That Which Is Useful

I know a lot of Christians who are stockpiling right now. I am seeing a LOT of talk, and I tell you that a LOT of it seems VERY much pre Y2K.

Anyone remember that? We were looking for our first house about that time, and I remember seeing several houses where every spare space was STOCKED with food. Even the bathrooms! I remember laughing and thinking how sad that they did not trust the Lord. And of course, there was no run on the stores, no mass hysteria or any of the other things predicted.

And while I do not expect another Y2K type thing, I do think it is smart to stockpile right now.

Two reasons.

First. The price of food is only going to rise. As the value of the dollar falls, commodities like produce and other foods will rise in price. We have already seen that. And it will only go higher. I do know that in Europe, there are already bans on what kind of foods you can buy and how much of it. There was an interview of a restaurant owner who was complaining that not only had the price of rice (he was the owner of an Indian restaurant and their main staple is rice!) doubled in the past few months, but now he is only able to get a limited amount. He talked about how lucky he was that he was friends with the store owner because he was able to get a little more rice than others just because of the friendship. But even the friendship is not allowing him to get the amount he needs for his store.

Am I filling up every spare room in my house? Not even close. Am I being a better steward and seeking out sales and stockpiling more than usual? You bet! Is it done in panic? No. Is it done in an effort to be a good steward of what God has provided and get the best I can for my money? Absolutely.

Secondly, suppose they are right. Suppose the worst happens. I look back at the 1930's and how many people felt that nothing bad would or could happen. And they were totally unprepared. I would rather be in a position of being able to provide for my family, and possibly even share with others, than scrambling to provide.

But I am not stockpiling on things that I do not use or think we will need. I could stockpile on cigarettes to barter in the future should prices become so high that those who are addicted would be willing to trade food, jewelry or services since they are unable to afford to buy them from the store. That to me is panicking.

But stockpiling on dry beans when they go on a good discount (we love beans over here), or rice (yes, we love beans and rice - the secret is in the seasoning) as well as herbs and spices (the secret is in the seasoning remember?) just means being prepared. It is almost the same as having an emergency fund. You plan for the worst and hope and pray for the best. It is good to have it, just in case. I know that it would have been nice to have an emergency fund when JJ ended up in the hospital.

And even if the worst doesn't happen with the economy and all that, what if the worst should happen privately? Like another month long stay in the hospital, or my husband not being able to work for a period of time?

I have also been more careful about the things we have been bringing into our home.

Yesterday at Goodwill, I taught the girls to look for items made from 100% wool. This will help us stay warm during the winter months AND, if needed, can be felted to make other items. It was HARD to find things that 100% wool. Most everything was either 100% polyester or 100% cotton. We did find a sweater for myself (OH so nice and warm) as well as a sweater for EE. And a shirt (100% merino wool) for beloved.

We also bought some plastic trays (the kind like at a cafeteria). I figure that is MUCH cheaper than washing tablecloths and placemats so frequently. AND it will help keep crafts in one place so we lose less beads and other craft items.

We bought some books for $.50 which I plan on swapping on PaperBack Swap (where I get all my books for FREE! Even if I were to pay 1 cent for a book on another site, I would have to pay near $4 shipping. I pay media rate to mail off my books - $2.32 at the moment, which gives me 1 book credit to get 1 free book. So it is ALWAYS cheaper to PaperBack Swap than to buy.) It is GOOD to have an iPhone or some sort of way to check the internet to make SURE the book you are about to buy is wanted. There were quite a few that I almost bought, but when I checked, there were already SEVERAL of them online. It would have been a waste of money and space to buy and list it for who knows how long!

I also need to go by some bakery and get those buckets every one talks about getting to store grains.

Well hopefully this has been useful to SOMEONE! :) What are things you think are necessary to stockpile? I read one woman is also stockpiling things that are nice for her so that should a time come where the price rises too much, she would still be able to feel like she was not deprived. What are your thoughts? Are you stockpiling?