A Work In Progress

This blog isn't complete yet, but has some resources to get you thinking about preparedness. By no means do I know everything there is to know, but I've put in a lot of hours into research because I've felt an urgency to get prepared. I hope this website may help you.

To begin click on the "START HERE" tab. 

How will I keep warm without electricity and gas?

Something I think about often when I go outside and freeze! How I would hate my family to be cold. A lot of people have thought about this. Here are some ideas.

How to stay warm when the power goes out.

Another option I like is a terra cotta warmer. What a cool idea!

Emergency Preparedness Must Haves

This is completely my opinion and I'm not receiving any products from suggesting the following. We have been counseled by our church leaders to build up our supply slowly and to not go into debt. If you can afford a few of these it may make your lives a bit easier.

• CLOTH DIAPERS
• Need I say more? I don't cloth diaper with my son on a regular basis, but I want these if there are no more disposable diapers around. I don't really want to use my kitchen towels as diapers. You can find them at a variety of places new or used, but I found mine on KSL. 
• LIGHT & Batteries
• Solar Lanterns- We've used these multiple times while camping and LOVE them. 
• THESE flashlights- They are the brightest little flashlight that only uses one battery. I use these all the time. There are a variety of companies that sell them. 
• Bright Lantern- I love this small, compact lantern because it only uses 4 AA batteries and is SO bright. 
• Toilet Seat 
• The first thing we'll need in an emergency is a toilet. These lids fit on a 5 gallon bucket and are around $12-$20. This is well worth the investment. You can buy 500 clear plastic bags at Costco for around $10. 
• Wonder Oven/ Saratoga Jack
• These are excellent ways to cook food without electricity. 
• More info about The Wonder Oven 
• Saratoga Jacks
• LifeStraw
• I love this idea. A straw that is a filter. You can take it with you wherever you need to go. It has a lanyard and it a great bartering tool if things get bad enough. Anyone will do anything for clean water. 
• Survival Book- The Ultimate Guide to Homesteading: An Encyclopedia of Independent Living
• I really don't like using the word "survival" because it makes me sound extreme and a little crazy, but I really don't know how to live off the land, or birth a baby, or know flowers and plants to eat, or anything. This is an excellent option for only $15. 
• There are a LOT of other great books out there. If you're more interested in these ask me. 
• Warm Clothes
• For everyone in the family. From hats, scarves, boots(!!!), coats, snow pants, WOOL SOCKS, and even some for kids to grow in. 
• A warm sleeping bag
• Really, REALLY warm. I've found one that is affordable for our needs. Heres a link. Here is the Extra Large. . Mummy bags can go below zero degrees, but I like these because we can zip them together and stay warmer together. 
• Hiking Boots. 
• A Good Tent
• You decide what a "good" tent is. We have canvas, there are some really amazing options out there. Emergency Essentials has some excellent options. 
• Unflavored Gelatine
• Yeah, that sounds so weird, right? You can use it as a substitute for Eggs. The egg powder you will buy at any store will only last up to 3 years. I don't want to bank on a bunch of egg powder and then not have any when I really need it. 
• Heavy Duty Tarps
• I've found a few options on Amazon. I like to think that these will provide shelter my family or a family in need. 
• N-95 Masks
• These are different from doctors masks. These provide protection from really hazardous material, flu, & sickness. Better safe than sorry.
• Water Filtration
• There are SO many options out there. There are varying opinions. I chose to have some straws, water bottles, and larger filtration systems. They can get pretty pricey, but there would be nothing worse than contaminated water. 

Do you have any suggestions? I am far from completely prepared, so please let me know some of your ideas!

How will I cook my food with no electricty?

There are a variety of options and these are just a few. If you find any other alternatives I would LOVE to hear about them.  I like to plan for the worst and hope for the best. If I had to cook my food storage for one whole year (or more) without electricity:

• Portable Gas stoves
• Great option now for camping or bbqs.  If you can store a lot of fuel for an extended amount of time, this could work. Chances are there won't be a lot of fuel to be had. 
• Briquettes
• Charcoal can be viable for a long amount of time, if properly stored. Its difficult to store enough briquettes to plan for one year, or more. 
• Fuel Pucks/ Liquid Fuel
• Great alternative, and I have bought quite a few boxes. They're great for long term storage and each puck burns about 15-20 minutes. The prices have skyrocketed and another downside is you have to store them. The cheapest I've found is at Costco, but they are out of stock quite often.
• Wood
• Always a great option. If you live in the mountains or near them, this is very probable, but if everyone had to cook with wood it would be hard to keep the supply up. 
• Wonder Oven
• A really cool alternative I just came across. Its works like a powerless crock pot. Its a small "box" made of Polystyrene beads that will help to keep any pot warm for 12-16 hours. You can make one for $20-$30 or buy one $60-$80. 
• Pressure Cooker
• I believe is a must have. If we're trying to save energy, a pressure cooker cuts the time of cooking. 
• Volcano Collapsable Grill
• I really like this because its so compact and can be transported easily. 
• Tent Stove
• This option is fairly affordable at $62. Its possible there is a really big earthquake that we can't live in our home and resort to a tent. I NEED a way to stay warm in a tent. This is my option, and it could be for you too. Remember a way to attach it to your tent walls (stove jack)  if this is what you decide. 
• Solar Oven

