Welcome to National Preparedness Month!
This marks the 5th year that PreparednessMama has participated in National Preparedness Month. We use this time to year to reassess our supplies and restock important items that we may need for the upcoming winter months. This year I’ve put together a giant list of posts that you can use during your own personal 30 days of preparedness.
It’s safe to say that our ultimate goal is to help you have an emergency kit, a family plan, and the knowledge to garden, preserve your harvest and incorporate useful herbs into your day – without spending a ton of money to do it.
Luckily that’s obtainable for every family and a journey we would love to help you with.
This year we have rounded up a whole series of posts about food storage, 72-hour Kits & Bug Out Bags, gardening and self-reliance, and every aspect of preparedness – from water storage to cooking off grid. The list is long but completely worth it!
Our hope is that you’ll choose one post to read each day and then start making plans to implement what you’ve learned. Be sure to visit these wonderful sites and learn as much as you can about being prepared.
We’ll be using the hashtag #30DaysOfPrep and #NatlPrep for these and many other ideas throughout the month of September, so be sure to join in the conversation. You can make this the year YOU put on your armor and take big steps towards being prepared.
Food Storage
Is just plain smart! It keeps you from going to the store every day, which in the long run, saves you money. You might say pantry cooking is a country skill. If you live in the city you may think it’s not necessary to have a 3 month supply of food that your family loves to eat. I’d say that buying in bulk and learning how to preserve food is a necessary skill if you truly want to be prepared.
Here’s how to start your food storage
You should only store what you eat. It is a complete waste of money to buy food that your family doesn’t like, even if some “preparedness guru” says you need it. That goes for canned food and prepackaged items. I think of those food bricks that people say you should have in your 72-hour kits. While they may be 2000 calories each, no one would actually choose to eat it. Why not spend your money on what you like.
The first thing to do is make a list of 10-15 meals that your family eats regularly and build your pantry, and short term food storage, around those items. Take each recipe and list the individual ingredients. Now start buying extra of those items for future meals.
Get Started on Your 30 Days of Preparedness Challenge!
The Prepared Pantry: A 3 Month Food Supply | PreparednessMama
6 Canning Myths You Must Know | Melissa K. Norris
How to Dehydrate Milk for Long Term Storage | Perky Prepping Gramma
10 Laws of Food Storage | PreparednessMama
Click here to view original web page at momwithaprep.com
Click here to view original web page at ourstoneyacres.com
Click here to view original web page at backwoodsresistance.com
Click here to view original web page at momwithaprep.com
Self-Reliance & Gardening
Why should you bother growing your own food if you can purchase it at the store?
We’re all about self-reliance here at PreparednessMama, and that’s the number one reason to grow food yourself. It is a “just in case” skill that will allow you to feed your family in times of trouble. That trouble could be because of job loss or an economic downturn. No matter what, you’ll be glad you’ve learned to grow your own food and preserve it.
Growing your own food
- Saves money in the food budget
- Gives you control over the chemicals that are added to your food
- Is a great way to get inexpensive food for canning, freezing and dehydrating
- Children are more likely to eat “unusual” food if they have had a hand in growing it
Food storage and gardening are the foundations of a self-reliant life. See how these bloggers are doing it and learn a few tricks for yourself.
The 5 best crops for Self-Sufficient Gardeners | Our Stoney Acres
Starting a Garden from Scratch: 6 Planning Tips | PreparednessMama
Self-Sufficiency Simplified | Blue Jean Mama
Click here to view original web page at backwoodsresistance.com
Click here to view original web page at www.theselfsufficientlife.com
Click here to view original web page at urbansurvivalsite.com
Click here to view original web page at ourstoneyacres.com
Click here to view original web page at commonsensehome.com
Click here to view original web page at thehomesteadinghippy.com
Click here to view original web page at urbansurvivalsite.com
72-Hour Kits or Bug Out Bags
Did you know that after a major emergency it will most likely take at least 72 hours (and maybe even longer) before officials come to help you? The Department of Homeland Security says that although local officials and relief workers will be around after a disaster, they cannot reach everyone immediately. Your help may arrive in hours or it might take days.
Electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment and telephones may be off for days or even a week, or longer. Your supplies kit should contain items to help you manage during these outages.
No one wakes up and says “today there is going to be a disaster.” In fact, disasters are unexpected. They overwhelm first responders; and lives, personal health, and the environment are often endangered. At a very minimum, emergencies and disasters are disruptive and often occur at the most inopportune times.
Creating an emergency kit will help you foster an attitude of personal preparedness that will see you through this trying time.
How to Build a 72-hour Go Bag | Blue Yonder Urban Farm
How to Make a 72 Hour Emergency Kit | Mom with a PREP
Starting your 72-hour kits | PreparednessMama
Click here to view original web page at commonsensehome.com
Click here to view original web page at frugalmamaandthesprout.com
Water Storage
In Hurricane Katrina, more than 1,000 drinking water systems and 172 sewage treatment plants were damaged, leaving 2.4 million people without access to safe drinking water. Initial testing found high levels of lead and e. coli bacteria present in the water. (source)
It doesn’t have to be that way for you. You can have a water storage plan that works for you.
What are the minimum daily water requirements?
To determine your water needs use the following recommendations from Ready.gov :
- Store one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation. (this is the absolute minimum)
- Children, nursing mothers and sick people may need more water.
- A medical emergency might require additional water.
- If you live in a warm weather climate more water may be necessary. In very hot temperatures, water needs can double.
- If your food storage plan includes a lot of dehydrated and freeze dried foods you may require more water for processing.
- Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person.
Now that you have a handle on how much to store and what to store it in, get busy and put some water aside in your home! The posts below will help you get your individual water storage plan together.
Getting Started With Water Storage | PreparednessMama
Click here to view original web page at homesteadwishing.com
Click here to view original web page at igetready.com
Preparedness
Sometimes we need a reminder to continue to prepare. It is easy to become complacent and fall back to our old ways. Even preparedness gals like me need a few reminders while on the path! Maybe you are new to this preparedness thing and you don’t know where to start. Perhaps you’ve been around awhile and need a refresher.
Either way, there are certain principles of preparedness that will keep you safe in an emergency, fed during economic trials, and financially prepared to handle any situation.
The best part of all you can start small, make your foundation, and build upon it.
It begins with a plan
You need a set of survival plans. This is the foundation of preparedness. You cannot expect to get anywhere in a timely manner without having a road map. Your plans will tell you:
- How to get out of your house if there is a fire.
- How to do a home safety check to keep safe from daily emergencies.
- How to decide what to do if there is a major emergency and your family is in different places. Where will you meet?
- Which emergency numbers you need to have on hand.
In my house,we do this in our monthly family meeting. We assess and plan so we can be safe. Use the excellent posts below to formulate your 30 days of preparedness plan.
Emergency Communication | PreparednessMama
Trauma Essentials for the Prepper | The Prepared Ninja
Emergency Preparedness for Those Who Are Disabled
Emergency Preparation for Those Who Are Disabled or Elderly | A Matter of Preparedness
How to Prepare For a Power Outage | Blue Yonder Urban Farm
Dollar Store First Aid Kit | PreparednessMama
10 Totally Free Prepping Things to Do | Living Life in Rural Iowa
21 Prepper Tips I Wish I’d Heard Before I Started Prepping | Urban Survival Site
What You Should Consider When Fire Is A Threat | Trayer Wilderness
11 Ways to Cook Off-Grid | Melissa K. Norris
Eating Bugs For Survival: A Great Free Protein Source For You
Click here to view original web page at www.survivalpunk.com
Click here to view original web page at homesteadwishing.com
Click here to view original web page at homesteadwishing.com
Click here to view original web page at thesoftlanding.com
Click here to view original web page at backwoodsresistance.com
5 Items you probably should NOT stock long term
Click here to view original web page at planandprepared.com
Click here to view original web page at commonsensehome.com
I can’t actually do it this month but I’m bookmarking and will work thru it all a bit later in the year, the UK really needs to do something like this.