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We’re all in this together: 72 hour kit hacks for beginners, those with experience, and the pros (what did you learn from day 6?)

Our Challenge (for Day 6) took us away from the safety of our own homes.
The Mock Emergency Alert – Day 6: Natural Disaster: Wild fires – EVACUATE!

👉 Our scenario was: An out-of-control wildfire, fueled by fierce winds, unexpectedly changes direction and races toward your town. You have mere minutes to evacuate, leaving behind your home. Today, you’ll rely on your 72-hour kit for sustenance. It’s a stark reminder of the critical role preparedness plays in our lives and how quickly circumstances can change.

Our tasks were to:
1. Evacuate your house within 15 minutes of reading today’s challenge. You do not know if your house will be destroyed while you are gone so plan accordingly. Stay away until after lunchtime.
2. Eat/drink ONLY out of your 72 hour kits until you return home

While you were out, you were asked to make a list of potential reasons you could be forced to evacuate. For each scenario, you should have written down where you would go, what type of ‘stuff’ you would need in your kits, how long you’d be gone, etc. This list could be valuable when reviewing your current 72 hour kits.
Don’t have a 72 hour kit? We hope this challenge convinced you how important it is to have one.

Since it was possible you might not return to find your house still standing, as so many in western Canada this year found themselves, you’d be grateful to have made a list of all of your valuables for the purpose of submitting to your insurance company. In the spring of 2023 we lost our cabin to a wild fire. We had been renovating it for three years, and since it wasn’t entirely finished, we didn’t have a list of the things in it, just in our memories and a few snap shots. Big regrets with that.
Do you have a fireproof-waterproof safe? Computer backups? Safety deposit box for valuables?

How did you do?
Have you been in a situation in the last several years when you had to evacuate your house? Or did you know someone who had? If so, did that experience help you prepare for this scenario?

* An Evacuation Order means You are at risk and must leave the area immediately. This is a mandatory evacuation enforced by local authorities. The evacuation order may be issued without a preceding alert, if there isn’t enough warning.

Because of the nature of an emergency evacuation, you don’t have time to prepare, and no second chances. All your preparations had to have been done well in advance, and ready for you to grab’n’go. Ideally, you should have an additional grab’n’go bag in your vehicle – compact enough to transfer to whatever vehicle you’re driving, or additional bags for additional vehicles.

* Each person who is old enough,
should have a backpack they can carry with some basics in it.

In no particular order of importance (except for water which is #1), I’ve listed some areas to focus on, and improve on. Every other point is going to fluctuate in its level of importance to different people. No judging. You decide which deserves your attention first, but remember the RULE OF THREE.

Let’s talk about WATER

Ideally you’ll be going to a friend or relative’s house, but not everyone has that option. And there is a reason it’s called a 72 hour kit. Assuming that you must be self sufficient for 3 days, what do you have for water in your kit? Water is heavy, so you’re not going to have enough for everyone. But plan to have two large bottles per person, in the bottom of each person’s bag. Adjust as necessary for little people.

Water filter. You will run out of good water, and if you’re in a typical situation you’ll probably be given bottled water, but you cannot count on that. Having a good quality water filter will give you back some control.

Let’s talk about FOOD

Granola bars and fruit snacks are going to get real old after one day. You need to be prepared to feed your family a few meals. Choose foods your family will EAT. Be reasonable now; don’t expect everyone to be reasonable then.
Manual can opener even if you don’t have cans in your bag. You never know what you’ll be given.
Mess kits and or disposable cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils.

Consider getting some Instant Meals that just require water to refresh. These ones from Thrive Life are light weight, hearty, easy to prepare, nutritious and delicious. And they have a 20 year shelf life, so you don’t have to switch out-dated food in your kits every year.

Let’s talk about CLOTHING

Have one complete change of clothes suitable to the season, or at least a couple changes of socks and underwear. How long could you be happy without a change of underwear?

Let’s talk about LIGHT

A good strong flashlight and perhaps a hands free head-lamp flashlight.
Especially in the winter, its dark more than its light, plan for how to get through those dark hours.

Let’s talk about COMMUNICATION

Recharger for your phone. And a backup fully charged charger.
Battery operated or hand crank radio, extra batteries.
Local maps.
Pen and paper to leave messages.

Let’s talk about EMERGENCY INFORMATION

Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container.
Family pictures for, in the very likely event you get separated.

Let’s talk about PLAN

If you get separated, where are you going to meet? How will you contact each other if you lose your phone?

Let’s talk about the possible condition around us

Dust mask to help filter contaminated air.
Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter in place.
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each individual.

Let’s talk about SANITATION

Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties.
Soap, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to disinfect surfaces

Let’s talk about MEDICAL NEEDS or MEDICATIONS

Did you know that almost half of North Americans take a prescription medicine every day? If you’re one of them, an emergency can make it difficult to refill prescriptions or to find an open pharmacy. Organize and protect your prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and vitamins to prepare for an emergency.
Non prescription medication like pain relievers.
Spare pair of prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution.

Let’s talk about SPECIFIC NEEDS

Like: Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and diaper rash cream.
Pet food and extra water for your pet.
Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items.
Cash. You’ll need some cash to buy what you can, when you can.
A good book. You’ll probably have a LOT of down time. Plan for a way to fill it with something engaging.

Let’s talk about LOCATION at the time of evacuation

Since you don’t know where you will be when an emergency occurs, prepare supplies for home, work and vehicles.
Home:  Keep this kit in a designated place, easy to reach and close to an exit in case you have to leave your home quickly. Make sure all family members know where it is. Work: Be prepared to shelter at work for at least 24 hours. Your work kit should include food, water and other necessities like medicines, as well as comfortable walking shoes, stored in a “grab and go” case.
Car: In case you are stranded, keep a kit of emergency supplies in your car.

BEGINNER level – starting from scratch!

Start by getting yourself a container: a backpack or a rolling pack. Something that is suitable to YOU, and your ability to carry or pull. There’s no sense in gathering contents till you have something to put it all in.

Make sure everyone in your household who can carry or pull their own bag, has one. As much as possible if children and elderly could lighten the load by carrying some essentials themselves, it will make it easier for all concerned.

INTERMEDIATE level – incorporate the basics and begin filling in the blanks

Start with your water and if you don’t already have one, start doing some research about a highly recommended water filter.
If you are dependent on prescriptions, come up with a plan for how to take care of that.
The PLAN. What is the plan? What if you start out from different places? What if your destinations end up different? How will you get back together?

ADVANCED level

Fill in all the blanks. Upgrade the quality of your food and your ability to prepare it. It might be that if you’re prepared in this area, that you can reach out and help to educate people around you on how they too can be better prepared.

~

As has been said before, preparedness is a Journey, and the journey is always more pleasant when you have a good support system. I highly recommend you find a friend to share this journey with. Help each other, Encourage each other, Share resources and great finds with each other. Find classes that are offered in your community, designed to assist you in your preparedness – take them together if possible. Teach each other.

Find groups on social media that are dedicated to preparedness and helping one another. JOIN THEM. Especially if they’re local.

I’d love to hear where you are in getting your 72 Hour Kit up to where you’re happy with it.
I want to hear your tips. We learn so much better when we’re sharing. Mark your calendar for the 2nd week in January. Join the Challenge. Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/676439330803075/
If you’re not on facebook, but would like to join the next challenge, let me know. I’ll send you the daily test alert in an email.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

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When the Power Goes Out: hacks for beginners, those with experience, and the pros (what did you learn from day 5?)

Today’s challenge (which was Day 5) started with an unexpected twist: A drunk driver struck a power line near our house, and the entire neighborhood is without power for the entire day.

We were tasked with cooking a nice meal for our family and keeping them entertained without the convenience of electricity. It was a reminder that emergencies can happen at any time, and preparedness is about adaptability and resourcefulness. The Goal was to: Practice powerless cooking techniques, using appropriate lighting, and to find meaningful ways to spend our time without the use of power.

Our tasks were to:

  1. Cook all three meals without electricity
  2. Make a NICE dinner from scratch. No opening a can of soup, eating cereal or a peanut butter sandwich. Yes, I know those are viable meals now and again, but for today, that’s a cheat. Remember, you might have water, but you don’t have hot water – that requires power for your hot water tank.
  3. How do you entertain your kids all day without their usual pattern?
  4. How do you tell time? Get up in the morning? Get your kids off to school?
  5. How do you keep your phone charged?
  6. What is your source of light all morning, afternoon and evening?
  7. Do something fun with the people who live in yourself that does not involve power. Tell me about it.
  8. Do up an inventory of your fuel storage. What kind of fuel do you have? How many days of meals could you expect to cook with the fuel you have stored?

A power outage will disrupt communications – your ability to reach out as well as your ability to be aware of what is happening around you. It will close retail businesses including grocery stores, gas stations, banks and other services. It will cause food spoilage dependent on fridges and freezers, and prevent the use of many medical devices.

How did you do?
Have you been in a situation in the last several years when power really was cut off for a period of time? If so, how did you do then? And did that help you prepare for this scenario?

What kind of items do you have in your house to assist you to
prepare a meal without electricity
have light without electricity
in the winter – have heat without electricity
What would you do about the food you currently have in your fridge? or freezer?

what to do?

1. Check whether the power outage is limited to your home. If your neighbours’ power is still on, check your own circuit breaker panel or fuse box. If the problem is not a breaker or a fuse, notify your electric supply authority. Do you have the phone number along with other emergency numbers handy?

2. If your neighbours’ power is also out, find out how far reached the outage is. Make a couple of calls to other neighbours or nearby friends. Can you access a local radio station on your phone? From your car?

3. Turn off or better yet, disconnect all tools, appliances and electronic equipment, and turn the thermostat down to a minimum to prevent damage from a power surge when power is restored. Also, power can be restored more easily when there is not a heavy load on the electrical system.

4. Turn off all lights, except one inside and one outside, so that both you and hydro crews outside know that power has been restored.

