Tag Archives: prepping

Preparing for the 2022 Season

How does one prepare for this 2022 season? A season where we are already seeing severe grocery price increases, soaring fuel costs, shortages on the store shelves and wars raging in other countries.

I have been busying thinking about the additional efforts and ways I can save money and prepare for the challenges that we all are facing. It can be overwhelming but we must consider what we can control and focused on the things we can do rather than the things we can’t control.

To break things down, I have created a short list of things I can do.

  • Stock up on additional staples
  • Have a well stocked food pantry
  • Buy extra things when on sale or with coupons
  • Plan on expanding my garden for the coming season
  • Drive less and plan my trips wisely to save gas
  • Save money and keep additional cash on-hand

I know many people are saying that these are things that they already do or that we should always be focusing on but with the urgent situations that we are facing, I think that additional emphasis should be made on these basic ideas.

Remember the old adage “One is none and two is one.” I think 3 or 4 is one now. Watch for sales and stock up. Cut out those coupons and watch for store discounts. If you use retail apps, use them to save money and get discounts where ever and whenever possible.

Buy garden seeds even if you have a stock of them. You may need them in the near future and prices are only going higher. Buy fertilizer and other garden supplies now for the coming year(s) as who knows what you can buy with these shortages in the future. Prepare to plant a larger garden than you had last year. If you didn’t have a garden in the past, plan to have a least a small garden or some container pots to grow some veggies this year. Every little bit helps and homegrown veggies are so much richer in nutrients and tastier than store-bought ones.

Lastly save some money. Have some cash on hand. Cash is king and it’s always a good idea to have some extra money should things get tight as I believe we are all seeing in our world today. But one final useful idea to share, plan now and don’t be anxious for anything but pray about everything.

0

Making do with what you have

I wanted to write a post about making do with what you have. What I am referring to is needing something at home that you don’t have. Maybe the weather is bad and you can’t get to the store to make that special meal you had in mind. Maybe you need some laundry soap and have run out. Maybe you need a cup of milk for a recipe and realize you only have a splash left in your milk jug. Or did you forget to buy that whatever and find you need it now with no way to get it?

Image credit: WireCharm – DeviantArt

I think you see my point. You need something you don’t have so what do you do? My husband has a saying he likes to repeat to me. Two is one and one is none. You may have heard this phrase before as it is all about being prepared and planning. Are you ready for that next big snow storm, power outage, or SHTF situation.

Plan, be prepared and ready for whatever maybe coming. Learn to improvise and have a stocked pantry and a contingency plan. If you don’t have that certain something, how can you get by without it or substitute something else in its place?

Let’s see how we can work through these issues. In the case of no laundry soap, how about using a homemade mix of baking soda and borax or even some cheap shampoo would work. In the case of a missing food ingredient, why not have some dehydrated or powdered milk that you can substitute. Go shopping in your pantry and see what you have on hand that you can use. I love the idea “shopping” in my pantry. This is where the two is one and one is none really pays off. Buy things when they are on sale so you have extra items in your pantry. It is always very rewarding to go into my pantry and pick up that extra item that I need without the worry of running to the store or going without.

Making do with what you have doesn’t necessarily mean going without. Plan ahead and be prepared. This is the key so go forth and be ready!

0

Homemade Grill from a Can


Check out this homemade grill that you can make from a tin can. This idea was shared on Living Off the Grid.

Its a wonderful way to improvise and make a grill from a recycled can. Even if you didn’t have charcoal, you could use coals from a fire to make yourself a small useful cooking grill. So tuck this idea into your prepping knowledge bank and remember it should you need it the future.

1

Stocking Up and Prepping

With hurricane Sandy’s devastation in the news, I can’t help but be reminded to stock up and do more prepping. The stories are just heart-breaking and many people just aren’t prepared to go without power for days or do without going to the grocery store for daily needs. For those that do have preparations ready for just such a disaster, I applaud you. But it is a good time to review your emergency preparedness and go over the what if scenarios. After reading some of the challenges facing people after hurricane Sandy, here are a few things to consider.

