The Emergency Binder

The Emergency Binder:

The Emergency Binder is a waterproof binder that includes valuable personal documents, irreplaceable photographs of your family, and other information priceless to your family. Try to have one Emergency Binder per adult in the family. This information is irreplaceable to your family.

The purpose of the Emergency Binder is so that if you had to leave the house without notice, you can grab your binder and go. This is something that would be on hand, at home,  in the same location as you 72 Hour kit, Bug Out Bag, Family Bug Out Bag, etc.

In a large binder, have dividers labeled with clear plastic tabs in the following sections with either copies or the originals of the following documents. Ideally you should use a binder that zips up and has several pockets for things like cards or money. Weather your binder is or is not waterproof, place it in several oversized Ziploc’s, just to be safe.

Remember, this information is your life on paper and is irreplaceable!

Emergency Plan:

·         Family plan for when an emergency happens- where to meet, whom to contact, etc. You can even include a grab and go list of items that are vital around your house.

Emergency Contacts:

·         Emergency contacts both in and out of city/ state.

Personal Information:

·         Important personal/ legal documents for every member of the family.

·         Birth certificates

·         Patriarchal blessings

·         Diplomas

·         Wills

·         Drivers licenses

·         Marriage certificates

·         Passports

·         Vaccination papers

·         Trade licenses

Health Information:

·         Needed medications for every member of family with the medication sheet that includes side effects (the one that comes with the prescription)

·         List of allergies of every family member

·         Vaccinations list

·         Health cards

Journals:

·         Journals, if any, of each family member.

Ownership Papers:

·         Car Deed

·         Home Deed

·         Contracts

·         Insurance policies

Billing Information:

·         Phone list of your insurance company contacts, banker, etc. For if you cannot return home.

·         Health insurance

·         Car insurance

·         Home insurance

·         Electricity

·         SRP

·         Etc.

Business Information:

·         Any information relating to a home business; i.e. business credit cards, etc.

Bank Accounts:

·         Bank account numbers

Family History:

·         Genealogy records

Emergency Situations:

·         “How to” instructions for things like camping and medical information

Other items to be placed in the binder:

·         Credit cards

·         Pre-paid phone cards

·         Cash money $50-$100 per person in small bills and change (for buses, food, change for land-line phone calls, etc.)

·         Extra key to house, car or trusted family house (like Grandparents/ siblings).

·         Cd's or jump drives that contain precious family pictures/ information

·         More than one copy of photos of every member in the family (to handout if someone is lost. Get informal photos of each family member in their “emergency clothing”)

·         Disposable camera to document before and after pictures for insurance purposes

·         Journals if they are separate books

·         Scriptures

How long is it good for in the freezer?

How long each item is good for in the freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit

Bacon & sausage                                 1-2 months

Casseroles                                           2-3 months

Egg whites or egg substitutes             12 months

Frozen dinners and entrees                 3-4 months

Gravy, meat or poultry                        2-3 months

Ham, hotdogs, or lunchmeats                         1-2 months

Meat, uncooked roasts                        4-12 months

Meat, uncooked steaks or chops         4-12 months

Meat, uncooked ground                      3-4 months

Poultry, uncooked whole                    12 months

Poultry, uncooked parts                      9 months

Poultry, uncooked giblets                   3-4 months

Poultry, cooked                                   4 months

Soups and stews                                 2-3 months

Wild game, uncooked                         8-12 months

Self-Reliance - the Lord’s Way Article

Here is an article that I found with my Self Reliance information. I did not write this article nor do I know where I got it. Enjoy.

Self-Reliance - the Lord’s Way
By Carolyn Nicolaysen

Down through the ages, prophets have called us to action – to prepare ourselves and our families both spiritually and temporally for tests and opposition. While Noah called the world to repent, he and his family followed God’s command to build an Ark. And Joseph with his coat of many colors was first betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery, then became a ruler of Egypt - eventually ruling over his brothers, and saving their families temporally through his provident leadership.

While protestors today still chant “Give Peace a Chance!”, few in the world are willing to follow the counsel of modern prophets that real peace can be found through preparing ourselves spiritually to rely on God, and working temporally to be self-reliant. As President Ezra Taft Benson said, the world has it backward – advocating that man should be independent of God, while making a claim on government for temporal support.

For the past year I have encouraged readers of my blog to look at their home inventory of food and supplies as a kind of “General Store”. Why a General Store? A couple generations ago, a General Store was the source of all the basic goods required to care for and sustain a family. A General Store stocked food, clothing, fabric, gardening tools, seeds, medications, shoes - everything you needed. There was a post office tucked in one corner and often a bank in another.

You too can create a General Store in your home and become ready for whatever may come. What can you do to get started?

1. Think of this project as self-reliance, not just emergency preparedness or food storage. It is only through being self-reliant that we are truly prepared to care for our families, and sometimes others as well.

