Prepping Basics...
New to prepping or need some guides - here's some of our basic plans.
FOOD STORAGE
Emergencies can happen at anytime and vary in intensity. Sometimes an emergency can be unexpected guests for a snowed in weekend or something more long term like losing your job. When those emergencies happen - it's nice to know that grocery shopping can be crossed off your list.
Totally Ready recommends that at minimum you have a 3-month food supply, of the foods you normally eat, at home. If you have a 3-month supply already - then double it to 6 months.
Our year long plan will help you build your supply with easy weekly challenges that won't break the bank. If you follow our plan and replace any food items you use during the year - you will have a 3-month supply at the end of the year.
We will also help you understand why storing all food groups (proteins, grains, fruit, vegetables, dairy) is essential.
What makes our plan different than companies that will sell you long term storage items...
1. We teach you to store your normal everyday foods - so life and food remains as normal as possible during high stress times.
2. We include fun weeks where we encourage you to buy "luxury" items that will improve your mood (especially kid's attitudes) when there are special treats during tough times.
3. We also take into account that sometimes an emergency is simply being too sick to leave the house - we've got that covered too!
GENERAL STORE
The first question we get every single time is...
"What is a General Store?"
Remember the old time General Store - the one that still exists in small town America and throughout towns in Europe? It's a store where you can find almost everything you might need and that's what your General Store emergency preparedness is all about!
How many times have you run out of sandwich bags for the kid's lunches or have needed some duct tape or even batteries? Having a General Store at home, helps to put you at ease, knowing you can handle everyday needs for your household, help others, and cope with emergencies as they happen.
Once again - after following this plan for a year, the end result should be a 3 month supply of items.
Helpful lists for items that should be stored in a General Store:
(Check back for more lists in the near future)
BUG OUT or BUG IN
It doesn't matter if you need to bug out or bug in - you still need to be prepared. A Bug Out Bag is meant to help you survive with basic supplies for 120 hours and possibly carry with you when evacuation is needed. Some agencies are even saying plan for longer - but we try to keep the packed bag to something manageable in case you have to actually carry it and hike to safety.
A 120 Hour Kit is meant for survival for 5 days, has more food and water, but also contains other items like important documents, more clothing, maybe some luxury items for the kids. This kit is something you'll typically carry out on your back, or when evacuating you can easily throw it in your car.
A good B.O.B. and/or 120 Hour Kit for each family member will help you all survive until help can reach you or until you can reach help. It will help provide you with shelter at night, the calories and water needed for each day, and the tools you may need as you progress through the emergency.
Our year long program will help you build upon the basics and add in some key items we've found help in most situations. Once again - weekly assignments won't break the bank and at the end you have better packs than those sold on most sites for large upfront fees.
Carolyn's 120 Hour Kit Articles for more reference: