Rotation is Key

I can’t believe it is already May, how time flies. It’s a great time to asses what you have used since the start of the year and make sure that you  are replenishing what you have been using. Coming up with a rotation system is key! Here are a few rotation ideas.

Weekly container method

This method works well if you organize your food storage with weekly menus. Create as many seven-day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) menu plans of your family’s favorite meals (personally I would use this method only for the dinner meals) as fits your families eating preferences (a minimum of two different menu plans is recommended). Label each different seven-day menu plan with a different letter (A, B, C, etc.). Place all the non-perishable ingredients needed for each one-week menu in a separate container (plastic or cardboard box). Label each container according to the meal it contains (A, B . . .). For a three-month supply, you will need twelve containers – 6 each for each of two different menus (A and B) or four containers each of three different menus (A, B and C). At the beginning of the week, empty the next container in your rotation and place all the food in the pantry closest to your kitchen so you can use it during the week. To rotate your storage, refill that container with the same foods you took out. Don’t forget to date the foods or the container so you know in which order to use each one-week box of food products. Do not include in these containers food items that last a long time after they are opened such as oils, condiments, spices etc.

Two Columns Method

The idea is to arrange the items to be stored in two columns. Every time you need to remove a product from the shelf, take it from the right (these should be the ones that need to be used first). When the right column is empty, you slide the whole left column to the right, and re-stock on the left. This method is more practical to use when you just have about 20 or less of a certain item(s) you normally store in your pantry.

Color sticker method

Select colored stickers to represent year or half-year expiration periods (the frequency depends somewhat on the foods you are labeling). Place a sticker on all or some items in your food storage to correspond roughly with when the food items expire  or should be used. This provides a quick visual  key to how frequently or when foods should be rotated. Personally, I think placing stickers on every single can or box would require purchasing too many stickers to regularly use this method on all the products I store. This method works well for items stored in different areas of the house (under beds, tables etc.) where the expiration date is not easily visible. Place the stickers on an area of the products that can be easily seen.

Sticky Notepad Method

This is simple, practical and easy. Place a sticky notepad on the cupboard door, or near the storage shelf where your food storage is kept. Every time you remove an item, write what it is on the notepad. When it is time to prepare the weekly grocery list, tear off the sheet from the pad and stick it on your grocery list or write the item’s name directly on it.

Sticky Notepad Method

This is simple, practical and easy. Place a sticky notepad on the cupboard door, or near the storage shelf where your food storage is kept. Every time you remove an item, write what it is on the notepad. When it is time to prepare the weekly grocery list, tear off the sheet from the pad and stick it on your grocery list or write the item’s name directly on it.

Rubber-band method

One practical and easy method I personally like is the rubber band method. I find this method to work well with items that take longer to use after they are opened such as boxes of  bouillon cubes, vanilla flavoring etc. Your food items should be organized in a row and a rubber-band should be wrapped around the second-to-the-last container in the row. As you use your supply you’ll eventually come to the container with the rubber band around it then you know its time to buy more.

DIY tips for pinching pennies:

Use cinnamon as a substitute for rooting hormone. It also kills fungus and bacteria at the same time.

Next time you boil eggs, save the water and pour in on your garden and plants. The water becomes enriched with calcium from the egg shells. And speaking of eggs, if you haven’t already planted your tomatoes, crush egg shells and place them at the bottom of the hole when planting your tomatoes. 

DIY fertilizer: 1 teaspoon of epsom salt in 4 cups of water, spray on your plants for an increase in productivity due to a boost of magnesium. Works great for tomatoes, peppers, even roses. 

DIY weed killer: Every where I look, everyone seems to toot vinegar as a great, natural weed killer. Honestly I have not be super impressed, but it is definitely a safer option than Round Up. I just recently read that baking soda works as well. I’m willing to try, since you can buy a 5lb bag at Costco for about $5. Sweep baking soda in your sidewalk cracks and rock pathways to discourage weeds. 

DIY nontoxic ant killer: 1 cup water, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons of Borax. Just mix till dissolved, soak a cotton ball with the solution, and place where you find unwanted ants. That’s it!

