Sustaining your family

An amazing news on the status of many friends right now is a foreboding or feeling of impending incident that is on the horizon. Some could be the after effects of disappointment on politics not going as planned but what if it's more?

In many of the blogs, messages and even on Pinterest I have seen a surge in prepping or become self sufficient. This is a topic that I have been interested in for sometime, which in some respects has kept me quiet about the subject due to opinions of others that I could be a religious nut (which to some level I am), in a cult, radical or militant (No gun hoarding here!).

So where do I fall? I believe in preparing for the uncertainty of the times we are living in. Whether it be from crazy storms or economy collapse or a future war (Oversea or on our soil). I see no reason that one shouldn't know simple ways to get along if the power goes out for the weekend or longer.

I have wrote on Preparedness in older posts, check out my Labels!

Where do you start?

The easy stuff-
Candles/Lantern
Matches
Flashlights
Extra batteries
Spare clothes
Easy to prepare food
Battery operated Radio/Hand crank NOAA Radio
Hand crank for cell phone
Blankets
Child needs
Womanly needs
Water
Gas/Kerosene/Lamp Oil
Generator
First aid kit
Can opener

The longer the outage or problem on top of the above items you may want to add other things.

Check out your local library/thrift/antique shop for books on:
Homesteading
Living off the grid
Prepping
Herbs/gardening
Canning
Farming
Small scale/backyard farming
Blogs
Pinterest- OH MY GOSH SUPER ADDICTING. Watch for the time warp. I swear I lose hours drooling over the ideas that I will never do. BIG CHEESY GRIN!

Call local Extension Center, State Park, Boy/Girl scout (kids) for information outdoor skills, canning or survival. Don't break the bank these things! Start small! Buy a few extra canned goods or dry goods a week if you can swing it. Start canning all year around when produce/meat is on sale. Look to yard sales, rummage sale/thrift/antique stores to find things you needs. Freecycle.org is great to find things and to also get rid of the clutter in your home.

I can't see paying hundreds or thousands of dollars on some of these homesteading/survival seminars. Educate yourself. There are a ton of blogs on these subjects! Network in your area with like-minded folks. Be safe and keep aware of local and world wide events once in a while.

Now as long as it's not zombies we are all good! Joke around here. My biggest fear, besides my ex, is zombies...

God bless!

Mel

More on Emergency Preparedness

Here's the rub, without my religious beliefs thrown in about Tribulation times...

If our world economy keeps going the way it is our country can be a big crisis.

OR

If you subscribe to the whole Mayan calendar theory...

OR

Maybe it is just a bad storm

OR

You have to leave your home with minimal items for some reason

What will you do if you can't use your cell phone?

If you have no electricity? No microwaves, sewing machines, fridge or dare I say it computer!

No running water

Perhaps you can't even use your car or public transportation!

Now what? Can you feed you and your family or pets for a week or 30 days?

What do you have in your fridge? Oh remember the power is out, so what you have in there now won't keep long!

Pantry items?

Not someone that cooks?! HMMM! Sounds like your in trouble!

It's cold outside now do you know how to make a real fire? Do you know the items besides a stick, string or gas that you can use to make a fire. Going on the theory you may not have a lighter on hand.

Kerosene does last longer then gasoline and can be used in oil lamps! Yes those old fashioned things you see in old re-runs of Little House on the Prairie.

For an extra $5 a week you can grab an extra Mac n' cheese, 5 lbs of flour and perhaps a few cans of soup.

It's not too late to start a small stockpile of things in case of emergency.

We do an Aldi run and pick up things here and there to have it on hand for the if SHTF (*hit Hits The Fan) scenrio. It can't hurt! Picking up OTC medication is helpful, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers and wipes.

Suppose after 30 days you survive whatever. Can you barter for more food? Do you have a garden? Do you have canned items? Can you sew (without a machine!)? Do you have farm animals to trade eggs or milk or meat?

I plan on learning all I can about farm animals going to try chickens, goats, rabbits, and bee keeping, I can use the goat milk for of course milk, cheese and these animals can be used for meat if need be. Which brings me to bee's! Honey, candle wax and to pollinate my garden!


