Preparedness & Provident Living

  The following information is from Kurt "CyberGuy Knutsson tech journalist. The holidays provide prime opportunity for scammers to catch you off guard.  Here are four common ways you can become a victim this holiday season. 1.  Package Delivery Scams Most people are expecting and anticipating the arrival of packages coming from different delivery services.  So if you receive a text message that mentions package delivery, you may easily fall for a scam.  Some messages may state that your package is stuck at the sorting center and you need to update your address and then the message provides a link to click on.  Some red flags to watch for in these texts:     - Red Flag1:  The link does not lead to an official site it's a fake link where a scammer uses a domain that looks close to a real site but is not.  Scammers also often make typos or use poor grammar when communicating.     - Red  Flag 2:  Scammers are sending emails, texts, and phone calls regarding a issue with package

Our 5th Sunday discussion toady, Brother Biggs reminded us of the uncertainty of things in the world and how fast our circumstances can change and the need to to have both spiritual and temporal preparedness on our minds and in our actions.  Brother Rock spoke of four important aspects of spiritual preparedness but they apply equally to our temporal preparedness.  1.  Be aware  2.  Heed the warnings.   3. Act   4. Move quickly. Bishop Kerns reminded us to have a plan and practice it.  He encouraged us to prepare to be part of President Nelson's prophetic message in conference:  "In the coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior's power that the world has ever seen."   Recent headlines may have you pondering how prepared you would be in the event of a natural disaster.  Most recently was hurricane Ian that hit Florida and left a path of destruction and flooding; however, closer to home was a 4.3 earthquake that hit Littlefield, Arizona and was f

By Rachel Cruze (https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/gas-saving-tips)   Remember the good ol’ days when getting gasoline for your car cost you under $1 a gallon? Nope—not a lot of people do. But those sure sound like nice times. We’re   definitely  not in the glory days anymore. On March 8, 2022, the average price for a regular gallon surged to an all-time high of $4.17, leaving the old record from 2008 in the dust. Here in Cedar City gas is $4.49  If you’re like most of us, you’re feeling the pain at the pump and scratching your head wondering how the heck to save money on gas. Well, pull up a chair, because these 12 tips will show you how to save money on gas—without having to trade in your SUV for a horse and buggy. How to Save Money on Gas 1. Shop around for the best gas prices. Sure, sometimes you’re riding on empty and you’ve got to get gas as quick as possible. But if you plan ahead, you can really figure out some slick ways to save money on gas. One way is to use an app l

  Worldwide Food Shortage If the war in Ukraine is long term or expands there will be effects felt in countries that depend on Ukrainian exports.  Keep in mind when you read this that the US does not import wheat but is a wheat exporter. However other countries do depend on Ukraine and Russia for wheat Ukraine, along with southwestern Russia, has long been known as “Europe’s breadbasket” thanks to the region's rich dark soil, among the most fertile in the world. The region accounts “for about 15 percent of the world’s wheat production, and nearly 30 percent of world exports,”  “But it’s not just wheat,” Abis said, “the two countries account for 80 percent of the world’s sunflower oil production, and Ukraine is the world’s fourth largest exporter of maize.”  (Sébastien Abis, FRANCE 24). As the fighting in Ukraine continues and the Russian offensive intensifies along the Black Sea coastline, these important crop producers have now been cut off from the world. "Nothing is leavin