5. Don’t open your freezer or fridge unless it is absolutely necessary. A full freezer will keep food frozen for 24 to 36 hours if the door remains closed.

6. NEVER use charcoal or gas barbecues, camping heating equipment, or home generators indoors. They give off carbon monoxide. Just because you can’t smell or see it doesn’t mean its not there. Carbon monoxide can cause health problems and is life-threatening.

7. Never leave lit candles unattended and keep out of reach of children. Always extinguish candles before going to bed. Always have proper candle holders.

8. Assuming you planned ahead, and have a battery-powered or crank radio, listen for information on the outage and advice from authorities.

9. Make sure your home has a working carbon monoxide detector. If it is hard-wired to the house’s electrical supply, ensure it has a battery-powered back-up.

10. Protect sensitive electrical appliances such as TVs, computer, and DVD players with a surge-protecting power bar.

Thinking ahead: BEFORE a power outage, make sure you have these basic items on hand

– a flashlight or two
– batteries
– candles and/or kerosene lamps with extra kerosene
– battery powered or windup radio
– fully charged phone with fully charged power banks
– water and non-perishable food
– an analog clock (battery powered or wind up)
– a means of cooking if power is out for very long
– consider your dependence on the fridge and freezer. Do you have easy to eat food in your pantry, not just the fridge?
In my world, if the power goes out in the winter, there must be another source of heat, or you need to get outta there. Have a plan. In different climates, I assume you’ve gotta come up with a way to get out of the heat

let’s talk about light

In my world in the summer, its light till very late, so a light source isn’t as important, but in the winter it will be dark from 5 PM to 6 or 7 AM. That means that a light source is critical.

In our case, we have flashlights that we use in the trailer, but rarely in the home. We prefer kerosene lamps as they light up a room for hours. We have small inexpensive flashlights in the house that come in handy when the kids want to sleep in the tree house in the summer, or if we need to check on something outside, or if (heaven forbid) the power goes out and we need to see the lamps to light them. They’re always on a shelf by the back door, where the matches and the barbeque lighter are.

For the most part, its gonna be lamps for us.
The first house we bought in our early years of marriage was an old one. Very old. Older than my dad (which at the time seemed exceptionally old). It had only one electrical outlet in the kitchen (other than for the fridge), so electrical kitchen appliances weren’t an option for me. And for some reason, nothing to do with our house – but a lot to do with our small little town, our power went out frequently. Having a gas stove was super handy – we just had to light it with a match. And we came to rely on kerosene lamps, which we had in every room. Those were good lessons for us, and it created a bonding relationship with lamps.

The thing I like most of all about having kerosene lamps is that they are hidden in plain sight so we never have to go looking for them. These two are in our living room, and there is a third one in the same room but out of this picture. It’s an easy thing to light them and set them when needed, and there is spare oil on hand.

We have other lamps in the kitchen/dining area, in the family room, in the hallway and in the master bedroom. Each have their resting place on a shelf or table and are part of the decor so never really stand out. We also have assorted candles with holders, and a few 24 hour lamps.

let’s talk about entertainment

One can see why our pioneer ancestors retired early for the night, keeping the house lit and warm for long hours at night is not practical. So we can assume that with no electricity, we’ll be going to bed much sooner. Our prior sources of entertainment will now become emergency only resources. But still – what do you do from 5:00 till bedtime?

Actually, as inconvenient as it sounds, it also sound like heaven to me. No distractions. Time to bond with those you share a living space with. Back in the day, when we were without power from time to time, our kids were toddlers. I recall sitting together under a blanket in the living room and reading aloud by the light of a lamp. I recall having Dan’s mom and brother and sister over on a Christmas Eve, playing cards at the table by the light of a lamp. These are pleasant memories.

Young children? Have some quiet table games on hand to play with a single light source, or read a book together.
Older children? Same things, just different games and different book.
Adults? Same things. Life just got simpler.

How are you going to tell time? We’re so dependent on our phones, computers and other devices for telling time that many kids cannot even read an analog clock. Not a good idea. You should have a battery or wind up analog clock that you can depend on for accurate time.

Follow the examples of people of yesteryears when it came to heat and light. Sleeping when its dark saves on fuel. Plain and simple. Learn how to conserve.

lets talk about heat

This is very important in the world I live in. And ensuring your heat source is properly vented is a matter of life and death. Carbon Monoxide is still a killer; a silent, odourless, invisible killer. It has no conscience and no preference – it will kill indiscriminately.
We had a very close call with Carbon Monoxide when we lived in that old house. Click HERE to read about it. Suffice it to say that our respect for this silent killer is high. So what are you going to do? What is your plan for heat?

For us, we settled on a wood stove. The advantages are maximum heating potential with minimum heat loss compared to a fireplace. We chose one that had a flat surface suitable for cooking, should we need that in the winter time. We had it professionally installed to eliminate or reduce our chance of inadequate exhausting (back to that carbon monoxide problem). A few Novembers ago, we came home one late Saturday night to a very cold house. We weren’t alerted because it was late and we went straight to bed, but by morning it became evident we had a problem. Our furnace was not working and we guessed it had quit some time the previous day. The first thing we did Sunday morning was light the woodstove downstairs. Our plan had previously been to close off the upstairs if needed and live primarily downstairs with the heat source, but we were surprised at how sufficiently that wood stove heated the whole house. It’s possible had we been in January or February, pulling off some of the brutal temperatures that can happen in our area, that we may very well have had to close off the upstairs as planned. As it happened, we needed a part for our furnace that had to be ordered, and we were without it till Tuesday early evening. That was a tremendous test-case scenario. One never really knows how effective your heat source is going to be, so best to come up with a few options about implementing it.

Evacuation is more likely going to happen during winter months, when plummeting temperatures can make a house uninhabitable. Although a house may be damaged by freezing temperatures, the major threat is to the plumbing system. If a standby heating system is used, check to ensure that pipes are warmed sufficiently.

If the house must be evacuated in cold temperatures, you can protect it by taking the following precautions:

1. Turn off the main breaker or switch of the circuit-breaker panel or power-supply box.
2. Turn off the water main where it enters the house.
3. Drain the water from your pipes. Starting at the top of the house, open all taps, and flush toilets several times. Go to the basement and open the drain valve. Drain your hot water tank by attaching a hose to the tank drain valve and running it to the basement floor drain. *Note: If you drain a gas-fired water tank, the pilot light should be turned out – call the local gas supplier to re-light it.
4. Unhook washing machine hoses and drain.
5. Do not worry about small amounts of water trapped in horizontal pipes. Add a small amount of alcohol or anti­freeze to water left in the toilet bowl, and the sink and bathtub traps.
6. If your house is protected from groundwater by a sump pump, clear valuables from the basement floor in case of flooding.

lets talk about cooking

#1 – keep your fridge and freezers closed as much as possible. Every time you open them, you lose time that they will be able to stay cold. If we’re only talking about a few hours or a day or two, it’s relatively easy to deal with, but if it goes on for days, you’re going to have a big problem keeping your freezer frozen. Yes, there are some with a generator, and if you’ve got one, then awesome. We don’t.

You’ll want to use up your perishable food in the fridge right outta the gate. At least you know what you’ll be eating that first day. Does it need cooking? If so, what’s your plan?

In our case, if its in the summer time – its the barbeque outside. In the dead of winter, while the woodstove is burning all day, we’ll use the stove top. In the in between times, it will be a little more challenging because we won’t want the heat of the woodstove in the house. It may be that the best we can do with the barbeque OUTSIDE is to heat water. In that case, you’d be glad to have some freeze dried meals on hand. All they require is water to ‘refresh’, not even hot – although hot is soothing and a lot more pleasant. I highly recommend getting some to have on hand for just such an emergency. With a 20 year shelf life, you don’t have to worry about them timing out on you anytime soon.

Having said that however, it is a very good idea to be familiar with the meals ahead of time by sampling them. Also, they are great resources to have when you need a quick meal on a busy night. Hot water + 10 minutes is all they take. They’re also perfect for camping, hiking or in your 72 hour kits.

BEGINNER level – starting from scratch!

7 tips for Beginners

  1. Buy a good flashlight or alternative light sources. Make sure you have spare batteries or extra oil. Matches and/or lighters are a must.
  2. Buy some nourishing good quality meals that just need water. Hot water makes hot meals, but we can live without HOT for a few days if necessary.
  3. Be prepared to not rely on your fridge for everything. Consider using “instant milk” from time to time so you can make it up in small amounts when needed, rather than having a large container of milk in your fridge.
  4. Think about how will you spend your evening hours without electricity. You need more than light. You need something to DO. What will you do for a couple hours every evening?
  5. Do you have a power bank to recharge your phone? Is it fully charged? Do you know where it is?
  6. Do you have a non-electric clock? If not, get one.
  7. Have a PLAN for “in-case-of”. What will you do if the power is expected to be out for more than two days? Depending on what your living circumstances are: apartment? townhouse? single family house? your plan will be unique to you. Will you have to leave your home? Where will you go?

INTERMEDIATE level – incorporate the basics and begin filling in the blanks

5 Tips for Intermediates

  1. Plan to have some Instant Meals in your pantry for quick nourishing ‘just-add-water’ breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
  2. Plan ahead to prepare a good variety of Meals in a Jar (MIJ) to have on hand in your pantry for nourishing meals that take minimum time to cook.
  3. What is your planned light source? Flashlight: Buy a good one or two or three. Coal oil lamps: Buy a good one or two or three.
  4. Create a plan to acquire a non electric source of heat.
  5. Learn how to turn your water off so that you can do it if needed.
  6. Do you have a battery or wind-up radio? Get one.

ADVANCED level

Tips for those who are more Advanced

If you have a generator, be SMART and implement these basic safety rules. They very well could save your lives.
– Yes they are helpful when the power goes out, but generators go hand in hand with carbon monoxide. They should always be used OUTDOORS and at least 20 feet away from windows, doors and attached garages. Don’t cut corners here.
– Install working carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home. 
– Keep the generator dry and protected from rain or flooding. Touching a wet generator or devices connected to one can cause electrical shock.
– Always connect the generator to appliances with heavy-duty extension cords.
– Let the generator cool before refueling. Fuel spilled on hot engine parts can ignite.
– Follow manufacturer’s instructions carefully.

