What's a Girl to Do?

Underground bunkers, radiation-resistant suits, 10 million gallon water tanks.  Most of us have seen or heard of examples of extreme paranoia, prepping.  We live on 13 acres, and have a mini-farm, and while we certainly believe in being prepared, we don't have the time, money or the (in)sanity to go all out.  There are things that each of us can do, regardless of where we live, that will help ensure our survival and/or relative comfort when disaster or power outages or whatever else comes.  And they will come, in one form or another.  I know it's hard to think and prepare in advance for a lot of us, and easy to convince ourselves everything will always be okay, but a little time invested in this brings peace of mind knowing that you've done all you can or want to do to help your family through hard times.

You could make up an emergency plastic tub or box and keep it somewhere fairly easy to access.

List 1 (Very Basic of Basics)

1. Flashlights with Extra Batteries

2.  Extra Water    (Especially if on city-water with no well or spring back-up)  We are on a spring, but we have quite a bit extra stored in our cellar, because our spring occasionally freezes up or gets clogged with mud.  We use empty vinegar and juice bottles to store our water.

3.  Extra food     Pre-packaged snacks that have a long shelf life, dry beans and rice for dinners (they have a shelf life of 20+ years if stored properly) and a way to cook them (camp stove, wood stove, gas grill), BPA-free canned goods (Kroger or organic).  You could also buy vegetables and/or meat in bulk and learn to "can" them, or preserve them in jars.  It's really not hard.

4.  A way to stay warm if your heat goes out and you have no backup (fireplace, wood stove)   If you can afford it, seriously consider quality sleeping bags that protect against very cold weather, and some kind of quality warm clothing that will help you stay warm.  There's always the possibility that the electricity could be off for extended periods of time, even days or weeks if the grid ever goes out.

5.  Extra diapers/baby supplies for those with babies just in case you can't get to the store


List 2 (Extended Preparation)

1.  Oil Lamps, extra oil, and wicks for times of extended electricity outage   We have used ours in the last month during an ice storm.  Our electricity was out for an entire day and part of the night.

2.  Generator   This is on our "to get" list for 2014.  I would like a way to at least keep our deep freeze and our hot-water heater running.  I don't relish the idea of having to cook up all the meat in our freezer to save it, especially with no electricity for the stove.  My sister got one with an electric start button backup, which I thought was nifty for women like me who don't enjoy yanking hard on cords to get things started.  You can get a pretty good one in the $300-600 range.  Find one here: http://amzn.to/1e1xRhi

3.  Hand-Cranked Radio     We SO used this during the last ice storm.  Okay, so we just listened to Christmas music and football on it, but it has broadband, so we could stay informed during a disaster or very bad weather.  It also has battery back-up.  Definitely worth the investment.  Here are some reasonably priced ones: 
http://amzn.to/1e1xRhi

While these lists are definitely not all-inclusive, they do make for a very good start in being more prepared for whatever may come.  I don't know about ya'll, but I've been feeling more and more like bad things could happen that we need to be prepared for.  It's an uncertain world at best.

The last thing I would encourage everyone to do in one form or another is GROW YOUR OWN FOOD!  Even if you never preserve or put up any extra, having it fresh in season is invaluable.  So much healthier for you, especially if you use all-natural gardening techniques with no poisons.  Things can be grown in raised beds, in pots on porches and decks, and even on a windowsill in your house.  Some very nutritious herbs do well in pots inside (parsley, basil, cilantro, and more).

You could a very small amount each week and work toward building your emergency stash, and storing water is free.  Make a list of things you would like to do to be prepared, and baby-step it along until you reach all your goals.

Hope this has helped someone be inspired to do something, big or small, towards making their family more prepared for emergency, bad weather, or other disaster.

You could budget as little as $10 a week and work on building your stash, and storing water is free.  Hope this helps or encourages someone to go out and make your home a little more prepared for the future.