other itme on the door was a case of beer, and they were complaining the government was not doing enough. I knew this was the time for me to begin educating others in a more serious manner about the benefits and importance of creating a culture of self reliance in our homes. During that time it became evident that something had to change if we were to thrive again as a nation and as families.

Just a two years after Karina there was a devastating wild fire in southern California. Having family and friends in the area who were evacuated, and some who lost homes, I was able to witness that disaster close up. They returned to the 9/11 mind set. They pulled together. They did not lay blame. They expressed gratitude for those who helped in any small way to ease their burdens.What made the difference?

I believe it was the willingness to understand that we are not owed anything in this life. Every day, every bottle of water from a stranger is a gift. Great sacrifices were made to help the victims of the disasters, all three, but those who helped after 9/11 and the San Diego fires kept helping, even a third and fourth time, as new needs were discovered. Why? Because those who were being helped understood the sacrifice of those helping and did not feel entitled to it but rather grateful for it.

And now, who is the happier? Those who rolled up their sleeves, took responsibility for their situation, even though it was not do to any fault of their own, and worked to move forward. Some in San Diego are still living in hotels, trailers, or bunking with extended family but they do not complain. These are the type of people who have made America strong. These are those who know the value of a self reliant life style and many are preparing in more serious ways then before their disasters as they understand power comes from being in control of your own life. We lose our freedom to choose when we allow others to decide for us, when we feel we are entitled.

I know people who feel entitled. They are not happy. Nothing is ever meaningful because they have not had to work to create it. We have created some of these 20 and 30 somethings as parents. If we have people like this in our lives it is time to help them understand that true joy comes as we accomplish things we thought we couldn’t. Joy comes when we are faced with a crisis and look to ourselves to solve it. When you can repair a car, remake a hand me down dress into a prom show stopper, or are able to take a meal to a sick friend even though we have just lost our job, that is real joy.

Let this be the year we express the feeling of accomplishment we feel when we learn or teach a new skill or open the door to a cupboard and realize we have a General Store in our own home. Let us resolve to make this the year we set an example for those around us and together become more self reliant.

We have talked about budgeting and kept track of how much we spend and what we spend it on. It is now time to move on to developing a budget for our family and also for each individual member of the family.   Allowance is one method of helping children learn to budget their money, we will talk specifically about allowance next week, but I loved this post and think this is a concept worth sharing as we consider how to teach our children and grandchildren self reliance. I think this would also be a great tool for those of you lucky enough to have your grandchildren living near by.

I found an image of play money that I adopted and printed as our official “family dollar.” Family Dollars are earned by helping out the family. I try to give them out when I notice someone doing something nice or helpful without being asked, or doing chores without reminders. The kids can also earn them by doing little jobs to help out like watering the plants, or washing the sliding doors. Hunter and Emma also earn one family dollar for every paper they bring home from school with 100%.

We keep our family dollars in a binder that has a clear pocket (page protector with their name written on it) for each person. We used to keep them in envelopes, but the envelopes were too easy to lose. I have a “bank” (a jelly jar) of family dollars that I pay them from and they can either turn their family dollars in for cash, or use them to buy things at “Mom’s Store.”

Mom’s Store is in our coat closet. I have a little store of craft projects, notepads, stickers, boxes, little toys; anything that catches my eye as something the kids might like to have. When my store has a good selection, the kids are motivated to do more helpful and nice things so they can save up for something. There is also a list of privileges they can buy in the family dollar binder. Things like: a “date” with Mom or Dad, A family trip to Legoland (this one is a biggie and would require them all to pool their dollars to get it), $15.00 to spend at Toys R Us, a pass to stay up an hour past bedtime…

I have really enjoyed doing the family dollar store with the kids. They are learning how to make buying decisions and have to think, “would I rather have a princess notepad now for $2 or save up and get a date with Dad for $15?”

They are also learning to delay gratification. Sometimes they will see something in the store that they just have to have. If it isn’t too spendy I’ll tell them, “I’ll put it in my store, and you can buy it with your family dollars.”

They have to problem solve. If they don’t have enough to buy something they need to think of something they can do to earn more family dollars. It’s cute to see Hannah run to get one of her dolls that she knows Brina likes to play with, and offer to share it. Of course she’ll give it to her and then turn immediately to me and say, “Can I get a family dollar for that?” I think it’s ok that they are getting immediate rewards for little things. There are other opportunities to teach the idea of service, or doing something good without expecting anything in return. For now, I’m just glad that the younger girls are sharing, and that the older two are thinking about what might make Mom, Dad or one of their siblings feel happier.

We have our ups and downs with the program. Sometimes I forget to give out any family dollars or there are tantrums when someone buys something another person also wanted. And sometimes it takes getting new inventory in my store to motivate the kids to earn dollars, but I think it’s a good start.