Do you have enough water available to drink, flush the toilet, and wash up with?

Do you have food on hand that you can eat without cooking, such as peanut butter, canned fruits or meats, crackers, bread, etc?

Is there an alternative to electric cooking? Do you have a BBQ you can cook on or a woodstove you can cook on or in? Maybe you have a fireplace, do you have a dutch oven you can place in the fireplace or on your woodstove for cooking?

How much food do you have on hand that you and your family can eat? Do you have enough for at least a week, a month, or maybe even a year? Prepping for long term can be expensive but if you buy an extra jar of peanut butter or a can of tuna each trip to the store you will soon begin to build your pantry.

Do you have batteries for your flashlights and portable radio? Many people without power still from hurricane Sandy say that their portable radio is the only way that they can get news and hear the latest information. Make sure you have fresh batteries on hand and that your portable radio works.

How about keeping clean? I mentioned above about having some water available for washing up. Maybe you don’t have enough water for this luxury. Maybe think about buying a few packages of baby wipes for washing yourself up.

Anyway these are just a few things to consider. I could list many more things but sometimes it’s good to just stick to the basics. Every little bit helps, so think ahead and don’t be one of those people who hasn’t at least made a few preparations for power outages, storms, and other such challenges.

1

Mountain House Sale

It is the last week for the 20-25% off sale of Mountain House canned foods at Emergency Essentials. Storing of dehydrated and freeze-dried foods such as Mountain House is an outstanding way to prep and have foods on hand should you not be able to go to the store and buy it.

These cans are ideal for use in home storage or emergency preparedness. Did you know that they can have a shelf life of up to 25 years? So why not buy some today while they are still on sale and put up a few extra items in your long-term home food pantry. Remember you never know when you may be faced with a situation where you will have to rely on your pantry to feed you and your family. It’s always wise to be prepared.

0

Food for Thought

I recently read a book that asked the question, what would you do if you couldn’t go to Walmart for groceries and other supplies? What if something happened that caused a situation where there was no way to get to a store or if you could, the shelves would be empty. Frightening thought isn’t it?

Now mind you while I find Walmart and other such super stores handy and to have good prices, but I’m not reliant on them for my daily needs. But the issue here is the availability of things you might need in a emergency not whether or not Walmart is open.

Okay here is the food for thought issue — Picture this scenario.

A big ice storm has just hit your area. Many large trees have fallen and power has been knocked out in your community. You dig out a battery operated radio and find some batteries to fire it up to listen in on a local broadcast about the conditions. According to news reports, thousands of people are without power, local roads are closed due to downed trees and very icy conditions. High winds and snow showers are continuing which is causing power crews hazardous conditions as they attempt to repair downed power lines. State Patrol and Department of Transportation is warning citizens to stay home and off roadways until the weather and highway conditions improved. Advisories are being issued that should people ignore warnings and attempt to travel that should they do so at their own risk. As emergency crews are so limited should people run into problems venturing out against warnings, calls for aid will not be answered until which time personnel and resources can respond in a safe manner. Power company officials are warning that it may take several days to restore power to its customer but conditions currently are hampering all efforts to make repairs to broke transmission lines and to remove the many trees that remain across lines…

So are you ready? Do you have some food in the house you can prepare without power to eat for the next couple of days until conditions improve? Remember you can’t go out to the store now to buy what you need. This is where prepping or making preparations in advance pays off. Do you have a woodstove or fireplace you can use for heat? Do you have extra batteries on hand to run your radio so you can keep informed?

It may only be a day or so but are you prepared to survive without a grocery store or other modern conveniences? So back to the topic of this post as this is all food for thought. Make sure you have some extra food stored up that you can prepared without power. Learn to cook on your woodstove or have other cooking options available that you can fall back on should you not have electricity. Have water stored up that you can use if your water source is not functioning. But most of all consider how to prepare and be ready should something of this nature happen because sooner or later it will happen and you want to be ready.

2