Financial Emergency Fund

 

Image courtesy of U.S. Department of the Treasury

Having some cash on hand is an important part of any Emergency Plan. In case of an emergency that causes ATMs or credit card machines to go down, you will need cash to get yourself gas, food, transportation, etc.

Remember to have a variety of money, mostly smaller amounts because you never know if someone will be able to make change.

You may want to have a few hundred dollars in your Emergency Binder as well as some in your car.

In addition to having emergency cash, saving at least $1000 in a checking or savings account can help you have peace of mind in the event that you need new tires or another unexpected event. 

We recently were able to travel to Washington state to be with family after my husband's uncle passed away. This is the first trip in which we have not had to go into credit card debt. Of course, now we have to build up our savings. That is frustrating sometimes. But our kids were able to see their grandparents, 3 great-grandparents and lots of aunts, uncles and cousins who they may not have ever met otherwise.

It is recommended that we have 3-months of our family income in savings. But remember, just do one thing at a time.

So...let's review:

1. Have $100-200 CASH in your home and/or car. (Remember to have small increments: $1, $5, $10 and $20.)

2. Build up $1000 in checking or savings. (Or in cash, if you prefer.)

3. Save 3 months worth of your family income. (Make a goal, keep your budget and don't get discouraged!)

Canning Tips

Last week I canned peaches and pears. And of course, forgot to take pictures. The picture above was from 2008 when I canned 4 boxes of pears...and I was 8 months pregnant. What can I say? I love to can!

Since this month's 3-month supply is FRUIT, I decided to post some canning tips.

First of all...SAVE YOUR JARS. For the first few years I canned, I had to buy jars. Now, I just reuse jars and so canning only costs me the price of the fruit and new LIDS.



That brings us to the next tip. You CANNOT reuse the lids when canning. There is a rubber ring on each lid that helps to seal the bottle. You can reuse RINGS and JARS but not lids.

There are 4 different things you can can with.

1. Water bath canner
2. Steam canner
3 Pressure canner
4. Vacuum sealer

CLICK HERE to read what each canner does.

This is my take on them.

Water canners take a lot of water and a long time to get up to temperature. I'm a klutz so I would scald myself, I'm sure. But, it's an easy way to can fruits.

Steam canning is my favorite. With a steam canner you only need a few cups of water, although you do have streams of steam to worry about for about 30 minutes. (That's why I can after my kids are asleep.)

Pressure canning is a little more complicated, but not impossible. You HAVE to use a pressure canning when canning potatoes, meats, and other low acid foods to prevent botulism. (I canned some pears with a pressure canner last year and it makes them too soft.)

Vacuuming canning is something I have only a little experience with. Last year a friend and I canned some dried fruits and veggies using a FoodSaver with a special attachment for jars. This is a great way to split up a large can of dried fruit or portion out a large bag of dried beans.

We could talk about canning all day, but if you get a good book on canning or find a good website (my favorite is PaulNoll.com) and follow the instructions, you'll be fine.

My last tip is this: Go with the flow. Sometimes things don't go as you expect. Here's a photo of me in Sept. 2008 (largely pregnant) lifting the top of a cracked jar from my steam canner. I had a jar crack on me this year too. Sigh.


Remember, canning can be an inexpensive way to add to your food storage and it's a great skill to have!

72-hour kit: First aid kit

Each 72-hour kit should include a basic first aid kit. There are small pre-made kits at the store or you can make your own.

Here are some basic items you could include:

Bandages, varying sizes
Alcohol wipes
Triple antibiotic cream
Non-prescription drugs
Gloves

Obivously there is about a hundred more things you could add. Just remember that SOMETHING is better than NOTHING, so get something small put together and add to it as needed.


Besides in your 72-hour kits, your car is an important place to have a first aid kit.


This is step 9 on the PLAN 9 pamphlet put together by the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.

3-month supply: Fruit

Photo taken by: Abhijit Tembhekar

Let's talk about a 3-month supply of FRUIT!!!

How much? About 16 lbs per person

What? Apple slices, raisins, and other dried fruits, apple sauce, canned fruit (our favorites are pineapple, mandarin oranges and fruit cocktail), etc.

You can use THIS template from Prepared LDS Family to help you decide how much of each items to have in your supply.


PRICE LIST for some fruits:

Peaches and Pears, canned: $.03/oz.
Applesauce, canned: $.04/oz.
Mandarin oranges, canned: $.04/oz.
Fruit cocktail: $.05/oz.
Pineapple, canned: $.05/oz.
Fruit cups: $.39 per cup.
Raisins: $1.94/lb.
Apricots, dried: $3.50/ lb.
Banana slices: $3.76/lb.
Apple Slices: $4.84/lb is a GREAT deal!


Obviously dried fruit is quite expensive in comparison, but remember that having a VARIETY in your food storage is important.

One thing that I don't have priced out is FROZEN FRUIT. For a short term supply (like 1, 2 or 3 months) you could (and probably SHOULD) include some frozen fruit. Whether you buy a bag from the store or freeze your own, it can be a useful way to add more fruit to your diet and to your storage.

FREEZING food is one of my favorite things, whether it be fruit, veggies, meats, or even things like shredded cheese and bread.

CANNING is also a great way to store fruit. Depending on what grows where you live, you can often get bulk fruits during harvest time. Canning is more time consuming and a little complicated at first, but is a great way to add to your food supply.

Valerie at Prepared LDS Family wrote a great blog entry back in February called: "Are Canned Fruits and Vegetables Healthy For You?" It talks about how canned fruit is processed at its peak and can sometimes be even better for you nutritionally than fresh fruit that has sat on trucks or in the store for weeks. Obviously fresh fruit is normally best, it is important to have some stored and to use it regularly.