Preparedness is a Journey, and the journey is always more pleasant when you have a good support system. As always, I highly recommend you find a friend to share this journey with. Help each other, Encourage each other, Share resources and great finds with each other. Find classes that are offered in your community, designed to assist you in your preparedness – take them together if possible. Teach each other.

Find groups on social media that are dedicated to preparedness and helping one another. JOIN THEM. Especially if they’re local.

I’d love to hear where you are on your Water Storage Journey and I want to hear your tips. We learn so much better when we’re sharing. Mark your calendar for the 2nd week in January. Join the Challenge. Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/676439330803075/
If you’re not on facebook, but would like to join the next challenge, let me know. I’ll send you the daily test alert in an email.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

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Emergency Preparedness – Health and Safety is YOUR Responsibility Discussion (what did you learn from day 3?)

I have always felt a high degree of responsibility in this area. Our first line of defense against any illness is a baseline of good health, and that cannot be achieved in a hurry. It’s a lifetime commitment to good dietary habits and a healthy, active lifestyle. Many health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma and high blood pressure are preventable. It’s our job to keep our family healthy and happy, and although I completely own my responsibility in this area, I am not going to turn my back on the amazing resources we have at our fingertips in Alberta. It doesn’t have to be ALL or nothing.

Over my decades of mothering and grandmothering, one might think I’ve seen it all, but although that is NOT true, we have had our share of stitches, a few broken bones and assorted illnesses. Let me start of by saying how grateful I am for our medical system and the good people who have chosen careers in it. With rare exception, I have the utmost respect for those individuals. But the truth is YOU are your family’s 1st Responder. You’re the one who is there when they get burned or cut or when they’re fighting an illness.

Day 3 Scenario of our Emergency Preparedness Challenge Sept 2023 was – Your Family’s Health and Safety is YOUR Job

We’ve ALL seen this challenging scenario: Doctors offices were closed while governments tried to figure out the best way to proceed in the early days of 2020. And even when they re-opened, waiting rooms were empty, phone visits were done as much as possible, and protocol was everything. Visiting doctors only when absolutely necessary put a lot of responsibility back on our own shoulders.

Our tasks to do for Day 3 included the following:

  1. Prepare a family medical plan to include in your Emergency Binder (if you don’t’ have one, make do for now – we’ll address this important tool in the future).  Be as thorough as your family currently requires.

    Having your medical information in one spot only makes sense. Alberta Health Care numbers and other specific details for individuals should be compiled and readily accessible. Where do you currently have that experience?
  2. Do an inventory of your home medical supplies.

    What do you have on hand for non prescription medications your family uses? Are you watching expiry dates? Do you need to update any?
    What kind of lead time do you need to refill prescriptions? Do you have as much on had as is prudent? Identify those medications that are most serious for your health and ask the pharmacist how much you can purchase ahead. Keep on top of this.
  3. Print out instructions or otherwise obtain basic first aid procedures.

    Do you have a good book on hand (as opposed to our friend dr. google), which provides sound counsel for some of the more common ailments or injuries? Something you can easily refer to for advice in the absence of electricity, wifi access or cell service may become a very important part of your family library. Be discerning in selecting a good book, it will have to coincide with your foundational health philosophies.

    “““`

I am not going to pretend to be a “Pro” here, or even an “Intermediate”. We can learn from each other, and by preparing ourselves ahead of time. It’s a reminder that preparedness extends to ALL aspects of our lives, including our well-being.

As we face this scenario together, I’d appreciated your thoughts, ideas, and personal solutions in the comments below. Discuss strategies for staying healthy, alternative healthcare options, and how we can support each other in these trying times. 💪 🌍 Good Health applies the rule “an ounce of Prevention is worth a pound of cure“. It is much better to maintain a healthy lifestyle than it is to try to establish one late in the game, but any step forward is a step in the right direction.

10 tips to help you and your family be healthy

  1. GOOD NUTRITION
    In many cases food can be our medicine – if it is the healthiest it can be. Eating healthy foods and drinking clean water is our first line of defense. The old adage “You are what you eat” is absolutely true, and ensuring a good source of nutritious foods will have lifetime consequences. We’re back to our Day 1 Scenario – FOOD STORAGE (there’s a reason FOOD STORAGE was #1).
    Eat more fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Eat less processed foods.
  2. BE ACTIVE
    One does not have to commit to an athlete’s life style to be healthy. Daily exercises can be simply choosing to walk instead of driving whenever possible. Whatever activity you choose, try to do so with a new mindset of “This is important to my lifetime of heath“, and then commit to it. Set aside your weight goals and make this one about Good Health.
  3. SLEEP WELL
    Sleep is as important for good health as diet and exercise. Good sleep improves your brain performance, mood, and health, and not getting enough quality sleep on a regular basis raises the risk of serious chronic health concerns which may creep up on your later.
    It has been proven that those who get consistent regular sleep are:
    sick less often,
    stay at a health weight,
    have a lower risk for serious health problems,
    enjoy reduced stress,
    think more clearly and do better in school or at work,
    have improved moods and get along with people better.
    These seems like pretty high returns for something as simple as “EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE”
    While it is critical for children to get good sleep, do not underestimate its value to adults too.
  4. BE PROACTIVE WITH HEALTH CARE
    Stay on top of annual medical checkups for every member of your household, and annual dental appointments. By not procrastinating these important checks and balances in our lives, we will always have them working FOR us. If you need to have something looked at, or taken care of do it NOW, because you don’t know when things are going to change and you’ve lost the opportunity.
  5. GOOD DENTAL HYGIENE
    Though I am all about good dental care, having healthy teeth begins at home – while you’re a child, and is a lifelong practice of good habits. Brush and floss daily.
  6. WORK
    In addition to working outside the home, find meaningful work to do in and around the house that uses energy and attentiveness. Getting out of our own heads and being involved in meaningful projects, brings purpose and direction, and immense satisfaction for a job well done.
  7. argument for a CLEAN HOME
    Mental health: The world outside our homes may be in total disarray, but being able to leave it outside is important to good mental health. When our minds feel overwhelmed, our living spaces can also end up cluttered, but a messy space can lead to stress, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and even relationship strain. Just as a messy space can put you in a mental bind, tidying up your home can help you feel better. Studies show that mental health is directly connected to the condition of our environment. There is something immensely satisfying about a clean house – like a weight lifted off your shoulders, easier to relax and find peace.

    Physical health: Dust, pollen, mould, and animal dander are allergens that can trigger asthma and other respiratory problems. There are reasons hospitals are kept as clean as possible; an unclean home is a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. A dirty or cluttered kitchen is more likely to harbour dangerous foodborne illnesses too – like salmonella.
  8. LAUGH MORE
    Laughter reduces stress and anxiety, as well as builds relationships and creates happy memories. Look for opportunities to laugh.
  9. SPEND TIME WITH LOVED ONES
    This often requires stepping out of our busy lives and choosing to focus on someone else. Building and investing in good relationships is essential our social health.
  10. SERVE
    The health benefits of serving others cannot be understated. Not only does it put our own troubles in a better perspective, but it increases feelings of well-being, purpose and happiness. There is clear evidence that serving others positively impacts our mental health, as it connects us in meaningful ways to other human beings. That in turn, strengthens our personal sense of connection and purpose, both decreasing feelings of discouragement and depression, and increasing confidence and feelings of self worth.

Make eating together at the table a priority in your home.
Studies prove that connecting with each other while sharing a meal food can improve the physical and mental health of all family members involved. It is not only encourages healthier eating habits, but it can prevent many mental health disorders. Eating together can improve children’s feelings of self worth and communication skills, and help with weight problems that are aggravated by constant snacking in place of consistent, meaningful meal times.

10 easy 1st aid tips for ALL homes

  1. ALOE VERA
    In my opinion, a most important practical investment is a simple ALOE VERA plant. A living 1st Aid Kit – I have had one in my home for nearly ALL of my parenting years, and I hope to never go without one. It is most often used as a topical medication, rubbing it onto the skin for cuts, scrapes, rashes and burns, including sunburn. Very useful for use as an astringent.

    click HERE for more information on how to use Aloe Vera topically
  2. Hand sanitizer
    Keep your hands clean when dealing with wounds (or owies) of any kind. Wash with soap and water, or as a second choice – in a pinch, use hand sanitizer.
  3. 1st Aid Kit
    Have a well stocked 1st aid kit that is clean, easy to find, one that you know the contents of. Be familiar with how to use the things in it. Some basics to include: anti-bacterial wipes, painkillers, gauze pads, sunscreen, medical gloves, antibiotic ointment, antiseptic wipes, bandages.
  4. BANDAGES
    Bandages are the most basic of all first aid items, so have an assortment of all types and sizes on hand. Keep them in a CLEAN place.
  5. Cleaning alcohol.
    Back to cleaning again – Infection is our biggest enemy. Alcohol can clean in ways that water cannot, and is a good sterilizer when you have to use any other tool or instrument (like tweezers to remove debris from a cut).
  6. SALT
    Salt Rinse – or Saline Solution is a good way to clean most open injuries. It is easy to prepare at home: make sure everything is clean when you use it. Boil 4 cups water; while it is still warm, dissolve 2-3 teaspoons pickling salt or canning salt or kosher salt or sea salt. If you use ordinary table salt, you may get a preservative or other additive that may compromise it.
    It is important to only use a fresh saline solution and to throw it away if it looks cloudy or dirty.
    Use to rinse the nasal passages (nasal irrigation), rinse mouth to alleviate a sore throat, clean cuts or scrapes, rinse mouth after losing a tooth, . . . .
    Do NOT drink. Do not use homemade solution to rinse your eyes or contact lenses as this could lead to corneal abrasions.
    *Bacteria can grow in saline and cause infections, so it is very important to only use a freshly made saline solution daily.
    *Use a clean glass jar that has been recently washed in a full-cycle dishwasher or boil-sterilize for 10 minutes. This will help prevent bacteria from contaminating the solution.
    Keep the saline solution sterile by not dipping anything into the container.
    Better to pour the amount needed into another container/cup and then draw up the saline with a syringe.
  7. Emergency Contact information
    Sometimes, the problem is bigger than what we can handle at home. Getting appropriate aid is part of being responsible. Going to a doctor, visiting Urgent Care or and Emergency Room, calling 811 to get professional advice, even calling an ambulance – I am so grateful for these resources. I have nothing but good to say about the wonderful human beings that have cared for my loved ones in our time of distress and medical need.
    Have phone numbers handy and readily available.
    For older adults in your home, its a good idea to have their “Goals of Care” list on top of the fridge. This is where 1st Responders will look for it, if they are called to your home in an emergency.
    For elderly people, or those who have mobility issues, consider renting an alert system for them to wear in the event that they fall while you’re not present to help them.
  8. Consider investing in a 1st Aid Course in your community. This will help you build confidence in the event of an emergency.

