Comments on: The 7 Day Challenge: Day 4 (SATURDAY)

By: lindasorden

lindasorden — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:06:15 +0000

use hot tub water to wash dishes and for flushing, had two full containers of filtered cold water in frig, and 5 jugs of water frozen in the downstairs freezer so we were good for water.I fill empty space with water jugs to save money it keeps freezer from running as much. I have never made bread and do not know how we are not really bread eaters.I did make biskets I was reading a good book and so is hubby so we did well there. We replaced a screen door on the back porch which i had bought before we started this and used cordless tools.Went for a walk talked to neighbors along the way, got to know some new ones better.all in all a good day

By: frugalmemom

frugalmemom — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 03:28:25 +0000

Started off okay, but no water for the toilet….yuck! I couldn't do it on this trial run. I have a lot to learn!

By: dorothysandaker

dorothysandaker — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 03:21:44 +0000

Ladies, how come when I try to pull up the callenge for Sun all I get is a repeat of the Sat. Callenge? I dont see anything for Sun. Help

By: dorothysandaker

dorothysandaker — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:57:44 +0000

I didn't do very well with this one. I have a calling that required me to be on the computer today and I was in the middle of a big canning project and just Thanked the Good Lord that my water was not turned off today. It did make me realize that maybe we should have more water stored for use in the bathrooms though. We have plenty stored for drinking and cooking, but all in small containers. We could last a week or more that way. But would have to fall back on our self contained camper for the toilet facilities. We have the powder to use there and a small amount of water each time to keep the vessel clean. As far as doing something with my family today. Not!! By the time canning was done it was time to fix a quick supper and get ready for the Saterday night session of Stake Conference. Just got home and filled out the questioneer and it is 9 PM too late to play games or anything else.

By: Jeanna

Jeanna — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:38:58 +0000

I have been out of work without an income, thankfully we still have our utilities (no cable/satelite or cell phones though), in the future I will be refilling my storage that I've used and storing more than I had before. I now have a much better idea of what and how much I really need for my family. Thank you Jodi & Julie!

By: claudiawhitney

claudiawhitney — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:29:40 +0000

Went to a health fair in town. We spent most of the day there cause it was fun and we we able to eat snacks all day long they offered for free. We have been using the water in storage we need to recycle anyway so we get fresh water for the next six months. I did use my cell phone for an important call I had been expecting for a while. I didn't cook bread but i made a cake instead. It has been fun to see where our needs are and that we need to work on fixing.

By: Kathryn Collier

Kathryn Collier — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:10:08 +0000

My household lives on the net since my husband does internet marketing. We moved in June and are still unpacking things. I am not trying to make excuses but I would really like to do this challenge because it is a real eye opener for all of us, Sorry the rules were not followed.

By: Kaytee

Kaytee — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 01:01:30 +0000

For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants.
OK

Your water got shut off because you couldn’t pay your bill last month (remember toilets use 1 1/2-3 gallons of your stored water PER FLUSH)
Everybody was gone at least half the day, with access to plumbing “elsewhere”. I did take a bucket bath, instead of a shower this afternoon– water heated in a metal bucket set out in the sun for about 4 hours (right next to our solar oven cooking dinner!); however, the water was from the hose, rather than waste the filtered water in storage. Used bath water to re-fill toilet after flushing. Also had to water the garden– things were already wilting; I COULD have done it with stored water, but didn't.

You no longer have cable, internet (except for the challenge), or cell phones due to lack of money
Didn't use either TV or cell (rarely do, so this was no big deal). Had “other stuff” I had to do on the computer (work and church related… plus email…).

You ran out of bread, need some, and can’t afford store bought -YES today is the day you have to actually try making bread
Didn't make bread– too hot to be baking in the kitchen; “someday” soon, if I ever get to spend most of a day at home, I will try baking in the solar oven. Made “wheat berries” instead of bread– in the rice cooker, using stored water. Today, made dinner in the solar oven (teriyaki chicken). No pan clean-up– cooked and served and put leftovers away in the same pans. #2 son licked his bowl “clean”…. (At least he didn't have his dog do it for him… this time.)

You can’t participate in activities that are paid for
Do a fun activity with your family, or with your friends that costs no money outside of the home
Went to a funeral (not fun, but friends were there)…. Sorted out a couple of bags full of donations to the church rummage sale (ditto)…. read (by myself)…. crocheted (by myself)…. Ate dinner with my kids (does this count as an “activity”?).

