A Little at a Time

Loading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player...

Preparedness started slowly with me. Actually, it more or less crept up on me. Here is my story.

I used to be one of those individuals that only bought what they needed for the next week or so from the store. (gasp!) Perhaps an extra box or two of cereal or tuna if it was on sale,  that was the extent of it. So I ended up buying most of my supplies and groceries at full price. I shudder now when I think of it!

About 8 years ago I started “getting serious” about gardening. To me that meant growing some plants from seeds and bragging how I had 30 tomato plants and also cucumbers and peppers. I was really on a roll! I was also begging neighbors and friends to take some of those tomatoes in August. Somehow canning all that fresh goodness never entered my mind.

When we built our house on a small 3/4 acre lot 10 years ago, my husband and I decided to add some much needed landscape. Dwarf fruit trees sounded fun and the idea of fresh apples, plums, pears and cherries really appealed to me. We planted many varieties over the years.  We never seem to get any cherries before the birds have their fill, and the apples never  do well, but 4 years ago we started getting a bumper crop of plums. Again we invited all the neighbors to pick as many as they wanted.

That winter a light bulb went off in my head and the term “canning”  entered my vocabulary. When I decide to do something, I go all out. I bought books, researched the web, and ordered mason jars of all sizes. I had visions of salsas, jams, pickled beets and chow chow lining my shelves. I bought more canning supplies. And watched the calendar.

That spring 3 lovely Sister Missionaries came knocking on my door and  I was introduced to the LDS church. When they talked about being provident living,  self reliant, a chord was struck in me.

 A few months later my husband lost his job of 18 years. Panic and fear set in. While we had always been financially secure and responsible, would we be able to get through this? And what we be like on the other side? My husband has always been blessed with a strong work ethic and good business sense and we did make it through. But it was a real eye opener!

I started couponing a little more seriously to stretch our dollars more. Soon I was the crazy lady with the coupon binder. But, I was also getting food we ate regularly at 50% of full cost and personal care items for pennies or even free. So the stockpile began.

 A friend of mine had a home party of freeze-dried foods, and while I was unable to attend, I was introduced to the wonderful world of freeze-dried #10 cans. I started ordering, “just to have some extra on hand”. I started cooking with some of the products as well and ordered as I could.

I soon realized that couponing and being prepared went hand in hand. I could build up a nice supply of items we used and needed by using my couponing with sales strategies without breaking our bank. But, what if we had no income for 4 weeks? 4 months? In this economy I realized it was more than possible. While we had enough toothpaste and deodorant to get us through, would I be able to give my family nutritious meals? Would those 20 boxes of pasta and 30 boxes of cereal be enough?

Of course that answer was a big fat no. So I started researching what else I could do. Then I began to think about the crazy ice storm we had last year. We were very lucky, we didn’t lose power like so many did. But what if we had? The entire world of possibilities flooded in and I realized I had to do much more.

Have you ever been in the middle of making a recipe and realized you were out of something vital, like eggs? Or how about being told you are out of milk, or worse yet, toilet paper at 11 o’clock at night? Now imagine those scenarios with 6 inches of ice on the roads or so much snow you can’t get out of your driveway. What would you do? Now picture that the store is out of those items, and batteries and medical supplies, because no deliveries have been made in weeks due to a natural disaster, strike, or gas shortage. Now what would you do? How would you take care of your family?

Preparedness is not about hunkering down for the Zombie Apocalypse, which by the way I think my son is almost hoping for. But unemployment, natural disasters, unexpected medical expenses, water contamination, and power outages are all very real possibilities. As a parent, it is my responsibility to take care of my family to the best of my ability. And making sure they have food, shelter, clean water, medical care and warmth is part of that.

How do I do that? A little at a time. It would do no good to put ourselves in financial ruin now to try to save ourselves at a future date. So I order a little long-term storage foods each month. I pick up extra matches, first aid items and odds and ends as I see a great price. I read books and blogs and listen to what others have to say. I ask for a solar oven for my upcoming Birthday. And I teach my children and get the entire family involved.

Being prepared, being self-reliant, being a “prepper”, it’s all the same thing. And it’s not crazy or a waste of time and money. It is taking care of yourself and your family, just as we are meant to do.

K. A. IN

How to VOTE for the best Preppers Outreach Contest Entries:

If you think this entry merits one of your 5 allotted votes, then post a comment below. Do NOT post a comment if you do not want it to count towards one of your 5 allotted votes. If you want to award an entry more than one vote, you’ll need to leave a comment for each vote you want to cast.