Hard Times Ahead: How To Be Better Prepared
I know the media is telling us that things are looking up. I know they say unemployment numbers are dropping. And we’ve all heard them saying the economy is on the rebound. But frankly, I’m just not convinced.
The thing is, they have to tell us that. If they told us the truth, that we are most likely heading into a much deeper recession, yes maybe even a depression, then panic would sweep across our nation and runs on banks would cause pandemonium.
A recent report states that 1 in 5 Americans is either out of work or underemployed. That number is staggering! That’s 17.5 percent of Americans. Unfortunately, that doesn’t even include all of the people who have given up a job search!
Businesses are continuing the layoffs and cut backs. My husband’s work has had to cut everyone back to 35 hrs/wk. But even that isn’t helping. They just called another meeting this week explaining to the employees that the company is now $30 grand in the hole for the third month in a row, and if they don’t pick up business soon, they are going to have to make more cutbacks. I pray he doesn’t lose his job.
And all of this printing of money out of thin air has caused inflation to already begin creeping into the market. Have you noticed your grocery bill going up lately? Those of you on a tight budget may be realizing that your money isn’t going as far as it used to. My husband overheard a lady at the store the other day complaining that the Kool-Aid had gone up .19 cents since the week before! We’ve definitely noticed the price increases, and have had to raise our food budget to make room for it.
The term “hyperinflation” looms overhead. But what can we do about it? How can we be prepared should things get really bad before they get better?
I’d like to offer a few suggestions…
1. First of all, realize that the Lord is in control. We are not to fear the future, but do our best to prepare for it.
2. Build your food storage. I’ll try to elaborate on this more in another post, but it is so important that you have a good amount of food on hand. I would suggest building up a year’s worth of food supplies; canned fruits and veggies, grains (wheat, rice, sugar), beans, pasta, powdered milk, water, etc. This is a great way to prepare for hyperinflation or economic crises, job loss, or other disasters. I’d even go so far as to say that it is more important that you have a food storage built up than a large savings account. If hyperinflation were to set in, those digits you see in your bank account will not be worth one dime. Food would be a more valuable asset than worthless paper. And if you were to lose your job, food would be one less thing you’d have to worry about spending money on.
3. Consider buying silver. Do you guys realize that the Federal Reserve is pumping money into our system at an unprecedented rate?? We have never in our history done anything like this before. Do you know what happens when money is printed over and over and over with nothing to back it??
People, this is NOT GOOD.
If our currency loses it’s value, how will we buy or sell? Yes, bartering would make a huge comeback!
Again, what if that paper money you have is suddenly worth nothing? Changing some of your savings into silver bullion is definitely something to consider. Don’t think hyperinflation could happen? Do a little research into every case of hyperinflation in other countries. You’ll see it’s for real, and we are doing exactly the same things that brought it about in every other instance. If we don’t do something to stop this out of control spending, I don’t see how we can avoid an economic collapse.
I like the idea of using silver coins because they are much more affordable than gold, and would be more spendable due to their smaller values. Now, I’m not suggesting that you turn all of your cash into silver coins, but I do believe it would be wise to have some on hand for emergencies. You can buy it at local coin and jewelry stores, or order online.
4. Start a Victory Garden. Even if you’ve never gardened in your life, now is the time to start growing something! Even those of you with only a balcony can do some container gardening. Grow something!!
*If you are able to have a few chickens for meat and eggs, you might as well get started on that too!
5. Guns and Ammo. Sounds hard core, but if things do get bad you will need to be able to defend yourself and your family, and hunt for food. Ammo is getting more and more expensive. It would be nice to have a good stockpile of it. While you’re at it, a good hunting knife and fishing rod would be very useful too!
6. Get out of debt!! Check out Dave Ramsey. Seriously.
7. Gather supplies you would need if you were to live without electricity. I’ll probably have to do a whole post on this subject too!! But basically, think about how you would live day to day without power or heat and A/C. Cast iron cookware for cooking over a fire, a clothes line, solar panels, hand well pump, non-electric appliances, a wood stove… you get the idea.