I understand that there are volumes to say about Health and Medical preparedness. I also understand that opinions vary greatly on the subject and that it is not the purpose of this exercise to become ‘political’. You do You the best way you know how, and I’ll do Me. Suffice it to say for all of us, that we need to be prepared to take care of our families in every way. I am not much interested in preparing for a doomsday scenario or a ‘zombie apocalypse‘ when life as we know it ceases to exist. I am more interested in preparing for an imminent future that is full of uncertainties. I may be wrong, but I think we’ll still have doctors and an existing medical system. If we do not, I am ill equipped to take the place of qualified medical expertise anyway.

Preparedness is a Journey, and the journey is always more pleasant when you have a good support system. As always, I highly recommend you find a friend to share this journey with. Help each other, Encourage each other, Share resources and great finds with each other. Find classes that are offered in your community, designed to assist you in your preparedness – take them together if possible. Teach each other.

Find groups on social media that are dedicated to preparedness and helping one another. JOIN THEM. Especially if they’re local.

I’d love to hear where you are in your Health and Wellness plan and I want to hear your tips. We learn so much better when we’re sharing. Mark your calendar for the 2nd week in January. Join the Challenge. Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/676439330803075/
If you’re not on facebook, but would like to join the next challenge, let me know. I’ll send you the daily test alert in an email.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

Posted on

Water Storage hacks for beginners, those with experience, and the pros (what did you learn from day 2?)

I am not going to put myself in the ‘Pro’ category with Water Storage, but we’re much better than we used to be, and we’re headed in the right direction. For most of my married life, water storage was on the back burner of my mind. There were so many other more, urgent things that needed to be taken care of. I filled a few jugs and stored them where I could find room. I rotated them infrequently and then mostly forgot about them. But still there was always this ‘needling’ in my conscience that we had not done due diligence where water was concerned. I think the reason I kept putting it off was because I didn’t have any real good plans for how to go about it. When we took our first real big step into storing a fairly good supply, I couldn’t believe what a load it was off my shoulders. I didn’t realize how much it had been bothering me, even weighing me down.

A couple of weeks ago I was having lunch with two friends and we discussed the Preparedness Challenge I had just completed. We were all committed to Food Storage in our daily lives already, so our discussion was open and equal. But at some point, one of my friends said “Wait! We have to store WATER too?” She literally took my breath away. Water? It is the stuff of life. In the RULE OF 3’s, we’d only survive 3 days without water, so yes! We need to store water. Mostly ‘drinking’ water. But we use water for every area of our lives – in our country, clean running water is probably the blessing we take most for granted.

According to the World Health Organization, 2.2 BILLION people in our world today do not have access to safe drinking water. To put that into perspective, that is 1 in 3 people! If you’re reading this, I am going to assume you’re one of the few who do. Not only do we have safe drinking water, but through some miracle of modern living, it comes straight to our houses! Out of a tap! Not only that, but I have 5 of those taps INSIDE my house and 2 of them outside my house! Truly, I am among the most blessed people in the world today. But wait! It gets shockingly better. If I want it, that water comes out of my tap HOT. I know right! And though I’m kind of embarrassed to admit it, we even wash our clothes, water our plants and garden, and flush our toilets with clean, pure drinking water.

4.2 billion people do not have safely managed sanitation services and 3 billion lack the basic ability to wash their hands in clean water. And you know what else? The scariest part of this whole conversation is that literally, in the blink of an eye – you and I could be in that group. Clean Water is precious, and 100% necessary for our health and well being. When my Aunt Dorothy was 15 years old, she died of Typhoid Fever. Typhoid fever is a life threatening infection caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi. You cannot see it or smell it, but it is usually spread through contaminated water or food. And yes, it is contagious. For me, the issue of clean water has always been personal. Dorothy Ileen Harrison was my dad’s older sister. He was 6 years old when she died. That is only a single generation away from me. A family tragedy. But she was not the only one. It was a community tragedy as the little prairie town of Magrath dealt with something they didn’t understand. A deadly disease caused by unsafe drinking water – here in Canada. That is what happens when water is compromised. Hence, our Day 2 Challenge was dealing with contaminated water.

During a water-related emergency or outbreak, we cannot count on the availability of safe drinking coming into our homes the way we’ve become accustomed to. It is critical to prepare for such an emergency by creating and storing a supply of water that will meet our family’s needs.

How much should we store?

3 days is the bare minimum to start with. We will need at least 1 gallon of water PER person PER day for drinking and the least amount of sanitation.

Once you have three days worth, go immediately to the next level of two weeks! That is 14 gallons per person. Let me do some math for you. If you have five people living in your house, that is 70 gallons of water. Do YOU have 70 gallons of clean water stored in your house? If not, it might be time to get serious about this. If you have pregnant or sick people in your house, or if you live in a hot dry climate, you might need more.

Wanna know what 70 gallons looks like? It’s more than 2 bathtubs full!
Wanna know something else? Canadians have the distinction of consuming large quantities of water – more than TWICE as much water as Europeans. Now that’s not something to be particularly proud of, but there’s more. On average, a typical person in Canada consumes 335 litres of water DAILY. That’s the equivalent of 670 (500 ml size) water bottles, or 85 gallons! And no, we don’t drink all that. In fact, cooking and drinking only account for about 10% of that amount. Bathing and showering takes up 35% of it. Laundry and cleaning constitute 25% and flushing the toilet takes a whopping 30% of our water usage. We haven’t even talked about watering your plants or outside gardens or lawns. We use up a LOT of water. We’re accustomed to using a LOT of water. We like using a LOT of water.

How comfortable are we gonna be when we are rationed 1 gallon of water each, per day?
I suggest, we try to get used to using a little less water daily. There are ways we can do this, but that will have to be another conversation for another day. Now that we’ve put things into perspective, let’s talk about properly storing water.

Don’t let the IMPORTANCE of water storage intimidate you. It is one of the easiest things you can store – so just do it.

What are our Options?

  1. Unopened, commercially bottled water is a safe and reliable source of water in an emergency. But it can be pricey, takes up a lotta room and creates tremendous waste. And after a year, it doesn’t taste very good – just sayin’. Yes, even bottled water has a shelf life.
  2. For drinking water, be sure to use only FOOD GRADE storage containers. Its okay to use various sizes. Water is heavy so don’t count on stacking them very high. Usually a stack of three similar sized containers is all you can count on .
  3. Try to have a minimum size of 5 gallons. This size is manageable to carry and pour, and is also stackable.
  4. For non drinking (sanitation or cleaning) water, you can use previously used jugs from laundry detergent, or bleach, or vinegar. Don’t use milk containers – they were never intended for long term storage.
  5. Make sure your jugs have lids that close tightly.
  6. Make sure they are of durable plastic, not metal, not glass.
  7. Make sure they are something you can pour out of.
  8. DO NOT USE containers that were previously used to hold liquid or solid toxic chemicals, such as pesticides.

“Sanitation and cleanliness are among the humblest of the civic virtues, and it is easy to underestimate their significance.” – Ram Nath Kovind

Don’t assume that your containers are clean enough when you buy them. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that before filling with water, follow these simple but important steps to clean and sanitize our water containers.

  1. Wash the storage container with soap and rinse completely with water.
  2. Sanitize the container with a solution made by mixing 1 teaspoon of unscented liquid household chlorine bleach in 1 quart (4 cups) of water.
  3. Cover the container tightly and shake it well. Make sure the sanitizing bleach solution touches all inside surfaces of the container.
  4. Wait at least 30 seconds and then pour the sanitizing solution out of the container.
  5. Let the empty container air-dry before use.
  6. Pour clean water into the sanitized container and cover it with a tight lid.

KEEPING IT CLEAN
When taking water out of the container, always use a clean scoop or other container each time.
Do NOT touch the water, or insides of the container with your hands.

Having CLEAN water in our homes will be a god-send after an emergency or disaster, as often times IF there is water available it may very likely be unsafe for use. If you suspect that your water is compromised, don’t use it to drink, brush your teeth, prepare food with, wash dishes, or wash your hands.

Follow recommendations from local governments for boiling or treating, but if in doubt – at least boil the water for 10+ minutes.

DO NOT DRINK water that has an unusual odor or color, or that you suspect might be contaminated with fuel or toxic chemicals. This water cannot be made safe – even by boiling, so you must find a different source of water for your needs.

BEGINNER level – starting from scratch!

5 tips for Beginners

  1. Start with the basic amount – 3 days:
    1 gallon (4 litres) per person per day. That means you want 3 gallons of CLEAN drinkable water for every person in your house. This is the barest, minimalistic amount. Buy suitable containers for this. Protecting the cleanliness of this water is of primary importance.
  2. As soon as possible, transition to the next goal of 2 weeks. This is far more reasonable as far as need goes. You will still need 1 gallon per person per day, so we’re talking about 14 gallons of water for each person in your house.
  3. Keep your goals manageable, but ever forward. Shoot for a month supply.
  4. Set yourself budget that is affordable but forward moving to build up your water containers as you can afford them.
  5. Your next level goal is to find other containers to store water that are suitable for non drinking/cooking water. Laundry jugs and bleach bottles for cleaning water.