Now with all the money you have saved, you can add to your 3 month supply or year supply!

The Parable of the Tomato

I simply loved Elder Ballard's parable of the heirloom tomato plant this conference and it got me thinking about self reliance. Elder Ballard's talk

"I am reminded of a sweet seven-year-old showing her grandfather a small tomato plant she had started from seed as part of a second-grade school project.

She explained that from one tiny seed would come a plant. And if the plant were cared for, it would grow many tomatoes that would each have many seeds.
She said, “And if all of those seeds were planted and grew more tomatoes, and you planted all of those seeds, in a few seasons you would have millions of tomatoes.”
“All,” she said in amazement, “from one little seed.”"

Self reliance is not just a temporal principle, but a spiritual one as well. The difference that just one tomato plant can make, if we are willing to do the work, is amazing. From small things, great things come to pass. So here I am encouraging you all again to give gardening a try. Not only will it feed you this summer but can feed you throughout the next winter. Just last night we had puree soup I bottled, yummy bread and grape juice, all thanks to our garden and food storage.

There are countless lessons naturally taught by gardening, countless possibilites to teach and to testify to our children while they plant, water, weed this spring and summer.  Alma 30:44 ...all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and call things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.

So plant a garden, plant tomatoes and reap all of the amazing blessings that will surely follow by  becoming a little more self reliant.

Penny Pinching Tips to Help Fund Your 3 Month Supply

Here is my magic list of 10 essential green & thrifty cleaning products:

white vinegar

baking soda

lemons and/or lemon juice

salt

olive oil

Ivory bar soap

liquid dishwashing soap 

washing soda

borax

essential oils (I like lemon, lemongrass, & eucalyptus)

1. Bathroom Cleaner:

3/4 c. baking soda
juice from 1/2 a lemon (about 1/4 c)
3 tablespoons salt
 3 tablespoons liquid dishwashing soap
1/2 cup vinegar
10 drops essential oil (optional)
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl to make a paste; use scrub brush or sponge to apply to tub, shower walls, & sinks.  (Be sure to test a small area to make sure paste does not scuff tub surface; if so, eliminate the salt from the mixture!  Rinse well with water and a wet rag, then dry with a clean rag or old towel.

2. Toilet Bowl Cleaner:

1 cup baking soda

1 cup vinegar

10 drops essential oil (optional)

Turn off flow valve to toilet & flush 1 or 2 times until water is drained.  Pour in baking soda, then slowly pour in vinegar, being sure to get vinegar to cover as much of the bowl surface as possible, then add essential oil.  The baking soda will react with the vinegar–this is normal!  Use your toilet brush to scrub surface & remove any rings or stains.  Turn water back on and flush.

3. Furniture Polish

3/4 cup olive oil
juice from 1/4  lemon
1 tablespoon vinegar
3-4 drops lemon essential oil (optional)
Dampen rag & squeeze out excess water.  Dip damp rag into furniture polish, the wipe on surface of furniture.  Buff off with an old dry towel.  Can also be used to polish stainless steel!

4. Glass Cleaner

1 1/2 cups vinegar
1 1/2  cups water
5-10 drops essential oil (optional)
Mix vinegar, water, & essential oil together in spray bottle.  Spray on glass & use squeegee, crumpled newspaper (Tip: use newspapers that are at least 2 weeks old to avoid black fingers!), or a lint-free rag to get a streak-free shine.  Also works well to shine chrome and countertops after you’ve disinfected them.

5. All Purpose Cleaning Spray

1 tablespoon borax
1 tablespoon washing soda
1 teaspoon dishwashing soap
1 cup vinegar
4 cups hot water
25-30 drops essential oil (optional)
Whisk all ingredients together well in large bowl, then pour into spray bottle.  Spray on, then wipe surface clean with a damp cloth.  Can be used to clean and disinfect almost any surface!

6. Stainless Steel Cleaner

2 tablespoons baking soda
1/2 cup vinegar
2 cups warm water
Mix ingredients in spray bottle.  Mixture will foam up; when it stops bubbling, put on cap and spray stainless steel surface, then wipe clean & dry with lint-free rag.  To add extra shine, use furniture polish above.

7. Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

1 cup baking soda
1 cups borax
1/2 cup salt
vinegar (add to rinse compartment!)
Mix first three ingredients well & store in airtight container.  To use, add 1 tablespoon to each of the 2 compartments in your dishwasher and 2 tablespoons of vinegar to your rinse compartment.

8. Floor Cleaner

1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup baking soda
8-10 cups hot water
1 tablespoon borax
1 tablespoon washing soda
30 drops essential oil (optional)
Mix vinegar & baking soda together in bucket; add hot water, Borax, washing soda, & essential oil and mix until all powder is dissolved.  Use mop or sponge to wipe down floor; wipe dry with clean dry towel.

9. Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 bar Ivory soap
1 cup borax
1 cup washing powder
This homemade laundry detergent is so cheap and easy to make that you will kick yourself for not trying it until now.  Place Ivory soap in a large microwave safe bowl.  Heat in the microwave for 2 minutes, until soap turns to foam.  Quickly stir foam until it becomes small soap chips, then mix well with borax and washing powder.  Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight container.  Use 1-2 tablespoons per load.  (Tip:  This detergent works best in warm or hot water; for cold water washing you may want to first dissolve in 1/4 c. of hot water.)

10. Fabric Softener

vinegar
essential oil (optional)
Add 1/4-1/2 cup vinegar with several drops of your favorite essential oil to the rinse cycle (or simply place in fabric softener compartment of your front load washer.)


So that’s it….10 ingredients mixed up 10 different ways to create 10 different cleaners.

Now to give credit where credit is due. I got this list from www.livingwellspendingless.com
God bless you in all your efforts.

It's Almost Spring, It's Time to Think about Gardening!

One of the best ways to add to your food storage is to plant a garden! Not only will you save money growing your own vegetables and fruit that you would normally buy at the store but you can bottle and preserve them for later use. I haven't bought a bottle of tomato sauce, a can of peaches,  applesauce  or jam in years! It is incredibly empowering to be able to add to your food supply each year by the the food you grow yourself, and it just tastes so much better. February may seem early to start thinking about a garden, but really it's not. And what better way to get through yet another snow day, than to plan your lustrous green garden. Since we have a shorter growing season, here in Utah, it's great to get a head start by planting inside. For example, by planting healthy tomato plants which are 6 weeks to 2 month old as soon as the danger of frost has passed, you gain at least a full month of production in  a short-seaon area. It is also less expensive to purchase seeds and grow your own transplants than to buy them later at the nursery. If you purchase seeds, choose open-pollinated heirloom seeds, rather than hybrid, you can buy the seeds only once, then harvest them each year, dry them and use for the next year, talk about self-reliance! It really is easier than it sounds, for tomatoes, all you have to do is squeeze out the seeds from one tomato, rinse and set out to dry. Store them in a cool, dry place away from light and you can plant them the following year. This only works for heirloom and open-pollinated seeds, not hybrids. I have experimented with the seeds from hybrid plants in the past and have never been pleased, if it worked, it was a freaky mutation, not at all like the parent plant, so stick to heirloom, if you want to be able to keep using your own seeds, year after year. 

There are many products out there that work great for starting transplants, but one method I've found that I really like is simply using 1/2 an egg shell with a hole poked through the bottom in an egg carton. Fill the egg shells with a planting medium/ potting soil. Plant your seeds according to the directions on the package, water and place on your window sill. You won't be able to have a 2 month old tomato plant in an egg shell, but it's a great start and works great for herbs and greens, I'd choose larger containers for tomato plants. I can't go into every detail or this post would be a mile long, there are great resources online. Extension.usu.edu is a great resource. Gardening Tips - Yard and Garden - extension.usu.edu

By the way, you can plant peas right now, as soon as the snow is off the ground. Other cold weather vegetables that can stand some frost are radishes, spinach, swiss chard, beets (not gonna happen at our house), lettuce (some types are hardier than others), cabbage, turnips, onions, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots. Start buying your seeds, plan your garden and get started, it is one of the best ways to have the whole family work towards self reliance. Little kids love to see what they plant grow and are much more willing to eat the vegetables that they planted themselves.

