Several of my readers, like Teresa, have sent me nice notes, saying that they are not "preppers", but my books make them consider the need for some disaster preparation. I love it that my beliefs wrapped up in the fiction that I enjoy writing, do show through.
I used to laugh a bit at my mother-in-law. My tough and independent MIL had lived through an era in American history when times were very hard for many, the Depression. So many people that remembered those times, vowed to never be hungry again. She was frugal and conservative. I thought it was a bit crazy to drive across town, waste a dollar's worth of gas to use a coupon that would save you 50 cents. Bless her heart, she lived to be nearly 100. When we moved her from her apartment to nursing care, underneath the bed in the spare room were flat boxes of canned goods; in various cabinets and closets were boxes of Kleenex and other paper and beauty supplies. Extra this and that, stuck in dozens of different places.
That habit had always just rubbed against my obsessive compulsive dislike of clutter. I did not like to have more than I really would need in a short time, on hand. I am now here to testify that I have completely changed my tune. I have come to appreciate very much, her ways of saving. I don't believe that you have to spend a lot of money, be excessive or be a hoarder to be prepared for any one of many unexpected events that could occur in our world today. One of the most convincing things that I heard, was when a "prepper" person on a site, said, "My husband suddenly was laid off. The food and extra supplies that we had stored got us through a very hard time. When we were able, he was working again, we started to replenish our stores." You see? it does not have to be a Fire From the Sky catastrophe in order for being prepared to pay off.
Here is just a few suggestions that I like for everyday, on a shoe string preppers:
Buy food that you like and regularly eat. If you don't like spinach now, don't buy cans and store them.
If you bought 1 lb. of a dried food...rice, pasta, beans...AND 2 cans of food, every week, in a year, you would have 52 lbs. of dried food and 104 cans of food. All of that would fit under a bed or on a shelf in a closet. When you buy just an occasional two of something and put one up, it will add up and it won't bust your budget.
The same theory applies to storing some extra water. Filling a couple of soda bottles a week will add up. I now have had about 100 gallons of water for nearly a year. I plan to start slowly emptying those on my yard or plants and refilling. I am thinking about just using a colored dot to let me know that I have refilled and change colors in another year.
*A note here. Don't get all hung up on, the water will be contaminated from the plastic (a little bleach, another good item to have, will purify a lot of water) or the food won't keep for fifty years. Just get started, worry about long term later.
The picture is of crackers and vanilla wafers that I "dry canned". That is my very favorite idea. Don't they look pretty? They are over a year old and will stay fresh for a lot longer. I also have jars of things such as Hamburger Helper mixes. Very simple. Put clean jars and lids in a cold oven, turn it to 250 and slowly heat them, about 30 minutes. Remove, fill with your dry goods and seal. You will shortly hear the "pop" of the lid as it seals down. Easy.
I have to say that these are not ideas for those folks that are way into long term prepping and food storage. These are just for beginners and things that anyone can do and find a bit of space for. We all have to walk before we run. Have fun and get prepared.
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