I am working on a budget for food storage and emergency supplies.

Over the next week my husband and I will have many conversations about prepping, emergency preparedness, family preparedness and food storage.  Our kids will be away with their grandparents so this it the time that we can have extended, uninterrupted conversations about this stuff.

I want to get a plan together for gathering the needed supplies. I have already started a list of things I want to accomplish.  Here are a few things on the list.

1. car emergency kits - water, food, blanket, first aid kit, flashlight, batteries, light sticks, etc.
2. 72 hour grab and go back packs - 
3. update my purse with items for emergencies
4. food storage plan.

Prepping on a Small Budget

I came across this article this evening and it is exactly everything that I was compiling for a post here.  I couldn't have said it better than this blogger.

http://apartmentprepper.com/?p=2226

I love all the suggestions in this article.  I use many of these suggestions as I prep.

Head on over and read it today.

Our First Aid Kit

I need to take a photo of this for you all.  I got this idea from a blog Prepared LDS Family who got the idea from somewhere else.  I love this and it has really helped us keep our supplies together. Plus this is easily transportable.

We keep our first aid kit in a tool box now.  Actually ours is probably an art box.  There is a removable tray on the top so we have two layers for items.  In the bottom we store various boxes of bandaids of different sizes, shapes and materials.  We have waterproof ones, fabric ones, regular ones, big ones, little ones, ones that go over your knee, around your knuckle, you get the idea.  We also have a box of alcohol wipes, anti itch cream and an ace bandage.  I also keep a clean cotton cloth in there.  The top layer is for smaller items like loose bandaids, tweezers, scissors, and medications like Tylenol, Advil, Neosporin, etc.  I love that it is all in one place and it is organized.  Prior to this method we had a haphazzard first aid kit in a small box under the sink in the bathroom.  Some of our items were scattered through the house too.  So you had to hunt for what you were looking for.  Now it is all in one place and if we go camping, we grab the box and go.  If we need to evacuate quickly we can grab the box and go.  So easy.

About first aid supplies:  I also keep a small first aid kit in my purse.  I used to keep a first aid kit in the car too.  It was really handy when the kids were really small and they would fall and bump their knees.  I need to get a first aid kit for the car back in the car, well one for each of our cars would be nice.  I also have a small first aid kit for my 72 hour grab and go bag (bug out bag).  In it is the basics - bandaids, hand sanitizer, first aid spray (like Bactine).  Not much.  Ideally it would be good to grab our big kit to go with us.

We purchased the bulk of these items when I needed to spend some money in my flex benifits plan from work.  It was getting late in the year and I some money left over.  Our plan at the time allowed for first aid supplies and over the counter medications.  I stocked up on these items.  Now our plan doesn't allow for them so I pick them up as I see them on clearance or on sale in the grocery stores or pharmacies.

Like Grandparents-Like Grandchild

Years ago, like 20 years ago my grandfather died.  My father and I went to his house a few months later to clean out some of his items.  My grandmother had died several years before my grandfather.  We were in the basement and I noticed a stash of canned goods.  I was young and not of the mind I am today.  I mentioned to my dad that they had a lot of food stored in the basement (when I mean a lot it was maybe 40-50 cans).  My dad said yes that they always kept a bit extra food just in case they couldn't get to the store or in case of a winter storm.  Made sense to me and nothing more was said.  My dad was the cook in our house and he always kept a stocked pantry too.

Fast forward many years and I am having a conversation with my mother about emergencies and disaster, in general terms this conversation was.  Nothing serious and nothing alerting.  She told me that my uncle had gone to my grandparents and told them that in case of a nuclear attack that they needed to have extra food and supplies ready for them to survive.  So he convinced them (she said) to buy all this extra food and it sat for years for the nuclear attack to never come.  She said it was such a waste of money and she was so glad that my dad and her weren't sucked in to spending a ton of money on needless food for an attack that would never happen.  Oh, I remember now, we were talking about bomb shelters back in the 50's and 60's.  This purchase of the stock of food was in the 70's apparently.  I remember when we were talking about it that it made sense to me to be prepared and I remember thinking that my mom was so reckless in her opinions and her idea that nothing will happen and she will be fine.