God bless you in your efforts towards self reliance. 

Homemade yogurt with instant non-fat powdered milk

Mix 1 quart warm water (like for yeast) with 1 1/3 dry milk powder
Add 1/4 cup yogurt with active cultures (use plain) and mix well.
Pour into quart or 2 quart jars and cover with plastic lids. Place the yogurt in a picnic cooler with two quart juice or 1/2 galloon milk jugs filled with very hot water. Alternate yogurt jars with hot water jugs in cooler. Cover cooler with towel and let stand for 3 hours. Yogurt is ready when it pulls away from jar. If not ready in 3 hours, check every half hour. If you leave it too long yogurt will curdle and smell yeasty. You can still use this for cheese by straining through cheesecloth.
Honestly,  it has always taken longer for me and I have had less luck with this recipe. Maybe my tap water just doesn't get hot enough. But I have know others that prefer this recipe and have had great success and it is a great way to rotate your powdered milk. Good luck!

2013 Resolution!

Hello Everyone

Now that the holidays are over, it is time to get back to work! I have an assignment for everyone. In order to make self reliant/ food storage goals for this new year, first we need to know exactly where we are at. So here it is; I want everyone to make an inventory of everything you have right now, food, water, fuel, savings. Count what's in your pantry and freezer, too. Pass this chore onto the kids, if you can. The more you can make food storage and self reliance a family activity, the better. You'll discover at least two things by doing this. First, I think you'll be surprised by what you already have put aside, and you'll discover areas that are lacking. Once you have a clear idea of where you are at, then you can map out what you need and make some goals to help you achieve it. Remember, "He who fails to plan, plans to fail." Benjamin Franklin. 

It is also a great time to pull out those 72 hr kits and rotate food and clothing if needed. Decide as a family where you need to start. If you don't have an emergency 72 hr kit, that is a great place to start. You'll feel greater peace to be prepared. If you have your emergency kits, make sure you are making progress on your 3 month supply of food and that you have water. I know that it can be very overwhelming, but just start somewhere and you will feel empowered. 

Start putting money aside for a cash reserves, decide how much, even if it's small, and put it aside each pay check. Make a goal to have a certain amount saved or to get out of debt by the end of the year. 

Tips to make that dollar stretch so you can add to your 3 month supply:

DIY Dishwasher Detergent

1.5 cup Washing Soda  (washing soda is a natural water softener, abrasive, and is pure cleaning power – baking soda will only act as an abrasive and is not nearly as effective as washing soda, so I just leave it out)

1/2 cup Borax  (Borax – again, an abrasive not super effective, but I have found it helps with glass, which seems to need a finer abrasive)

1/4 cup Citric Acid (citric acid, which is also used in canning, will counter your washing soda, so you have to be very conservative with it.  But it can be the only way to deal with some hard water marks and residue)

OPTIONAL: 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of Dawn  (this just adds more cleaning power – be very careful with it though, just a small amount or you’ll end up with an overflow of suds all over your kitchen floor)

Double or triple the recipe as needed.  Combine ingredients and shake up real well.   1/4 cup in your “Wash” compartment should be all you need for a whole load of dishes!  

I have found many recipes that only called for Borax and Soda, so see what works for you.

I have had great luck using vinegar in the “Rinse Aid” compartment to help get my dishes shiny and residue free.  Since we have hard water, I ALSO add a splash in the bottom of the washer before starting a load.  I found that it made a huge difference. 

Homemade Crockpot Yogurt

Homemade yogurt is a great alternative for a healthy, inexpensive snack. Flavored store bought yogurt on average has 25 to 35 grams of sugar. (Lowfat yogurt has about 12g) A Snickers bar has 30 grams of sugar, a Hershey’s has 21g. The FDA suggests we eat 32 grams of sugar a day! When you make your own, you know exactly what is in it. It’s so yummy, you really don’t need to add any, especially if you add fruit. Add you save a lot, too!

--8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized.
--1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter)
--2/3 cup nonfat dry milk or gelatin to thicken- optional
--frozen/fresh fruit for flavoring
--thick bath towel

This takes a while. Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor.
Plug in your crock-pot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.
Unplug your crock pot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crock pot. Stir to combine. If you want a thicker style yogurt, add 2/3 cups of nonfat powder milk or one packet of unflavored gelatin to the mix after stirring in the yogurt with active cultures. Put the lid back on your crock pot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.

Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours. In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened--- it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.
Blend in batches with your favorite fruit. Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch.

If you add fruit to the yogurt it never thickened back up the way the plain did. Freeze in smaller containers and send with your kids in their school lunches, they defrost and stay cold. Works great! Enjoy, it’s so yummy!

November Tips from the Stake

I'm passing along some tips sent by the stake. Obedience requires sacrifice, below are some ideas to help us finance our food storage. I'm not suggesting you sell your rings either, but I like many of the ideas listed below. Every year my mother-in-law asks what we want for Christmas. Last year it was a microwave (ours had died an infamous death) this year we are choosing something that will help in our self reliance goal. Remember  "the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them" (1 Nephi 3:7). Have a wonderful Christmas! Please feel free to ask questions or request a personal consultation, I'm here to help!

Mary McBride

Dear Ward Specialists,

Included below are two snippets about food storage.  Feel free to pass these along to your wards.

Christmas is a great time to give gifts of preparedness! 

A Legacy of Obedience
In the weeks leading up to our engagement, Shelley and I had spent significant time talking about how we wanted to raise our family and what we wanted our marriage to be like.  One of the things at the center of that discussion was our determination to always follow the prophet.  Two months before we were engaged, we listened to lots of talks at the October 1976 general conference reinforcing the principles of self-reliance.  President Kimball, in the closing session of the conference, reminded Latter-day Saints of the scripture in Luke 6:46, where the Savior says, “Why call me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”  After our engagement, unbeknownst to each other, both of us were thinking about how to start home storage for our family.  But how were we supposed to do it?  We were students–and would be for many years to come–and didn’t have a lot of money.  The Holy Ghost gave both of us, separately, the same answer: we needed to sell the engagement ring. 

Please don’t misunderstand me and please don’t sell your rings!  There are many ways we can follow the prophets and apply their counsel to our personal lives.  In the years since, we have been blessed in many other ways by heeding the prophetic word.  We have learned that by acting–and acting immediately–on their counsel, our lives are blessed.  Now we watch our children raise their children, we are grateful that faithfully following the Lord’s prophet, Pres. Monson, is part of their family life as well.  To us this obedience is a wonderful legacy.  (Elder Randal K. Bennett of the Seventy, "Follow the Prophet" Ensign, Mar. 2012)

Where Do I Get The Money?

“Here is how you do it:
1.    Decide as a family this year that 25 or 50 percent of your Christmas will be spent on a year’s supply. Many families in the Church spend considerable sums of money for Christmas. Half or part of these Christmas monies will go a long way toward purchasing the basics.
2.    Cut the amount of money you spend on recreation by 50 percent. Do fun things that do not require money outlay but make more lasting impressions on your children.
3.    Decide as a family that there will be no vacation or holiday next year unless you have your [food] supply. Many Church members could buy a full [food] supply of the basics from what they would save by not taking a vacation. Take the vacation time and work on a family garden. Be together, and it can be just as much fun.
4.    If you haven’t a [food] supply yet and you do have boats, snowmobiles, campers, or other luxury possessions, sell or trade one or two or more of them and get your year’s supply.
5.    Watch advertised specials in the grocery stores and pick up extra supplies of those items that are of exceptional value.

