Holidays are good times for prepping

The Holidays are quickly approaching and this can be a good time to add some items to your preparations at a discounted price.

Around Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas many stores have sales on items that can be essential to your preps. Keep an eye out for discounts on the following:

Halloween
1. Candy - need to keep some comfort food on hand for emergencies. Hard candies will store well and can provide a special treat for kids and adults a like. Hit the after Halloween sales and store some hard candies, mints or other long term treats.

2. Glow sticks - Around Halloween many stores sell the party version of outdoor glow sticks. While they will probably not be the best quality, the after holiday prices can make it easy to get a few extras for your car kits and your emergency storage at home. Remember after certain disasters, earthquakes for example, there may be natural gas leaks and using a glow stick for some low level lighting will avoid any chance of an accidental ignition.

Thanksgiving and Christmas
Thanksgiving and Christmas (and in to New Year) are cooking holidays, look for bargain prices on all kinds of food stuffs.

1. Can food. Can vegetables are often on sale. When you see a good price stock up on it.

2. Seasonal foods. Many stores don't carry canned pumpkin for example except around the holidays. Cranberries are also easier and cheaper to find. If you like it, buy it now.

3. Baking basics. For both Thanksgiving and Christmas many basic baking supplies go on sale. Stock up on flour, sugar, shortening, salt, baking soda and baking powder. The holidays are also a great time to practice your baking. Make loaves of your favorite bread to give out to family and friends.

4. Nuts. Always a traditional holiday treat when I was growing up, some bargain prices can be found around the holidays.

4. Frozen food. If you have a larger freezer (and you can provide emergency power if needed), take advantage of holiday sales on meats (particularly Turkeys), frozen veggies, etc.

Remember we all need to eat. Food in your cupboard is like money in the bank (actually better considering inflation reduced the value of your money and increased the costs of the things you buy).

Enjoy your Holidays! And enjoy the savings they can bring!!

Back to work

Well dear readers I have been away a long time but I intend to resurrect this blog and be much more dutiful in posting.

We're Cooking Now!! Wait, Got fuel?

If you lose power at your home how will you cook? Camping stove using propane or Coleman white gas? Bar-B-Q grill, make sure you have either propane or charcoal stocked up. Electric hot plate and crock pot - make sure you have a generator (with some gasoline stored) or a solar panel setup with deep cell battery (or batteries), charge controller and DC to AC inverted. Camp fire in the back yard? Those cool outdoor fireplaces they sell at Home Depot and Lowes will work in a pinch - just remember the wood and some matches!!

Better yet - have a few ways to cook and boil water (if your municipal water supply is contaminated). Remember - two is one and one is none.

You know, it's not hard to be prepared, you just need to think it over in advance (yes, plan!) and make sure you have the items you need to keep you going in case "normal life" decides to take a vacation for a few hours or a few days.

The most basic step - Water

Store water! I can't say it more directly. Before you do anything else in your preparations, get and store some water.

How much water? As much as you can. In my opion, at least 1 gallon per person per day, more if you can. When you consider drinking, cooking, cleaning and sanitation, 2 to 4 gallons per day would be even better.

You can start off easy and just buy a case of water in either 1/2 liter (500 ml) or 3/4 liter (750 ml) bottles - these are the common "sports bottles" that you see everywhere. It is a good idea to store a couple case of these smaller bottles even if you have water in larger containers too. The small bottles are easier to transport if you need to leave your home in an emergency. If you are buying your water pre-packaged, consider some larger containers as well such as 1 gallon PET bottles (PET is that clear plastic that is clear like glass). I also recommend some of the 2.5 gallon plastic water bottles for storage. However if you buy these get them by the case (2 2.5 gallon containers per box). The box will protect them and help them last longer. These containers are made from HDPE which tends to crack and leak over time. In my experience they will last about 2 years in the case.

You don't have to purchase pre-packaged water of course. Tap water is cheaper. Save 2 liter soda bottles, rinse them and fill them with water for storage. They are easily transportable and reusing is a cheap option.

Or if your budget will allow buy some some larger containers. I like the 7 gallon Aqua-tainer brand. They are very durable, though when they are full they will be heavy. Best to store for use at home, though if need be you can move them in a car or truck. They have a nice built-in spigot, too.

Lastly, do you need to treat your stored water? I do not. My municipal water system uses chlorine and there is plenty in the water already. Now, if the municipal water system is impaired or impacted in a disaster but it is still working, you will definitely want to treat, filter and / or boil your water before use, just to be on the safe side.

So, don't forget to store that water. You may never need it, but if you do - then you really do!

That's my thought on prep.

What's In Your Pocket (or Purse)?

You never know when the next emergency may come along. There are some basic items that you should keep in your pocket or purse. Now given, many people don't want to have to carry yet move stuff on their person every day. I agree. But because I want to have some abilities with me at all time I always carry a few items:

A knife - it wasn't too many years ago when most people probably carried a small folding pocket knife. Not so today. I always carry my Swiss Army knife. I have had people look at me with surprise when I pull it out to address one of the many common tasks that a good knife (especially one with a few tools) can handle. If you can (some people work in schools or other areas where any sort of "edged weapon" is forbidden) get a good pocket knife and carry it.

Multi-tool -just started carry one of these about a year ago. It is just a small Gerber model but I really like it and it gives me a pair of pliers (along with a small blade and a few other basic tools).

Flashlight - I carry a small Photon light. Very bright, easy to carry and handy. Bright white LED. When you need it nothing else can replace a good flashlight.

Lighter / matches - I live in the suburbs but I still want to be able to make a fire if I need to. I always carry a small Bic lighter and some water proof matches in a match case.

A whistle - It doesn't take an earthquake (though we have those around where I live as well) to find yourself trapped. Your voice will give out quickly when calling for help. A nice loud whistle can be a lifesaver. I carry a small Fox 40.

A P38 can opener - the P38 has a lot of great uses in addition to be able to open that cold can of beans for dinner.

Remember that in an emergency or disaster you may only have the items that are in your pockets. Make sure you have some of the basics you will need.

What are you prepared / preparing for?

It seems to me that now is the time to set aside a little for the future unknown.

Our money is worth less each day - time to buy those things that will last and will be needed - food, water, power, sanitation supplies, tools, materials - the potential list goes on and on. However that need must be balanced with a responsible eye to "now". It doesn't make sense to me to spend everything on preparing for what may happen (or, hopefully may never happen) by ignore what you need to do for today. I think these two necessities can go hand-in-hand.

The goal of this blog is to share with you my efforts to be more prepared for the future whatever it may bring.

I will always try to make your time reading this blog worthwhile.

Stay tuned.