Virginia Earthquake: Motivated or Complacent?

I am so very glad that there was minimal damage as a result of yesterday's earthquake.  I am so very glad no one lost their life or was seriously injured.  Such situations can be so very difficult.

But, I ask, will that motivate us to be better prepared, or lull us into complacency b/c "nothing happened?" 

I'm afraid that the latter is true.  An article I found talks about how many are simply making a mockery of it on social media networks like facebook and twitter:

Minimal damage and, for many, imperceptible shaking were the sources of many a Facebook and Twitter joke.

 People are posting pictures of the "damage" such as this:

Photo Credit: The Christian Science Monitor

And while, I got a giggle out of the above picture, I hope this "small" earthquake doesn't lull us into complacency about being prepared for one that might not be so laughable.

A few thoughts:

(1)  The state hasn’t suffered a quake of this size since 1897.
Natural disasters can happen anywhere, anytime.

(2)  Our communication structure is fragile.  
Even from this small of a quake, phone and internet services were interrupted for a time.   What would you do if you couldn't communicate with the "outside world" for a few days?

(3) People had no idea what to do.
Most in the area had never experienced and earthquake.  Friends in the area told me they were walked over to a 6 ft glass window to "see what was going on."  Do you know how to prepare for and react to the type of natural disaster most likely to occur in your area?

I had a few people comment to me that, "had it been any worse," they wouldn't have had anything for dinner b/c they were planning on shopping for their dinner that night.  How many of us are in that situation?  Are you reliant on others for your water, food, communication?  Could you survive w/o relying on anyone else for at least 3 days?

Please, let this experience motivate you to be better prepared.  Preparedness is important. 

What will you do today to better prepare yourself and your family to be completely self reliant should the need occur?

I am an independent consultant for Shelf Reliance; a company with a mission to empower others to become self reliant, prosperous and charitable.  You can learn more about Shelf Reliance, buying their products, earning free products, or selling their products on my Shelf Reliance website.  

Self Reliance in the News

Yes, that is self reliance, not shelf reliance.  As part of my new focus here, I plan to include news about the need for self reliance or becoming more self reliant from all over the world.  This is my first such attempt.

Hunger and a severe drought are still hovering over the Horn of Africa. More than 12 million people face starvation and the situation isn't showing much improvement.  This is the worst drought in 60 years!  I can't imagine what these people are facing and how they are coping.  A Catholic charity, Manos Unidas has donated over $450,000 to help.  They are providing not only supplies, but resources to help these people be more self reliant in the future.  Teaching the principles of self reliance truly is an incredible gift; just as much so as providing for other's needs:



I am an independent consultant for Shelf Reliance; a company with a mission to empower others to become self reliant, prosperous and charitable.  You can learn more about Shelf Reliance, buying their products, earning free products, or selling their products on my Shelf Reliance website.

Learn More About Shelf Reliance:

If you are interested in Shelf Reliance products or in learning more about the company, or are considering hosting a party or becoming a consultant I have some good news!  Shelf Reliance is going to be holding some "opportunity meetings" in the following locations over the next few weeks.  The first hour of this meeting will be a discussion and presentation of the company and products.  The rest of the meeting will be devoted to answering the questions of consultants and potential consultants!  If you are able to go, make sure you tell them that Misty from Your Own Home Store sent you!

Seattle , April 28^th  with Jason Budge (founder)Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center
17620 International Blvd.
Seattle, WA 98188
(206) 244-4800
6:00pm-9:00pm

Dallas, May 4^th with Jason Budge (founder)
Dallas Marriott Suites Market Center
2493 North Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, TX 75207
(214) 905-0050
6:00pm-9:00pm

Houston, May 5^th with Jason Budge (founder)
Sheraton North Houston Hotel
15700 John F. Kennedy Blvd.
Houston, TX 77032
(281) 442-5100
6:00pm-9:00pm
Oklahoma City, May 12^th with Jason Norton (Executive VP)Embassy Suites Hotel
1815 S. Meridian
Oklahoma City, OK 73108

Albuquerque , May 12^th with SethAdams  (Consultant manager)
Embassy Suites Albuquerque Hotel & Spa
1000 Woodward Place NE
Albuquerque, NM 87102
6:00pm-9:00pm
Denver, May 19 with Steve Palmer (founder)Country Inn & Suites
4343 N. Airport Way
Denver, CO 80239
(303) 375-1105
6:00pm-9:00pm

