Getting prepared

A certain friend and I have been researching emergency preparedness for quite sometime. I am sure you can guess that is it Lisa:) Emergency preparedness is something she and both very passionate about it. However we usually put getting started at the end of our long list of things to do. We have needed something to get us motivated to actually start making the purchases. I think the swine flu is it. Am I really scared of the swine flu? Not so much! But I think there could be many reasons to be prepared in the future. If not a swine flu pandemic perhaps something... I was going to say something negative about the choices of our Commander in Chief, but decided against it:)

The researching of emergency preparedness has been very interesting. There are people on every inch of a very long spectrum. You have your "normal" preparer, who just wants an extra case of water and some canned food to the people who are learning to live off the grid and become totally self sufficient. My goal is to fall somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. I think I need more than water to keep my family safe and healthy in the event of an emergency. I also am not dedicated enough to give up electricity, air conditioning or indoor pluming. Although for a short time last summer I wanted to sell my house in suburbia and buy a farm to grow a large garden and raise animals. One field trip to a farm with pigs and I changed my mind really fast:) Anyway- I would like to have a nice supply of food and water on hand in case we are unable to leave the house for an extended period of time or the grocery store shelves are bare. I want to make sure that my children are fed and have a water supply to keep them healthy for an extended period of time. I would also like to have a small stock pile of medications, cleaners like bleach and lots of soap and purell.

Here is where I plan to start:
Food storage: I want to have at least a 3 month supply of food my family will actually eat. I have been learning a lot about food storage from the LDS (Mormon) ladies. These ladies have got it together. Although I do not share many of the religious beliefs they have, I do think they are the go to girls for food storage. They are so knowledgeable and seem so willing to share tips and recipes on their blogs.

To assist in becoming prepared as well as become more healthy eaters Lisa and I learned many new things last year. We learned to grow and can vegetable and fruit. We also made pasta sauce, apple sauce, jams and grape juice. We learned to grind wheat and make homemade bread and yummy pizza dough. In the next month or so our favorite blogger will be teaching us the ins and outs of sour dough starters and we are so excited!

Water storage: I am buying cases of bottled water to store for drinking water. I am also looking onto 55 gallon barrels to store water for cleaning and washing. I also plan to invest in a rain barrel this spring to water my garden with.

Medications: Lisa and I talked about having medications on hand this afternoon. I had really never though about it. I guess I just assumed that over the counter medications would be available. I have really been thinking about it for the last few hours and I sure having a supply of OTC meds on hand will not be a bad idea. I am thinking fever reducers and pain medications for head aches and such are going to be necessary. I am going to look for a list of meds to stock up on.

Books: I am waiting on a preparedness book to come in at the library. The fact that there was a waiting list for such a book was surprising to me. I guess we are not the only ones with this on our minds. I think I may go ahead and buy a few good solid homemaking books as well. Books on how women did things in the past. Before you could go the store and buy a box of anything you needed. If anyone has any suggestions I am all ears. I will keep you posted if I find some good ones as well.

Please do not think I am a doom and gloom crazy fanatical. I have honestly been concerned since the election last year. Who knows if I will ever need any of these things for survival. However we will use them on a daily basis so nothing goes to waste. I am also just using this as a way to live a more simple life. I know Lisa and I are not the only ones who feel this way. Feel free to leave a comment on how you are preparing.