Preparedness

When prepared in life there is a great sense of relief and peace of mind.  With hard work and perseverance one is able to put safeguards in place to ensure stability and quality of life.  What those safeguards are is different for everyone.  We all have our own specific needs and various ideas of what we deem is important.  A while ago I sat down and decided what my top five most important needs are and have since designed my life around that criteria.

 

Shelter – adequate shelter is a must for most of us, especially those of us with children.  A nice, manageable home is a high priority and I’ve discussed that in many, many posts over the years.  Along with our present home it gives me great peace of mind that we also have a backup home in our motorhome.  If ever we were in a catastrophic situation such as a fire, earthquake, long term power outage or some other event or disaster we have the great fortune to be able to use our motorhome as a backup shelter option.

 

Food – Within our home I built a pantry, another item I’ve included on my blog multiple times.  It is very important to me to keep it well stocked as well as our chest freezer in our garage.  In addition to our regular pantry we now have a prepper pantry which allows us the peace of mind of additional food supplies in case of an emergency, extreme weather conditions, job loss, financial hardship or other event or disaster.

 

Clothing – I make sure we have an adequate wardrobe to clothe ourselves in all of the seasons, regardless of the weather.  I make sure to keep our clothes clean and in good condition, repairing and mending as needed.  Additionally, I make sure to keep a backup of nearly everything.  An extra pair of work shoes or tennis shoes, winter boots, extra gloves and hats, socks and underwear and as something wears out I replace it on a rotating schedule.

 

Medicines, Toiletries & Cleaning Supplies – I keep a good supply of cold and pain relieving medications on hand, replacing them as we use them.  I also make sure we have plenty of toiletries such as soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, feminine hygiene items, toilet paper and facial tissue, shampoo and deodorant.  I used to keep a six month supply of everything, but with recent events I have increased it to a one year supply.

 

Money – Once I had everything else established it was important for me to protect it and us as much as reasonably possible.  Having an established emergency fund allows me to maintain the first four things while having the funds in place for any unplanned or unexpected expenses that may pop up.  It also gives me a buffer if I ever find myself suddenly without a job.

 

While it is impossible to prepare for every eventuality or scenario it is wise to at least be prepared for the reality that at some point in our lives something unexpected will occur.  That’s just life.  Having a backup plan in place and the means to meet those challenges will not only give me great peace of mind but also a way to successfully take on whatever comes our way.