Week 24

We are facing tough times right now but we are strong, creative and wise and we will survive and thrive. So, let’s get started!

1. Add cleaning supplies to your preparedness stash and your Grab and Go Kit. Add a bucket, a small bottle of bleach and rags to your kit. Be sure this is separate from the bucket and rags you have in your home. If you need to evacuate for a fire, hurricane, tornado, flood, or earthquake you may come home to a home that is no longer intact. You will need cleaning supplies. Be sure you have a good push broom and a good mop. It is not feasible to take these in a GGK but not all emergencies will destroy your home.

2. Get online and print off a copy of your credit reports. Be sure to check all three credit reporting agencies; TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. If you find anything that is incorrect change it now. A good credit rating can save you thousands of dollars when you want to purchase or refinance a home or even a car. Don’t be caught off guard. Fix any mistakes now!

3. Add clothes pins to your Grab and Go Kit (GGK). Last week we added rope. With the addition of clothes pins we are now ready to dry clothing, photos, important papers, and even build a shelter. We will talk more about all their uses in coming weeks.

4. Add an ax to you GGK.

5. Gather, count and clean all sleeping bags. If you don’t have one per family member this may make a good gift.

6. Add 1 bottle of juice per family member to your food storage. Remember only 100% juice counts as a fruit so make it 100% juice.

7. Copy your tax returns for at least the last 2 years and add them to your adult 72 hour kits and add to the envelope to mail to your contact person.. If you don’t want to share this info with your out of state contact place them in a sealed envelope before mailing them off.

We are to the point now where you are developing quite a good food storage and you might need a good inventory and plan to move forward.

Food Inventory

Using a Food Inventory for your Food Storage
by Miriam Caldwell More from this Blogger
25 May 2006 09:36 PM
Another key to using the pantry principle in food storage is to have a running food inventory. This will allow you to easily see the food that you have available, and the food that you still need to purchase. It can help you to achieve your goal of storing a good supply of food, as well as make sure that you are rotating through the food in a timely manner.
If you haven't done this already, you really need to make a list of the foods that you prepare on a regular basis. You then need to make a list of the ingredients that you need to prepare these items. I have mentioned it before, and I know that I will mention it again. This list is the key to your success in establishing a good food storage and rotation system. If you don't cook on a regular basis, or cook a wide variety of items, you can plan a monthly menu instead of a weekly menu.
I have a five-week menu planned. On the front of each week's menu I have listed the main courses and sides of all the meals that I will prepare during the week. I then list all of the items I need in order to prepare the meals listed. On the back I have the recipes written down, so that I do not need to look them up while I am cooking. I post this list on my refrigerator and it really helps me. When I compile my shopping list, I just check what I have on hand and write down the items that I have run out of. I have a general list of the type and amount of each food that my family consumes during the month. This is the first step of my food storage inventory.
"Food Storage for the Clueless" lays out the next part of the plan. Your next step is to create a chart or a spreadsheet on your computer. On this you list the items that you want to include in your food rotation system. This can include anything from flour to chicken to canned fruit. You then list how much of each item that you would need in a year. Then you list how much you have of each item. (In this column you would add what you had just bought and then list the date.) In another column you would list what you had just consumed and the date. Then you can easily see what needs to be replenished. It would be easier if you listed the canned goods in cases of twelve or the size of box they come in.
After you have started the food inventory, you will need to start purchasing the food. You can watch for sales or put aside a little bit money each week to purchase extra food storage. If you start a little bit at a time, it will really begin to add up. Don't be overwhelmed with this idea. When I planned my five-week menu, I sat down and planned the meals I would eat
for the five weeks. Then I prepared the menu sheet the week that I actually used it for the first time. It only added a few minutes onto my planning that week, and in the long run it has saved me a lot of time.

Week 23

This week we begin something new, a Grab and Go Kit. A Grab and Go Kit (GGK) differs from a 72 hour kits because it contains supplies that you may need following a disaster, however each family member will not need each item. One will be adequate for the whole family. You will keep you GGK with your 72 hour kit and when told to evacuate you will “grab” this and “go”. We will begin to purchase or gather items for the kit and then when we have our items and know exactly how bulky they are, you will purchase an appropriate carrier. As you will discover over the next few weeks, kits will be of different sizes depending on the size of your family.

1. Begin your GGK by gathering or purchasing one large roll of duct tape and a rope at least 75 feet long.*

2. Add 10 $1.00 bills to adult 72 hour kits. Next, check the sofa and chair cushions, under the sofa and chairs, the floor in the car, the bottom of your purse and coat pockets, for change. Place all the change you find in a zip lock bag in your adult 72 hour kits. You won’t miss that at all will you?