2. Self-Reliance is more than food storage. Think back to our General Store. It is food, camping supplies in case of a disaster which drives us from our home, car kits in case we become stranded while traveling, 72 hour kits in case we need to flee quickly, stamps, cash, first aid, and medical supplies. If you are currently serving in Scouting, you may want to begin with items you can use while on scout outings, such as a camp stove. Camp stoves are a must have during any power outage, and part of a great General Store.

3. It doesn't matter where or how you begin, just begin. The Lord will bless your efforts if you will just show your commitment by taking a first step, then a second. Purchase just two or three extra cans of food each week. Ask for camping supplies or a Dutch oven for your birthday or anniversary.

4. You are the best judge of what to stock. No one knows better than you how your family eats, what your job situation is, or what natural disasters may occur in your area. If your family loves peaches and doesn't like apricots, don't store apricots. I have seen charts that tell you to store 5 gallons of oil per person. I wouldn't use that much oil in ten years, no less one, but you may. Make a list of the foods your family likes and start there to build a three month supply. Don't forget spices and condiments which make an ordinary meal extraordinary.

5. Once you have decided which foods you want to store, begin stocking your store with a three month supply of those foods. Think about your storage in terms of the food pyramid. Store foods from each food group: fruit and vegetables, meat (proteins), dairy, and grains.  If you don't know how to cook with wheat don't store wheat, at least not until you learn how to use it, but store other grains. The Church has never told us what we need to store, they have only made suggestions based on foods that are inexpensive, nutritious, and have a long shelf life. You must consider for yourself such issues as food allergies, food preferences and your ability to prepare items – thus, which foods to store. A dairy farmer would probably not store much powdered milk. You can have an excellent food store plan without a bean in sight.

6. Complete a three month supply of the foods you eat before beginning on your long term storage. Having three months of foodstuffs stored allows you time to plant and harvest fruits and veggies to supplement your long term storage. Remember the seeds I mentioned that you could always purchase at a General Store? Three months also allows you time to begin incorporating more of your long term storage items into your everyday diet.

7. Avoid debt. You should not go into debt for food storage or other items needed for your General Store. There are many ways to reduce spending and shop wisely to get everything you may need. Once self-reliance becomes a priority, the possibilities will begin to be obvious.

8. It is important to have some cash on hand. During a true emergency, banks may close and credit cards may become useless without the electricity to run card processing equipment. Again, start small and avoid the temptation to spend that pocket change. Do you realize if you began saving just $10.00 per week, right now, by Thanksgiving you would have enough money to pay for your Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve parties in cash! Every time you skip a meal out and eat at home instead, place the money you would have spent in a special jar and don't touch it!

9. Educate yourself. There are many great books, forums, websites and blogs which can help. There are experts in your own ward and stake - ask them for help.

10. Be prayerful. Heavenly Father has always helped those who have made the sacrifice and commitment to live his counsel.  He will help you too.

11. Never give up. If you get discouraged, ask for help. If money runs low, adjust your purchasing and/or re-examine your spending habits.
This Christmas we had a group of Young Single Adults in our home for an evening of gift wrapping. The YSA branch provides Christmas gifts for a few families in need every year, and this year we had seven families. We gathered in our home to wrap the gifts. As we proceeded, we realized some children in one family received great gifts while others might feel overlooked. As we began to make a list of things we would have to purchase, I retrieved a few boxes of new gifts stored in my attic. These were items I purchased at 60-90% off and stored for just such an occasion. By the time we finished, we had fabulous gifts for all and were left with just two gift cards to purchase to fill in the gaps. As we cleaned up the wrapping paper, one of the young men looked at me and said, "This is what preparedness really means, isn't it?"

Those gifts I had stored had nothing to do with a natural disaster or emergency, but they were of great value in caring for the needs of others who were experiencing stress in their lives. I did not need to write a big check or do last minute shopping, my General Store met the need.
As Heavenly Father's children, those who live provident lives are among the most blessed. Ancient and modern prophets have warned that tough times will come. Surely, they will. Yet, we can live with a feeling of peace in our homes during such times if we take care to follow the steps that lead to self-reliance in temporal matters, and reliance upon God for spiritual understanding and comfort. The choices are up to us, for he trusts us to choose well.

Skills Every Self-Reliant Child Needs to Know - Article

I found this article with some of my self reliance items. I do not remember where I got it nor do I take credit for writing it.