“The Lord will make it possible, if we make a firm commitment, for every Latter-day Saint family to have a supply of food reserves. . .  All we have to do is to decide, commit to do it, and then keep the commitment. Miracles will take place; the way will be opened.... We will prove through our actions our willingness to follow our beloved prophet and the Brethren, which will bring security to us and our families.  . . . The great God of heaven will open doors and means in a way we never would have supposed to help all those who truly want to get their [food] supply. I know we will have time and money if we will commit and keep the commitment.”  (Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, “Food Storage” Ensign, May 1976)

Let's Begin!

Hello everyone, this is Mary McBride your food storage specialist with some tips and links to help us in our 3-month supply goal. I fully believe gathering our 3-month supply is not just a temporal principle but a spiritual principle as well. All obedience requires faith and sacrifice, and when obeyed, even when it seems impossible, blessings follow. 1 Nephi 3:7 "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."  We can choose to respond like Nephi and know that if the Lord requires it, He will help us obey. I testify this is true and have experienced it many times in my life. I hope to give ideas and encouragement with these monthly emails that will help us in our food storage goals.  Not every tip will work for every family, but I will send out enough that you can choose what will work best for you. Please feel free to respond and share your ideas, too.

Tip #1

Bake your own bread. Store bought bread is expensive, if you are like us, we go through at least four loaves a week with sandwiches for school lunches and all. On average a cheap loaf cost about $2 a loaf, that's $416 a year! If you bake your own bread the cost per loaf is about 75 cents, or cheaper if you buy your ingredients in bulk.  (And if you use a natural yeast starter instead of the store bought commercial yeast, you can save even more! But that is a whole other concept or another time.) That's $156 a year instead. With what you save, you can easily pay for a 3-month supply. I know that baking bread is a sacrifice, and quite honestly, I don't bake as often as I should, but every little bit helps. If it's about time, premeasure the dry ingredients into ziploc baggies and use a bread machine. I found a bread machine on KSL for $10. 

Bread for 3-month supply (depending of recipe)

3 blocks of SAF yeast

2 bags of bread flour

1 bucket of wheat

3 bottles of lecithin

box of salt

Tip #2

Make your own laundry soap

Each batch yields about 32 ounces (between 32-64 loads based on how many Tbsp used per load)

1 bar of shaved bar soap (Ivory, Zote, Fels-Naptha)

1 cup of Borax

1 cup of washing soda

Mix thoroughly, that's it folks! Use 1 Tbsp per load, 2 Tbsp for a really dirty load. If you have an HE Front-load washer, your in luck because this recipe works because it is a low suds recipe. If you prefer a liquid laundry detergent, here's another recipe:

Homemade Laundry Detergent

1/3 bar Fels Naptha Laundry Soap, grated
6 cups water
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax

To make homemade laundry detergent, heat 6 cups water and soap in a large pan until dissolved. Stir in washing soda and Borax. Mix and heat until dissolved. Boil 15 minutes. Remove from heat. (It will have the consistency of honey.*) In a 3 or 5 gallon bucket, add 1 quart of hot water, then add the soap mixture. Mix. Add enough cold water to make a 2 gallon mixture. Mix until well blended. Let sit 24 hours. The soap will gel*. Use 1/2 cup for each load.

Makes 2 gallons. (Approximately $ .40 per gallon) *If the homemade laundry detergent doesn’t gel or reach honey consistency it will still work. You'll save quite a bit with this simple change. 

Thank you and please feel free to respond with questions or to share your ideas as well,

Mary McBride

Food storage specialist

*Here is a link to the three-month supply worksheet (I've also attached a PDF):

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BxSU-7TK4PO9MjVmYWQzM2EtODEyOC00YzJkLTliNmUtNDMwZDQ5MTdkZWE5&hl=en&pli=1

*Here is some additional reading:
Church Website on Family Home Storage - http://www.providentliving.org/channel/0,11677,1706-1,00.html
Family Home Storage Pamphlet -http://www.providentliving.org/fhs/pdf/WE_FamilyResourcesGuide_International_04008_000.pdf
Family Home Storage - A New Message - http://lds.org/ensign/2009/03/family-home-storage-a-new-message?lang=eng&query=three+month+supply
Lay Up in Store (Elder McMullin) - http://lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/lay-up-in-store?lang=eng&query=three+month+supply