8. Get to know your neighbors. These are the people you may be turning to the most in desperate times.
9. Stock up on herbal medicine supplies and books. Don’t forget your vitamins.
10. Collect several “living off the land/survival” type books. If you can’t get on the internet to google how to skin a rabbit you’re gonna be in a mess!
11. Learn Forgotten Skills. Sewing, cooking from scratch (and No, Hamburger Helper is not considered from scratch!), soap making… go visit grandma, you could probably learn a lot!!
Whatever you do, please do something. If you only do one of these things, at least you’ll be a step ahead. I wish I knew what was going to happen with our country. I wish I knew if things would pick up and get back to normal soon. If only there were some way of knowing exactly what is lying in store for us. But we don’t know. And we cannot trust the media to tell us. We simply have to be prepared to be able to take care of ourselves and our family should the hard times hit. Don’t be caught unprepared.
I’m sure I missed some really good ideas for being prepared. Have any other suggestions you can share with us??
Related Posts:
Great post. I totally agree with your post. I think scary things are coming. Our state’s unemployment is higher than it has ever been. Jobs are disappearing left and right. I am planning a huge garden this year. I’m hoping to find somebody to let me raise some broiler chickens with them.
Knowledge. Don’t be afraid to learn stuff, like skinning a squirrel, or learning to use a firearm. Or at least having resources to be able to conquer those if/when the time comes.
But I totally, completely agree with #2. And #6. Both from experience.
Getting out of consumer debt (although we still have student loans and the mortgage, boo), awesomeness, and better for trimming the budget once those albatrosses are gone.
Being unemployed and not having to freak out how to feed a family of 5, soon to be 6.
Wow, Kendra, my husband and I could have written this post! These issues are the exact same things we’ve been discussing at our house lately, and every item on your list are things we’re either doing or planning to do, or trying to learn more about as the possibility of hyperinflation sounds more and more likely. Kind of a scary thought to think that the money we have now could suddenly be worth very little. We especially are working toward making living without electricity a goal. I think so many people would especially be unprepared for this with our society so used to being dependent on electricity and electric appliances today for heating and cooking needs. We also discuss these same things with another couple that we are friends with. It’s nice to know there are other people out there who are seeing the same signs and feeling the need to be prepared for whatever may happen.
…I just wanted to add to my previous comment, regarding what you said, Kendra about gathering books and knowledge…That is so true–there may be a time when we can’t just get on the internet or have access to a library to be able to learn how to do things. It’s a good idea to be learning now, or at the very least to have the books that tell you how and the supplies you’ll need.
I would also encourage everyone to find another family or group of families that feel the same way and use each other for ideas and motivation. This mindset is not the norm and you will get a lot of odd looks and possibly even rejection. But if you can find just one other person, it makes things a bit easier. I am still looking, but this blog definitely helps.
Thanks Kendra
If you heat with wood, it is a good idea to have at least two years worth of wood. This could save your life. You can be warm and cook with wood heat. Also stock pile matchs, soap, canning jar lids…….a few clothes in the next larger size for the kids. Many more but that is all for now. Barbara
While I agree with your blog post 200% and we also agree that God is in control and we need to be closer in our walk than ever before. Having said that I would like we also believe He expects us to prepare and heed his warnings,to that we’ll add that some of the items on this list are NOT going to be easy to come by and it is ONLY going to get WORSE as time passes.
For instance; silver or Precious metals, ammo and reloading supplies,OP seeds and skills/ success for beginners, etc….
#1.Store water, in food grade plasctic jugs( we re-use vinegar jugs for this, do NOT use milk jugs as they being to deteriorate quickly and you’ll have a mess.
