National Preparedness Month- September

[TheGrey]

I'm a little late to the game in posting this, but September is National Preparedness Month.

If you've thought about prepping, wanted to get ahead of things a bit, or are simply concerned about the forecast of a tough winter, now is the time to begin!

I'm going to try and post information, lists, hints and tips to help you get started or get moving again on your preps. I can't promise I'll do it daily, and I hope that if you have ideas or hints to share, that you'll chime in.

Preps aren't supposed to be about just one type of disaster. Weather conditions, gas prices, unexpected unemployment, unexpected extended houseguests, political unrest, trucker strikes, and so on- any of these can tip the balance for most people into moving from the 'inconvenienced' state to 'dire straits' within a relatively short period of time. What used to be considered a part of normal life (a pantry, alternate heat sources, light sources, non-electric entertainment) has been shuffled to a 'historical' status- due in part to the convenience of online ordering and internet shopping.

There is nothing that says you have to go full-bore survivalist. Keeping kerosene lamps and flashlights next to your spare LED bulbs in the linen closet seems to be a smart way to go about things. It may be fun to watch TV shows and read books about people living off the grid, but it's not practical for many people.

Whether you're just beginning your preps, or have been canning food for years, it is always good to start with a list. A list gives you direction and gets you thinking. Do not make the mistake of following the list if it does not fit your lifestyle. A prepping list should NEVER be static- it is a guideline that needs to be as flexible as your life is. You need to fill in and/or remove items that do not reflect your life. People with small children will have different lists and needs than a retired couple with medical issues.

Let's start out slow. This is the link to the government's Preparations page, and their advice of how and what to do. I would suggest that you look at it as the first stepping-stone in your preparedness. It is woefully incomplete and short-sighted, but it will also help you to begin or restart your prepping.

https://www.ready.gov/september

[brutal]

I'm a rookie by most standards but I'll offer this:

Don't overestimate the amount of calories you have stored in your preps.

I use a worksheet to calculate the minimum daily adult calories required to survive for more than a few weeks to determine how long we can last. Things changed when I became a grandparent as we picked up more than just the one extra.

It's currently less than I would like without harvesting or barter.

[TheGrey]

I'm a rookie by most standards but I'll offer this:

Don't overestimate the amount of calories you have stored in your preps.

I use a worksheet to calculate the minimum daily adult calories required to survive for more than a few weeks to determine how long we can last. Things changed when I became a grandparent as we picked up more than just the one extra.

It's currently less than I would like without harvesting or barter.

This is great! Could you please share your worksheet here?

You bring up a great point, and one that should not be overlooked. If you're not sure how many people will be staying with you for an undetermined amount of time, you need to reassess how much food you're storing. Becoming a grandparent means big changes. Another factor is if you have relatives in the area- will they be coming over to your home? Determining how many people (and pets) will be at your home will help you start (or boost) your preps.

[wyome]

Time to eat some of the stuff on the zombie shelves, and do some restocking.
Time to order some batteries...
Time to freshen up some of the stored water supplies

[brutal]

This is great! Could you please share your worksheet here?

You bring up a great point, and one that should not be overlooked. If you're not sure how many people will be staying with you for an undetermined amount of time, you need to reassess how much food you're storing. Becoming a grandparent means big changes. Another factor is if you have relatives in the area- will they be coming over to your home? Determining how many people (and pets) will be at your home will help you start (or boost) your preps.

I will have to sanitize it a bit, and pull it from my massive guns-N-ammo inventory/gun build/reloading/all-in-one worksheet, but if I can find the time, I will share. Be forewarned, none of my sheets are super pretty or heavily coded and do oft require more manual updates than some prefer.

I started that particular worksheet as a cost comparison on a per calorie basis for the best deal on long term dehydrated goods and it morphed into "how long can we survive? What looks like a deal on some goods, really isn't when you dig deeper. It's surprising how calorie poor some of those cans are.


The kids only recently got stuck with another relative's little mutt. That dingo will look mighty tasty when the dried beans n rice run out. j/k lol

Longer term, we do have plans to bug further out to friend's with a well and big genset/fuel storage, but loading up all the guns/ammo will be the biggest challenge. While not hurting, the others don't have the same stockpile of some items that I do.

[TheGrey]

I will have to sanitize it a bit, and pull it from my massive guns-N-ammo inventory/gun build/reloading/all-in-one worksheet, but if I can find the time, I will share. Be forewarned, none of my sheets are super pretty or heavily coded and do oft require more manual updates than some prefer.

I started that particular worksheet as a cost comparison on a per calorie basis for the best deal on long term dehydrated goods and it morphed into "how long can we survive? What looks like a deal on some goods, really isn't when you dig deeper. It's surprising how calorie poor some of those cans are.


The kids only recently got stuck with another relative's little mutt. That dingo will look mighty tasty when the dried beans n rice run out. j/k lol

Longer term, we do have plans to bug further out to friend's with a well and big genset/fuel storage, but loading up all the guns/ammo will be the biggest challenge. While not hurting, the others don't have the same stockpile of some items that I do.

Thank you! I'm thinking that if people can just see how some of our personal charts appear, they can adapt the idea for their own use. Then again, people can also google charts and spreadsheets for finding examples, so don't worry about taking the time to sanitize your charts- that sounds like a lot of work.

I never thought to divide food by caloric value- I can a lot of our food, so it's all divided into pints and quarts. As I cook for our family, I know how many meals 'X' number of cans will provide.


People, if you don't have a Pinterest account, you're missing out. IT'S NOT JUST FOR GIRLS.

Pinterest has many charts, tips and ideas for storage, saving money, and prepping. Make yourself an account. You'll be glad you did.

[Ah Pook]

I just know where the preppers are.

[cmailliard]

I am doing some activities for the month (or at least trying) on Nextdoor. I will post the tasks here as well and if people want to do them, feel free. Most are pretty basic, but may open some peoples eyes and hopefully get some people thinking. The next one will be tomorrow (9/5).

[Great-Kazoo]

IMO the biggest cataclysmic event no one is really prepared for, is scheduled to happen 11/8/16

[TheGrey]

I am doing some activities for the month (or at least trying) on Nextdoor. I will post the tasks here as well and if people want to do them, feel free. Most are pretty basic, but may open some peoples eyes and hopefully get some people thinking. The next one will be tomorrow (9/5).

Fantastic!