September Preparedness Month (30) Wrap Up

 On the last day of Preparedness Month, I'd like to thank everyone for visiting my humble blog. You might have noticed that I changed my closing mantra to do one small step every day. Prepping doesn't have to be a huge undertaking, but rather small simple tasks that are done when you think of them. If the power goes out for a minute, and you think it would be nice to have a flashlight, then buy one the next time you are out. You don't need a bunker to be prepared as I've hoped to demonstrate this month. Just common sense tasks...

The Bible teaches us to store food and to prepare for hard times. Even if you don't believe in God, there is a wealth of wisdom in the Bible. Aesop's Fable, a child's tales, even teaches us these things.

The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down.
Proverbs 21:20 NIV

The parable of the ten virgins   : The Bible again teaches us to prepare for the darkness, and the prepared are rewarded.
Matthew 25

The Grasshopper and the Ant Parable
[Link Here]

Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
1 Timothy 5:8 NIV (emphasis mine)

"Make hay while the sun is shines"
“Make hay while the sun shines" is an old saying that's considered a proverb. A proverb is an old, usually short saying that communicates good advice or something true. If you make hay while the sun shines, it means that you take advantage of the chance to do something while conditions are good. (Google)

I'll be posting less, as I prepare to sit for my National MRI registry exam. Stay safe, God bless, and take care of you and your loved ones. I'll still be reading my blogs and commenting... 

The comment section is open for your comments, criticism, and prepping knowledge.

 Keep Right On Prepping - K

September Preparedness Month (29)

As the end nears, today's post will be mainly  miscellaneous tidbits.

Sweetheart wanted me to add that gelatin, collagen, and protein powders make excellent protein sources that aren't your standard peanut butter.

Don't forget the dominant food crops of the world, so grow, store, and experiment with new menu items.

Monsoon Matriarch, of Frugal Prep,   is a strong proponent of the Emergency Essentials orange drink mix for rounding out a more balanced diet. Link here.

In the event of a long term event, vitamins would be a good item to stockpile.

Let's not forget some of the super foods that are easily stored. Pioneer Preppy, at Small Hold,  loves his lentils which are very easy to cook and a powerhouse of nutrition. Rice, get several varieties, which is most of the world's staple food.

One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (28)

I'm sure that a few of my readers were wondering when we would get to firearms. Well, today is the day. I recommend new shooters to talk to a friend that has pistols, and ask to go shooting with them. Most gun owners are more than happy to show new shooters the proper way to handle firearms, how to handle a pistol, and proper training. Some Arkansas ranges offer a wide selection of pistols for rental, and this is an excellent way to get a feel for a pistol.

A big box store or local armory is also a good way to get good information about guns. Make sure that the staff is friendly, doesn't talk down to you, knowledgeable,and willing to take the time with you. Go spend your money elsewhere if they act like a jackass (Don's Armory in Arkansas).

Be sure to include in your budget at the very least 200 rounds to shoot in the very near future, and another 50-100 rounds to start your ammo stockpile. Harry Flashman has a great post on long term ammo storage at this LINK. It's worth your time.

Personally, I like Ruger for the value and service. Your mileage may vary. Buy what works for you, and is comfortable in your hand when shooting it.

One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (27)

Cleanliness is next to Godliness, or so the adage goes. During my backpacking years, wet wipes played an important role in feeling clean, and providing a general sense of well being in the back country. For under $2.00 you can purchase enough wet wipes to keep a person feeling fairly clean for about a week. This also includes using it as TP.

Today's small expenditure is to purchase a package of wet wipes for power outages, go home kit, or other uses.

http://www.johnwillsphotography.com/sunrise-and-coffee-0459/

I can not stress enough the general sense of well being with a cleaner body, brushed teeth, and a cup of coffee in the morning.

One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (26)

Some of the best long term storage treats that we have found are the dehydrated potatoes and onions for restaurant style hash browns. We also like the freeze dried pineapple chunks, apple slices, and MRE cookies and cakes.  The MREs are reasonably priced and store very well. I've had five year old MRE cookies that are still good to eat, especially the Lemon Poppy Seed Pound Cake!

If you catch the hash browns on sale from Emergency Essentials they are actually priced better per ounce than the hash browns that you get from the grocery store.

Sweetheart likes the freeze dried strawberries slices, but we have been disappointed by the amount of strawberry dust at the bottom of the can. About half the can is dust, and I guess we could use it for strawberry pancakes or other baked goods, but we haven't experimented with it yet.

You can find some excellent deals on freeze dried foods, which has a shelf life of over 15 years, and incorporate it into your everyday menus.

Question for my experienced readers: What and where have you found great deals on long term storage foods? Leave a comment...

