How to Calculate How Much You Really Need

As some of my long time readers know, I have been prepping for one income. I'll be quitting my job and attending medical school full time in August.

I have also been using coupons to get some really good deals, but how much do I really need to get us through the two years? ( FYI: All of these bottles were either free or less than 50 cents each! )

 Bargain Dawn Stockpile

The first step needs to be to find out how much you are actually using on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. You do this by labeling the product the date it was opened with a sharpie. I opened the last Dawn on 5/10 and opened a new one on 6/2, so a 9 oz. bottle lasted for 23 days.

Next, I have to figure out how many 9 oz. bottles I have , so that I can multiple it by 23 days.

I have 15 ( 9 oz bottles ), 1 ( 10.3 oz bottle ), and 1 ( 24 oz. bottle). With the amount and usage of Dawn, I can now figure out how long my stockpile will last. 

For ease, I'll use the 9 oz. as a standard,
so 10.3 oz. plus 24 oz. = 34.3 ounces in the odd sized bottles, divide by 9 (standard bottle size) = 3.8 ( 9 oz. bottles ) to get everything to a common standard.

15 bottles plus the 3.8 = 18.8 ( 9 ounce bottles ).

18.8 times 23 days =  432.4 days

I should use my last stockpiled Dawn in 432.4 days.

So, to answer my own question. I should still be on the lookout for bargain Dawn. About 10 more 9 oz. bottles should get us through the 2 year period without having to purchase any more.

You can use this same procedure to found out how much of something you need. Figure out how long a product lasts, then divide by the time frame to derive the amount of that product(s) you need. 

Prepping Part Two - A new Hobby

 This is a continuation of my prepping series.

My brother-in-law and sister have started to take an interest in emergency preparation or prepping. This is what I would tell them.

I am not advocating spending a ridiculous amount of money on preparing. I am instead advocating spending a little time and money now as insurance...just in case. Prepping items should always be an item that you are going to use, otherwise it is wasting money. I actually consider prepping to be a hobby of mine.

I like to backpack, so all of the gear that I do purchase will be used for family camping trips. It just so happens that if an natural disaster destroys our house. If our gear is available, then we will have a place to stay, and more importantly, know how to use it. We will also have alternative ways to cook in case the electricity goes out: a Coleman Stove and a Propane grill.  I currently have about 2 gallons of Coleman fuel and two full 15 pound Propane tanks. I always seem to run out of propane when I just start cooking some BBQ chicken. These two are more than enough to last an above average power outage. I really need to purchase a new water filter and those Berkey water filters sure look nice.

I also like to save money at the grocery store. I use coupons, track the cyclical prices of groceries, and stockpile excellent deals until the next one rolls around. I recently purchased five 14 oz Frenchs mustard for a final price of 39 cents each ( the usual cost is 2.49 ). This should last us well into the summer until the Labor Day Grilling sales roll around. By using this technique, I am preparing for inflation. I'll only find fools to argue that inflation isn't happening. No wonder the Core Inflation Index does NOT include energy or foods prices. Anybody gotten gasoline lately?

I know that I'm not normal and think that grocery shopping is a game. I try to see how much I can buy for the smallest amount of cash. My waist line can testify that we eat good at our house. I'll buy those T-bone steaks that are on sale this week in a minute. Do you see where I'm going? Moderation in your preparations.

 Actually Old Photo of some of my short term food supply. The buckets have rice,beans, and sugar.

Now that I have gotten completely off on a tangent, back to what I would tell them. Start by looking for sales at the grocery store. They already track the prices. Stockpile food that you use, use it, and rotate it. Buy multiple papers for the coupons.  I strongly recommend storing enough water for at least one week. Our family has a water supply that will last us about 3 weeks. This doesn't include the hot water tank that holds 40 gallons. That is 35 gallons for their family ( 2 adults, 2 kids, and a dog --- 1 gallon per day ). Wally world Megamart has a seven gallon container for around $10.

Action Steps:

• Stockpile water. ( 1 gallon per person per day )
• Expand food and water supplies for 3 days.
• Expand food and water supplies for 7 days.
• Expand food supplies for 2 weeks.
• Expand food supplies for 1 month.
• Expand food supplies for 3 months.
• Use sales and coupons to your advantage!!!

Water and Food. Moderation.

Prepping Part One - A baby step

The task of prepping can be an intimidating action. It is too easy to say that, "Oh, it will never happen". Do you have insurance? This is a common form of preparing. Preparing for an accident or just in case. I know that this is a lame example and it is often overused, but it is true.

 My sister and brother-in-law have started to think about preparing. What would I tell them to do? They have two small boys and a pet dog. So basically, five people in the house to be taken care of in case of an emergency.

The first thing that I would recommend is to have an evacuation plan in place. Talk about the steps that would be taken if either parent is at work and the kids are at daycare? What would they do? Who goes and gets the kids? What if the cell phones aren't working? A SOP ( Standard Operating Procedure ) needs to be discussed. Such basics need to be covered:

• Documents should be together with all relevant information. Passports, IDs, Insurance Papers, Account Information, Cash , UBS Thumbdrive with electronic info etc...
• Discuss if each member is at a different place and how the family regroups. Rally point(s).
• Low Tech Communication if cell phones don't work. We use our refrigerator as our message board.
• A quick list of what needs to be taken. Plan ahead with a BOB ( bug out bag ) or be able to get everything in 5 minutes or less. Make a list.
• Where are you going? Plan A and a Plan B, even a Plan C would be better. Does anyone need to know where you will be going?
• Make sure that a vehicle is reliable with a reserve gas stash to make the trip without being dependent on gas stations. 
• Talk about security. If things get bad, the unprepared will want your stuff.
• Water and/or food to get you to your location.

Communication would be my first suggestion.