Developing a water conscience.
Start today to be more mindful of the water you personally consume and waste, and the amount your household goes through. Being more conscientious will help us be more respectful of the great blessing we enjoy, and to take it less for granted. It will also help us be less uncomfortable if we truly do have to conserve.

Where to put it?
For a one month supply of water, you’ll have to be creative. If you’re in an apartment, perhaps behind your chesterfield, under a bed, or in a closet. If those with basements, that is preferable as they are generally cooler and the cement floor will be more forgiving of the weight of larger amounts of water.

INTERMEDIATE level – incorporate the basics and begin filling in the blanks

6 tips for Intermediates

  1. Label DRINKING WATER, and give it the respect it deserves. It is the best of the best, the purest water you have. Protect it at all costs. It is your life line. Your ticket to good health.
  2. Personal responsibility is key when it comes to something as precious as what water will be if we ever get to that point – god forbid. Consider assigning every person a 5 gallon bucket for the week. “This is YOUR water for the whole week.” Whatever that person drinks or brushes their teeth with will have to come out of that container. I expect there will be a lot more responsible use when individual consumption is obvious.
  3. Insist that everyone drink at least 4 cups of water a day. That’s only one litre/quart. It’s a minimum. It will be tempting to skimp and drink less, with a ration mentality, but we’re talking about health, and if we’ve planned properly, it shouldn’t be a hardship. Safeguarding our personal health is critical in an emergency, high stress situation. We don’t want to complicate things with poor health.
  4. Have another container dedicated to cooking for the family. This is ‘common’ water and it will go further with everyone using their own personal water appropriately.
  5. Drinking water should be rotated every 6-12 months. If its been sealed, its not suddenly going to get contaminated, but it will go ‘stale’ and not taste good when it gets old. Dumping it out and replacing it is a onerous task, but its manageable. We used to bring our water out in the spring and use it for watering plants, but you can also dump it into a washing machine or even down the drain if hauling it upstairs is too much work.
  6. Once you have your foundational supply of drinking water – let’s start talking about non-drinking water. Daily personal hygiene, and non daily sponge bathing or bucket showering. Our showering-every-day habit is going to take a back seat for awhile, but we still want to be clean. This kind of water doesn’t have to be in such guarded containers. Old laundry soap containers are strong and made to hold heavy liquid, so they’re the perfect choice for cleaning and laundry. These are still important facts of our lives, and cannot be ignored.

ADVANCED level

Time to ask yourself the next level questions.
How’re you going to wash clothes?
How’re you going to water your garden? When your garden is your lifeline, you WATER it. Toileting. The minimum amount of water your toilet uses is 1.6 gallons per flush. I promise you’re not going to want to use your precious stored water to flush down the toilet – no pun intended. So what else are you going to do? If you live in an urban area, outhouses are not a possibility, but toileting is a pretty important part of life. Well, there are options, but you don’t want your house smelling like an outhouse either. You’re gonna have to do some research and be open mindedly creative.

If our water source has been contaminated, it may be necessary to shut off the main water valve to our homes to prevent contaminants from entering pipes and contaminating what we already have on hand.

Possible sources of water if you don’t live in an urban area, are streams, rivers, and other ‘moving’ bodies of water, as well as ponds and lakes or natural springs. If you live near some of these, good for you ‘maybe’. These waters might be contaminated with livestock waste, human sewage, chemicals, and other contaminants which can lead to illness when used for drinking, bathing, and other hygiene activities. Know the water source closest to you, and be mindful of its condition. If you live in rural areas, keep in mind that during floods, well water might be contaminated as well.

Water from sources outside the home must be treated as described in Make Water Safe, to kill harmful germs.  If you suspect or know the water is contaminated with toxic chemicals or fuels, it cannot be made safe and you should not drink or bathe in this water.

Ancient societies understood their dependence on water and figured out ways collect it and store it. Massive water cisterns to collect precious rain water for use in the dry months were not uncommon in central America.

5 tips for those who are more Advanced

  1. Follow the examples that people of yesteryears, when it came to water. They recognized how important it was, but also how difficult it could be to have a steady source. Learn where your household’s available water is: toilet tanks (if the water is clear and not chemically treated with toilet cleaners), hot water tank etc. Learn how to conserve.
  2. Collecting rain water for watering the garden is a very important part of producing food in our own back yards, and could make all the difference. Find a way have your eaves troughs empty into large drums. Rain water could be used for many non-drinking purposes, both indoors and outdoors. Do you have a pail that you could dedicate to bringing rain water into the house?
  3. Plan to re-use water. ie: save the water you wash your hands in for washing laundry, floors or other things. Having short rehearsals about how these things can be done is a good idea.
  4. Consider options for laundering clothes in home. A large ‘laundry’ tub and a way to agitate your clothes. Laundry is going to be less fussy than it is today, but it is still important.
  5. Toilet. There are camping options – chemical toilets you can buy from camping stores. Keeping in mind that this is most likely going to have to be INside your house, is pretty important when you’re making a plan. I suggest a 5 gallon pail dedicated for this purpose. In it you should store heavy duty bags to line it with, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and cleaner. You can even buy small plastic toilet seats that will attach right to the pail rim.

Consider purchasing wood chips from either a farm supply store or a pet store. You’ll want to use these in your makeshift toilet to minimize odours. Things are going to look a lot different to be sure. This may be the way your family gets through every day – the part of history we seldom read about. But DON’T ignore this just because its unpleasant to think about. It will be a lot more difficult to deal with later if we don’t plan for it.

Preparedness is a Journey, and the journey is always more pleasant when you have a good support system. As always, I highly recommend you find a friend to share this journey with. Help each other, Encourage each other, Share resources and great finds with each other. Find classes that are offered in your community, designed to assist you in your preparedness – take them together if possible. Teach each other.

Find groups on social media that are dedicated to preparedness and helping one another. JOIN THEM. Especially if they’re local.

I’d love to hear where you are on your Water Storage Journey and I want to hear your tips. We learn so much better when we’re sharing. Mark your calendar for the 2nd week in January. Join the Challenge.
Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/676439330803075/
If you’re not on facebook, but would like to join the next challenge, let me know. I’ll send you the daily test alert in an email.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

Posted on

Food Storage hacks for beginners, those with experience, and the pros (what did you learn from day 1?)

In life there are times for flexibility and times for firm, strict adherence to hard and fast rules. I call these “non negotiables” and for me, they are NON Negotiable! When it comes to Food Storage there is plenty of opportunity for flexibility, but there are two strong rules – without which in the long run, you will FAIL, and you will waste a lotta money in doing so.

Right now would be the right time to give yourself a little ‘test’ so see just how prepared you may or may not be. Click this link for a Self Assessment Test. It is found on ProvidentLiving.com which I highly recommend as an excellent resource.

1. Store what you EAT, and eat what you STORE
2. Never, ever ever EVER buy food storage with money you don’t have.

Adhering to these basic rules – without cheating and without making excuses, will put you in a much better place in every single way. No exceptions. Learn the rules and stick to them. Everything after these two essentials is up to personal choice (after appropriate research of course).

STORE WHAT YOU EAT
Your food storage is going to be as unique to you as the way your family eats. What are your favourite dishes? your comfort foods? These are the foods you’re going to fall back on again and again, and that will bring a sense of normalcy to whatever situation you find yourselves in.

EAT WHAT YOU STORE
If you’ve purchased it, eat it. Eating from your food storage and continuing to replenish as you do, keeps it rotated – which ensures nothing gets out of date and needs to be discarded. Wasted food is wasted money.
You may have a few foundational basics in your storage like grains and beans that are not part of your regular diet. Correct this. Some foods are in your storage because they are exceptional. These are worth becoming accustomed to. Make a point to incorporate them into your menu plan on a regular basis, at least a couple of times a month. Don’t justify yourself with the excuse that “they won’t eat it“; find a way for them to get used to it, and recipes you’ll all enjoy. Be the adult here and make it work. Or don’t store it.

DON’T BUY FOOD STORAGE ON CREDIT
That is just stupid. It doesn’t matter how good of a deal you got, as soon as you pay interest on the money spent to get it, your good deal went out the window. Going into debt to buy food storage is contrary to to the essence of family preparedness, contrary to common sense and counter productive to the whole point of it which is “Food Insurance”. There is no peace in debt. Debt doesn’t sleep, doesn’t get sick, and doesn’t care if you’re unemployed or sick. It keeps accumulating interest until you have paid many times over what you initially planned to, continuing to grow until you pay it off. It is a lot harder to pay it off than it is to avoid it in the first place. Develop a FIRM RESOLVE to not spend more on food storage (or anything else), than you have.

Okay, now that we’ve established the non negotiables, where does one start? What do you buy? And how do you pay for it?

BEGINNER level – starting from scratch!

Everyone was once a Beginner, so you’re in good company.
Q: When you do start?
A: The day you take up housekeeping, and make your first grocery run as an independent adult. It doesn’t matter if you just got married, you’re living abroad, or you’re a student sharing with 5 room mates, you can have your own version of food insurance – depending on your circumstances.
In most cases, the BEST time to start a food storage was a long time ago. The second best time is TODAY. Yes there are challenges, but in case you haven’t noticed, life is full of challenges. Meet them head on and be creative. Also be determined. This is important and as an adult you should not be waiting for someone else to rescue you. Time to grow up and start ‘adulting’.

