March Provident Living Challenges

March 2011 Provident Living Challenges:

Do one of these by the April evening Relief Society meeting and get a prize!

1. Practice one camping skill and tell Amy what you did.  Examples:  Put up a tent.  Cook food on an outdoor grill or camp stove or solar oven.  Build a campfire and cook something over it.  Light a lantern that uses a mantle or wick.  Go on a hike with your kids and bring all the food necessary for one meal.  Purify water using a water filter or chlorine.

If a widespread calamity happens, and your family has to live without power, or evacuate and live in a tent, do you already have the skills?  Practice one camping skill and tell Amy what you did.  Note: The skill you practice has to be something you don’t know how to do very well yet.  Turning on a flashlight will not count.  (I am talking to the women, here. YOU have to do it, not your husband.)

1. Pretend you have no power and your fridge food has all spoiled.  Go for one whole day without using fresh eggs, fresh milk, or refrigerated cheese.  Report what you learned to Amy.

If you have powdered eggs, powdered milk, and some type of shelf-stable cheese, such as freeze-dried shredded cheddar or cheese powder or canned cheese, you will have very little problem making it through this day.

On the other hand, without the shelf-stable products, you can still eat very well for one day if you are selective about what you eat from your pantry.  The family can probably get along drinking water and using recipes that don’t require added dairy ingredients.  I want this to be a learning experience where you can see where powdered milk, eggs, and cheese would be a very useful addition to your food storage.