One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (25)

Today's task will require a little thought and a few dollars. Remember the honest day's food storage? Well, today we are going to throw in a few food treats to bring the spirits up.

Cold weather? Hot chocolate for the kids, a special hot tea for the wife, a percolator for the parents sake and kid's well-being, a small bottle of Baileys for that coffee, and/or marshmallows for the fireplace are all good ideas.

Hot weather? A packet of Gatorade, sweet tea, and other cold beverages to go with those frozen water bottles from day three would be a welcome treat.

A few well stocked items could brighten an otherwise dark day. What are some treats for your family that you can think of storing today for tomorrow?

One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (24)

We are in the home stretch for September Preparedness Month, and the rest of the month we'll take on small tasks to make preparedness situations a little more pleasant. Today's task is to acquire a radio for communication and news. Amazon is a great place to start researching portable radios. Check out the reviews, and remember that people are more willing to leave a bad review than a good one. Our portable radio uses 3 AA batteries and has a very good battery life it is the Grundig FR-200.

After your radio purchase, I would consider either a handheld walk-talkie or Ham radio. We have the Baofeng UV-5RAX+ which is a reasonable entry level handheld ham radio. It does need a ham license to operate, but those are easily obtained online (without Morse code now) for a nominal fee.

Another alternative is the walkies-talkies that hunters use, weather radios, or a handheld CB. We don't have either at our house, so I can't recommend a brand or model type.

Check out Amazon, and get your communications squared away.

One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (23)

 Today's small task will be to assemble a small first aid kit. Consider this a short term common ailment kit. This isn't a SHTF trauma kit with quick clog, and surgical tools that you don't know how to use, this is a practical everyday I've got a cut, burn, or splinter kit.

My practical first aid kit includes:

• Fabric Bandaids (knuckle, strip, and fingertip) with a few large ones thrown in.
• Triple antibotic ointment for cuts
• Moleskin for blisters
• Small mirror and tweezers for splinters and things in the eye
• Individual packets of Advil, Aspirin, and/or Aleve (Doan's is nice too!)
• Hotel soap (to clean poison ivy urushiol)
• Silver Oxide for burns (ask pharmacist)
• Benadryl
• Heart burn medication
• Carmex lip balm in the canister
• Baking soda self made packet (for bee stings)

I'll go into a bit more detail. The Urushiol oil from poison ivy is about as cleanable as axle grease, so wash affected area about 4 times with lots of friction and perhaps a washcloth within a few hours of contact. If a rash does develop, then relief can be sought by using very hot water (as hot as you can stand without burning yourself) to flush the area. The relief will be last a hour to four hours.

Silver Oxide is available from your pharmacist without a prescription, but be warned that it cost about $30 a tube. I told mine that I wanted a tube for a backpacking first aid kit and he was very helpful. You can get a prescription from your doctor to have insurance cover part of the cost.

Baking Soda for bee stings? Make a paste with water and apply to the bee sting area, and as the paste dries, it will draw the poison out of the skin.

So, this is our basic first aid kit...What do you have in your wallet kit?

One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (22)

Okay, last one dealing with a smart phone. Nobody prints out pictures any more,so today's task we are going to stroll down memory lane and print at least 10 pictures off of your camera. I'm also guilty of this practice, and I don't recall the last time I've held a print picture. Be sure to get a matte finish since the glossy are not archive quality and get sticky over time.

This should cost only a few dollars, but will be priceless if the images are lost.

One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (21)

The last post, we talked about having your wallet lost or stolen and how to mitigate the effect. The next two posts, or step preps will help with your cell phone dying, being lost, or stolen. This one is rather time consuming but can be done in small steps.

Transfer all of your phone contacts onto index cards or another hard copy form. Peace of mind...

 One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (20)

 This is an old post from January,but a good action step.



You've gotten your wallet/purse lost or stolen, but thankfully you had your phone in your pocket. Stash a little cash ($20 or more if you can afford it) behind the phone case. Out of gas and they are only taking cash?

 
Also, have all of your credit card/debit information (contact numbers and card numbers) stored on your note pad to swiftly cancel any stolen cards. It sure beats waiting and worrying until you get home to start the process.

All the Star Wars artwork is by Row, my 10 year old.

Keep Right On Prepping - K

September Preparedness Month (19)

The best resource for food, for most people, is the grocery store. Expand your pantry to cover three honest day's worth of food for you and your family. Purchase things that you eat on a regular basis, and rotate your stock. Improve your cooking skills with shelf stable foods and slowly expand, without going into debt, your pantry.

This is part of our pantry (which needs a organizational overhaul) and how we save money at the grocery store. When products that we use go on sale, we stock up our pantry. For example, the two cases of canned organic pumpkin was on clearance after Thanksgiving for about 75 cents a can. It's usually $1.67.