#2.food storage, food prices are already hyperinflating and WILL continue to do so. My suggestion first of all is to; buy what you eat and eat what you store. Buying in bulk, we typically buy all of our basic pantry items( flour, sugar, honey, molasses, baking powder and soda, herbs spices, etc….) Sore these items in food grade plastic buckets, the herbs,spices and baking soda and powder we keep in the freezer( NOT a frost free, as over time this will freezer burn your items) Shop sales and then buy items in case lots, speak to the store manager and see if they’ll give you a break if you order in case lots, doesn’t hurt to ask.
#3. Get our of debt! pay off credit cards and destroy them, learn to live within your means. Begin saving and regulate yourself to buy only NEEDED items and pay cash.
#4 Gardening; get your seeds ordered NOW! If at all possible go to your library and look into books on seed saving, study them hard! Now buy ONLY OP( Open Pollinated seeds) making sure to buy enough for two seasons, just in case you have crop failure. Growing and preserving you own foods will help with your food budget as well as provide more nutritional foods and outdoor exercise for your family.
#5. Guns and ammo; this is one of those you are going to have trouble with at this point. buying a gun isn’t a problem,it’s the ammo or items needed if you plan to reload your own ammo. Most stores are limiting sales of ammo and items needed for reloading. We just went this weekend to check on some items for reloading and out of 5 stores only one had one of the items we were looking for. Once you get a gun, you’d better practice using it, don’t just think you’ll know. Handguns are very different than rifles and take more practice shooting to become proficent.
#6 Heat, wood is best but propane, fuel oil, etc… and source of light when power fails. Candles are easy to find, but dangerous as a fire hazard. We have candle lanterns with glass bulbs surrounding them as an added precaution. Lanterns,oil, wicks and spare parts work well( kerosene smokes, bu there is a alternative calle “Klean Heat” that works well and doesn’t smoke or smell)LED lanterns, now more avaliable, give lots of light and if you have a recharger( solar or 12v)and rechargable batteries, they are handy.
#7 Precious metals; personally I don’t think they are the answer, JMO. I think if you’re looking for an investment food items, items to barter with( TP, soap, cigarettes(if you smoke),tools,knowledge, etc….) I do however think that paper money is going to be worthless too, so advise you exchange it for coinage, if you can find silver that is a good laymans currency but if you can’t afford it or find it( it is in short supply, if you want it quickly, most mints have a 4-6 week wait) Why not go to your bank and get bricks of quarters, dimes and nickles and yes they come in a box that looks like a brick. A brick of nickles is I believe $100 and they weigh a lot! If times get tough you want to be able to use coins to exchange and who would give a silver dollar that you paid $19+ for in exchange for $1, same goes for gold, unless it is only as an investment, ment to protect your assets. Even at that you’ll have to watch this market, just like stocks.
#8. Books and learned skills are not only gong to invalauble to you but they are great items to barter with if needed. There are loads of great site where you can learn and get advise about these lost skills. Not to toot our own horn, but we are doing a tutorial this week on How to butcher, process, cut, wrap pigs,render fat into lard, make sausage and we’ll share three tried and true loose sausage recipes. Another good site is http://www.pioneerliving.net loads of great info, a web magazine, message board, etc… BTW I’m “Homesteader” over there, say hello!
There is so much more you can do to prepare, just sit and think over all areas of your day to day life. Try going a weekend, OFF GRID, that will help you to cover any areas forgotten.
Sorry this has turned into a book, but it is an important topic to me!
I didn’t mean to hyjack your blog either, just trying to help.
Not Ramsey. What is with christians and Ramsey? He’s MAKING MONEY off ‘getting you out of debt’ with common sense. That’s dishonest business dealings.
Go to http://www.crown.org. It’s his predecessor’s site – Larry Burkett – the tools are all FREE. Ramsey isn’t helping people, he’s helping himself. Someone who gets rich off mere advice isn’t a good man… someone who gives freely is. Thank heavens Solomon didn’t charge for Proverbs, or Moses for his qualm-settling!