Over all– I think we're fairly well set for short term water “shut offs”– could probably manage a week without much more than being inconvenienced. More than that– if we restricted use from the beginning, we have about 2 1/2 weeks worth of DRINKING water, plus some bottled juices. If we have access to “non-potable” fresh water, we would be able to make it drinkable– with the Berkey filter, bleach and/or heating. I don't think the Berkey would last too long if we started with sea water, though, and there isn't really any other water that would be available if the city water is compleatly cut off; it could probable be used for some cleaning, but if there were to be a really long term outage, we would need to go elsewhere for the duration.

By: azmom4

azmom4 — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:29:27 +0000

This day had to be another “thinking” day for us since we had previously planned to be out of town for a VB tournament. A fun day playing board games or making bread actually sounds great after a day on the road! Thanks for helping our family focus on preparedness!

By: jocelynrobertson

jocelynrobertson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:58:36 +0000

Used to this one – we lived in the mountains for 4 years where the power went out all the time. Since the water required pumps in the wells for delivery we wouldn't have any water either. Have lots of drinking water on hand – a buchet and the creek take care of the toilets – you only flush when there's lumps – sorry, I know that's gross.

By: bradu

bradu — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:41:32 +0000

I had plenty of water in the food storage as well as a couple of different types of wheat for bread making, Don't watch much tv anyway. I Don't usually answer my cell phone on the weekends as a rule. Spent most of the day canning pears. Looking forward to tomorrow. Thanks for challenging us.

By: amberunfred

amberunfred — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:39:12 +0000

Fortunately, the water thing would be okay for us, temporarily. We also store our empty milk jugs filled with water in the garage for “non-clean” water to use in emergencies, like flushing the toilet. That came in handy! Didn't get around to baking bread today, but had somei n the freezer to use. Thanks for making us think about many different scenerios!

By: shalyse

shalyse — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:35:17 +0000

I don't have cable, so watching TV wasn't an issue for me. We don't have cell phones either. I was gone most of the day at a Stake Activity before I saw the new challenge, but we still have gas in both vehicles and haven't filled them up. I can't wait to see what tomorrow's challenge will be. Thanks for your hard work!

By: Sheila Shepardson

Sheila Shepardson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:16:39 +0000

I need to be gluten free and need to be sure that I have the equipment and necessary ingredients to make it. I have a solar oven; but, it was raining here today.

By: loretta

loretta — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:03:51 +0000

Was really interesting today. I learned that i may not always be around when disaster strikes. I also learned that my husband wasn't quite sure what to do with alot of food storage items. We are now going to be switching places he in the kitchen and i learning how to use our generator.

By: hannafam

hannafam — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:42:10 +0000

We lived through this several years ago while my husband was training for a promotion. I am a SAHM so our only income was cut to1/3 the normal. We went to the park and walked several days a week and other nights we walked around our town and make fellowship visits to other church members, getting to know them and praying for them. We also took advantage of checking out movies at our library and started a clothes swap with other moms. We had a $0 clothes budget but stayed clothed very nice. Babysat for grocery money. I look back at that time and think Wow, we did it, kept our savings, and payed off our vehicles, acquided no new debts. We can all learn from each other, do the positive and don't focus on the negative.

By: RoxAtkinson

RoxAtkinson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:25:08 +0000

I wasn't able to do the challenge completely because I can't lift anything yet and wasn't able to use my stored water. But we have been making home made whole wheat bread for over a year, and using our beans. I figured that things are getting a bit tight and we better prepare by using this food that we have stored. So we have a great whole wheat bread receipe that calls for honey instead of sugar and we make it almost every week. I have grown children that said they would never eat it but always seem to know when we have just taken it out of the oven because they seem drop by.

By: WendyWanders

WendyWanders — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:13:51 +0000

So far the emergencies have been awfully easy. One of these days you are going to stump me!

By: erinduitsman

erinduitsman — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:03:58 +0000

Luckily, we've been in this exact position-just a short year and a half ago. We knew exactly what to do! We don't have cable, so having tv isn't a big loss at our house. We do have however, battery operated radio's, so we were able to catch the news. As for baking bread, when in doubt, use your dutch oven. I'm so happy we had this, we've been able to make so many meals in the privacy of our own backyard. Who needs a fancy restaurant, besides, the kids enjoy cooking as well. I think this has been said before, but to better plan (which we now have) is to have a small savings in your own home so that you aren't left without any money…that is an awful feeling. The other item in which we need to better prepare for is gasoline. Not too sure how to store it, but that is something we will be adding real quickly!