Logan, May 24^th with Seth Adams  (Consultant Manager)
Riverwoods Conference Center (Marriott)
635 South Riverwoods Parkway
Logan, UT 84321
6:00pm-9:00pm
Mesa, May 26 with Steve Palmer (founder)Mesa Convention Center
263 North Center Street
Mesa, AZ 85211
480-644-2178
6:00pm-9:00pm
Las Vegas, June 1^st with Seth Adams  (Constultant Manger)Holiday Inn Express
5760 Polaris Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89118
6:00pm-9:00pm
St. George, June 2^nd with Seth Adams (Consultant Manger)Courtyard Marriott
185 South 1470 East
St. George, UT 84790
6:00pm-9:00pm
Boise, June 1^st with Steve Palmer (founder)Hilton Garden Inn
145 E. Riverside Drive
Eagle, Idaho 83616
6:00pm-9:00pm

Idaho Falls, June 2 with Steve Palmer (founder)
Holiday Inn Express
2270 Channing Way
Idaho Falls, ID 83404
(208) 542-9800
6:00pm-9:00pm
Kansas City, June 8 with Jason Budge (founder)Holiday Inn, Kansas City Airport
1178 North Ambassador Dr.
Kansas City, Missouri
816-801-8400
6:00pm-9:00pm

Prices of Many Basic Food Staples up 20% Since January

I read a lot of other blogs: cooking blogs, couponing blogs, and especially blogs that promote self reliance.  I firmly believe that self reliance is one (very important) key to happiness.  While I appreciate much (most) of the information I find on these other blogs, one thing I've tried to stay away from here at Your Own Home Store is the "doom and gloom" approach.  I don't want to scare anyone into buying "food insurance" or emergency supplies.  When people buy such things out of panic they often go into debt to do so and that is never a good idea.  Debt does not bring self reliance.

So, when I saw the following interesting article on many other blogs, I debated whether to mention it here or not.  Well, I've decided to do so.  Please just take it as helpful information.  If you have the funds to purchase "food insurance," but have just been waiting to for one reason or another, please take this article into consideration.

The LDS Church (of which I am a member) has many canneries all over the world where they package basic foods for long term storage: wheat, beans, powdered milk, rice, sugar, oats, flour. The LDS church strongly promotes self reliance (in all aspects, not just food insurance) and does all it can to make that possible for people all over the world.  You can read more about this mission on their website: Provident Living.  I purchase many items from the cannery as they have the lowest prices around.  The reason they can offer these low prices is because the canneries operate on a non-profit basis.  You pay the cost of the food + the cost to have it properly packaged.  Period. 

That is the reason why I found the following article interesting.  The LDS Church has raised the prices of the many of the foods in their canneries by more than 20% since January.  That is a HUGE increase! And since they operate on a non-profit basis, I believe (and note that I'm not an expert) that to be a reliable barometer for food price increases overall.  If someone who is just trying to break even (not make a profit) is being forced to significantly increase their prices, what is going to happen at grocery stores or restaurants?  The owners of these businesses make their livelihood on selling their goods to us.  Food price increases are going to hit them hard and they are going to have to pass those costs on to us: the consumer.

Besides our country's own economic situation, there are many world events that are behind this increase.  I hope this increase is just a temporary increase that only lasts a few month, but even if it is, a few months is a long time to be paying 20% more for your food.  That means that a family that was spending $600 a month on food will now be spending $720!

For me personally, this is the biggest reason why I have a home store.  Yes, I want to be prepared in case I survive a natural disaster and yes, I'd like to be prepared if I were to suddenly have unexpected medical bills, but in my mind, the "disaster" I believe I am most likely to face is economic.  I want to be prepared in case food simply becomes unaffordable.  And when (and if) that happens, I want to be able to feed my family foods they enjoy and are familiar with.  That is why I am investing in THRIVE foods: I can use them just like the fresh product in most cases and would be able to continue to make many of the same meals I do now.

If you are interested in reading more about the LDS cannery increasing their food prices, you can find the article here: Prices for LDS canneries show inflation up between 11% and 49%.

Food Prices Are On the Rise

Did you know that last month food prices made their biggest jump in 36 years?! They rose 3.9% in just ONE month!

That is incredible and all the more reason to create your own home grocery store.

Yesterday I was featured with a guest post over at Shelf Reliance Sisters where I talk a bit more about this and what you can do about it.

Check it Out Here: Food Prices are on the Rise!