I have a fairly good memory and can spot excellent deals. The top left holds our pasta, that is currently very low, but it goes on sale for .39 a pound once or twice per year. When it goes on sale, I'll probably buy about 60 pounds between three stores, since we have spaghetti night at least once per week for the five of us.

I've tracked food prices with a notebook (LINK), my phone, and on the item itself (with a sharpie) to stretch the most from our food budget.

Gradually increase the pantry's supply to feed your family longer and longer periods of time. Don't forget a manual can opener.

One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (18)

We barely scratched the surface of cooking fuels in yesterday's post, and I'll go into more detail of a bare bones portable kitchen. Most of my backpacking has been in forest settings, so my fuel choice is going to be dead wood, scrub brush, or other collectable fuels along your route.

There are several books, websites, backpack forums, and other resources for finding one pot recipes. These meals can be as fancy or basic as your taste buds prefer! My favorite breakfast menu for a breaking camp day is instant oatmeal, dried fruit, and hot tea/coffee for breakfast. I've found that this meal is quick to prepare and an easy cleanup for getting on the move!

Dinners are usually a bit more involved but we have done fajitas with tortillas, stews, and fried rice in the back country with great success. One pot to cook in, eat out of, and clean. Speaking of which, I usually only carry a pocket knife and a spoon for my meals.

For my bare bones back country kitchen: A pot, lighter, knife, spoon, and endless possibilities.

 One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (17)

Yesterday, we discussed no cook lunches and meals. I'll briefly go into some of the ways to heat and cook food. Wood and fire are obvious choices and almost free, depending on your geographic location, and would be a renewable resource in a life changing event.

FREE:

MINIMAL COST:

A Sterno cook stove is about $5.00 and the Sterno is fairly cheap and very easy to use.

Combine this with some canned stew and some hot tea, and you've got a treat during an ice storm.

A LITTLE MORE:

For about 35-40 dollars you can purchase a Propane cook stove that is more versatile, easy to use, and portable for tailgating or camping. In a previous post, I've done a field test between Propane fuel and white gas fuels (LINK TO OLD POST). I prefer the white gas version, but it is a lot easier to use the propane tanks.  I would be comfortable with my kids using the propane tanks but not the white gas stove.

There are also optional regulator hoses for using the bigger tanks on these small camp stoves, but that means spending more money. My propane grill also has a side burner with can be pressed into service for multi-pot meals. We currently have three large propane tanks for the grill, that way we don't have to run to the store for a refill when we've got food cooking.

Keep On Preparing - K

September Preparedness Month (16)

Yesterday's post we discussed preserving our refrigerated food supply. Today we are going to take a small peek at the possibilities for shelf stable foods in times of power outages. For today's effort we are only discussing foods that do not require any cooking. My backpacking mentor called these "walking lunches" since you could theoretically walk and eat lunch at the same time.

I store tuna and a pouch of mayo from Chik-fil-a, salt/pepper, and pickles (finely diced) for my own tuna salad on crackers. Add some hot sauce and raisins, and I've got a easy lunch with no cooking.

So, what's your favorite, easy no-cook meal that is shelf stable? We should have some good comments.

TIP: I have personally snacked through lunch a few times with almonds, dried fruit, and package of cheese and crackers with a Gatorade. Next time you are grocery shopping, look around at the possibilities of meals without cooking, you might be amazed!

Keep Right On Preparing - K

September Preparedness Month (15)

This is a post from February 18,2012 but worth another read. The post outlines the steps that should be taken to preserve your refrigerated food supply for as long as possible. I've updated and reedited for today's post.




Things you can do now: 

• If you have any chronically empty space in your freezer, then make some blocks of ice. It will improve your efficiency of your freezer and you'll have ice for your ice chest.
• Make sure you have (and know how to use) an alternative cooking appliance. A propane grill or camp stove are my two favorites. I cannot emphasize enough the dangers of toxic gases or risk of fire when they are used indoors or without proper ventilation. KNOW HOW TO PROPERLY USE AND MAINTAIN YOUR EQUIPMENT.
• Purchase a food thermometer and calibrate it. (Link provided)
• Know your Danger Zones for bacteria ( 42 degrees F to 140 degrees F ).

Hour 0:

• Call your energy provider and report the power outage. It gives you a timeline for the expected grid-down situation.
• Stay out of your freezer and refrigerator if at all possible.
• Access situation: security, safety, health, etc...

