Trust your gut, your instinct, your woman’s intuition, or whatever you want to call it. If you’re feeling a little extra uneasy about the future, take some common sense steps to prepare yourself and your
family.
From this point forward, make printed copies of articles, lists, how-to instructions, recipes, survival tips, etc. and begin a Survival Mom binder. A computer virus could erase all your bookmarked websites, a computer crash could “disappear” all your documents, a power outage could insure your computer becomes nothing more than a large paperweight. Hard copies organized by topic and kept in a 3-ring binder is your back-up .
Add to your stash of basic food products. This can be done easily with a quick trip to Walmart. Prices are increasing and will continue to do so. Food will never be cheaper than it is right now, so do your family a favor and, at the very least, buy the basics. M.D. Creekmore has put together this basic shopping guide of very inexpensive items. The key right now is to build up a good supply. You can add to your stash later, but get stocked up on the basics now. Here’s another food planning list for extremely tight budgets.
If Costco or Sam’s Club is more to your liking, I have a downloadable shopping guide here that will help steer you toward items that will come in handy in a crisis, including food.
Spend money sparingly. Inflation is a fact of life. There’s no indication, at all, that the prices of food, gas, energy, and other necessities will be decreasing any time soon. Buy second hand whenever possible. I’ve found that upscale consignment stores have amazing bargains on good quality, fashionable clothes and shoes. Let someone else pay top dollar! You have better things to do with your money.
Make a point to spend lots of time with family and friends. This is the time to build and strengthen bonds with people. Trust me. In stressful times you will be glad to have a shoulder to cry on, friends to laugh with, and family to hug. Invite another family over for potluck, a board game night, it doesn’t have to be fancy, and your house doesn’t have to look perfect. In the past week or so, my family has enjoyed spending time with two families over dinner, talking about our kids, news of the day, and yes, preparedness. It has been a relief, actually, to know there are others on the same page.
Spend some time focusing on feeding the spiritual you. Each of us is spirit, soul, and body, but when it comes to preparedness, it’s easy to focus on everything but our spiritual selves. Whether it’s prayer, reading the Bible, listening to uplifting music, or reflecting on inspirational quotes, we all need to feed and nurture the spirit.
�Start making more meals and food items from scratch. If you’re buying granola bars, find a good recipe and make them yourself! Any store-bought food can be homemade. Have you ever thought of making your own saltines or Cheez-Its? Challenge yourself to learn how to make homemade bread without a bread maker. Check out our Skill of the Month page for ideas and information.
Speaking of skills, strive to learn at least one new skill a month. This month my husband and I enrolled in amateur radio classes and later in October I’m taking a 2-day Wilderness FirstAid course. Keep learning something new every single month!
Start getting in shape. Hey, I don’t like exercising either, but I have made a point to walk several miles each week and work out on weight machines as well. I’m no spring chicken but after just a month, my muscles are stronger and my endurance has increased greatly. If you ever have to walk out of a disaster scenario or run for your life, you don’t want those extra pounds around your middle slowing you down! Remember, if you’re vulnerable, your kids are, too! A strong mama or grandma is far more capable of protecting the young ones.
Learn how to shoot a gun. I don’t care if you grew up in the era of, “guns are evil” or not. Don’t let some politically correct, ivory-towered “expert” convince you otherwise. The truth is, guns are simply a tool. Learn how to handle them safely, learn how to shoot with a degree of accuracy, and teach your children both gun safety and shooting skills. If you’ve never shot a gun before, start with a .22 rifle or pistol.
Stay focused and do something every day to become better prepared. A year or two from now if life has returned to the normal that we remember, pre-2008 or so, you will have money in the bank from your frugality, extra food in the pantry, a slew of handy and fun skills, and a large group of trusted friends. What’s the downside of that?
http://thesurvivalmom.com/2012/10/01/yes-storm-clouds-are-brewing-heres-what-you-need-to-do-now/
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