10 tips for Beginners

  1. Start small:
    In a regular shopping trip – if you normally buy 2 cans of beans – buy 4.
    If you normally buy 2 jars of tomato sauce – buy 4.
    If that item is on sale – buy 6.
    Avoid the temptation to not buy any more for a long time because you have some on hand. You’re supposed to have some on hand – its called FOOD STORAGE! Continue to buy a few more than you anticipate needing.
  2. Set manageable goals. The first goal should be to work toward a 1 month supply.
  3. Build Your Food Storage around complete MEALS. Focus on 5 favourite dishes using shelf stable foods that your family likes:
    Perhaps that might be *spaghetti, *sloppy joes on buns, *chicken broccoli casserole over rice, *corn chowder with biscuits, and *beef stroganoff.
    Think of your recipes for these comfort foods. Perhaps your spaghetti recipe calls for a half package of spaghetti noodles, two chopped onions, some garlic, a jar of tomato sauce, a can of diced tomatoes, a pound of ground beef and some seasoning.
    – Begin by multiplying your recipe by 4.
    -You need to buy 2 packages of spaghetti + a package of onions (or a small can of freeze dried onions) + 2 heads of garlic (or a jar of minced garlic, can of freeze dried garlic or garlic powder) + 4 jars of your favourite sauce + 4 cans of diced tomatoes + 4 pounds of ground beef separately packaged (or a small can of freeze dried ground beef) + and enough of your favourite seasonings. This is enough for your family to have spaghetti once a week for a month. Put it on your shopping list and watch the sales.
    Do the same for your other recipes.
    In a short amount of time, you will have an entire month’s supply of dinners.
    Once you’re done that, do the same with breakfasts and lunches.
    You’ll be surprised at how satisfying it is to realize you have reached this goal. A whole month of meals! You’re feeling the beginning of the peace that comes with Food Insurance.
  4. Set yourself a monthly budget (that is affordable but forward moving) to gradually build up your food storage. By purchasing a little here and there – you can easily keep within the budget you set yourself.
  5. Shop the sales. When you see tomato sauce or pasta on sale, buy several – perhaps enough for all four weeks. As long as you can afford it. Shopping the sales helps you stock up on the items you use.
  6. Up your game. Once you’ve completed your one month supply, use the same formula to establish a 3 month supply, incorporating new recipes. This is a living breathing goal of incremental achievements.
  7. Your FREEZER is NOT food storage. It is convenient, and a good resource, but it is 100% dependent on electricity and you have no control over that. In the event of a power outage – your freezer is good for a maximum of three days. That could result in tremendous loss! I am not saying that freezers don’t have their place – I have a freezer too. But do not keep all your eggs in one basket so-to-speak, and reduce your dependence on the freezer.
  8. Adding freeze dried options to your food storage will reduce your dependence on fresh or frozen foods. Like for instance: freeze dried chopped onions, celery and peppers, freeze dried garlic, freeze dried ground beef and powdered tomato sauce could make your spaghetti dinners easier to prepare and much more shelf stable.
  9. Rotate. Look at the ‘best before’ dates and put the oldest up front to use first. Always use the oldest items first, keeping your food storage freshly rotated.
  10. Begin incorporating freeze dried foods into your food storage to extend the shelf stability of it. There is nothing better for long term food storage. USE it so that you become acquainted with how to, and keep it rotated.

Where to put it?
For a one month supply you might be able to store the necessities in your kitchen pantry.
If you can dedicate a closet or a space under the stairs – build a few shelves to keep it organized. For more ideas, click this link.

INTERMEDIATE level – incorporate the basics and begin filling in the blanks

In this level, we’re assuming you’ve got a pretty good start on your basic family favourites. Its time for you to start adding these five Food Storage Basics.

5 FOOD STORAGE ESSENTIALS:
1. Grain – includes wheat, rice, oats, corn, barley, pasta, et . .
2. Eggs and other proteins – includes legumes (dried beans, split peas, lentils, etc.), nuts, powdered eggs, canned fish, canned chicken, . .  
3. Powdered milk or milk substitute – includes all dairy: freeze dried cheese, yogurt, sour cream
4. Oils & fats: includes vegetable oils, shortening, powdered butter 
5. Salts & Sugars: includes white sugar, brown sugar, syrup, molasses, honey, etc; table salt, sea salt, soy sauce, flavoured bouillons.

Back in the day, it was recommended we start with these five basics, but in my opinion, although they are important, one cannot construct typical meals from them. So I prefer to encourage people to begin their storage with common, preferred meals, filling in with the basics later on.

WATER
Store at least 4 litres of water per person per day. This covers the absolute basics of drinking, food preparation and minimal sanitation. Store double that to allow for conservative dishwashing, sponge bathing, minimal laundry and household cleaning.

Many safe containers are food grade and sturdy. Bleach containers and existing water jugs are excellent choices. Buying food grade 5 gallon containers is a good investment. Milk jugs are not strong enough nor have a seal good enough for long storage. Empty laundry jugs are excellent storage containers for hygiene or laundry water, but not for drinking.

10 tips for Intermediates

  1. Ask around to find a recommended local source of good, clean wheat sold by the bushel. Buy some. If you have an allergy to wheat, you must be more creative, but don’t discount the value of grains.
  2. Add other grains to your plan like rice (*white rice has a longer shelf life than brown), oats, barley, preferred flour, pastas, etc.
  3. Use a food storage calculator to discover the recommended amount of these basics for your household. Here is the one I use.
  4. Shop the sales. I make a personal goal of never paying regular price for certain items. When they’re on sale, I stock up.
  5. Set goals of what to buy and when to achieve it. Its okay to make sacrifices to acquire your food and water storage – its important!
  6. Add MEALS. Begin adding some GOOD, recommended, prepared meals to your food storage. Make sure they are tasty and nutritious. Try them out before packing them away. You should know what to expect. Are they good tasting? Does your family have a few favourites? How easy are they to prepare? Can you prepare them with room temperature water if you don’t have any hot water? What is their shelf life? Are the serving sizes adequate for your family’s needs? If you have a large family, will your have to make up more than one package for your meal?
  7. Set yourself a monthly budget to steadily increase your food storage. Something affordable and yet something that stretches you. This is important. Do NOT spend money you don’t have.
  8. Every food storage program has one serious missing link. PRODUCE. Fruits and Vegetables – primarily vegetables. In the past we could always store home canned (or commercially canned) fruit, but who wanted to eat canned spinach or canned peas? In the last decade, freeze dried food has become increasingly more available and is the answer to long term storage of whole, clean food. Who could have imagined that one day we would have vegetables like spinach and kale, peppers and asparagus? fruits like pineapple, peaches and blackberries in our long term food storage? Delicious, highly nutritious and accessible? and meats like chopped chicken and ground beef? dairy like milk, yogurt, cheddar cheese and butter? in Food Storage? This was unimaginable when I was first married. But the time has come when all the best resources are at our finger tips!
  9. Consider adding a grain mill to your food storage essentials. Ask around to come up with a recommended brand and source. Learn how to use it and use it frequently so that you know how to use the whole grain flour it produces. If you take good care of it, it should last you for decades.
  10. Learn how to preserve. Taking advantage of harvested garden produce, as well as bargains and give aways is an excellent way to add to your food storage. But it requires learning new skills, and practice to maintain confidence in them.
    – Find some classes to register for and invite a friend. Always be willing to LEARN.
    – Acquire additional supplies to help preserve: Hot Water Bath Canner and simple canning tools.
    – Buy a good preserving book that includes hot water bath time tables. Don’t tell me you can google that information. I know. But you want to have the information IN-HAND.

ADVANCED level

This level assumes you have a good foundation of food storage and that its time to start increasing your non food essentials. It takes a lot more to get through a family’s day than simply the food we eat. We have to consider personal hygiene, sanitation to keep us safe and healthy, and basic house keeping like washing floors and laundry, as well as toileting.

10 tips for those who are more Advanced

  1. Consider taking your canning ability to the next level. Canning non-acid foods like vegetables or proteins, require a Pressure Canner. It’s quite the investment, but it opens up a whole new world of possibilities.
  2. Buy other advanced pieces of equipment: a Steam Juicer, a Fresh Juicer, a Dehydrator. Learn to use them.
  3. Begin looking at Meals in Jars (MIJ). These are MEALS prepared with freeze dried and dehydrated ingredients, layered dry in a glass jar. They are convenient for quick nutritious meals and can have an extended shelf life of several years is sealed properly.
    Though I make a lot of MIJ, I do not seal them. My interest in them is primarily for convenience, not long term shelf life. I have plenty of food in my storage with extended shelf life – my purpose for MIJ is different. They are easy to prepare, usually requiring 5 -6 cups of water and about 20 minutes. Recipes abound – just ask around or search on social media.
  4. Create a list of non-food personal hygiene necessities like: toothpaste, bar soap, shampoo and conditioner, moisturizer, deodorant, rubbing alcohol, bandages, q tips, tissue, toilet paper …… etc. Start purchasing these items by shopping the sales.
  5. Create a list of non-food sanitation necessities like laundry soap, other laundry supplies, household cleaners, cleaning cloths, paper towels, garbage bags, dish soap, Find a way to do laundry without electricity. Begin buying those items or if you already have, top them up.
  6. Never let the gas tank in your vehicles drop below 1/2.
  7. Store 3 jerry cans of gas in a spot away from your house.
  8. If you have a gas barbeque, have two additional FULL cans of propane nearby.
  9. If you haven’t started your 72 hour kit, now is the best time to do so.
  10. Buy a large, food grade water tank to store indoors, and FILL IT. As large as you can store in your circumstances.

Preparedness is a Journey, and the journey is always more pleasant when you have a good support system. I highly recommend that you find a friend to share this journey with. Help each other, Encourage each other, Share resources and great finds with each other. Take classes that are offered, designed to assist you in your preparedness – together if possible. Teach each other.

Find groups on social media that are dedicated to preparedness and helping one another. JOIN THEM. Especially if they’re local.