I challenge you to start preparing now! Check out Cafemom (Ladies free to join) there are several homesteading and emergency preparedness groups. Check Yahoogroups or just Google SHTF or Emergency preparedness. Be informed and plan ahead

Emergency Preparedness- Medical kit

I didn't take a picture of this one. Sorry!

We took advantage of a few Buy 1 get 1 deals, hit Aldi, resale shops, garage sales and just had a small stash of things of our own to add to our kit. It goes beyond a few bandages and some asprin.

Think about the possiblity of keeping a bit of spare medication that you need monthly. Even if it is a weeks worth. Of course rotating your stock of med's is necessary. The arguement and studies of how long medication lasts is questionable. Do your own research and ask a doctor if need be.

We were crusing Wally world and Terry found this really neat looking tackle bag that is suited for our needs. Oh, alright! I'll take a picture later. LOL!

Maybe all this seems like overkill or just silly to someone. What can it hurt?
Again, we used Excel to make the our list in. We can add categories or take them away. Of course add or subtract things we don't use or do use. Do what works for you!

As the Boy Scout motto goes- "Be prepared!"

Item	Quantity	Size	Expires
Safety pins	21
Rectal Thermometer	1
Curved sharp/blunt Scissors	1
Kelly Hemostat Forceps	1
X-Acto blades	3
X-Acto Knife	1
Nail Clippers	1
Small tooth comb	1
Tweezers	2
Dental picks	2
Perineal Ice pack	2
Ice pack	1
Stethoscope	1
Blood pressure cuff	1
Masks	19
Tongue Depressor	4 1/2
Cotton balls	40
Q-tips	55
10 cc syringes	4
Needles	7
Latex Med gloves	6
Alcohol Wipes	23
Dermoplast Antibact spray	1
Oragel	1	.25 oz	11-Aug
Lysol Spray	1	1.0 oz
Carmex	1	.35 oz
Surgical Lube Sterile	1	2 oz	12-Jul
Calamine Lotion	1
Hydrogen Peroxide	1
Rhuli Anti-itch gel	1	2 oz
Hemorid	1	1 oz	Dec-98
Aspercreme	1	1.25 oz	Feb-97
Triple Antibiotic cream	1	.33 oz	12-Mar
Triple Antibiotic cream	1	1 oz	10-Mar
Neosprin	1	0.5 oz	7-Jun
Antibacterial get	1	1 oz
Murine Ear Drops	1	0.5 oz	6-Nov
Refresh Tears	1	0.5 oz	2-Nov
Daytime Bengay	1	1 oz
Westcort Cream	1	0.2 oz	Oct-99
Ear Wax Remover	1
1 tsp Medicine syringe	1
Huge band-aids	6
Ex Large band-aids	6
Large band-aids	1
Finger band-aids Large	48
Medium band-aids	97
Small band-aids	2
Round band-aids	20
Gauze Sponge	11	4x4
Gauze Sponge	5	2x2
Sterile Pads	10	3x3
Sterile Pads	10	2x2
Non-stick pads	12	2x3
Non-stick pads	8	1 1/2x2
ABD pad	1	8x71/2
ABD pad	1	5x9
All purpose sponges	5
Gauze	2	2
Gauze	1	1
Ace Bandages	3
Tape rolls	3
First Aid Tape Waterproof	1
Baby Powder	1
Iodine	1	8 oz
Antacids	15
Vitamin C 500 mg	18
Valtrex 500 mg	14
Cystex Urinary pain tablets	6
Azo Cranberry (rrinary sup)	15
Azo Cranberry (urinary sup)	2
Ibuprofen	87
Advil	7
Nasal decongestant	20
Advil Cold & Sinus	7
Anti-Diarrheal	9
Acetominphen	47
Oxycodone	9
Antihistamine	10
Benadryl	64

Emergency Preparedness- Pantry

Our Pantry!  It's nothing like some stock piles I have seen on some TV shows. It's just good sized for our closet in the apartment. Terry fashioned a rack for the door, and awhile back he made a shelf for inside the closet. We emptied out the cabinets and what was on the inside cabinet. Took inventory of what we had and then put it back all nice and neat!