By: Vicki M. Fisher

Vicki M. Fisher — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:45:09 +0000

You caught me on the day I had to teach a canning class, and then come home and can some things that wouldn't keep until Mon. Didn't do so well on this one. I do make bread a lot, just not today. Most my family won't eat the whole wheat bread, they'd rather have white, but my son and I love my whole wheat bread.

By: lbrewer

lbrewer — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:17:11 +0000

Today seemed peaceful without the noise of the tv and other entertainment devices. The bread turned out great, I have 4 loaves of whole wheat bread on my counter. I tried a new recipe today, we liked it. I think I will give away a loaf.

By: krazedma

krazedma — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:41:08 +0000

There was a free food festival down by the water front in Whitewater. They had free music and activities to watch. With food brought from home to have a picnic and porta potties for us to use the day went better than expected. Having sanitary cleaner with us was a big help. It was a nice day for the family. We spent the morning watching our son race in a cross country race for school and the rest was together as a family. Days like this help to bring a family together. I like to have a challenge like this. We did not do the power part because we were not home. The las time we had a major power outage is was over Christmas. We opened our presents by flashlight. I took pictures in hopes something would show up. The kids spent the whole day doing things together. We went to a friends house for dinner since she had it cooked before the power went out. It was our best Christmas ever. This challenge today brought back those memories. It is nice to just spend time together without the distractions of TV or video games. Thanks for this challenge.

By: denisesmith

denisesmith — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:36:56 +0000

Your camping adventure brought back memories . . . in our early years of marriage, my husband (an electrician) got laid off. There was not any work to be had at the union hall, so we made an adventure out of an otherwise hard situation. We packed up the kids and went on an extended camping trip (for several weeks). What great memories we made! Twenty years later, our kids talk fondly of our camping adventure and have told us that this was one of the best memories that they have had of their childhood. There is always sunshine in the rain!

By: denisesmith

denisesmith — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:26:31 +0000

Glad we had bread all ready made in the freezer. I think we are well suited for this situation. I think the biggest thing you could do to prepare for this emergency is to sock away not only food, but money too. Experts will tell you to reserve 6 months of income if at all possible. We have done this by saving money on household expenses whenever possible and by socking away a little here and a little there.

By: KimL

KimL — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 20:05:48 +0000

This was a good one and thankfully not much of a challenge. Unfortunately I had already used the internet before I checked my email for the challenge. I don't have a cell phone and we don't have t.v. so that made it easy for us! We did go to the library and spent a lot of time outdoors. Saturdays are usually bread baking day and we are having homemade pizza for dinner – no $$ spent today!

By: mithreesons

mithreesons — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:23:06 +0000

This is my favorite challenge so far. We are making bread today and pea soup in the crock pot. This is one of the reasons why we are storing food. If my husband were to lose his job, it gives me peace of mind to know that I could feed our family for 3 months just on our food storage. Ideally, I would like to have a year supplies stored, but I am working slowly. I know that many people do live like this everyday.

By: Kelli Briggs Eisenhart

Kelli Briggs Eisenhart — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:14:22 +0000

Not too bad! BUT I don't have any water stored! Since we moved into our new home I am slowly trying to build up our food storage. I hadn't even thought about water. It's a good thing there wasn't a real emergency. We have already been having fun outside together. My bread is in the bread machine right now. (we make bread daily – I don't remember the last time we bought bread from the grocery store)

By: barbarapak

barbarapak — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 16:09:58 +0000

Oops! I typed my comment in the wrong spot. We're going out with friends to a local festival and won't be back until after 8:00, so I'm posting now. This was already planned and our friends got us free tickets and are treating us. I guess, this would be the only way we could go if we really were having financial difficulties. We'll need to rely on family and friends.

I said in my other post that this is the most difficult challenge so far, because it feels so personal and embarrassing. The other challenges affected everyone, but it is much harder when you see others going about their daily routines while your world was topsy-turvy, kwim?

I was very happy for the rain barrel water to flush the toilet, but I'm concerned that my two week supply of potable water would be insufficient.

Thanks Jodi and Julie, this week has been eye opening to say the least!