I’d love to hear where you are on your Food Storage Journey and your tips. We learn so much better when we’re sharing. Mark your calendar for the 2nd week in January. Join the Challenge. Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/676439330803075/
If you’re not on facebook, but would like to join the next challenge, let me know. I’ll send you the daily test alert in an email.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

My personal recommendations
Milk – Thrive Life Instant milk is the best I’ve ever tasted. It has become a staple in our home. 25 year shelf life. Easy to milk up.
Eggs – Thrive Life Scrambled Egg mix is an all-natural and long-lasting dried egg product that will be a perfect addition to all your baked goods and egg dishes. Contains no preservatives. They taste fresh and natural, and whip up quickly. Shelf life 7 years.
Wondermill – Grain Mill

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Shining Apples

When I was a little girl my mother bought a case of apples this time of year. Usually Macintosh if I remember correctly. They were FRESH, crisp and wonderful, and we stored them in our cold room in the basement.

We loved eating them and I equate fresh crispy apples with fall school days.

My mom would put some in a bowl on the table and my job was to shine them so they looked nice enough for a table center piece. I took great pride in this task, and it was a never ending job every fall. They needed shining because they came to us looking like the apples on the left. Once I shined them up with a clean damp cloth, they looked like the ones on the right – which incidentally, I just shone to go on the table.

By the time I was married, apples came from the store shiny and I puzzled over my childhood memory of shining them. I wondered why my mom would have me shine apples when apparently they were already shiny. (?)

Years later I learned that the apples we buy in the grocery store are waxed to have that shine. I don’t know with what so don’t ask me. There’s no option. They’re all like that.

Now I wash my purchased apples to ‘remove’ the shine 🙄. Ironic eh?

But today. Today we brought in our very own beautiful honey crisp apples. They’re in the fridge now, but some inner voice compelled me to shine up a few for the table.

That’s when it happened. My flash back. THIS! Déjà vu. This I have done before. …. Just exactly like this. With a clean cloth. And just like those in my childhood memory, these apples shone up quickly. Almost like magic. And beautifully.

THIS IS WHAT APPLES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE!

Beautiful. Organic. Right outta your own backyard, or outta your community garden, or your nice neighbour’s garden. With a natural matt finish that shines up with the touch of a slightly damp cloth, till you can see the light reflecting in them. Apples in the fall are one of life’s great pleasures.

Hoping you have fond childhood apple memories.

Warmly,

Cindy Suelzle

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7 Day Emergency Preparedness Challenge: DAY 7 – SERVICE

🚨 Everyday Emergency – Day 7 (of 7) : Act of Service 🚨

🚨 As we enter this final day of our 7 Day Emergency Preparedness Challenge, we’re embracing an essential aspect of readiness that extends beyond our own households.

The journey of Preparedness is often centered on family or household, and it is easy to forget that we are not alone. 
There are people in need all around just now,
“Opportunities right in our way.
Do not let them pass by, saying ‘sometime I’ll try’,
but GO and DO something today.”  (1)

Today you felt a prompting to help someone in need, someone you know is going through a tough time, and it sure would be helpful if they didn’t have to worry about dinner tonight. You’d like to bring them a meal, or even just a special treat to let them know you’re thinking of them, but you have a super busy day with no time to run to the store, Walking away from such a prompting is a missed opportunity; don’t let it go unheeded.  

Charitable Preparedness and sometimes ‘kindness’ often revolves around our own families and homes, but today, let’s remember that we are part of a larger community. Someone you know might be facing a challenging time, and something as seemingly small as a batch of homemade muffins can make a world of difference.

Goal: Have a go-to meal on hand for “emergency” acts of service

Your challenge for today is twofold: First, create a meal or treat using your food storage, and your resourcefulness. Second, find someone in need, whether it’s a friend, a neighbour, or someone you barely know in your community, and share your thoughtful creation to brighten their day.

👉 Even in our busiest moments, we can spread kindness and the spirit of preparedness. Share your act of service and the impact it had on YOU in the comments below or in our facebook group. Let’s close this challenge week with a reminder that preparedness is not just about self-reliance, it’s also about the strength of our collective community. 💪 🌍

👉 As we face this scenario together, let’s consider a different perspective. Too often our attention to preparedness leads us to look only at our own situations, focusing on ourselves to the exclusion of those not in our house. We may justify this to ourselves in various ways, sometimes we judge our own needs to be more important than the needs of another, or at least more ‘urgent’. This is never Christ’s way. Sometimes in taking the time to listen and understand, the problems of another puts our own in a more realistic perspective.

Goal: Look outside of yourself and your house, and feel the pain of someone else. Remember you’re still involved in this challenge week, so you’re restricted to your food storage – but that doesn’t mean you can’t reach out and ease someone else’s burden.

Today’s Tasks

  1. Prepare a meal (or in a pinch – a special treat) for someone else.
  2. Be thoughtful – even prayerful about this and FIND someone you can do this for.  It won’t be hard (trust me), who wouldn’t appreciate a meal, a loaf of homemade bread or a batch of muffins?  
  3. Use only ingredients from your pantry or food storage
  4. Either personally deliver your meal, or have someone else personally deliver it.
  5. *hint: this is one of those times that a meal in a jar (MIJ) would come in very handy
  6. Once you have performed your “act of service” you are DONE with the challenge!
  7. Compile all your report cards from the week into a master list of things to do, learn and buy.

    SHARING TIME: Post a picture of the meal or treat you made in our facebook group or share the story of your act of service in the comments below.
    Focus on how you feel about it.
music video HAVE I DONE ANY GOOD?
with Alex Boye and Carmen Rasmusen

Today’s Limitations

  1. As for all the other challenge days, don’t go shopping to accomplish this task. You are working with what you have on hand only, in a way to demonstrate to yourself that you can reach out when its not convenient because “charity never faileth“.

Advanced Tasks because you’re a super hero:

  1. Compile a list of at least two or three meals (or home baking or treats) that you can always fall back on because you always have the necessary ingredients on hand. Keep it (and the recipes if necessary) in a handy place to refer to frequently – Your GO-TO meals. Ensure you keep those ingredients in stock – add them to your report card if necessary.
  2. Meals in a Jar are a life saver and will last in your pantry for months in an airtight jar, or years if you seal them properly. Come up with several MIJ recipes and make up two of each to use when you’re in a hurry and could use a quick nutritious meal.

    * I have a minimum of 6 meals on hand at all times. When I’m on top of my game I try to have a dozen. Totally converted here.

Things to consider:

Charitable service is rarely if ever convenient, so don’t let a busy day or limited resources interfere. You might just have to be more creative to work within your restrictions. PLAN ahead to make future service less inconvenient.

One of my favourite quotes of all time is this one by Neal A. Maxwell “Empathy during agony is a portion of divinity.” (2) To me, it simply means that sometimes – even when you’re hurting, or when things are tough, looking outside yourself can change perspective. It invites a spirit into your life, and separates you from your trial if only for a short time. There’s something about thinking about someone else, something about feeling for them, grieving for them, or even rejoicing with them – that puts our day-to-day challenges into perspective. It brings us closer to our Saviour – He who thought of the agony of his mother while hanging from the cross. If we can have empathy, during our own suffering, then we experience a little more of what it means to be Christlike.

“Those who serve even in adversity will maintain a living hope of a better future.”
– Carlos H. Amado (3)

TOMORROW is a New Day – a day to start filling in the gaps that this prior week exposed.

Go through your report cards and make a master list of the notes you took – especially those things you said you were going to DO or buy. If you’ve been keeping notes in your report cards, the data you collected will be very useful as you move forward.

Another favourite quote of mine is from Maya Angelou “Do the Best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, DO Better!” So simple and yet so profound. She gives me permission to stop beating myself up over mistakes I made in the past. I really did the BEST I knew how at the time. But now I know better, so I must DO something different. I must be better, I must DO Better. Otherwise everything I did previously was a waste of time and I learned nothing.

 7 Day Challenge REPORT CARD

Goal: Learn to see past yourself, into the experiences of another. Respond to what you see with the service of a meal. If a meal doesn’t suit them, not to worry, find another way .

AFTER you have completed your act of service, Celebrate a week well done!   If your family’s been on this journey with you, sit down together to reflect on your experiences, and review what you’ve learned about yourselves.  If you’ve been doing this on your own – take the time to reflect and review anyway.  This is a very important step.  Don’t dismiss it.  This whole week has been about learning, so be open minded and teachable.  What did you learn?

Go out and celebrate! Buy yourself a DQ Blizzard! A big one. Enjoy it! You deserve it, and think of all the money you saved this week by not making any purchases. Then think about the money you’re going to reallocate into being more prepared for real life emergencies in the future. That’ll bring you back down to reality.

Daily Notes

Thanks for taking this journey with us.
Its been fun and we’ve each personally learned a LOT.

Review your REPORT CARD to help you tally up your strengths and weaknesses.  Use that hard earned information to help you, and in due time – when you’ve made some improvements and filled in some gaps – take the Challenge again, on your own time – or with us. Because we’re definitely gonna do this again!  And again and again.  As long as it takes to work out all the kinks and fine tune our level of preparedness. We might introduce a few new challenges from time to time, or tweak the ones we’ve done, but for the most part – I know I NEED SOME REPETITION to improve my situation and up my game.

As always, I’d love to hear your comments.

Warmly,

Cindy and friends

footnotes:
1. from the song Have I Done Any Good? by Will L. Thompson lyrics
2. from the talk “the Women of God” April 1978
3. from the talk Service, a Divine Quality April 2008

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7 Day Emergency Preparedness Challenge: DAY 6 – EVACUATE

🚨 Mock Emergency Alert – Day 6: Natural Disaster: Wild fires – EVACUATE! 🚨

Scenario: In today’s challenge , we’re confronted with a scenario that emphasizes the unpredictability of natural disasters, and one that has touched millions of people in the last few years – in Alberta, BC, Ontario and Quebec, New York, California, Washington, Oregon and other areas: raging wild fires. This summer has been unprecedented in the devastation.

Our Scenario: Natural Disaster – Wildfire Evacuation and 72-Hour Kit Survival

👉 Imagine this harrowing situation: An out-of-control wildfire, fueled by fierce winds, unexpectedly changes direction and races toward your town. You have mere minutes to evacuate, leaving behind your home. Today, you’ll rely on your 72-hour kit for sustenance. It’s a stark reminder of the critical role preparedness plays in our lives and how quickly circumstances can change.

