10 Preparedness Goals for the New Year

It’s Time to Get Back on Track…

I’m a hardcore list maker so New Year’s resolutions make me giddy. I love the idea and hope of a new year. Most of all I love opportunities for growth, improvement, and learning. As I finish an incredibly crazy busy, change-filled year, I find that my preparedness goals have fallen by the wayside as we’ve focused on surviving all life has thrown at us. I know there’s a huge amount of hypocrisy in being a preparedness blogger who is, at this time, unprepared.

I hope that this admission gives you hope.

Because even the best of us have trouble getting everything done we know we should or want to do. And guess what? That’s OK! If you fell behind this year, or if you’ve procrastinated on your family preparedness journey, take heart. You haven’t failed, you’re normal.

In honor of getting back on the wagon for the New Year, I invite you to join me with 10 goals for family preparedness.

10 Preparedness Goals for the New Year

Goal #1- Update and finish my emergency plans.

Sometimes in the face of change we forget to look at how those changes affect our plans because we struggle with how they’ve changed our lives. Take time to update your family emergency plan so the year has a fresh start.

Goal #2- Update emergency kits.

I’m pretty sure my bug out bags are a mess. The diapers are the wrong size and one child might not even be included in my kit at all. Yes, sadly it’s been that long. But change happens one step at a time.

It’s time to take a look at your emergency kits. Rotate out your food, clothes, diapers, water, and any toys your kids might have grown out of. I’ll help you with this next month, so check back in January for more.

Goal #3- Update your car kit.

My husband, bless his heart, gets irritated by the amount of room my kit takes up in the car, especially when we go out of town. So he took it out and accidentally broke part of it.

I’ve missed my emergency car kit! So this is one of my top priorities.

Goal #4- Have a monthly drill.

This year I’m going to schedule a monthly drill it on my calendar like an appointment. Be sure to vary what your drill is for. One month a fire drill, next could be earthquake – you get the idea. Include the kids in planning them, they’ll love it.

Goal #5- Schedule “blackout” practice over a long weekend.

If you schedule your vacations in advance, then scheduling a longer, more complex emergency drill without power is a must. We’ve learned that trying to find a time that works in the thick of things is a great way to simply postpone it, indefinitely.

Goal #6- Take your family camping.

I love camping so this is always on my to-do list for the year. Like the drills, plan ahead and schedule your camping trips. Get the kids to help you plan when and where you go.

Goal #7- Learn a new preparedness skill or brush up on one that’s rusty.

Canning, gardening, sewing, cheese making, learning how to use a chainsaw, or simply cooking bread from scratch are all excellent skills to have to be self-reliant. It doesn’t have to be a big skill.

Small and specific goals are more likely to happen than “become a Master Gardener.” See Smart Goals for ideas.

Goal #8- Plant a garden or try a new plant in your current garden.

I’m a horrible gardener but each year I get better, I learn something new that saves a few more plants. This year I planted artichokes and asparagus and was thrilled with how they did. I finally found a good garden plot in our yard so this year should yield good results.

See how Shelle created a garden from scratch in her daughter’s yard. It’s only 8 feet x 50 feet, but she’s got a lot growing there!

Goal #9- Take a safety survey of your house.

I think these are so good for the kids to really understand some of the basic instructions we often give as parents and raises their preparedness awareness.

It’s been awhile since we’ve had a safety survey at our house and it definitely needs to happen again. Like the other goals, schedule it on your calendar, one in the spring and one in the fall.

Goal #10- Update your emergency binder.

Sometimes in the course of using those vital documents for one thing or the other, they get out of place in our emergency binders. Gather it all up and get it organized again. If you’ve changed banks, closed accounts, switch service providers or passwords then having that information updated will make a huge difference later.

Like all goals, remember to be specific and break it down to baby steps.

• Update one person’s kit each month rather than everyone’s kits at the same time.
• Plan your garden and how to care for it with a handy checklist for each month.
• Set a date and time for each task and spread then throughout the year.

Most of all, remember that your best is all your can do and that’s OK! I’m doing it too.

Are there any other goals you’ve set for your family for the new year?