Boston Orientation by Judy Ou

What is Non-Perishable Food?

If you thought that non-perishable food means that the food never perishes (like the name implies), turns out you're wrong. Non-perishable food still has an expiration date printed on the package, it's just a much further out one than most of the food in your fridge and cupboard. For example, well-packaged grains like pasta and granola bars will last about a year, while many canned goods last around 2 years. 

Well, that's lame. Turns out you can't just buy a month's supply of food and leave it in your cupboards for decades. This is where rotation comes into play. (Cue music: the parody song I write someday to Fiddler on the Roof's "Tradition", titled "Rotation" #getexcited.) So don't go buying things you'll never eat for food storage because that is exactly what will happen--you'll never eat it and have to throw it away. However, if you purchase and keep food storage that is part of your normal diet, you can eat and replace it once it gets ready to expire in a year or two. This will require a bit of organization and planning, but we're big kids and we can handle it. 

Here are some other helpful hints about food storage:

• Don't eat food from cans that are dented, swollen, or corroded, even if it looks fine. When in doubt, throw it out!
• Keep room-temperature grains like oatmeal, pasta, and cereal in TWO gallon-sized Ziploc bags. This especially helps during the September-October moth season in Boston. 
• Avoid salty items in your food storage. High-sodium soups, saltine crackers, and beef jerky will require you to have some extra water on hand. If there is a water storage, you will thank yourself.

Question: which food storage items are your favorites and why?

Get Your Start on Food Storage

I'm sure we all have some amazing moms, aunts, and grandmothers out there with a wheat grinder and a basement full of food storage. It seems like these women (and men, too!) will singlehandedly feed the world during the second coming. However, food goes pretty fast. We all need to be prepared for disaster, unemployment, and a myriad of problems the prophets have foreseen. However, we don't have to take out extra student loans to do it. 

Make a goal now to buy an item or two of food storage every time you visit the store. Check the grocery ads for sales and deals (like 10 for $10). Case lot sales are a new best friend! After a few months, you will have built a nice little nest egg of food to get you through the tough times that inevitably will come. 

Even if you think you'll be moving around once or twice in the next few years (let's face it, who isn't?), you can still have a weeks supply of food for yourself and keep it in a few portable boxes. Even if you just have some granola bars and cans of beans, that'll get you through that week when cash is tight for groceries. Anyway, we are promised that if we make efforts to keep a commandment from the Lord, He will bless us with a testimony and understanding of that principle (John 7:17).

Here are some basic food storage items and their average, non-industrial sized prices. Don't forget to include all of the food groups.

Canned Tuna: $1.50

Canned Corn: $2.00

Potato Flakes/Pearls (add water): $3.50

A Box of 12 Chewy Granola Bars: $3.50

Canned Peaches: $2.00

Evaporated Milk: $3.00

Hot Chocolate: $4.00

Applesauce: $3.50

Beef Jerky: $7.00

Mixed Nuts: $4.50

Canned Pinto Beans: $2.00

Bagged Rice: $3.00

Oatmeal: $3.50

Here are some places online you can make purchases:

http://store.lds.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Category3_715839595_10557_21003_-1_N_image_0

http://www.amazon.com/

http://beprepared.com/

http://wisefoodstorage.com/

Well, just Google "food storage" and you won't be lacking in options. We'd love to hear how it goes. Happy gathering!

Emergency Preparedness Procedures by College

In the Provident Living Survey you took a few months ago, some respondents shared that their school has their emergency preparedness under control. Before you go assuming that your school has a giant fault of food storage somewhere underneath the campus, check out its emergency preparedness tools here.

                        

Boston University

BU has designated emergency assembly areas like the GSU and Agganis arena. They have also provided information on disaster supplies kits, which should be prepared in case of an emergency. The medical campus also has emergency assembly areas (click on the “Emergency Assembly Areas” sub link on the right side of the page).

 http://www.bu.edu/ehs/plans/management-plans/emergency/procedures/charles-river-campus-emergency-response-protocols/

Harvard

Harvard has a slew of information, including checklists for each type of natural disaster, evacuation plans, and information for business and departments to help them be disaster ready. Much of the information is password-secured, so feel free to peruse on your own!

http://ehs.harvard.edu/emergency-management                                                                       

Boston College

BC has a print-out PDF that contains an overview of disasters than can happen in the area, helpful phone numbers, evacuation procedures, and an emergency supply kit checklist.

http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/emergency/plans/jcr%3acontent/content/download_0/file.res/BC%20Prepared%20Brochure.pdf

Emerson

Be sure to update your contact information on Emerson’s Emergency Notification System (ENS), so the school can communicate with you in the event of the disaster. Also check out the evacuation plan for each building on campus, and the PDF Emergency Response Guide for various disaster situations. Emerson also has awesome safety resources like a police escort service and self-defense classes.

http:/www.emerson.edu/about-emerson/offices-departments/police/emergency-preparedness

MIT

Update your contact information on MIT Alert and prepare and emergency kit from the list. Also, be sure you check out shelter-in-place and evacuation info.

http://web.mit.edu/mit-emergency/personal/

Northeastern

Be sure to update your contact information on Northeastern’s alert system. Also, check out Northeastern University’s Public Safety Division (the link is halfway down the page) for health and safety resources. (For example, did you know there is a BBQ Request Form? True Story).

http://www.northeastern.edu/emergency/index.html

Tufts

Check out Tuft’s comprehensive and easily-navigable Emergency Response Guide. You can even request a paper copy of the guide. Oh, and don’t forget to like TuftsReady on Facebook.

http://emergency.tufts.edu/guide/

The YSA 72 Hour Kit

Here is the handout from the recent Oregon Trail activity. Use + Enjoy.

The YSA 72 Hour Kit

·         3 gallons of water (don’t use old milk containers to store)

·         3 days’ worth of non-perishable food (things that don’t need to be cooked; get cans that don’t require a can opener)

·         Important documents (Identification, bank account, and insurance documents) in a sealable plastic bag

·         $50-$100 Cash (this could pay for gas and/or a hotel stay)

·         Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

·         First aid kit (disinfectant, gauze, medical tape, aspirin, any medications you currently take

·         Flashlight and extra batteries

·         Radio and extra batteries

·         Duct tape for shelter in place

·         A change of clothes (warm enough for the winter)

·         A sleeping bag or warm blanket

·         A pair of boots

·         A hat and gloves

·         Personal hygiene supplies

·         Antibacterial hand wipes

*Remember to rotate water, food, medicine, and batteries at least every two years.

And now let us be wise and look forward to these things, and do that which will make for the peace of this people. -Mosiah 29:10

Provident Living 101

Hello everyone!

This website was created to provide you with information about everything and anything related to Provident Living.

Our mission is to make sure that you are able to meet your life needs, to be prepared in case an event keeps you from living your otherwise idyllic life, and to provide any information that would maximize your quality of life.

Notice I said quality, not quantity. We are not here to give you extra tasks to do. We are here as a source of information and support to help you streamline your life.

Some topics that will be covered in this blog are:
1. Emergency Preparedness
2. Personal Finance and Budgeting (Employment fall under this category)
3. Spiritual Preparedness
4. General life skills

This blog is a means to share information about those topics and more. If you have an interest or a question that we can help you with, please feel free to post questions and comments.

Thanks for reading.

~Your friendly PL chair