Being Prepared

For a couple of months now I have been thinking about emergency preparedness.  Especially when I would go and visit my wonderful in-laws (they have the most AMAZING food storage system I have ever seen!) I was reminded of how UN-prepared Mark and I would be if there was ever an emergency.  I always try and buy a little bit extra of certain things (mostly canned goods, and flour, sugar, and the like) when we go to the store, but I am pretty sure we are still not much better off then most.  Then a couple of weeks ago in church, we had a combined lesson on emergency preparedness and that made me really think that this is something I should probably give some more attention to. 

This is probably an excuse, but I validate myself a little bit because I know (or at least I certainly hope) that Mark and I won't be staying in this one-bedroom apartment for that long of a time.  And we lack the space and resources right now to really dive in and have a three-month supply of food, water and all of the other resources we probably should have. 

But, I can't really excuse myself for not having 72-hour kits for Mark and I - which as of right now, we don't have.  So I went online and searched for some help.  For example - WHAT do you need to have in a 72-hour kit?  I stumbled upon this blog and this lady is AMAZING!  Part of me just wants to take a tour of her house, her car, her kid's backpacks - EVERYTHING - she has emergency preparedness kits for EVERYTHING!

At first, I was completely overwhelmed.  It made me think of all of the situations in which Mark and I are totally unprepared for.  Again, I was stuck with how can we afford to get all of this stuff + where are we going to put it!  Anyway, after a couple of weeks though I have been able to navigate through a lot of her stuff, and she has helped to break it down into some more realistic goals. 

She has SKADS of lists of kits for so many different things that I think are SO smart!  KUDOS to her for thinking of this and being so prepared herself.  I want to find HER in a crisis!  One thing that I think is really great that she has done is come up with a list of things to get every month.  She has come up with these lists based on the season and what is cheapest during that time.  SMART!

Like I said earlier, the three-month supply of food is just not going to be possible for us right now.  But she does have a list every month for just three or four things you can add or rotate in your 72-hour kits as well.  This is where I am starting.  If we can afford to get some of the extra stuff on her lists some months - BONUS - but right now I am just shooting to get our 72-hour kits done.

Anyway, I just thought I would pass along her blog to you.  The completely overwhelming feeling does pass...eventually.  It has at least given me a place to start so that we can maybe be kind of  prepared in case of an emergency. 

Here's the link to her blog:  http://preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com/

President Thomas S. Monson said:  "We do live in turbulent times.  Often the future is unknown; therefore, it behooves us to prepare for uncertainties."