Be Prepared

Today's addition to our food storage

For many years, church leaders have counseled members to prepare to care for themselves and their families in times of need. They would like us to have a one-year supply of food but are even breaking it down into a three-month supply and a 72-hour kit to help people get started. Over the last few months I have noticed the leaders and other church members really pushing emergency preparedness to a greater extent. There has been a lot of talk of people wanting to become better prepared and how to go about that, especially with the current state of the economy. I feel I have a greater weight on my shoulders to get a decent amount of food storage for us now that we have Ethan. It is scary to think that at any time something could happen, and we have been counseled and warned for years. It always reminds me of the 10 virgins, how some were prepared and others weren't. I would hate to be the one without my "oil" when that disaster comes.

I feel we have a good start on our food storage but still need a lot more. We have a car kit in my car, which has a crank radio, water purifier, flashlight, first aid kit and several other things along those lines. In the house we have a 72-hour kit from the cannery, two large water jugs that hold around 5 gallons each, cans of soup, all varieties of beans, pudding, jello, green beans, chicken broth, noodles, peaches, pears, applesauce, canned tomatoes, tuna, spaghetti sauce and other foods of that nature. We could survive for up to a few weeks, though one major thing we are lacking is more water. We also need things such as sugar, oil, powdered milk, and other things to cook with. I need to make sure I could make dinners with these meals but really if it came down to it I would be quite grateful for my can of beans. But since I have time and there are so many resources out there, I can be better prepared so that we can be a little more comfortable. It is hard having a small apartment and finding room to store everything, but I would hate to be without because I didn't feel I had room.

The other day I reorganized so I would have more room for food storage in our storage closet. Today I went to the store and spent $100 (but saved $60!) and got several more items for food storage. I got a lot of canned items such as beans, and the cashier asked if I knew of some natural disaster that she wasn't aware of. I thought it was pretty funny, but truthfully, if there was a disaster, I would be certainly be prepared! I told her my mom always taught us to be prepared just in case. I am taking baby steps, but you have to start somewhere.