Canned foods like soup, vegetables, chile, and potted meats can last for years when stored in a cool dry place. |
When people who are new to preparedness begin to consider how woefully unprepared they actually are, one of the first instincts can be to rush out and begin purchasing MREs, guns, ammo, and water purifiers. This is usually tempered by the reaction to this first instinct, which is “I don’t have that kind of money! This could cost me a lot to get prepared!”
Not quite. Sure, if you were to rush out and go from 0 to 100mph right away, it would undoubtedly put a dent into your wallet, but this is not necessary.
The basics begin with establishing a supply sufficient to allow you to shelter in place for 3-days. If a natural disaster strikes, you should have enough food, water, energy (in the form of fuel, batteries, etc) cash, and first aid supplies for you to simply remain in your dwelling for 3-days and nights. If you’re prudent, you probably already have this. However if you’re the type who regularly discovers that it’s time for dinner and the pantry and refrigerator are bare, you’ve got some changes to make.
Begin with a simple inventory of what you consume on a daily basis. If it’s just yourself, this may not be much, but if you have a spouse and kids and pets, you will also need to consider and take account of what they consume and use on a daily basis. Count everything: toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, food, fuel (in the form of gasoline, electricity, propane or natural gas) for transportation or to cook and heat things, water, as well as your normal day-to-day financial expenditures.
At the end of your little 3-day experiment, add up all of these items and then look around your home. Do you have enough to last a few days without shopping? If not, it may be time to take an earlier than normal trip to the grocery store or supermarket to replace the things you already use on a daily basis. Make sure to get at least a weeks supply. From a budgetary perspective, you can treat this just as you would every other trip to the store. It may come a little bit early, but you’re not buying anything you wouldn’t normally buy anyway.
The next step is to keep an eye on the levels of consumables left in your home as you go about your life. Now that you have 7 days of supplies laid out, don’t let it drop below the 3-day minimum threshold. Low on toilet paper? Time to take a trip to the store again. Pantry looking a bit empty? Replenish the food that’s been used. Only have 1 pack of AA batteries left? You know the drill: replace and replenish!
If your budget doesn’t seem capable of handling the above, it’s time to reevaluate that as well. Financial preparedness is just as important, if not more so, than other forms of preparedness. The majority of people in the United States live paycheck to paycheck, or even worse on credit, and are literally one minor unexpected and unavoidable expense away from catastrophe. Don’t be one of those people.
Once you have these basic staples squared away you can begin considering how to tackle the next step and have alternative energy or backup fuel sources, in addition to getting a first aid kit that is properly squared away. One step at a time you can ensure you’re able to survive any little hurdle life throws your way.
[…] From Daniel. […]
Daniel S,
Sound advice, and you have a good start on a 3-day kit.
Keep it up.
Sincerely, SYK