"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer or ruler, she prepares her food in summer, and gathers her sustenance in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from our sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a vagabond, and want like an armed man.

Consider the story of Joseph, who through interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams, was led to put aside enough grain in the good years to carry the Egyptians and citizens of other countries, including the provision of his own extended family, through a long period of drought and scarcity.

My personal opinion is that home reserves of wheat, other grains, canned goods and learning to cook with basic whole food ingredients are a consumer's best protection against ever higher food prices. Now is the time to set aside reserves of food, grains, and household items for the future. Here are a few ideas for getting started:

• Now is a great time to purchase a home grain mill and bread baking equipment, learn to cook with basic whole foods, build a home food pantry, and invest in your family's health while trying to mitigate against ever higher food prices.

• Purchasing grains and other food items in bulk and case lots will save you as much as 50% or more over alternatives. You can purchase food items in bulk by joining a food coop or placing a special order in a health food store.

• When you eliminate the purchase of processed and prepared foods and learn to make them from scratch you will not only save dramatically on groceries but you will eliminate all the unhealthy food additives found in processed foods.

• Watch for bargains, particularly at small, discount grocery stores. Stock up and save.

Another great way to get started with a lifestyle of health would be to invest in my comprehensive books, Fast and Healthy Menus for Busy Moms and A Beginner's Guide to Baking Bread. These books include all the instructions you need to begin, including family friendly menus, recipes, grocery lists and step-by-step instructions for baking your own whole grain breads.

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I also would like to give away three combinations of Fast and Healthy Menus for Busy Moms along with my ebook A Beginner's Guide to Baking Bread, just for posting your best cooking, baking and pantry tips for busy moms at my blog, urbanhomemaker! Let's all share our tips and wisdom with each other so we can learn together to be better wives, mothers, and homemaker's! Here is the link to my blog where you can post your comment for the contest.

Marilyn Moll, passionate lover of "old fashioned skills", began cooking and baking with Betty Crocker Cookbooks around age 10. She holds a degree in home economics education from Colorado State University. When she quit a full-time job to stay home with her 12 month old daughter, she began baking all of her family's bread and teaching baking classes.

Together with her husband Duane, and three home schooled children (one in college, one college graduate), they have operated The Urban Homemaker, a family business specializing in bread baking equipment and products for better health in the spirit of Titus Two, for seventeen years.

She has published articles in various Christian Women's Magazines including The Homemaker's Forum, Open Arms, The Old Schoolhouse, New Harvest Homestead, TEACH magazine, The Urban Homemaker and other magazines and periodicals since 1991.

Her desire is to see busy families recover their health, re-learn the lost arts of cooking and baking with whole food ingredients and return to the family dinner table.