Being Prepared for a Natural Disaster

I know that the focus of this website has tended to stay away from the doom and gloom. That is a conscious decision. I don't want to scare anyone into buying anything. While it is important to be prepared for the worst, we don't deal with the worst every day. Instead, we deal with the day to day. I love THRIVE foods, because not only can they help us prepare for the worst, they can help us with our day to day. They really can save us time, stress and money.

However, with the recent events in Japan, I've spent a lot of time pondering my own family's ability to handle such a tragedy. I've been moved to tears on many occasions as I've watched scenes that show the incomprehensible devastation people are dealing with in Japan right now. I've personally decided to do a few things for our family and I wanted to share them with you and encourage you to come up with your own list. Over the next few weeks, I will report back on how things are going for us. I would love it if you would comment and let us know how things are going for you as well. We will all benefit from each of your ideas and experiences!

#1: 72 / DISASTER KIT
Every family should have a kit that would allow them to survive for 3 days without assistance. We've had a 72 hr kit since we got married, but it has been about a year since I've updated it. All the kids clothes / diapers are now too small and the food is old. In addition, there are items I would like to add to our kits. I also want the boys to have their own kits that they can carry. So, I will be updating these kits. I've actually been planning to do this for a while now and just got a shipment of supplies from Shelf Reliance last week including four awesome backpacks at a great price! I should have a post up in the next day or two detailing the contents of our kits as well as recommendations on what should be in a very basic kit and resources for building one for your family.

#2: DRILLS
All four of my children are under age four. If I am home alone with them during an earthquake or other natural disaster, I'm going to need all the help I can get to keep them as safe as possible. We recently had a family activity where we taught our boys what to do during an earthquake (under the table if you are downstairs, under your bed if you are upstairs). However, even with that activity, I don't know that they would actually do it if I yelled: "EARTHQUAKE!" So, we are going to start having random, spontaneous drills. We will also be participating in the Great California Shake Out drill on October 20th. You can find out more about ShakeOut here.

#3: SECURING OUR HOME
My husband has a habit of pointing out potential hazards in our home: especially as they relate to earthquakes. He won't let me put cribs or beds under windows or next to book shelves. He doesn't like shelves or large pictures on the walls above where people sit. Until now, I've found his habit less than helpful and a bit annoying. But, I think I've decided he is right. So, we will be going on a hazard hunt this week. We will use the information for securing our building and securing our stuff on Dare to Prepare.

#4: PREPARING OUR CAR
I will also be updating our car kits. Although we are home a lot, there are times when we are out and I want to make sure we would be prepared to handle an emergency situation away from home.

#5: FIRST AID SKILLS
I am CPR certified. I have been for years because I've always worked in dental offices. However, I have not taken a refresher course since I had kids and stopped working. It has been almost 4 years! I don't know that Cory has ever taken a course. So, Cory will be attending a course this week and I will attend one in the near future. The Red Cross is offering free classes this Saturday (March 19th). You can check for a location in your area here.

I would also like to take a CERT course. In disaster situations, there simply are not enough emergency personnel to meet the demand. CERT was created for this reason and offers training to help regular "untrained" civilians meet that "first responder" need.

I will keep you posted on how we do on these goals! Expect a 72-Hr kit post sometime this week!

Fun New Stuff from Shelf Reliance.

Shelf Reliance will be making a lot of changes over the next couple of weeks. I am very excited about these. Here are the details I have so far:

New Products:
I am so excited! We now have ice cream, yogurt and pre-cooked beans! These products will be available to Q Club Platinum members at a discounted price until March 1st when they will be made available to everyone.

The Ice cream is available as ice cream sandwiches or ice cream bars. It is freeze dried and has a shelf life of 20 years! It does not need to be hydrated to be eaten. I have yet to try it (I've already placed an order), but it is supposed to taste just like ice cream but without all the drippy mess!


The yogurt comes in 6 flavors: vanilla, pomegranate, strawberry, blueberry, passion fruit, and orange. It is freeze dried and can be eaten as yogurt balls without being hydrated. Or, you can hydrate it and have real, tasty yogurt!
There are three types of pre-cooked beans: pinto, black and red. Having uncooked dry beans in your long term storage is problematic because of the amount of fuel it takes to cook them. It can take hours! These instant beans have already been cooked, then freeze dried. So, all you need to do is add water! They have a 30 year shelf life.