Kelle-
Thanks so much for doing a “guest post”, LOL! Just kidding. I do appreciate all of your advice… good stuff! I’m very interested in your butchering series, as that will be in our future very soon, so I can’t wait to check that out. I appreciate your “two cents” worth. It’s good to find like-minded people
anna-
You know. You are right. He is making money off of his advice. It was worth it for us, but I wasn’t aware of Larry Burkett’s tools so THANK YOU so much for sharing that with me and the others!
Another good post Kendra. Dave Ramsey has said in his Financial Peace program that he is “getting paid to tell people what they already know.” When we went through the course it cost us $62 for all the materials, which we can use again if we want to and go through the course with no additional cost.
Haiti is a good example of why we should be prepared, don’t be dependent on anyone else, it didn’t take long for the folks there to start looting and rioting did it. I read somewhere the Haiti is almost totally dependent, if not 100% dependent on outside resources.
Hi Kendra,
I agree with most of your comments, although I am not as fearful of the bottem falling out. I didn’t expect things to be back to “normal” (whatever that is these days!) for a long, long time, so I am not disappointed (LOL!) We’ve talked about this at church quite a bit, and my concern is that we as a nation are trying to “fix it”, trying to get back to what was, rather than reinventing ourselves.
Anyhow, back to your suggestions…. the one thing I don’t agree with is stocking up on guns and ammo, unless you are a hunter. If God is in control, what do I have to fear?
Now if I can just get this horrible clay soil ammended so something will actually grow! Right now it’s raining, and there are puddles on the ground everywhere! If it weren’t for raised beds last year, everything would have drowned. As it was, the raised beds looked like little islands at times. Really awful!
Debbie in PA,
I hear ya, but I have to disagree about the gun thing. Yes, we should trust in God for all things, but I think we should also put “feet to our prayers” and be proactive. We can pray, “Lord, please give me a job.” But if we don’t go out and look for one, we probably won’t have much success. The Lord protects us, yes, but he also gives people free will, which means that bad people still do bad things to good people. God doesn’t like it, he hates it, but he allows it. I think owning a gun for protection is like “putting feet to your prayers”.
Anna ~ Fwiw, my husband and I didn’t pay a dime for any of DR’s advice. I checked out books from the library, hung out online (we were already paying for internet regardless), and listened to him on the radio.
I also seem to have the saying “God helps those that help themselves” in my head a fair amount of the time. Just because I *could* buy cases of canned pears from the grocery store doesn’t mean I should, especially when I can get some for free from a neighbor down the street who doesn’t harvest from their trees. Plus it’s fun (to me) being prepared and being able to help friends when they come across a rough patch. That always makes me feel good.
This is an excellent post…and further confirms what I believe God has been telling me for the past few years…learn and prepare…
Great blog Kendra ~ thank you!
There’s not much we can do to stockpile, etc. with our family’s situation in a small urban apartment. But we do keep praying and standing up for what we believe in. I do see a lot of hope as people stand together to change what’s going wrong. (We live in Massachusetts!)
Colleen,
You may have more room to stockpile in your “small urban apartment” than you think. What about under the beds (crowd out the dust bunnies and monsters under the children’s beds!), the closet floors and at the sides, behind and maybe even under the sofa (you can get a lot of tuna cans under a couch!) Just don’t forget what you have stored where (write it on a 3×5 card and post it in your spice cabinet) and rotate it into use.
Proverbs 31:27
I’m new here, but have been reading prepping websites for a while and doing some myself. I thought I’d add my 2 cents worth…
First, I agree we should be more prepared than we are. We’ve become a sad representation of our early forefathers that first came to America and eventually settled the west. But, spiritually, they developed a mindset over time of being “self-sufficient”. There is a danger in prepping so much that you begin to rely on your self and your stored goods. On the other hand, we wouldn’t think twice about adding to a savings account, but many of the same people think is it silly to store some extra food supplies, paper goods, tools, etc. Not being reasonably prepared is the really silly thing. Doesn’t the Bible call a person similar to this a fool? (I need to find the right verse.)