Hour 4:

• If you have a generator, now is the time to run it and cool your refrigerator and freezer. Reset the stop watch to zero and repeat every four hours. Stay on this step as long as you are able.
• Otherwise continue...
• The USDA considers this time to be when the refrigerator is no longer within the safe zone. If it is cold outside (under 42 degrees) then move your products outside or into a cooler. If it is hot outside, then put as many critical items into a cooler with the ice from the freezer. 
• Eat as much as possible of the thawed foods, better to eat it than throw it away.

Hour 7:

• Time to eat. Now is the time to cook any raw products in the refrigerator. Invite neighbors over for a BBQ or potluck. Discuss helping one another and put cooked and cooled meats into an ice chest with the blocks of ice from the freezer (Things you can do now step).

Hour 8:

• Any items that have been within the Danger Zone for bacteria for FOUR hours or more are now considered unsafe for public restaurant sales. These items should be discarded or fed to the pets. Do not place your family or yourself at risk to save a few dollars.
• Some people are at higher risk for developing foodborne illness. These include pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.
  If you — or someone you care for — are in one of these at-risk groups, it's important to pay extra attention to handling food safely. For more on those most at risk, visit www.fsis.usda.gov.

Hour 12:

• The freezer should still ( on average ) be okay and under 42 degrees.
• If a cooler is being used, then check to make sure ice is still in it. Sometimes shaking the cooler and listening is a good indicator. Still prevent unnecessary openings of ice chest, refrigerator, and freezer.

Hour 16:

•  If a ice chest is being used, then check to make sure ice is still in it. Continue to prevent any unnecessary openings.

Hour 24:

• On average, the freezer is now approaching the Danger Zone for bacterial growth.
• Again, consider cooking the previously frozen items and eating them. Waste not, Want not.

Day 2:

• Hopefully, you still have some ice or able to acquire some.
• Some foods will be edible for a day at room temperature such as eggs, butter, mustard, and hard cheeses.
• Here is a link to one of the best sites for bacterial growth requirements. Bacteria Needs for Growth.

Day 3:

• Assess all of your previously refrigerated foods. An old kitchen motto says, "When in doubt, throw it out."
• At this point you will be starting to get into your pantry supply.
• Minimize leftovers so that you don't have to worry about food poisoning.
• Feed any appropriate scraps to your pets to reduce waste.
• Sanitation is even more important now. Paper plates were a good investment.
• Most grocery stores only carry three days supply.
• Statically speaking, neighbors have started to run out of food. 

 One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (14)

Continuing with the power outage theme, we have our water squared away and light at the very minimum. Most people have cell phones, our first second priority is to contact the electric provider and get information about the outage and estimated repair time.  Our first priority is to make sure that the house and people are safe. Turn off any potential hazards for when the power comes back on, such as the oven, stove top, iron, etc...

Have a couple of games, books, or non-electrical items for you to enjoy the quiet. Step outside and check on the neighbors, or take a nap or retire for the evening.

One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (13)

We've spent quite a bit of time on getting to and from your house in an emergency, now we'll focus on sheltering in place. Most people will experience multiple power outages in their lifetime, and most people still won't plan for them. Go figure? We are going to focus on short term local power outages that do not require moving to a new location. The first item that should be purchased is a flashlight, preferably one for each family member or two each for kids under ten.

Beginner Level:

Walmart carries an LED flashlight, with batteries included for one dollar each. An even better deal is going to Harbor Freight with a coupon and getting a free one!

My personal favorite, the Energizer WeatherReady Flashlight, plugs into the wall outlet and automatically comes on when the power goes out. It costs about $9.00.

One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (12)

The last two days, we have talked about getting to our evacuation destination and home from work. I probably should have put this one before the other two, but sometimes you have to backtrack to move forward. Anyways, a family discussion needs to be put in place to make sure everyone gets home in case of disaster or weather event. This is a two-fold situational exercise: communication and no communication.

Coordinating the collection of kids and other party members for evacuation is easy with cell phones and land lines. The main purpose of this exercise is to discuss the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) when communication is not possible. Who gets the kids from school? daycare? We picks up Grandmother from her house? Everyone needs to be included in the loop and know what the plan is to get everyone to the same location for evacuation. Be sure to take into account for different situations such as: power outages, weather events, and maybe even an extreme event such as having to walk.

Any and all comments are welcome, so post any questions or additional information throughout the series.

One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K

September Preparedness Month (11)

 15 years ago at 8:46am on Sept 11th.....

 Thank you to all the heroes, and a prayer for those lost.

Yesterday,we talked about planning a route from the home to our destination in case of an evacuation event. I think this one is a little more fun. We are going to find alternative routes from work to home and bypass traffic congestion spots. I'm sure that most people are better versed at this task than their evacuation destination.

Waze is a great free smart phone application to get started.


Any and all comments are welcome, so post any questions or additional information throughout the series.

One task every day, one small task....for a better prepared community - K