So when we are down a few cans I head back to store (usually Aldi) to grab what it is we are out of. Making sure to place the new stuff to rotate our stock.  We have enough food for at least 30 to 60 days depending on how well we ration the food. I'm hoping this is something we never have to find out!

I also have a "Go bag" and a medical kit for emergencies as well. I will post both in a day or so...

Google survival, go bags or check out some homemaking links for great tips. Now you do not have to feel like you can't do this, all it takes is gathering a few more cans or boxes of food on a shopping trip. It took us a couple of weeks to get what we have. Choose what you know you will eat!

Think dried meats, pasta, beans, canned tuna, spam and things that will last longer. Have fun! This is just a small sampling of some of the things we have. (We put the inventory into a Excel spreadsheet.)

Canned Roast Beef 2 8 oz 8 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Second shelf Coffee 2 2 lb  4 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Second shelf Corn 12 15.25 oz 12 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Third shelf Cut Green Beans 6 14.5 oz 6 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Third shelf French Style Green Beans 12 14.5 oz 12 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Third shelf Sweet Peas 1 15 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Third shelf Mixed Veggies 1 15 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Third shelf Kidney Beans Light Red 1 15.5 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Third shelf Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches 6 29 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Third shelf Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches 1 15 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Third shelf Pineapple Chunk 5 20 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Third shelf Apple Sauce 2 15 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Third shelf Fruit Cocktail 1 15 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Third shelf Pear Halves 4 15.2 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Third shelf Chicken Noodle Soup 12 10.5 oz 12 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Fourth shelf Cream of Mushroom 12 10.5 oz 12 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Fourth shelf Veggie Beef 3 10.5 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Fourth shelf Cream of Chicken 12 10.5 oz 12 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Fourth shelf Cream of Celery 7 10.5 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Fourth shelf Baked Beans 2 28 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Fifth shelf Chicken Flavor Soup Base 1 16 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Fifth shelf Beef Flavor Soup Base 1 16 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Fifth shelf Chicken Broth 4 14 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Fifth shelf Beef Broth 5 14 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Fifth shelf Diced Tomatoes 1 28 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Sixth shelf Stewed Tomatoes 2 14.5 oz 5/30/2011 Main/Pantry Sixth shelf	8	9.7 oz	8	5/30/2011	Main/Pantry	Second Shelf

Are you prepared?

Around our house we have been in survival mode. Scary to say, but nowadays this is something you should think about. Our economy is so shaky right now do you have a plan if something hits the fan? Could you live without your cell phone?
What if the ATM's or banks close?
Do you have enough canned food that you can survive on?
Can you make a fire on your own?
Can you survive a natural or man made castrophe?

Ok, I'm not talking zombies! Though the CDC has a good hand on surviving this type of attack, I have a fear of zombies. But seriously, if something natural happens or if our economy continues to spiral, we should be prepared.

It's not hard to do! I will cover this over the next few weeks here or there. So to begin...

 

YOUR PERSONAL GO KIT / SURVIVAL KIT

 

 

   Let’s talk about National Preparedness Month. What essential items are you going to need if a major storm or some other event devastates your area?  Below are listed some suggested items you should have on hand and is not meant to be all inclusive.  Your personal situation will also drive what you will need to keep you going until the situation stabilizes.  

• Food for at least 2 days such as energy bars, canned meats, jerky, candy etc. The type of stuff that you like.
• Water - put at least a 12 pack in the trunk or your car.
• Flashlight & spare batteries - there may be extended power outages.
• Blankets
• Gasoline - Keep it filled.
• Money – power and telephone outages can cause ATM’s and card readers to stop working.  Get some money now (possibly $ 200 or $300).  Be prepared for several days of a cash only economy.
• Battery powered radio with weather band and spare batteries.
• Your medicines - if you are close to the end of a Rx get them refilled, get the over the counter products that you use; aspirin,  etc.
• A change of clothes, extra socks, sturdy shoes.
• Keep your cell-phones charged.
• Have essential telephone numbers for your family, doctor, co-workers.

 Next time I will show you our pantry, it's small, since we live an apartment, but we have enough food to cover us for at least 30 to 60 days.