Thursday 14/05/15
Prepping isn't difficult or expensive; nor is it some secret hobby that only weird recluses get involved in. Unlike the extreme examples shown on television, prepping is something everyone should do. Think of it this way; in an emergency or disaster would you prefer to know that you have done everything you could to look after yourself and your family, or hope a heroic stranger turns up to save the day?
One of the most important things you can do is make sure that in an emergency situation, you have enough water and non-perishable food on hand to feed yourself and your family for at least one month. This doesn't need to be an expensive exercise, because you can easily build up your stockpile for just a couple of dollars a week, by purchasing a few extra groceries when you do your weekly shopping. I'm not talking about the extremely expensive "survival" food you can purchase; just purchase the same sort of food you already keep in your pantry (Trust me, you don't want to be trying new food for the first time in an emergency situation, only to find that you're allergic to it).
Ready to eat non-perishable food items include tins of: soup, stews, fruit, spaghetti, baked beans, tuna, salmon, processed meat, etc (like I said, the sort of stuff you have in your pantry). Other non-perishable food items include dehydrated goods like: flour, milk powder, salt, pepper, tea, coffee, sugar, rice, pasta, rolled oats. Long-life milk is another item you should consider stocking. As I mentioned earlier, none of these items are particularly expensive, and adding just a couple of extra tins to your weekly shopping won't significantly impact on your budget. The extra food you purchase should be put into boxes/milk crates, near your Bug Out Bag. This way, you can grab it quickly if you need to evacuate in a hurry (and, you won't accidentally use it as part of your household's food supply). Most importantly, try to get as many cans with ring-pull tops as possible; If you have to mobilise, you may not have access to a can opener (I also recommend owning several little "camping" tin-openers, just in case the ring-pulls break).
Another reason to stick to products you already use is it will allow you to do what is known as stock rotation. Once your emergency food has reached the desired level, you will want to keep it fresh. This chore is very easy to stay on top of; as you bring your weekly groceries into the house, restock your pantry from your food reserves, then restock your food reserves from the shopping you have just purchased. Make sure you keep an eye on the expiry dates of any food stocks you haven't rotated in a while.
Something else you will want to keep on hand is a supply of bottled water. I recommend keeping several 15 litre jugs and several boxes of 24 x 600mL bottled water in your house. The 15 litre jugs are cheaper, but the individual bottles are easier to distribute among your group if you suddenly have to leave (it is better to leave a few bottles behind, than the whole 15 litres – if you are the one stuck with the task of carrying the water; you will quickly discover these things weigh a ton).
The water will have a use by date on the package, not because water goes off, but the plastic container can affect the taste after a while.
Food prepping is a simple, but lengthy topic, and I don't want to overwhelm you with too much information in one blog. I'll call it a night at this point, and I'll pick it up again next Thursday. Before then, I want you to go to your pantry and actually write out a list of the things you need to start purchasing. Remember, being prepared doesn't mean going to the shops after disaster has struck.