I am speaking as a representative of the 15 families who were originally asked by the bishop to participate in the 10 day challenge. When asked if we had a three month supply all of us would have said yes; twenty minuntes after being issued this challenge we all would have resoundingly said no we didn't have everything. It is all a matter of perspective and which sdie of the fence you are on!
We had a great representation of different types of three month supplies with in the families... 1) three months of #10 cans; 2) all dried/shelf stable items; 3) everyday foods; 4) a combination of all the above. Our family falls into the category of #3- everyday foods. We all made it- some better than others.
The following are areas which we felt merit some discussion:
MILK- Our family was fortunate that we had milk frozen in the freezer, which we drank. Obviously it wouldn't last 90 days, but when mixed with powdered milk- it makes the milk go farther. Some thought they would freeze whole or 2% because it would go farther. By the time you are on 100% powdered milk you might consider having chocolate syrup, Nesquick or some other flavoring to mix in. We have kids lets be realistic- we've got to get it down without a huge amount of tantrums! We mixed our frozen milk with powdered milk and made it the 10 days no problem. I did make a pitcher of 100% powdered milk for cooking- I went through 2 1/2 gallons in that 10 day period.
FRUITS
The Teuschers eat fresh veggies and fruit. I don’t do canned at all and occasionally do frozen. That is changing. We certainly missed having fruits and vegetables, and much to my kids dismay fruit snacks were not being counted as fruit.
Snacks/ Comfort Foods
How many snacks do your kids go through in a week- multiply that by 12 and you have a good amount of snacks. What are those things you can’t live without? Is it Happy Hour at Sonic? That sneaking bit of chocolate? Chips? There were ladies who went on an involuntary detox program because they didn’t have a stash of diet coke or couldn’t stop at sonic for the route 44; because we all know drinks taste so much better with Sonic Ice! In times of need we all crave something comforting- store it!!
Garden
I gained a whole new perspective on my garden. There is a difference when it is life sustaining. Our garden has gotten a great amount of TLC lately. Gardens are a necessity if you want to have any type of fresh produce. We were so fortunate to have lettuce and tomatoes ripe for the picking- it definitely helped with the carb loaded meals we were having.
Bread
I freeze bread and have about 8 loaves in the freezer- but that isn’t going to last us 3 months. The probability you will need to make bread is at 100%. Do you have a recipe you can make? Do you even have loaf pans to make it in? Practice now and find a recipe which is easy and fast and you know how to make. You don’t want to be experimenting in a time of need.
Eggs
Do you know how many eggs you use when you are making things from scratch or baking? Quite a few. You will need to find some kind of egg substitute whether it be knox gelatin or dehydrated eggs.
Water
Brian and I talked about how we could use this as a teaching opportunity for the kids. One way was to have them pump out water from our water barrels in the morning for drinking. For us in the desert water is just as important as food. If you have water barrels are they full?? Or sitting being a storage area on the side of the house? Do you know how to use your pump? Do you have a filter if needed? We do have a filter, but noticed very quickly on that it would be faster for us to boil our water than to use the filter. We just drink too much water.
I found myself getting dehydrated because it is so convenient to get water from the fridge. When I had to filter it, I just didn’t drink as much. Also, if you have dehydrated foods as part of your 3 mos supply or long term storage, you will need extra water for rehydrating the food and yourself- those foods will cause you to get dehydrated faster.
Fuel Source
- if power was out do you have another way to cook?
Personal Items/ Toiletries
Our family situation is different from the Cranes or Hartmans ( all have only girls). Toilet Paper is not going to be as big of a storage item for us! Ladies, feminine hygene products. Wouldn’t want to do without!!
Laundry Detergent
I do at least 8 loads of laundry a week; that is 96 loads in 3 mos- how much detergent do you have on hand. Yes I could ration it out and we can wear clothes multiple times, but you are going to need a supply.
Mental Switch
There needs to be a mental switch in the way we view a three month supply: a three month supply isn’t something you should switch to when an emergency or life changing event happens- you should be using it EVERYDAY. Besides produce and a few snacks our kids didn’t notice a change in the way we ate.
The Plan
I feel the biggest challenge the Teuscher family along with other families was “ A Plan” ---we didn’t have a plan of what we would eat when. Even with plenty of food- the absence of a plan left me in a bit of a stupor. How much easier would it have been to just pull out the menu and know exactly what we were going to eat when! Granted I generally try to have a 2-3 week menu already planned out. But for some reason I hadn’t gotten around to it when this started, so I had to plan with what I had stored. Somehow that was more difficult! So start with a plan.
A side note on The Plan: There are those who plan 10 meals and times it by 9. I would go nuts eating the same things over and over. Jenny ( my sister) mentioned to me there is a condition that people develop when they eat the same things over and over- soon their bodies start rejecting the food and they just won’t eat. This happens to many in the military and happens to Cameron each time he has been deployed. I don’t want that to happen so the Teuschers are doing closer to a 21 day rotation.
Remember this is food you eat everyday!!
Email me if you have other questions!
