Often, temporal preparedness is the first thing we think about when we think about when we start to prepare for the future. We’ve grown up with General Conference talks about having a balanced budget, and food storage, and these things are tangible. They are easier to “check off” the list. While every family’s temporal preparedness will look different, there are some things all of us can work towards as we prepare ourselves and our families. 

1- Live Within Our Means

“All of us are responsible to provide for ourselves and our families in both temporal and spiritual ways. To provide providently, we must practice the principles of provident living: joyfully living within our means, being content with what we have, avoiding excessive debt, and diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies. When we live providently, we can provide for ourselves and our families and also follow the Savior’s example to serve and bless others.” Robert D. Hales

Living within our means can seem like a daunting task. Prices of everything are rising, it can be difficult to stretch our dollars, particularly as we are working to prepare for a day of want. The first step is to make sure that we have a solid budgeting system. 

Do you have a functioning budget? Many people talk about how hard it is to keep track of their money. Budgeting can take several forms, based on your income and personal preferences. Some people find paper and pencil, while others prefer spreadsheets or apps that help them track their money. For tips and tools on how to set up a budget, check out our previous post Budgeting 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Budgeting.

Once we can see where our money is going, we can prioritize things like an emergency preparedness fund that goes towards things like food storage, generators, or projects around our home that would allow us to become more self-reliant. 

2- Gather Essentials 

If you tuned into Meghan’s episode with Lee Ostler, he recommended making a running list of the things you would like to have in an emergency. My husband and I have adopted this same system. Every few months, we sit down, and talk about a big wish list of things we would like to do to be more prepared. We talk about potential scenarios based on things we’ve seen coming in the news, things we have been studying in our gospel studies, and things that we’ve been wanting to add as we’ve been building our skills. 

Then we set up a segmented list based on areas of need. We have a Home Projects section for things like home repairs or improvements (such is installing a solar panel, or caulking the windows), things that would make our home more inviting or comfortable in difficult times (For example, we have small children at home, so we are putting in a play area in the yard so our kids have somewhere to play this summer.) Then we have a Home and Food Storage section where we talk about foods in our traditional foods, as well as our sustainable food supply such as our garden and livestock. Next we have a Security and Protection list for keeping our family safe, Emergency Preparedness for camping gear, and 72-hour kits. Then we have a Medical category for medications, home remedies, and first aid needs. Our last category is Education because I teach homeschool, so we are gathering curriculum materials, books, and learning activities for our homeschool group business. 

After we make our list, we highlight things we want to prioritize in different colors, however, when we make a family trip to DI, we will ‘splurge’ and get items that are lower down when they are a good deal! 

3- Learn Important Skills 

Another great way to prepare temporally is to learn new skills! There are many skills that were lost the last couple of generations that are currently making a comeback – particularly among the millennial generation. Things like making sourdough bread, baking from scratch, raising chickens or other livestock, gardening, and horticulture, and plant-based remedies and medicine.

Many of these skills open the door for a healthier, and more sustainable lifestyle. They allow us to have resources beyond just going to the grocery store. During the Covid lockdowns, I had a hard time finding cleaners, which got me wondering, ‘Well how did the pioneers do this?’ I began learning how to make cleaners with essential oils, vinegar and citrus rinds, and testing which cleaners worked best. I found that I hated homemade dishwasher detergent because it left my dishes cloudy, so I started researching how to find certain products with less toxins in them. 

Now, we are working to raise meat rabbits, working on improving our gardening skills, and learning to can. There are so many skills that can improve our ability to provide for ourselves and our families.

A few ideas of skills that may help your family:

• Cooking from scratch 
• Outdoor Cooking
• First Aid 
• Soapmaking 
• Making home essentials (such as cleaners)
• Gardening
• Plant Propagating
• Herbal Remedies 
• Making a Fire
• Survival Skills 
• Navigating
• Map Reading 
• Raising Livestock
• Food Preservation 
• Hunting