I know that my dad was a smart man, and I know that my dad enjoyed having a variety of items on hand at any given time.  He loved his stocked freezers and his stocked pantry.  I can only wonder if he was storing food for the "just in case" too.  Even if my mom thought it was foolish to stockpile food I wonder if he did anyway, secretly by just keeping our pantry full.

And now today, as I stock my pantry, purchase extra supplies for first aid kits, 72 hour bug out bags, and stock our trailer for the "just in case", I know I can't tell my mother about it.  I know that if I did she would think of me as being foolish, wasteful, and worrying about something that will never happen.

I keep this all a secret.  This blog. My pantry. My prepping.  It protects me and keeps me safe.

Disaster Preparedness Brochure

AMAZING AGAIN!  Today I was at an expo at my county.  There were lots of booths there that had to do with new technology the county is using or thinking of using, local businesses and banks, and other vendors.  I walked past this one county service that is a medical volunteer group.  They are a group of volunteers and they go out and help with flu vaccines, medical clinics, and such.  This volunteer was very nice and before we left his booth he handed me a brochure.  I thanked him and went on my way.  I looked at the brochure and lo and behold it is a brochure on disaster preparedness!  God works in great ways.  I think I was supposed to start this blog and blog about all things preparedness.

The brochure does a really good job of covering the basics.  It has three simple steps:
1.  Get a kit.
2. Make a plan,
3. Stay informed.

The kit they are talking about is a 3-Day kit.
You should include the following for each member of your family to last three days.

• food that won't spoil, such as canned goods and packaged foods 
• water, one gallon per person per day
• a working battery-operated radio and extra batteries
• a written family emergency plan

Once you have those items you are to add:

• flashlights and extra batteries
• first aid kit including a list of allergies and extra contact lenses or glasses
• a written list of your prescriptions and the prescribing doctor(s) and at least a week's supply of medications
• Sanitation supplies: toilet paper, soap, plastic garbage bags, and personal hygiene items
• change of clothing, sturdy shoes and a blanket or sleeping bag.
• food and water for your pets
• special items for infant, elderly or disabled family members

Once you have the kit you are to make a plan:

• discuss with your family the types of possible emergencies and disasters that threaten the area you live in and what to do in each case.
• Talk with school personnel to learn how they handle emergencies and how you will be informed if an emergency occurs.
• Know where you will go if you have to evacuate your home and how you can take your pets.
• Decide on a meeting place, and choose an out of town friend or family member to be a contact person.
• Keep all important phone numbers with you at all times, just in case.

Now your job is to stay informed:

• You should keep up with local up to date information before, during and after a disaster.
• Follow any orders to evacuate or remain in your home.
• Keep informed of weather watches and warnings and educate yourself on what to do in these times
• Keep your battery-powered radio in working condition and make sure you have extra batteries in case the electricity goes out.

Here are a few links that I have found to help with preparing an emergency kit.

http://www.ready.gov/

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/

http://72hours.org/

Pending Doom: A Skill Set for Success

Over the last several years whenever I take up a new craft or attempt to learn a new skill by husband will tease me about "preparing for pending doom".  Or "PD" as we call it in our home.

This evening I was quilting and started thinking about our conversations and the various skills I have taught myself over the years that would be helpful in a pending doom situation. I can make quilts and I quilt by hand.  I can knit and crochet and I have knitted sweaters, hats, socks, mittens, scarves and bags.  I can sew with a sewing machine and by hand.  I can cook and bake from scratch.  I can bake bread.  I can cook over hot coals if need be.  I can cook using my grill as a "stove".  I can can foods.  I make a great jam and canned pickles and other foods. I can re-purpose items.  I can garden and grow all sorts of produce including fruit.

I never took home economics in school so many of these skills were learned as an adult.

There are a few skills though that I would like to learn how to do.

I want to learn how to shoot a gun.  A handgun and a shotgun or rifle.  I think this is an important skill.
I want to take a refresher course in first aid.
I want to learn how to identify and use edible plants in the wild.

We own a few books that also help us with other skills that we don't necessarily need to learn now but to be able to do if needed.

My husband has a pretty wide skill set for PD as well.  He can fix just about anything. He can build simple structures.  He can cut firewood, create a good fire, and he knows how to shoot a gun.

http://www.amazon.com/Self-Sufficient-Life-How-Live/dp/0756654505/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313629696&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Acres-Enough-Self-Sufficiency-Back---Land/dp/0972177086/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313629779&sr=1-2

We also have the Army Survival Manual.  