I know it’s Tuesday and the day we should be discussing developing a budget with our children. We will get to that next Tuesday. That gives you time to continue keeping track of your spending habits if you have not already done that. Please, please, take the time to track you spending. The true definition of self reliance must include creative and consistent management of our money.

Today, I believe we need to reflect for a few minutes on all the blessings we enjoy as Americans. As I watched the inauguration today it was a very emotional experience. I remember the joy my grandmother felt as a German immigrant to be able to say she was a citizen. I remember the stories of the depression from the grandparents and the sacrifices they made and the sense of community that was created as they worked together to survive. Their financial situation was far worse than we are experiencing now, but they came together and got through it. I remember the sacrifice my father made for his service during World War II. He was part of the invasion on Utah beach and was later wounded. He suffered physically the rest of his life because of those wounds, but how he loved this country.

Whether or not we agree with the policies of President Obama we need to remember the promise of this country. We need to remember the divinely inspired Constituion which guides us. Now, we need to move forward. We need to help our friends, neighbors and first of all, our family prepare for the future, not in a spirit of what is wrong or may go wrong, but in the spirit of the power we have to make things right for those we  love.

Here we often focus on disasters that are or may occur. They are real, but we must not become people who focus on the negative or who expect others to care for us during hard times.  So, for today, let us reflect on the good things in our lives and the blessings we all have and let us give thanks for those.

Purchase a few small note books and give one to each member of the family. Ask them to record every time they spend money. For small children you may have to do this for them but help them to recognize every time money is spent by them or on them. This would include a pack of gum, a hamburger, doctors visits, and clothing purchases as well as the obvious, toys. The adults in the family should do the same. You should follow this pattern until next Tuesday when we will use the information. If your budget has been affected by a job loss or reduction or just the higher price of food and housing this is the first step to getting your finances back under control.

Some of you may be feeling a little guilt that you can not provide for your family the way you always envisioned you would. You wanted to be able to give your kids everything you couldn’t have growing up or even everything you did have, and now you can’t. You need to remember the best gift you can give your children is the skills to deal with bad times as they come. They will come. They do for every generation. Some of you, I’m sure, are feeling you don’t have the skills necessary to deal with financial downturns yourself. Why would you want to send your children into the world lacking those same skills? Over the next few weeks we will get your whole family “whipped into shape” were budgeting is concerned. Get out those notebooks and begin tonight to build a more self reliant future.

As we consider skills, last week you worked with your family on placing their dirty clothes in the laundry and getting them off the floor. This week it is time to teach them to fold the clean laundry. The best way to accomplish this is on a table where the clothing can be laid flat and then folded. They will get better at this task so give a little guidance but let them do it. The most important thing about clean laundry is that it is clean and gets put in the proper rooms so don’t sweat the awkward folds.

Good luck and let us know how it’s going this week. I’m sure you are in for a few surprises!

Every Tuesday we will discuss ways we can teach our children and grand children valuable life lessons that will enable them to be the successful, but more importantly, the happy adults we want them to be.

Remember when we all walked to school? We road our bikes to the store and picked up a loaf of bread for mom. We went to a friend’s house to play, and we walked to get there. All those small things were teaching us the skills we would need to be self reliant adults.

Each week we will focus on a finance goal and on a skill which we will teach our children. Many of you may already have implemented some of these and this will give you the opportunity to revisit or refine them if needed.

Have you ever had an experience like this? I was with my grandchild and he wanted a small toy. I explained that I didn’t have the money to buy it and he informed me I could use a credit card. Children often do not understand the connection between credit card purchases and real money. They don’t understand why you can’t just put your card in the ATM and get out the cash you need. They see you do it all the time. This week it is time to sit down with your children and explain you family finances. I suggest using real money but you can use Monopoly Money also. Real money eliminates confusion. When you cash your pay check this week get it all in small denomination bills. Sit down with your children and the pile of money. Now start pulling out the bills. Of course you can change things to make them easier to understand and instead of the $1000.00 rent make it $100.00. Place the cash on top of the bill and go on to the next. Be sure to point out all of your fixed expenses such as housing, food, utilities, car payments, church donations, etc. Then, explain that what is left over you will put in the bank for things like clothing, vacations, and a trip to the movies.

While you are explaining expenses remind them that all their clothes have to come out of that money too. This is a great segway into the next lesson for this week. Remind them that clothes and shoes have to come before a movie or a milk shake and that caring for their clothes will really help you to have more money to spend on those types of treats. Challenge them to put all their clothes into the hamper this week and all their shoes placed in their closet or the place you have designated for that purpose. You may want to label a jar “treat money” and every time you find clothing or shoes laying around remove some money from the jar. Make a big deal of it and say something like “I guess we are going to have to skip that ______ (movie, ice cream, whatever) this weekend because we are going to have to save more to replace Mary’s clothes”. It won’t take long for the peer pressure to take over and the kids to get the message and develop a good habit.