3. Add a toy for your pet to their kit.

4. Learn to use the manual release on the garage door. In case of a power outage you want to be able to get the car out of the garage if you need to evacuate.

5. Make a family uniform. We talked about this last week so you could start thinking about what you wanted to do. If all you can do for now is purchase a yard or two of a crazy fabric and make bandannas, do it. You can always add shirts later. Remember you will need something for three days.

6. Add baby needs to an adult 72 hour kit. Don’t spend any money on this one. You have these items around the house if you have small children. Add a pacifier, bibs, bottle, spoon, toy, and a hat. See, you have doubles of all these things.

7. Try a new recipe made from food storage. Remember we are storing a 3 month supply of things we eat so this recipe should include the items in your 3 month supply and only those items.

Week 22

We are getting so close to having our 72 hour kits complete. This week and the next few weeks we will concentrate on completing those and building supplies for our cars and a kit to “grab and go” in case of an evacuation. Don’t forget about food storage. Now is the time of the year to get great buys on fresh foods and to preserve them. With rising food prices take advantage of any and every opportunity to store food. If that means putting off some of the steps from our Seven Steps just highlight the ones you need to go back and catch up on later. I know funds are limited so use them wisely. Only you know which areas of preparedness you need to prioritize.

1. Add a comb and brush to all 72 hour kits. You can probably find enough of these around the house if you search through drawers. If you need to buy a few try a dollar store. These are for an emergency after all.

2. Purchase a 3 month supply of pancake syrup. This may sound like a lot but by now you should have a good idea how much you actually use, since it is an item you should have dated when we began. I purchase a gallon size bottle and refill a small bottle I have used for a couple of years. I just wash the small bottle well each time we empty it and then refill from the gallon. You do not need to refrigerate the syrup so this works very well. Unless you have a large family a gallon of syrup should last 3 months.

3. Begin a Grab and Go Evacuation kit by purchasing a port-a-potty. You don’t need to spend lots of money on this. Potty seats are not very expensive and can be used on any 5 gallon bucket lined with a plastic bag, preferably a bio-hazard bag.

4. Add pet medications to their 72 hour kits.

5. Add travel games, crossword puzzle books or other fun items which will help pass the time during an emergency evacuation, to your 72 hour kits.

6. Add one can of fruit and one can of vegetables per person, to your food storage.

7. Prepare to add a “family uniform” to your 72 hour kits. What? During evacuations it is not uncommon for children to be separated from parents, or even for parents to become separated from the family. Having unique clothing can make your search much easier. Spend time this week formulating a plan. You may consider purchasing plain t shirts and embellishing them. If you do this, do not pick a white, black or grey shirt. They are too common. Choose a bright color. Hold a family competition and design a shirt. Use fabric pens or fabric crayons and make matching shirts. People will notice and remember a colored shirt far more easily than “just another” 5 year old, wearing jeans, who has brown hair and brown eyes. There could be dozens of them, but only one wearing your funky shirt. This is also a great tip when vacationing at an amusement park. Distinctive clothing will get your child noticed more quickly if you are separated. Never, put a child’s name, or your family name, on the outside of your shirt. Predators love having this information.

*If you are a grandparent consider ordering matching shirts for your grandchildren and their parents for gift. Then if there is an emergency and you are trying to find them you can describe the shirts to relief workers.

Week 21

We are preparing for disasters of all kinds so we don’t find ourselves panicked when they come.

1. We are continuing our quest to prepare for the needs of our pets. This week add pet food to your pet’s 72 hour kit. Food should be canned as opposed to dry for the first few days. We need to consider our pet’s needs as we would our own. There will be little water available the first few days, at least, after most emergencies. Dry food will increase a pet’s thirst so store canned foods. If you have older MREs they would be great as pet food. MREs have been government tested and found to be safe after 20 years. The taste may change a little but they are still safe for pets even if they are not very appealing to adults anymore. You can often find MREs on sale as they near expiration dates which is a great time to pick up a few. They are lighter weight and easier to open and use that canned food.

2. Purchase 5 pounds of flour.

3. Purchase 5 pounds of rice or pasta or a combination of both. You should be storing grains based on your 10 favorite meals. In other words, if those meals rely more on pasta than rice, store more pasta than rice. Since it is our goal to rotate these foods and thus save money, as well as being prepared for an emergency, you will want a variety of ingredients available to you.

4. Purchase masks. I hesitate to say dust masks because it is far more prudent to store N98 Triosyn medical masks. These can be used not only when cleaning up after an earthquake, tornado or other disaster but also can be used when caring for those who are ill during a pandemic. These masks will filter out smaller dust particles and also air born particles such as those released when we cough.