Skills Every Self-Reliant Child Needs to Know
By Carolyn Nicolaysen

On a recent television show the host was talking to people about the things on their “bucket lists” – in other words, the kind of things they wanted to do before they “kicked the bucket”. A popular film and several books on this theme have made the rounds, and others touting 1000 places to see, 100 things to do, and so on. This got me thinking about the bucket list a parent or grandparent might have for their children and grandchildren. What skills and knowledge need to be passed on to the next generation, before we – “pass on”.
Several years ago I was teaching a Beehive class in Young Women with a group of promising 12 and 13 year-old girls. I really can't recall the topic of the lesson but I do remember the girls’ reaction so well. At one point one of the girls raised her hand and said "But Sister Nicolaysen we are never going to be good grandmas like our grandmothers. We don't know how to do anything. We don’t know how to sew or bake bread or can vegetables or grow a garden like our grandmothers."
As we continued to talk, it became clear that these girls were genuinely concerned that they might grow up and not know some of the hands-on things their mothers and grandmothers took for granted. They wanted to do things more meaningful than craft projects. So as a result, we had some activities to teach these skills. These girls learned to cook, make jam, sew and knit.
My boys, on the other hand, learned many of the skills they needed in Boy Scouting - everything from basic knots and map reading, to helping with a cattle roundup. If some of these skills seem irrelevant to them today, they helped provide the kind of self-confidence that would allow them to become self-reliant adults.
But not every child has equal opportunity to learn the practical skills necessary for self-reliant living as adults. What might be overlooked, unless we add some key abilities to our bucket list of skills we will teach them?
Ten Skills Every Child Can Learn, and Every Adult Should Know
1) Making family meals. There is a big difference in the quality of home cooking, family-to-family. Even if your skills are limited, children and teens can be taught to do a few things very well, such as:
- Make a healthy breakfast for the family.
- Pack a healthy lunch without expensive and unhealthy pre-packaged snack foods.
- Cook a well-balanced and delicious dinner.
Decide what your family’s strengths and weaknesses are in the kitchen, and build on your strengths so that your kids have the confidence to say “nobody makes ______ better than our family”. Make it tradition that everybody in your family knows the “__________ family recipe”, or the proper way to make an omelet. Have fun with it.
2) Baking. Everybody should know how to bake something, even if only cookies or brownies from a mix. Try various kinds of bread, dinner rolls, pies, and perhaps even making your own pastries. It’s not as hard as you think. Ovens are for more than frozen pizza, speaking of which, homemade pizza is really yummy and very easy to make.
Life skills are no longer being taught in our schools, which is where many of us learned them. We took home economics and shop classes and then went home excited to practice what we had learned. Not only did this classroom education spur our creativity and imagination but it brought us closer to our parents and grandparents as they helped us hone our new found skills. I spent many hours baking with my grandfather. His father owned a bakery as he was growing up in Brooklyn and he loved to do the baking for Christmas and all the other important family celebrations. Our family still bakes his cookies every Christmas.