New Pricing Tiers
Shelf Reliance announced that Q club members and party attendees will now be receiving an even greater discount than the regular party price. They want to reward all their loyal customers. If you purchase as part of a party you attend or if you are a Q club member, you will receive this lowest pricing. So, there will be three price levels:

• Retail Price: for those who do not purchase through a consultant.
• Sale Price: For those who purchase through a consultant, but not through a party or Q.
• Q Club / Party Price: For those who purchase as part of a party or are Q club members.

This price list will be available on March 1st. It will also include changes to the current prices of products, including these great packages. So, if you are interested in those packages, I would order them now! I will give you the link to the new price list as soon as I have it!

New Websites
Shelf Reliance has now created websites for their consultants. This means you can place an order directly through my website and get the sale price. You no longer have to wait for me to create an account for you. You can see my new Shelf Reliance website here.

Q Club Promotion
If you would like a free Q Club membership, there are now three ways in which you can get one:

• Sign up for a Q at $100 or more
• Sign up for a Q of any amount at a party where at least one other person signs up
• Become a Consultant

Q Club members get exclusive discount pricing and monthly benefits (like the exclusive products this month). In addition, they earn points for every dollar they spend that can be used toward free product.

If you have questions, leave them in the comments so everyone can read the answers!

New Products!

Shelf Reliance just announced two new products:

Yogurt:

and

Icecream!

They should be available on Monday. I will fill you in on details as soon as I get them!

I'm Glad My Food Storage Includes Produce!

I read about this on Utah Deal Diva earlier today (thanks, Jessica!) and found it interesting enough to share here.

Article from Fox13 News, 2/15/2011:
SALT LAKE CITY — Produce prices are expected to rise dramatically in the next few days after a freeze destroyed a huge swath of Mexican food crops. Most produce sold in the U.S. during the winter is grown in Mexico.

"We're looking at 30 - 40 maybe 50 different items, 60 items, the consumer will want because you've got several kinds of tomatoes, you've got several kinds of lettuces, you've got spinach, squash, beans, broccoli, cauliflower -- there's hardly any vegetable you don't pull out of Mexico," says Ken Lund, a grocer who works at a local Ream's store.

So much of the produce crops were affected, shortages in canned and frozen vegetables will be seen. The lull in produce food crops is expected to last until April.

Lund says he expects prices to jump 50 to 90 percent on some items.

Did you read that?!? The price of fresh produce will increase a possible 50%-90% for a few months! That is a drastic increase. As an example, the current average price of celery is about $0.85. With this increase, it will cost $1.28-$1.62! Ouch!


Boy am I glad I have produce in my food storage! I will be able to continue to make soups, casseroles, and sauces that include produce for my family during this temporary price increase without having to increase our food budget! My kids will continue to be able to snack on fruit that has the same nutrients as fresh produce.

What a blessing it is to be prepared!

If you would like to add produce to the food you store for your family, I would recommend one of the following THRIVE packages. They are currently on sale for an amazing price / serving this month. Far less than you will be paying for their fresh counterparts for the next couple of months. These packages are new so they are not available on the Shelf Reliance website yet. If you are interested in purchasing one, please contact me directly.

Ultimate Veggie Pack: $383.99**
Thirty #10 Cans

• 2 Cans Freeze Dried Green Peas
• 3 Cans Freeze Dried Sweet Corn
• 2 Cans Freeze Dried Green Beans
• 1 Can Freeze Dried Mushrooms
• 2 Cans Freeze Dried Broccoli
• 2 Cans Freeze Dried Spinach
• 2 Cans Freeze Dried Potato Dices
  
• 2 Cans Potato Chunks
• 1 Can Split Green Peas
• 2 Cans Bell Peppers
• 4 Cans Potato Pearls
• 3 Cans Sweet Potatoes
• 4 Cans Carrot Dices

Ultimate Fruit Pack: $483.99**
Thirty #10 Cans

• 1 Can Freeze Dried Apricots
• 2 Cans Freeze Dried Banana Slices
• 2 Cans Freeze Dried Blackberries
• 2 Cans Freeze Dried Blueberries
• 2 Cans Freeze Dried Mangoes
• 2 Cans Freeze Dried Peaches
• 2 Cans Freeze Dried Pears
• 1 Can Freeze Dried Pineapple
• 2 Cans Freeze Dried Raspberries
• 2 Cans Freeze Dried Strawberries
• 3 Apple Chips
• 3 Banana Chips
• 3 Pineapple
• 3 Apples Slices

**Prices based on the Winter 2011 price list which is valid until March 1st. Price after March 1st 2011 may be different.**

**Prices based on the Winter 2011 price list which is valid until March 1st. Price after March 1st 2011 may be different.**