As I updated my 72 hr kits the last 2 days, I got that excited feeling again...I know it is strange but I LOVE that feeling that I am prepared for whatever may come. As an anxiety prone person, my food storage and 72 hr kit are like my prozac:)
I also came across people who tell me they don't have 72 hr kits still or any food storage and it really worries me. I know I can' control everyone elses choices BUT I can make it easier for them. I believe that the #1 reason that people aren't prepared is because they feel overwhelmed. #2 reason is that they think it is too expensive, and they feel overwhelmed again.
With a family of 6, if I think about everything I need all at one time I will freak out. For me I break it apart piece by piece and day by day to make it manageable. Look at 1 month of food storage instead of the whole year....Get the very essentials in your 72 hour kit first and then work up to the rest.
There really isn't a good excuse that we aren't all prepared---we have heard it a million times from our government officials and from many church leaders.
A couple of years ago I was the Emergency preparedness specialist for my neighborhood and it involved a lot more than what I will do now. I just want to keep this blog more open for times when there are great deals to stock up on for your food storage, or to help you build your kits. *FYI Smiths grocery store has American Beauty pasta for $.49 a bag right now when you buy 10. This is an amazing deal to add to the 300 lbs of grain that is part of your 1 yr food storage plan. Dn't worry about it going bad too fast. Pasta is great for at least 2 years. I have had up to 100 bags of pasta and we eat it 2 times a month and I am able to rotate it just fine.
Powerade is .39 and great for dydration and to add to your water supply.
I love preparedness and I love getting awesome deals...so I try to stock up for things when the prices are awesome so I can save our family money at the same time. Everyone has different situations but I like to set aside $20 every paycheck for food storage and it makes a huge difference.
On the right hand side of this blog I have already done a list of things to add to your kits, so feel free to start there, or I am going to link to it at times as I kind of start from a different perspective...simple, simple, simple.
Seriously though, if you have some tax return money laying around:) and want to keep it simple and basic then buy an already prepared kit for each family member. I think I can do it less costly myself and personalize it for my family's needs--for instance none of my kid nor myself will eat MRE meals and those calorie bars are pretty gross as well. My kids will be stressed enough in an emergency I don't want to deal with fighting them to eat. Some say they will eat if they are starving, when it comes to food storage and 72 hr kits, but I think that is the wrong approach. You can store things your family likes and give them the comfort in a time of emergency. You can get one of these kits and add personal stuff to it as well.
If you want to start right away and have a few extra dollars, go and buy a 24-pack of water bottles. I have at least 1-16 oz bottle per day for 3 days for my kit. My kids are young and they can still carry a backpack with 3 bottles in it. I also read that if you are restricted on water thn don't drink anything for the first 24 hours unless sick, and then at least 8 oz every day after for survival. 
I stock up in summer when the prices get less than $2 but it really isn't a huge expense now and the most important item in an emergency! Everything else is good and useful, but without water there is %0 survival. During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina residents found themselves surrounded by water by worried they would not have enough fresh water to survive. Seriuosly, during a disaster it will be scary enough for ourselves and our family we shouldn't have to worry about surviving and knowing we could have bought $5 worth of water months before for our family.
No comments:
Post a Comment