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.