Second, we need to store some for ourselves AND others, much like Joseph did prior to the famine that affected much of the middle east during his time in Egypt. God had him prepare for Egypt, but also for others – including His people. When disaster strikes, people are much more ready to hear about Jesus. It is an opportunity we should be prepared for (in season and out).
Finally, the more you prep, the more you realize you can’t cover all your bases. God designed us to live in community. It is impossible to be 100% prepared. Be ready for some give and take. Getting to know your neighbors and working together could mean the difference in whether your family survives or not. Skills will be even more valuable than goods stored. I don’t hear many preppers talk about learning to garden YEAR ROUND. This is one skill I’m most interested in and will be blogging about over the next year as I attempt to keep my garden going through the year. Again, you can’t store ALL YOU’LL EVER NEED. Think long term and start learning.
Okay, I know I did another “guest post”. This is such a hot blog topic since the recession started. But, it’s a good thing – it’s getting people thinking. Thanks for letting me ramble.
@anna
Is it a sin to make money by teaching people what their parents should have taught them? Come on. Dave Ramsey has every right to make money like you do as long as he works hard at it and doesn’t cheat people. I don’t think charging for services is wrong. He gives out more free advice every day than most people do their whole lives.
And Crown isn’t all free. Oh my goodness they sell stuff! http://www.crown.org/Cart/
@Kendra
Good post. I’ve been trying to prep for the last few months but have little to show for it. Our money is already worthless overseas and in comparison to gold. I believe I saw on survivalblog that January wholesale inflation rose 1.4% which would be close to 17% if it keeps up for the rest of the year.
Thanks for your post, Kendra. It is good to find like-minded people…our friends and family think we’re crazy:( I’d just like to add the importance of having a “country retreat” for those who don’t already live on one. We live smack dab in the middle of a small city. We have a double lot with a large garden, rabbits and hopefully soon some fruit trees/bushes.We are building a well-stocked pantry and getting educated on self-sufficiency/forgotten skills. That being said, if things get really bad down the road we don’t want to be here! Yes, we will be prepared with a well-stocked pantry AND guns/ammo. But we also know that if things get really bad, eventually SOME others that were less-prepared will notice we aren’t suffering like they are and try to take what we have. Due to the volume of people in our area, we could only defend ourselves and our property for so long. This may sound like a doomsday-scenario, but my husband and I are praying that God will provide the resources for us to buy some land in a less-populated area. Again, this if advice for extreme circumstances but it’s good to have an emergency plan in place. Plus, we would LOVE to have more room for goats, wheat, etc!
I love this post and, as you already know, totally agree!! ;D Keep up the good work! We have to continue to share and hope that someone might learn something who would otherwise be uninformed!!!! ;D Sara
I wanted to say how great it is to meet a like-mined person. It’s not a matter acting like the world is coming to an end or some crazy weather pattern change..it’s a matter of gathering for the “just because and the just in case”. It’s never a bad thing to gather knowledge and supplies even if it takes some time before you use them. There are so many things that are vital and becoming a dieing art, we need to preserve them and start looking farther than our own nose at life.
Anna, about the DR money-making idea. I don’t understand why it would matter if he made money off of giving financial advice. You would want to get paid for working a job, would you not? What is the difference if his job is to give you financial advice or whether his job is to sell cars? What I’m trying to convey here is that there are services, and there are commodities to pay for those services. In this case, the commodity used happens to be similar to the service. That is simply free market economics. Not dishonest business dealings. I hope all of this makes sense! And Kendra, thanks for the great post!
This is a great post thank you so much for putting it up here!
boy, you’re really on the ball. we’re working on our food storage. water is what we really need, though. thanks for the tips.
I whole heartedly agree with your post. I was just looking at a page on youtube about hyperinflation. If you put National Inflation Association into the youtube search, you should be able to see all the videos they put out about hyperinflation and what is happening to our dollar.