By: krazedma

krazedma — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:40:09 +0000

This will be a hard day for my kids. Our two older boys live in Colorado and the internet is our connection. It is cheaper than a phone and we can see each other with web cam. Not watching TV will be easy. We do a lot of reading. We have already done a family activity for the day. Our son is in cross country for school so we went to watch him run today. Since it is a nice day today we planned on spending most of it outside in the garden. Does it count if we go to the library to pick up more books and use the bathroom while we are there? I hope that is not cheating. Our water supply is not where I would like it to be right now since we have already had a crisis and had to use some of it. Have not had the chance to replenish it yet.

By: kathybeachy

kathybeachy — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:25:59 +0000

Today's challenge was easy for us because we are out camping. We only have the supplies we came with for everything we need for the 3 days we're here. We do have access to a public washroom (but, it is free). Couldn't make bread, but we made do with extra hot dog buns we brought. We walked from our campsite to the pet beach with the dogs & enjoyed the surf and collected seashells. Tonight we will sit around the campfire & roast hotdogs. Who needs electricity to have a good time!?!
Thanks again for these challenges. My husband is beginning to understand me better – as to why I think it's a good idea to have a fully stocked pantry.

By: LGCS

LGCS — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:05:23 +0000

Just wanted to take a minute to thank you for all your wonderful advice. Your site has given me many new ideas. My order of 10 5gal buckets came in yesterday. I started my food storage without a plan & got a good start, but with your advice I have been able to put order to gathering my food storage. Each month a limit myself to under $100 for that month. Next month I will get the mylar liners, o2 obsorbers & any extra food supplies I can afford on my budget. My husband thinks I'm going overboard but he is loving the taste of the food we have now. He is becoming a diabetic & I think this will be very good for him. Thank again.

By: lauradean

lauradean — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:12:23 +0000

I am having a blast with the challenges!
I second having someone over for dinner during canning season would not be fun! But I could have done it with my supplies. I have a daughter that is a vegetarian, so there is adequate food storage, currently a vegetable garden and good supply of cheese.
It would be awful to have utilities cut off for the weekend and hope it doesn't come to that..economically.

By: sarahmyers

sarahmyers — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:09:37 +0000

well its gorgous outside so we are going to pack a lunch (I made bread last night! I never buy store bread anymore ) and go to the school down the road from our house to play on the playground, my kids love to do this! and being on a tight one income house this is going to be easy for us!! (not so much easy but normal) we just need to ration our water better my supply isnt what I want it to be.

By: Susan Leonardson

Susan Leonardson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:54:45 +0000

This is my every day life anyways. Should be a piece of cake!

By: robertson1

robertson1 — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:56:34 +0000

Although I have stored water, I really need to increase my stock. I didn't make bread because I have a big stock of crackers. I admit to watching some children's programs on the TV with my granddaughter (but that's easily set right if I've not been able to pay the bill). It's such a beautiful sunny day here in Durban,SA that I decided a picnic in our local park would fit the bill as a free activity, and we could play games afterwards. As the challenge has progressed. the thing that has become most evident is although I have in stock quite a diverse range of foods and non-perishables, I really need to increase the size of my stocks. We could survive on what we have now for a couple of months, but need a lot more for a year's supply, even if we grew quite a few veg.See you tomorrow.

By: Morning Sunshine

Morning Sunshine — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:54:14 +0000

Okay, I just have a bone to pick with you! You would pick a week in September (yes, I KNOW we all knew it was in September MONTHS ago, but I had forgotten that September is canning month!). I had to break quarantine to go pick up the peaches I had ordered through the city co-op; There is no way on this green earth we could have had people over for dinner yesterday – or today, for that matter, since my kitchen is covered in canning supplies and sticky each juice – I even had to send my family away for dinner last night, and I never do that!
And I really really need to get to the farmers market before raspberries are all gone for another year.

on the upside, with this challenge, do we still have water if we have a well? (that is part of my preps! We looked for a house with a well!)

By: facebook-1594565996

facebook-1594565996 — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:55:06 +0000

i live this every day.

By: Jodi - Food Storage Made Easy

Jodi - Food Storage Made Easy — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:21:05 +0000

Yes in a real economic crisis you could go to the library. Great
question!

By: laurammcmullin

laurammcmullin — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:16:33 +0000

Well some of this will be easy because I am already having to do it. Others will be hard like the no internet! Question can we go to the library to use it? I really do have some job applications I need to fill out online but I can go to the library to do that if allowed.