3) Teens Can Do Laundry. : Teach your children and grandchildren to do the laundry. Do they know how to use the washer and dryer? Do they understand how to separate clothing into lights and darks? Do they know how to treat a stain? Do they know how to hang clothing on a clothesline to dry when a dryer is not available or the power is out? Could they wash their clothes by hand if the need arose?  I remember a time when we were first married that I did not have the money to dry our clothes at the laundromat, and brought them home and hung them around the apartment to dry. We all have different circumstances and budgets, but everyone has to deal with laundry, and every member of the family can share in the responsibility.
4) We All Have Chores, and We Can All Do Them. What a shame it would be to become an adult without having shared in household work and responsibilities… yet it appears that many in this world do exactly that. Every member of the family can share in age-appropriate responsibilities for cleaning, maintaining, organizing, cooking, laundering, trash and recycling, and caring for the outside areas of the home. Make sure everyone has a responsibility, and knows that others are relying on them to do it:
- Know your job.
- Do your job (without being asked and when it needs to be done).
- Report when the job is done.
5) Grow Something for Your Menu. Everyone can have a garden, whether large or small. No matter the amount of land, or lack of it, there is always a way to teach this skill. Nothing tastes better than a strawberry or tomato that you pick and eat right out of your own garden. Let every young member of the family be responsible for something in your garden, even if it is just a potted tomato plant. There may come a time, and prophets have told us there will come a time, when we will need to provide food for our families.
6) Basic Sewing Skills. This is not just a skill we should be teaching to our daughters. Several years ago our college age son decided it might be a good idea to know how to sew. He had been looking for a pair of shorts that were long enough, but couldn’t find what he liked, so he made a pair of summer shorts. When I did my student teaching I had a sewing class that was made up entirely of boys. This was in Iowa where the schools closed for the first day of hunting season, so you may be surprised that I had 30 boys enrolled in a sewing class. Not so surprising, was that we made bright orange hunting vests for our class project!
It is no longer cheaper to make clothing than to purchase it. However, in many cases it is still much cheaper to make curtains and slip covers than to purchase them. Blankets are cheaper to purchase than to make, but a quilt is still a project that will be valued for generations. Old blankets will be retired without ceremony. The real question is: are we really self reliant if we don't know how to make a pair of shorts or a quilt? Could we take old shirts or old blankets with holes and create something to keep us warm and protected, or even make them as a service for someone else? Could your missionary repair a seam that has come apart, or sew on a button?
7) Basic Car Maintenance. If a teenager is old enough to drive, they are old enough to know that a car will not run without gas or oil. An automobile, next to your house itself, is usually the family’s second most valuable asset. It is surprising then, that so little time is spent teaching young members of the family how to respect and care for this valuable asset.
One day our college age daughter was with a group of friends and when they returned at the car to drive back from their outing, the car would not start. The guys spent several minutes trying to figure out the problem, but had no special insight. Since our daughter had taken our retired station wagon to school in Utah, she was familiar with a number of things that could be done to keep a clunker running, and suggested a fix to the problem that actually worked. She had learned about loose battery connections, because her dad knew this could and probably would happen someday with her car, and had taught her what to do. She solved the problem on her roommate’s car avoiding lost time and the cost of a tow, all to the amazement of the boys in the group. Teach your children to change a tire, add oil, check the tire pressure, add antifreeze, and add washer fluid.
8) How to Shut Down the Utilities. In many emergency situations, it may be necessary to immediately shut off one or all of the utilities, such as: In an earthquake, what would you shut off first? If there was a broken water pipe due to an ice storm, where would you shut off the water supply to your home, and what tools if any would be needed? What are some reasons to shut off the electric supply to your home?
Teach your children how to turn off the water - both the line into the house and the connections under sinks and toilets. Teach them how to turn off the electricity and gas coming into your home. Emergencies may not always occur when we are at home to take control. If there should be a broken pipe and your child called you on your cell, you could you simply tell them to turn off the water. Would they know what to do?
A few years ago there were rolling blackouts in California and many other states. These often turned out to be rolling brown outs, which meant the electricity does not immediately fail - but that small amounts of current came into our homes, then everything was fine for a while followed by the lights dimming again.. This ruined many appliances and computers. If you noticed this happening and called home, would your children know where to throw the master circuit breaker to protect the equipment and appliances in your home?
Check with your utilities for the best advice on when, where, and why to shut off the power, gas or water at your home.
9) Tools and Their Uses. Remember “Tim-the-Tool-Man Taylor”? So many adults these days have no clue how to use tools to do basic fixes around the home. Children and teens can be involved in learning and using tools for many tasks around the house. Don’t just fix things, use those household jobs as a schoolroom to teach the younger set which tools to use for which jobs. Even if your own skills are rusty or limited, there are many things you can teach that will stick with them for life. Remember, to be an expert, you only have to know more than your student.
To illustrate, our son-in-law was a first year associate at a nationally renowned, Big City Law Firm. The firm decided it would be good community relations to send out a crew of these first year associate attorneys to help at a Habitat for Humanity. Unfortunately, very few in this legal squad knew much about tools or building homes.
A short while after arriving at the project, there was some sheetrock (wall board) being installed by his fellow volunteers, and as he entered one of the rooms, several of his associates were preparing to cut some sheetrock by carefully measuring and marking the cut line on a piece of sheetrock using a chalk line. He was stunned to see an associate on each end of the chalk line holding down the ends of the line, while a third member of the team began tracing the chalk line with a pencil. He couldn’t help himself from laughing, as he went over and snapped the chalk line, leaving a perfect blue line where the other had been tracing it with a pencil. Their shock and embarrassment was priceless as their ignorance about chalk lines was instantly exposed - and this quickly became one of our favorite anecdotes.
10) Budgeting. This may seem a nasty word to many but as we have experienced the world wide economic crisis of the past few years it becomes more evident just how important this skill really is. We need to teach our children from a very early age the importance and power of money. They should have the opportunity to work and earn money of their own. Our two year old grand daughter loves to vacuum. Children should then be guided as they are taught to set aside 10% for tithing, some for savings and some for discretionary spending. After counsel from you they should be allowed to decide how they want to spend their discretionary funds and allowed to spend them unwisely if they choose to do so. This is the only way they will learn the skill of distinguishing between wants and needs.
There are many more skills we should have on our bucket list, but this is a good place to start. Take the time in Family Home Evening and during everyday events to teach these skills to the next generation. As you teach, you will find your relationships with children and grandchildren will grow as they gain confidence that you have the faith in them to be able to handle life's challenges. During the next several months we will add to our bucket list together.
Self reliance is an outlook and lifestyle we seek to teach our children from the time they are born. They will not learn it from the world. We cannot assume they will understand how to handle life's challenges from observing how many of the adults in our communities behave. I love watching young parents who take time with their children. When they work on a project or fix a broken lawnmower, their children are right there looking over their shoulders and helping. There are always opportunities to teach a valuable skill, and young people who are eager to learn, if we take the time to include them.