Cheap Ice Cream and Free Fun

Baskin Robbins is having their 31 cent scoop night on Wednesday, April 28 from 5-10pm.

Red Butte Garden has free admission on Arbor Day and will give out free trees too! Mark your calendars for Friday, April 30 from 9am - 3pm.

Upcoming Ward / Stake Dates

Mark your calendars:

Emergency Preparedness Fair - for the whole community
(please invite your neighbors, family and friends)
May 22nd, Saturday, 9-12 @ South building

Stake Clothing Swap
July 17th, Saturday, 9-2 @ South building

Emergency Bag Lists

Here is a listing of the kit supplies for your Emergency Bag that have been distributed in Sunday School each week.

These lists were compiled this list from several others. There are many other things that could and even should be included. This is not comprehensive. If you have any ideas to add, please leave comments on the blog so that others can benefit from your expertise and knowledge.

Kit #1: Helping Out
Latex gloves
Work gloves
Filter masks
Glow sticks
Safety vest
Emergency Bag

Kit #2: Makeshift Toilet
Moist towelettes
Hand sanitizer
Bar soap
Toilet paper or napkins
Plastic bags w/twist ties
Privacy covering
Disinfectant: bleach or spray
Optional: bucket with improvised seat

Kit #3: Meal Prep
Moist towelettes
Napkins
Tablecloth
Paper plates
Paper cups
Utensils
Salt and Pepper
Hand washing supplies
Can opener

Kit #4: Spiritual/Paper Prep
Scriptures
Living Will
Books/Photos
Cash
Copies of fronts/backs of credit/debit cards
Consecrated Oil
Patriarchal blessing

Kit #5: Comfort Items
Medicine/Diabetic Supplies
Candy
Children's activities (may serve others' children)
Flashlight/Glow Sticks
Pen/pencil and notepad
Solar blanket/Poncho
Sewing Kit
ETC (Personalize it!)

Kit #6: First Aid
First Aid Manual
Asprin or Pain Relievers
Laxatives
Rubbing Alcohol
Diarrhea medication
Petroleum Jelly
Soap
Baking Soda and Salt (to replace body fluids in cases of shock, vomiting, diarrhea)
Gauze
Triangular Bandage (36 in x36 in x52 in)
Elastic Bandage

April Q & A Winner

A big thank you to Diane for submitting our featured question!

Question: What resources are available to find good deals on things we need?

Answer: The best way to find good deals is to be an informed consumer! Do your research and shop around. If you are purchasing services (for example home or car repairs), call a few companies and get quotes to compare. Ask if they will match prices or accept competitor’s coupons. If you are purchasing something retail, check out a couple of stores before making your decision. It’s more work, but on expensive items, it could save you hundreds of dollars. Also, be aware of what something costs new versus used. You can sometimes find great deals on secondhand items, but sometimes you can find new items for even cheaper if you watch for sales and clearance items. Also, word of mouth is great too. Let others know what you are in need of; they may have great recommendations.

Online resources for secondhand items:
Ksl.com
Craigslist.com
Freecycle.org (must be a member)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UTBulletinBoard/ (must be a member)

Retail resources for secondhand items:
Deseret Industries
Savers (99¢ Mon, ½ price ticket items)
Thrift Town (½ price ticket items)
Kid to Kid (children & maternity clothing and items)
Plato’s Closet (teen clothing)

For tips on shopping at thrift stores from Angela Hunsaker, check out How to ENJOY Shopping at a Thrift Store on a previous post of this blog. If you have any tips or sites to add, please leave a comment.

Creating a Will

None of us like to think about morbid things like needing a will, but it is a necessity to be prepared. Wills can speed up the process of distributing your assets and will make sure that they are given to whom you want them to be given to. Also, a will is even more important if you have children under the age of 18 who will need a guardian to care for them. Wouldn’t you rather be the one to choose who will raise your children if it can’t be you?

Creating a will involves choosing who will receive your assets – your beneficiaries, who will allocate your assets and follow through with your wishes – the executor, and who will be the guardians of your children in the event of your death. You will also need to have two witnesses (not beneficiaries of your will) available as you sign your will and it is highly recommended to have your will notarized. Each spouse will need to create their own will. Make sure that when you have completed your will, you let your family and your executor know about your will. Put it in a safe, accessible place and have a couple of copies available. We have a copy filed at home, one with our executor and one with my parents in another state.

Wills don’t have to be complicated or expensive. There are many options available to you. However, most of these options are for the most common situations. If you have a complicated estate or very specific requests or needs, consulting a lawyer may be your only option. As far as getting your will notarized, contact your bank or credit union. Sometimes the use of a notary is free of charge to members. There are many online sites available where you can enter your information and they will either mail or email it to you (some require a fee). Be sure to verify the site before giving out your personal information online. There are also sites that have forms that you can copy, paste and print your own. The free forms are very basic in nature, but are better than nothing. Or there are downloadable computer programs that you can purchase and use to create your will. The library also has computer programs that you can check out and create your will for free at home. The computer programs are most likely to give you more options than simple forms or free online sites.

Many of these programs also help you create a living will or advance health care directive. Living wills and advance health care directives allow you to specify what medical care and life saving or prolonging measures you want to have in the case that your condition makes it unable for you to make those decisions yourself. You can also assign a health care proxy to allow someone you trust to make those decisions for you. In any instance, it is wise to create some type of living will to spare your family and loved ones from making those decisions and dealing with the legal issues related to those decisions.


Disclaimer: We are not endorsing any of the following listed programs or sites; they are just a sample of what is available both online and at the county library.

Information about wills and living wills:
Steven J. Dixon, “Planning Ahead: The Importance of Wills and Trusts,” Ensign, Jun 1983, 28
http://www.usnews.com/money/retirement/articles/2007/11/12/how-to-write-a-will-online.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_health_care_directive

Free legal forms: http://www.free-legal-document.com/
Free online sites: http://www.doyourownwill.com/ & http://www.rocketlawyer.com/
Free computer programs from the library: Family Lawyer and Quicken WillMaker