I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your mother gave you bad financial advice. So did a lot of other people. In fact, most of the world has the whole concept of achieving wealth backward. Maybe that’s why there are so few wealthy people!

If you’re like most people, all your life you’ve been taught, “the secret of wealth is to spend less than you earn,” or “the secret of wealth is to live within your means.” Wrong! That’s only the secret to financial survival. Not that survival is a bad thing! But here’s what I think is wrong with this advice:

When you hear “spend less than you earn,” what is the message? There’s only so much money available—live as frugally as you can! “Live within your means?” The message is similar: Stick to your budget or suffer the consequences! It’s a message of scarcity and resignation. Listen to it long enough; believe it firmly enough; and you might find yourself in the enviable position of being debt-free; but you will probably never be financially wealthy.

Let’s see if we can turn this around and come up with a more positive statement. Instead of “spend less than you earn,” how about, Earn more than you spend? Now there’s a message of abundance and hope! It’s an uplifting challenge rather than a gloomy warning. Instead of “live within your means,” how about, Increase your means so you can really live?

Tell yourself that often enough; believe it firmly enough; take decisive action; and one of these days you just might find yourself very well off!

Provident living is not just about survival. It’s about prosperity under all circumstances. Life was meant to be abundant. It was meant to be joyful. Use your God-given creativity and personal inspiration to find and embrace that abundance and joy!

I invite you to take this challenge: Start today to look for ways to increase your income without increasing your spending. It really is possible—the old adage “you have to spend money to make money” is another falsehood. You already have what it takes, and you deserve the chance to prove it!

I know quite a few people—and I’ve fallen into this trap myself—who have spent thousands of dollars they couldn’t afford to spend, buying courses, attending expensive seminars, purchasing software, and pursuing get-rich-quick schemes—and have absolutely nothing to show for it. Let me ruffle a few feathers and tell you what I’ve come to believe: If an “opportunity” requires a significant financial sacrifice up front, pass it up—you can do better!

Case in point: I’m writing this article on a computer I got for free from a company that was upgrading its equipment. I’m using a Linux operating system, which is totally free, and open-source software that is also free. My web hosting expenses are more than paid for through advertising revenue, and product sales bring in a nice profit. Can you do the same? Absolutely! I’ll even teach you how, if you’re interested. And I won’t charge you a dime! To register for my free online course, just send email to webinar@jaredsorensen.com.

So take the challenge. Turn your thinking around. Quit worrying so much about cutting your expenses. Instead, ponder and pray about increasing your revenue, believe that you can do it, let go of your doubts, work hard, try new approaches, and keep your eyes and heart open for opportunities. Sooner or later, they will come, and you will be on the road to financial prosperity.

Wishing you every success,

Jared

To all of our customers in the USA, we wish you a happy Independence Day! We hope that it will inspire you to be more independent and self-reliant as you continue your preparation for the challenges that lie ahead for all of us.

If you’ve visited our sites lately, you will see that we have made a lot of progress in adding products, pictures, and descriptions to our new shopping pages. We are pleased that so many of you have commented that you like the cleaner design and the ease of use. We have added some much-requested options such as the ability to pay by check and more accurate shipping calculations. Check back often, because we are adding products every day! And if there’s something you want that isn’t on the shopping pages yet, give Jeannie a call and we’ll try to get it for you.

This month we are featuring water purification products, as well as food storage starter kits.

Have you ever thought about what you would do if the water supply to your home were cut off for an extended period? It happens to people all the time. Floods, water main breaks, municipal water supply contamination, earthquakes, and other major and minor disasters leave people without safe water for days or weeks at a time. Within hours, the store shelves are empty of bottled water and soda. Dehydration and water-borne illness suddenly become serious threats to the community.

What will you do when (not if!) this happens to you? Will you be prepared? Read this month’s eye-opening editorial!

We are pleased to see that so many people are finally getting serious about having a supply of food in their homes. To help those who are just beginning, we have a number of starter kits—cases of #10 (gallon) or #2½ (quart) cans of dehydrated foods. It’s a great way to learn how to use storage foods so that when you really need them, you’ll be a pro! These kits make great gifts for newlyweds or college students — you’ll feel more at ease knowing they have at least something in storage for a rainy day.

To view this month’s specials, visit http://www.providentlivingcenter.com/category_s/12.htm.

Have a wonderful and productive summer!

Best wishes from Jared & Jeannie at Provident Living Center.

Water is the most critical commodity in a survival situation. A normal, healthy adult can survive four to six weeks without food, as long as there is adequate water. However, without water, the survival time is only a few days.

The experts in wilderness survival indicate that a person should have a gallon of water per day. What then of the promises of commercial 72-hour kits who proclaim that you can survive on two 4.1-ounce packets of water per day? They are lying to you, and this leads one to wonder if the other concepts, techniques and equipment in their kits are suspect, too!

Water for a family of four for 72 hours will weigh 96 pounds. That is sufficient weight that most of us would not care to pack it around in the event of an evacuation. Now what?

The concept I propose is to carry at least 3-4 quarts of water per person (weight 8 pounds) and then locate a source of water—a stream, lake irrigation ditch, etc., etc. But realize that the majority of natural water sources in the United States are contaminated with Giardia—a nasty little cold water parasite that loves the human’s lower colon and is famous for causing "rotten egg" gas and the Rocky Mountain Two Step!