5. Practice splinting an arm, leg, finger, or ankle. Get out the slings you made a few weeks ago and use those to practice applying a sling. This is a great family activity.

6. Purchase a prepaid phone card for your 72 hour kit. Often after a disaster cell phones are of no use. Cell towers are down and ironically only land lines are working. Get a phone card, just in case. It doesn’t need to have more than an hour or two on it as you can always have a contact return your call but you will want to be prepared to communicate, by any means, if the opportunity should present itself.

7. Share what you are learning and how you are preparing with everyone you know. They may think you are a little crazy but just ask them to take a look at our plan and then listen to the news for a week and form their own conclusions.

Week 20

Once we have a complete 3 month supply you will never have to purchase food unless it is on sale! Get a lemonade and enjoy your accomplishments.

Here goes:

1st: You now have a binder where you can keep all your preparedness information. It includes article on: 72 hour kits, saving money, seasonal bargains, evacuation and water storage. In addition you have a list of items you need to have in case of a power outage, a list of favorite foods and a list of favorite desserts and a list of the ingredients to make all of them. Plus personal items relevant to your family situation.

2nd: We have worked on our 72 hour kits and almost completed them. They include: mylar blankets, food, water, glow sticks and flashlights, hat, multi-purpose tool, emergency info card, whistles, clothing, batteries, paper plates, TP, diapers, safety pins, sun glasses, keys, toys, cash, prescriptions, first aid kit, sling, toothpaste and toothbrush, vitamins, pain relievers, anti diarrheal meds, eye wash, insect repellent, sun screen, sewing kit and biohazard bag.

3rd: We have researched how our schools plan to deal with an emergency and reviewed those plans with our family.

4th: We have prepared to evacuate by; posting a list of items to take, gathering items and placing them together, and assigning family member responsibilities. We have also held an evacuation drill with our families. We have determined a “secret” place to leave a message if we evacuate, discussed that with our family and sent that information to our contact out of state.

5th: We have begun a 72 hour kit for our pets and added: a collar, food and water dishes, and biohazard bags.

6th: We have stored water.

7th: We have determined which TV and radio stations will broadcast emergency information specific to our area.

8th: We have created a phone tree for neighbors, family and friends and established an out of state contact person. We have mailed our contact copies of important documents, the location of our message place and family photos.

9th: We have copied important document and sent them to our contact and placed them in our 72 hour kits. They include: birth certificates, drivers license, pink slips, passport, social security cards, health insurance, life insurance, marriage license, credit card, death certificates, military records, and wills.

10th: We have discussed “What if” scenarios with our family and held a family fire drill.

11th: We have taken individual and family photos, including pets, and added those to our 72 hour kits and mailed them to our contact.

12th: We have replaced the batteries in our smoke/carbon monoxide detectors.

13th: We have made a list of skills and items we can offer for barter and we have created a list of friends and family who have items we may need, who we can trade with.

14th: We have inventoried and gathered first aid supplies.

15th: We have discarded expired medications and replaced them.

16th: We have completed a room by room household inventory and mailed a copy to our out of state contact.

17th: We have prepared for life after an emergency be purchasing and storing, bleach, insect repellent, mouse traps and insect spray.

18th: We have prepared for a power outage by storing items to replace: washer and dryer, dish washing, lighting, cooking and heating. And we have discussed and prepared for summer power outages.

19th: Around the house we have: Placed a light source and shoes next to our beds, placed emergency phone numbers by all our phones, strapped our water heaters to the wall, made room for food storage, dated the cans of food we had in our cupboards. We have dated items that we don’t consume in one use to determine how many we would need to store for a 3 month supply. We have made a list of our 10 favorite meals and 5 favorite desserts and compiled a list of the ingredients needed to make those.

20th: Deep breathe! We have begun our food storage and now have the ingredients to make 13 complete meals and 8 desserts. In addition we have: 2 cans of fruit and 2 cans of vegetables per person, paper plates, oatmeal and/or cream of wheat, pancake mix, rice, pasta, flour, spices, oil, vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, salad dressing, 1 can of soup per person, 1 can or jar of protein per person, white sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, 10 sauces, 1 bottle of juice per family member, hand soap, TP, shampoo and toothpaste! In other words… a 3-4 week supply of food. Almost a 1/3 of the way to a complete 3 month supply!

You deserve a break! Take the week off. Make a copy of this post, place it in your binder. Even if you are a little behind concentrate on all you have accomplished and use this week to catch up in a few areas.