What other skills do you think I need?

Hurricane Preparedness

Just this evening on the local news they had a story about preparedness.  It is amazing how when you start to think about a subject sometimes information begins to pop out at you everywhere.  Tonight's news article was about being prepared for a hurricane.  Several years back we had a hurricane come this far inland and it devastated the city.  Trees were toppled over, electricity was out for weeks, and for several days our water was compromised.

I remember that time well.  We had been at the beach and we left early because we knew the hurricane was coming.  We came home to our house and when we arrived we found out that the track of the storm would likely go right over where we lived.  Not to worry.  Our house was stable, we were so far inland that we expected the storm to likely weaken, and we had necessary supplies.  We had about 24 hours to prepare for the storm.  We knew we would likely lose power as we often lost power in regular rainstorms and sometimes just with a stiff breeze.  We had plenty of candles, lanterns, and flashlights.  We secured anything not tied down in the yard and we cleaned out our rain gutters. We had plenty of food in the house and had the other essentials (milk, bread, toilet paper).   We woke early the next day (the day the storm was to come) and my husband suggested that he go out and get some ice.  He ran out and bought 80 lbs of ice and loaded it in the freezers.  We lost power early but didn't worry.  That evening we grilled on the screened porch in the pouring down rain.  We could hear tree limbs cracking and falling and we could hear some trees fall too.  We were safe though in our house.

The next morning we went out to inspect the damage.  Fortunately we didn't have much damage at all.  We had a few limbs fall and one cracked the top rung on our fence but that was all.  Our neighbors however fared much worse than we did.  There was significant damage due to downed trees.  There were power lines down everywhere.  Some roads were blocked by the trees and the power lines.  Travel was difficult in some places.  Since we didn't have power we thought we would go out to eat breakfast.  Apparently everyone else in the town had the same idea.  We went to a local grocery store when we realized that what few restaurants that were open were packed.  The grocery store was so crowded and everyone was buying food that was easy to eat or prepackaged meals.  We hadn't thought about everyone going out the day after and buying everything they could.  We weren't panicked and we ended up not buying anything but going back home.  We had food there.

Over then next couple days we learned quickly to cook most everything and anything on the grill.  We had plenty of propane and cast iron skillets and pots.  We cooked pancakes and eggs in the mornings, grilled cheese sandwiches at lunch, soups, spaghetti, and of course grilled meats and veggies for dinners.  We didn't have power for 14 days. In the process that ice that my husband had gotten at the last minute saved much of our food for a few days so we could eat more of it and not have to throw it out.  After 4 days or so we did have to throw out everything left in the freezer.  We then went to buying any refrigerated items on a daily basis.  We learned a lot about this event.

We love our cast iron cookware and while we use it almost daily we love that it can perform double duty and work on the grill in an emergency.

We learned that it is so helpful to have a plan from the start so you don't have to go out in the crowds immediately following a disaster.  We should have stayed home and not left for a few days.  But we were able to see first hand the crowds.  While these crowds on that day were civil with each other in another emergency they may not be so civil.  There could be riots, looting, and violence.  I had my children with me and that could have been a very dangerous situation.

Fast forward to today.  Am I ready for another hurricane?  I am not sure.  I need to work on this idea.

Here are some things I do know:
1. I feel confident that I can handle our basic needs for a few days with our supply of food in our house.  It isn't much, like months worth of food but it will get us through for several days if need be.
2. I feel confident that our supply of flashlights, candles, and lanterns will get us through for several days.  I need to check on our supply of extra batteries.
3.  I feel confident that we would be able to adequately prepare prior to an upcoming storm given a day or two notice that it is coming.
4.  I am not confident that we have additional tarps, plastic, duct tape, and other supplies if damage occurs to our house where we need to do some immediate temporary repairs to it.

The news article talks about stocking up on these items:
1. have at least 3 days of food and water that you can prepare or eat without power to cook it.
2. stock up on tarps, duct tape, plastic, etc for quick repairs.
3. have an emergency plan.
4. have at least 3 days of batteries for flashlights, lanterns, and other lighting sources.
5. have additional personal supplies like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and hygiene items as well as prescription meds and pet food.

I am going to begin making a list of items that will help us be prepared for this kind of emergency.