This means that ALL water should be processed before consumption. There are several ways to do this:

1. BOILING. This is the only process that is 100% effective in killing any crawlies, but does not remove any floaties. Water should be boiled for at least 10 minutes at a rolling boil. Tastes terrible.

2. FILTERING. The easiest and most effective method of removing almost all crawlies and all but the smallest floaties. Does not affect the taste of the water.

3. IODINE. 75-80% effective in killing crawlies, but does not remove floaties. The effectiveness of this method depends on water temperature and contact time. Iodine does affect the taste of the water. Avoid like the plague iodine tablets sold as “military surplus.” The reason they are surplus is because they have exceeded the shelf life of 5 years, and the military, by regulation, cannot use them. I once found a bottle of iodine tabs in a person’s 72-hour kit that had expired fifteen years earlier! She had recently purchased them from a local surplus store. When she confronted the manager she was told to use two pills instead of one. Hey, folks, double nothing is still nothing!

4. OTHER PURIFICATION AGENTS. There are other types of water purification on the market and some new techniques, which have varying degrees of effectiveness. Do your research before relying on them!

Water is critical. As a last resort, drink the water. If you don’t you will probably die anyway, and most things nowdays can be cured. Better yet, be prepared to provide your own water supply in an emergency. Personally, I carry a water filter and fresh iodine tabs.

It is the water in your stomach that keeps you alive, not the water in your canteen. All of us go about our daily business in some degree of dehydration. Note, though, that going for days without water does not mean you are just thirsty and feel bad. You die. Your friends stand around a deep hole, put you in the bottom, and then throw dirt in your face. The importance of water cannot be overstated!

By Larry G. Bethers

To better facilitate purchasing through our site, we are introducing a new online shopping center at www.providentlivingcenter.com. You may go there directly, or click the Shopping tab above. We are gradually adding our products to this site and hope you will find it more convenient and reliable to use.

We anticipate there may be glitches as we complete and test the implementation, and there will undoubtedly be downtime as we fix errors, so we apologize in advance for any problem that may occur. Please contact us if you find an error. We will make things right.

As a reward for bearing with us in this transition, we are offering free shipping in the continental USA for orders over $100, for a limited time. This offer applies only to products purchased online through the new shopping pages.

Over the next few days and weeks we will be adding new payment methods and shipping options, as well as new products and special offers. Check back often for updates and special deals!

We appreciate your continued patronage, thank you for your patience, and welcome your suggestions!

Interesting article in today’s KSL News:
Learning to Live with Less

An awful lot of people are in deep financial trouble these days, and discovering that they simply can’t continue the lifestyle they have lived in the past. Unfortunately, most of them learn too late the folly of living extravagantly and not preparing for the future.

With the world in ever-increasing turmoil, businesses laying off employees at record rates, natural disasters increasing in frequency and severity, and too many non-solutions coming from clueless bureaucrats, everyone needs a safety net. We have been warned for many years that a time of scarcity was coming. Now it’s here, and all indications are that things will get much worse before they get better. Those who have prepared are those who will weather the storm the best.

If you’re one of the lucky ones not yet caught up in the crisis, it may be wise to look at your expenses and see if there are things that could be cut out in order to build up a reserve. You may also want to look at increasing your supply of food, clothing, and other necessities.

It’s time (and past time) for each of us to ask ourselves some very serious questions, such as:

How will I support my family if I lose my employment?
How could my family get through a cold winter with minimal fuel and electricity?
How long can my family survive on our stored food and water?
How could I obtain additional water in a long-term crisis?
What resources and skills could I use for barter in a pinch?
How could I work with family and friends to create a mutual support system?

By cutting down on unnecessary expenses now, and making real preparations for an uncertain future, you will not only be better able to handle whatever may come, but you will find greater peace of mind and be able to face life with a brighter outlook.

This is a quick-and-dirty price list to make searching easier while we work on a more functional permanent list.

Note that the prices listed are regular non-sale prices as of August 10, 2010. The current product price may be different. Click on any product to see a picture, get the current price, and place an order.

This month we are pleased to feature products and supplies for canning, dehydrating and preserving. In many areas this season promises to produce a bountiful harvest. There should be many opportunities to get fruits and vegetables at low cost. Take advantage of this blessing by adding freshly canned and dehydrated foods to your storage!

We have several different canners and dehydrators on sale this month, including the innovative Victorio combination steam & water bath canner and the non-electric Food Pantrie dehydrator. We have also added the popular Camp Chef propane stove to our product line, which is ideal if you want to do your canning outdoors!

If you’ve never tried your hand at canning and preserving, or it’s been a long time, we have some excellent books on sale to help you get started.

To see the fantastic deals we have for you this month, click here, or visit ProvidentLiving.com and click the big gold button!

Do you have questions about canning and dehydrating? Do you have tips and experiences to share? Join the discussion in our forum!

The Red Cross / Red Crescent demonstrate ways that communities and families can reduce the risks associated with natural disaster.

Quote: “The need for increased preparedness is strong and undisputed. Through the past few decades, the number of natural disasters and weather-related hazards has more than doubled. This trend is expected to continue.”

Food Storage Seminar — Part 8 of 9. “Food Saver”. For more information, visit http://everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com
Recorded November 2008.

Duration : 0:5:44

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Food Storage Seminar — Part 7 of 9. “Solar Oven Cooking”. For more information, visit http://everythingunderthesunblog.blogspot.com
Recorded November 2008.

Duration : 0:7:17

Read the rest of this entry »