For ourselves, we’re playing catch up since we just bought our home in July of this year.
J.P. Morgan says that the dollar is valued as a peso.
One thing I have thought of, is have stuff to keep the kids occupied. Craft projects, books, cross word puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, board games, etc. I know they aren’t as necessary as food, but bored children are very unhappy children. Could even stock up on batteries for those electronic gadgets! Plus, some fun snack surprises…chocolate, cake mixes, gummy snacks, etc. Not necessary, but a good treat!
I tracked back to this post today on my blog…hope more will be helped by spreading the word concerning these times and what we need to be doing. THANKS for this awesome write up.
This is a subject that is discussed daily in our household. Food, fishing supplies, & ammo have become high priority to us. We live in the country, so there’s plenty of small game to feed us, plus there’s a river & a large lake within 1/2 mile from our house. As far as the gun issue goes, if you live in the country, a 22 & a shotgun should be the very least you should have. They will be important for home security, but the biggest benefit is that you can shoot small & large game in order to put food on the table. FYI, rabbit, is the best meat I’ve ever eaten, just remember to only kill them in the months that have an r to avoid the seasonal worms they get in warm weather.
Our first aid supplies, medicenes, cleaning items, & hygiene items are added to weekly. I crochet & sew some, so I’ve also been stocking up on yarn & fabric at garage sales. Something that you didn’t mention that we’ve been stocking up on are: socks, underwear, bras, lamp oil, oil & blades for the chain saws, 55 gallon drums for trash burning or storing gasoline, candles, food grade drums from our local Coke distributor, & batteries. We’ve also been considering stocking up on whiskey for bartering or disinfecting wounds. Actually we’ve been thinking alot about things that we could store that could be bartered with, that list is growing by leaps & bounds. My 15 yr old son has even started building coon & rabbit traps from scrap lumber. We have 3 coondogs they hunt with, so this is something we will use regardless of whether it ever becomes a necessity or not.
The cost of tires is rapidly increasing as well, so an extra set of tires, even if they’re good used ones, would be a good idea.
This article is so motivational. I’m saving it for reference – I need to really work on a lot of these things.
Today I used my vacuum sealer for flour, salt, bisquick & oatmeal. We also bought sugar, beans, rice, vinegar, and a bunch of first aide items and put it all tubs to store in the spare bedroom. With the way things are going lately, I am thinking an economic collapse. We are a family of 6, and this has been on my mind a lot lately! Thank you for all the info you have shared with us
Very good, Jana!! Very good.
Oh, how similar you and I seem to be!
I couldn’t agree more with your post. Well said!
We are prepared for whatever comes. I have faith that God is always in control.
Thank you for bringing awareness to others! *I watch Glenn Beck too!*
Enjoy your week!
Warmly,
Katy
I agree, to some point, with the commenter above re: Dave Ramsey. His instructions to get out of debt are great but his perspective on the economy is that it is going to turn around.
Crown’s is that it probably won’t. I have felt for awhile that Ramsey has the wrong perspective on this and while we can’t know his motives, he sure is making a lot of money w/ his radio programs, books and Oprah appearances. I am mostly concerned that he does not seem to “get it” about how bad things are.
I wanted to add for those who may be reading the comments that do live in the city or suburbs and read M_V’s post. I have also been following another “prepper” on youtube (YankeePrepper)- He has much to offer on this subject including how to survive in the city if something disastrous does go down. I would highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of location. He points out advantages and disadvantages to each type of locale with the main point being you should stay where you are most comfortable and knowledgeable of the area. i.e. a city person shouldn’t just have a cabin in the woods expecting no one else to eventually flee their direction. He cites the human ability to smell wood burning, and things cooking from miles away. Not encouraging unless you have a number of armed families staying in your shelter or nearby. More importantly Yankee prepper has a christian mindset which is what I consider to be the only healthy view to take while doing your prepping!