Survivopedia- 15 options of how to cook your food

One Year of Food Storage

Where to begin???

You know what you and your family will eat. Learn how to prepare the food you buy. Make sure it sounds good to you! You don't want to be in miserable circumstances and then eat miserable food. 

INVENTORY. Keep track. When they expire, how many servings, how many cans/buckets etc. It is easiest to write everything down after every order. Its tedious, but it will pay off! I have made a blank one that works for us if you'd like to use it. 

Spreadsheet of Food Storage Inventory

Basics. The LDS Church Home Storage Centers  is an excellent start. They are usually the very cheapest supplies. They will provide the basics, such as: 

• Apple Slices
• Black Beans
• Pinto Beans
• Refried Bean (flakes)
• White beans
• Carrots
• Hot Cocoa Mix
• White Flour
• Fruit Drink Mix
• Macaroni
• Nonfat Dry Milk (I have my own opinion of this) 
• Quick Oats
• Regular Oats
• Dry Onions
• Pancake Mix
• Potato Flakes
• Potato Pears
• White Rice
• Spaghetti
• Starter Kit
• Granulated sugar
• Hard Red Wheat 
• Hard White Wheat

An order form is found here. If you decide to go this route their options are in #10 cans or in bags. I have bought the bags and ordered food storage grade buckets from Home Depot. Pack of 10 buckets is $52.10 = $5.21/ bucket. Lids are $19.50 for 10. All = $7.16 per bucket. If you decide to do the gamma seal $39.64 for 6 pack= $11.82 per bucket. 

You can find many other basics at Walmart and Costco. No links to them because they're on their shelves. They are all fairly inexpensive.

Here is an excellent place to START! A spreadsheet I just ran across. 

Other food. 

A comparison chart is found here. Pay attention to SERVING SIZES. 

Basics are an excellent place to start, but if I just had to live off of those I'd go crazy. No variety and no fruits, veggies, seasonings (or treats!)  I'll tell you this has been hard and has taken a LOT of time to do. So this is my finding. 

Breakfasts: They can be very inexpensive.

I have gathered a lot of:

-OATMEAL, cinnamon, and honey. (Costco)

-Pancake mix (beware, not a long shelf life), syrup (cheapest at Costco) 

-Creamy Wheat Cereal (Augason Farms)
- Cooked wheat is a delicious alternative

Lunches and Dinners: 

(Each have links to their emergency food)

1. Walmart

2. Augason Farms

3. Costco

Specifics for Family

Our family drinks a lot of milk. I have decided to make that a priority in our food storage. I like the idea of instant milk instead of powdered milk. (You can read a comparison of the two HERE.) I have bought milk from Costco & Augason Farms. 

Other specifics might include: 

-Gluten Free Food

Pre-made meals. (If you are super tight on cash, skip this) 

In times of distress the preparing of food will be difficult, but so so important. This is a bit more pricey, but it is worth it to me. 

Free Legacy Food.  I ordered 3 Entree buckets of 120 servings $280 each. They gave me a deal $756, $84 off. I would hope they would for you, too. I really liked this option because they are in servings of 6-8 people. About what I would be serving per meal. 

Other pre-made meals: COSTCO.  216 Total Servings of Mixed Variety Entrees with Real Freeze-Dried Meat Food Storage = $249.99

SEASONINGS
I would suggest a variety. Some ideas may include

• YEAST!
• Taco Seasoning
• Italian Seasoning
• Salt & Pepper
• Curry
• Cinnamon
• Vanilla
• Creole
• Anything your family eats now, stock up! Costco is a great place to find a lot of these

HOW TO COOK MY FOOD???
I wrote a post about that. You can find it HERE.

OTHER WEBSITES
Other really great and more in depth websites dealing with preparedness & food storage
- Prepared LDS Family
- Purpose Driven Motherhood
- Your Own Home Store
- The Survival Mom
- My Food Storage Cookbook
THIS is another list of more websites to check out.