Long-Term Wheat and Bean Storage Tutorial

"Provident living requires us to develop proper attitudes—a willingness to forego luxuries, to avoid excess, and to fully use what we have—learning to live within our means.

Unrestricted by programs and projects, bricks and mortar, the Lord’s real storehouse is indeed in the homes and the hearts of His people. As the members of the Church follow the counsel to become self-reliant, they represent an immense pool of resources, knowledge, skills, and charity available to help one another."

Robert D. Hales, “Welfare Principles to Guide Our Lives: An Eternal Plan for the Welfare of Men’s Souls,” Ensign, May 1986, 28

For family night, Jeff and I FINALLY did something with these:

Some of the many bags of wheat, beans, rice and sugar we purchased from the Bishop's Storehouse A LONG TIME AGO!

Getting ready

So the instructions say:
1. Use approximately one ounce of dry ice per gallon (7 grams per liter) capacity of the container. Do not use dry ice in metal containers of any kind or size because of the potential for inadequate seals or excessive buildup of pressure.
2. Wear gloves when handling dry ice. (We didn't wear gloves, we just didn't touch it)
3. Wipe frost crystals from the dry ice, using a clean dry towel.

Next:
4. Place the dry ice in the center of the container bottom.

5. Pour the grain or dry beans on top of the dry ice. Fill the bucket to within one inch (25 mm) of the top.
6. Place the lid on top of the container and snap it down only about halfway around the container. The partially sealed lid will allow the carbon dioxide gas to escape from the bucket as the dry ice sublimates (changes from a solid to a gas).
7. Allow the dry ice to sublimate completely before sealing the bucket. Feel the bottom of the container to see if the dry ice is all gone. If the bottom of the container is very cold, dry ice is still present.
8. Monitor the bucket for a few minutes after sealing the lid. If the bucket or lid bulges, slightly lift the edge of the lid to relieve pressure.
9. It is normal for the lid of the bucket to pull down slightly as a result of the partial vacuum caused when carbon dioxide is absorbed into the product.

Then make sure to label it with what's inside and the date. Then remember this:
• Store plastic buckets off the floor by at least ½ inch (1.3 cm) to allow air to circulate under the bucket.
• Do not stack plastic buckets over three high. If buckets are stacked, check them periodically to ensure that the lids have not broken from the weight.
Visit providentliving.org for additional information.

This was a really good idea I thought....

How to make more money with your emergency fund

Your emergency fund should be for an EMERGENCY! Not, “I really, really want to go to this concert,” or, “I really need a diamond studded dog-collar for Tinkerbell.”

Everyone’s definition of an emergency is different. But, if you want it to be of some use to you, you need to have a strict definition of an emergency.

Your emergency fund is what you should turn to when “life happens.” It will be what you turn to rather than your credit cards.

Also, your emergency fund should put more dollars into your pocket once it has been well established. Here is how:

1. You start putting $100 a month into a high-yield savings account. This will not generate much income, but it will do a whole lot better than spending the money.
2. After a five months, barring no emergencies, you will have $500 in your high-yield savings account earning a nice interest rate. Now you can call your car insurance company and ask them to raise your deductible from from $100 to $250. Since you have $500 set aside for an emergency, you will now be able to afford the $250 deductible.
3. The good news is that when you raise your deductible, your insurance bill goes down. Now that you are saving $120 a year on your insurance bill, you can add that to your emergency savings. Instead of saving $100 a month, you can now save $110 a month ($120/12 months=$10) with no extra money out of your pocket.
4. Now that you are adding $110 a month to your emergency fund each month, it will grow even faster. In a few more months, you will reach $1000 balance. You can call the insurance company again and ask them to raise your deductible to $500. Again, this will lower your insurance bill even more. Add the difference to your emergency savings and keep this cycle going.
5. As you can see doing this over and over again will save you money, while expanding your safety net. Your bank account will be growing at a faster pace and you will have more peace of mind.

The figures used are hypothetical and I would suggest raising your deductible only to a level that you are comfortable with. But remember, you are paying a lot of money to the insurance company to have a low deductible.

Keep letting your emergency fund grow larger and larger and shoot for a dollar amount that would cover 3 months of your living expenses. Once you get to that point, then you should start looking at investing in mutual funds or stocks to get a better return on your money.