Jen
Norman,OK
I love your article. Our family agrees with everything you have to say. This is great information and very important that it’s out there for the public to read. We are in the process of transitioning to an off-the-grid lifestyle, and have been applying all of these areas to our life for several months now. thank you so much!! Blessings, Blessings, Blessings!!!
I’ve also felt this strong calling/push to be prepared… and after watching Glenn Beck and researching food storage I happened upon a video on YouTube by a gal ‘dehydrate2store’ that really inspired me to go the bit further toward my goal. When she explained that by dehydrating her foods and using them in her daily cooking she was actually saving money because she was buying frozen foods when they were on sale, and processing all of her garden veggies as they are harvested or buying bulk from Costco, Sams or a farmer’s market. I was sold on it when I saw her just open up a package of frozen hash browns, blueberries and corn and spread them on the trays and pop them in the dehydrator…NO BOILING, peeling or pre-processing needed! After they’re dried… you can put them in a quart Mason jar w/oxy pac and… DONE! or instead of using the glass jars you can use a Foodsaver w/oxy pac and store these along with your bucket items for really long term storage. When processed this way, the price of your long term storage goes way down compared to buying from the online food storage sites. I now have 18 months of food storage for myself, elderly mother and my two daughters! The next project is a small coop of hens for eggs.
Thanks for sharing your ideas and inspiring others to take the ‘next’ step… you know the saying about how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
I love this post. There are so many that are feeling this same shift going on with the world. It has been so interesting to see how many others in the world can sense and are aware of what is going on.
Besides having an extra supply of food, I have bought books on learning how to make things out of milk like cheese and buttermilk. I also purchased a book on how to build a root cellar, use and store items in it. Because we need somewhere that all of our food will keep without electricity. And I also have been learning alternative ways to keep me and my family healthy. When medical insurance runs out and we cannot afford to go to the doctors anymore, who will we rely on? What will we do? We need to continue to educate ourselves.
I also am purchasing heirloom seeds and learning how to harvest my own seeds. There may come a time when we cannot purchase seeds from the store anymore.
Again, I love what everyone here posted is doing, and I am cheering all of you on too.
Were in the bible does it say how to make a profit.
I’ve been thinking along the same lines for quite a while. We live in a small apartment, but fortunatly it comes with a good sized storage unit. My biggest thing in food storage is dehydrating, because the results take very little storage space, and quite frankly, I’m afraid of home canning. I know, I’m a wimp, but there it is. Lately a local grocery store has had some outstanding sales on fresh produce, and I’ve been keeping the dehydrator going full time, and in fact am thinking about investing in another one. Right now roma tomatoes are 50 cents a pound, and I’ve been buying tons and dehydrating. I also am stocking up on canned foods, firewood, toilet paper, etc. My husband is disabled now, and I’m a lousy shot and never have been able to catch a fish in my life, so I’m trying to get stocked up on canned and dried meats. The only firearm we have is a .22 pistol that I plan to get bullets for, for self protection, and will buy a rifle and bullets for hunting if it ever comes to that. Right now our grocery also has Smithfield hams for $1 a pound, Plan on buying several and drying them. Thank God our apartment has a fireplace, winter in Wyoming can get pretty cold and if the power went out we would be in real trouble without it.
One thing I’ve noticed on here is no one seems to have mentioned their pets. (or maybe I missed it) I am also stocking up on fish food and birdfeed, along with taking old quilts to make cage covers for the birds to keep the cages as warm as possible in case of a power outage.
One other thing important to us is to make sure that we always have a good amount of my husbands meds, at least a three months supply. I’ve also been studying homeopathic medicine (which surprisingly our doctor quite approves of, believing that natural is always better if possible)and working on stocking up on the ingredients for them. going to spend part of the summer clearing the junk out of the storage unit and putting in shelves for food, and will also keep excess firewood down there.
Leave your response!
Categories
My Life, Month-by-Month
Array
Powered by WordPress | Log in | Entries (RSS) | Comments (RSS) | Arthemia theme by Michael Hutagalung