As we navigate this scenario together, let’s discuss our experiences, lessons learned, and any advice we can offer for coping with evacuations and relying on emergency supplies. The comments section is where we come together as a community to share, support, and strengthen our preparedness.

Goal: Test your family’s evacuation plan, 72 hour kit and portable emergency foods

Today’s Tasks

  1. Evacuate your house within 15 minutes of reading today’s challenge. You do not know if your house will be destroyed while you are gone so plan accordingly. Stay away until after lunchtime.
  2. Eat/drink ONLY out of your 72 hour kits until you return home
  3. While you are out, make a list of potential reasons you could be forced to evacuate.
    For each scenario, write down where you would go, what type of stuff you would need in your kits, how long you’d be gone, etc. Use this list to re-evaluate what you may or may not include in your kits.
  4. Don’t have a 72 hour kit? This challenge will convince you how important that is.
  5. You’ll want to make a list of all of your valuables to submit to your insurance company since your house was destroyed while you were gone (this is more valuable to have BEFORE you actually lose everything). In the spring of 2023 we lost a cabin we’d been renovating for three years. We did not have a list of things in it, just in our memories and a few snap shots. Big regrets with that.
  6. Using the daily report card, make a list of things you could do and buy to minimize your losses in a complete house loss (i.e. Fireproof-waterproof safe, computer backup options, safety deposit box for valuables, etc.)

    SHARING TIME: Post a picture or description of one of your 72 hour kit meals in our facebook group or in the blog comments

Today’s Limitations

  1. For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants.
  2. You can’t eat or drink anything besides what is in your 72 hour kits until dinnertime.
  3. You must stay away from home until after lunch.

Advanced Tasks because you’re a super hero:

  1. Eat out of your 72 hour kits for dinner too.
  2. Evacuate overnight using only supplies from your disaster kit.
  3. *Contact your insurance company and find out details about what would be covered in a total loss situation like this.

Things to know:

  1. An Evacuation Order means You are at risk and must leave the area immediately. This is a mandatory evacuation enforced by local authorities. The evacuation order may be issued without a preceding alert, if there isn’t enough warning.
  2. Alerts and orders are distributed by local authorities to their communities through tools like posters, flyers and door-to-door notices. Widespread evacuation alerts and evacuation orders will be broadcast through Alert Ready systems on radio, television and compatible wireless devices.
  3. Evacuation alerts and orders will instruct you where to go. These areas are called assembly points and reception centres. You may also get information on which routes to avoid or use. Be sure your family emergency plan identifies exit routes from your neighbourhood and don’t forget to bring your 72-hour emergency kit.
  4. When you arrive at the assembly point or reception centre be sure to register yourself and family. You will then be directed to a shelter or other resources.
  5. When an evacuation warning alert is issued, get ready to leave by gathering your family, emergency kit and necessities for travel. Be ready to go if an evacuation is ordered.
  6. If you decide to leave before an evacuation order, let your emergency contacts know your plan. If an evacuation order is issued after you have left, or you were away from home during an emergency, check in with authorities as instructed. This prevents unnecessary worry as to your family’s safety and whereabouts.

Why a Emergency Evacuation Kit?

You must be prepared to be self-sufficient (you and your household) for a minimum of 72 hours without power, running water, or the ability to purchase anything. You cannot expect anyone to be responsible for your safety and comfort if you have ignored your own responsibility for those very important things.

Don’t count on being home when an emergency occurs. Natural disasters are rarely convenient. Create grab-and-go bags for your home, workplace and vehicle.

What is the difference between an Emergency Evacuation Kit – a Bug Out Bag – a 72 Hour Kit – a Grab’n’Go Bag?
Nothing. Call it whatever you want, they’re pretty much the same things. Often a Grab’n’Go Bag refers to something you might carry in your vehicle with you just in case.

What should be IN my 72 hour kit?

You will need basic supplies for every member of your household. Put essential items like food, water and medication in one bag. This makes it easy to locate when the power is out and easy to grab and go in case you have to leave your home quickly.

  1. a 3-day supply of water. Estimate 2 Litres per person per day.
  2. 3-day supply of non-perishable food for all family members and pets.
  3. First-aid kit.
  4. Flashlight and extra batteries.
  5. Wind-up or battery-powered radio (with extra batteries).
  6. Extra eyeglasses or contact lenses.
  7. Prescriptions or special medications.
  8. Car keys, credit cards and cash.
  9. Garbage bags, moist towelettes and sanitation supplies.
  10. Chargers for cellphones and electronic communication devices.
  11. Seasonal clothing and footwear for each family member.

click here to see a suggested list from the Yukon government
click here for a suggested vehicle grab n go bag list
* In the event that you get separated from family members, have a PLAN ready and understood about where you’re going, and how to reunite.

REMEMBER, TOMORROW’S CHALLENGE WILL BE DIFFERENT.

Don’t forget to fill out today’s REPORT CARD to see how well you did, and to keep track of areas you can improve in.

 7 Day Challenge REPORT CARD

Today we focused on what to do when faced with the VERY REAL likelihood that you might experience what tens of thousands of people experienced – this year in particular – Evacuation in the case of a Natural Disaster. You must be prepared for the unthinkable – to come back to NO house. Many do. It is a terrible reality. Don’t delude yourself about it never happening to you. Why not you?

Goal: Learn what its like to leave home with only what you can carry, and be able to take care of yourself and your family without your familiar surroundings and comforts.

Today’s Evaluation Questions to ask Yourself

  1. How’d you do?
  2. Did you already have an existing 72 hour kit? Was it helpful? What kinds of meals did you have in it? Could you feed those meals to your family while sitting on a gym floor somewhere?
  3. If you didn’t have a 72 hour kit, how do you feel about that now?
  4. What kinds of non food items would you like to add to your 72 hour kit?
  5. What kinds of foods would you like to include in it?
  6. Have you ever been evacuated before? Or been on evacuation alert? How did that influence your preparedness level afterward?
  7. Does this simulation give you a little more empathy for those who lived it?
  8. What kind of changes would you make to your preparedness plan after having spent a whole day up close and personal with an evacuation simulation?   

Daily Notes

Cindy, Karen and Linda

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7 Day Emergency Preparedness Challenge: DAY 5 – POWER

🚨 🚨 Mock Emergency Alert – Day 5: Everyday Emergency No Power! 🚨

Scenario: Today’s challenge starts with an unexpected twist: A drunk driver has struck a power line near your house, and the entire neighborhood is without power for the entire day. Now, you’re tasked with cooking a nice meal for your family and keeping them entertained without the convenience of electricity. It’s a reminder that emergencies can happen at any time, and preparedness is about adaptability and resourcefulness.

👉 As we face this scenario together, let’s share our thoughts, ideas, anticipated problems and at the end of it, the unanticipated problems we encountered, and what solutions we came up with.

Goal: Practice powerless cooking techniques today. Practice using appropriate lighting. Practice meaningful ways to spend your time without the use of power.

Today’s Tasks

  1. Cook all three meals without electricity
  2. Make a NICE dinner from scratch. No opening a can of soup, eating cereal or a peanut butter sandwich. Yes, I know those are viable meals now and again, but for today, that’s a cheat. Remember, you might have water, but you don’t have hot water – that requires power for your hot water tank.
  3. How do you entertain your kids all day without their usual pattern?
  4. How do you tell time? Get up in the morning? Get your kids off to school?
  5. How do you keep your phone charged?
  6. What is your source of light all morning, afternoon and evening?
  7. Do something fun with the people who live in yourself that does not involve power. Tell me about it.
  8. Do up an inventory of your fuel storage. What kind of fuel do you have? How many days of meals could you expect to cook with the fuel you have stored?

    SHARING TIME: What tools-fuel did you use to cook without power today? Share a picture or description in our Facebook challenge group or in this blog’s comments!

Today’s Limitations

  1. For this day, no spending money, no going to the store of course and NO restaurants. In a real emergency that is not sustainable.
  2. Remember that your fridge and freezer use electricity. Every time you open either of them, you lose ‘cold’ and introduce heat. Open the fridge ONE TIME – so choose wisely. Same with the freezer – ONE TIME.
  3. Speaking of freezers …… in the event of a power failure, the food in your freezer is in jeopardy. In a full freezer, you can expect it to stay frozen for up to two days – depending on what it is. Density will last longer: meat longer than bread for instance. A half full freezer will not stay frozen as long. It is imperative that you keep your freezer closed as much as possible. Every time you open you shorted the time.
  4. You cannot use any electric appliances in your kitchen to cook (or any other room – that’s cheating too)

Advanced Tasks because you’re a super hero:

  1. There is a big storm going on outside, so your barbeque, fire pit or camp stove is of no value. You can only cook indoors. Good luck.
  2. Your pipes froze during the night so you have no running water. Use your stored water.

Things to know:

  1. In a real power outage, using perishable food in your fridge first and freezer second is important. Whatever you don’t use, you will loose.
  2. Camp stoves were intended to use OUTDOORS not indoors. Fire from the flame is of course a risk, but more insidious than that is the very real risk of carbon monoxide (CO). Carbon Monoxide is a silent, invisible, odourless killer! It bonds with the hemoglobin in your blood better than oxygen, building up in your blood and literally squeezing the oxygen out. It causes dizziness, confusion and tiredness. You will NOT KNOW you’re being affected and it will cause you to pass out. If you remain in that CO filled environment, you will die!
    click here to read The Night We Nearly Went to Sleep Forever
  3. Carbon monoxide is produced whenever a carbon based fuel is burned (like oil, coal, gas and wood), which is why a stove, fireplace and wood stove are vented to the outside. Using an average camp stove in the kitchen may seem like a good idea. Don’t do it. Where is it doing to vent? Use it outside.
  4. There are stoves that are suitable for indoor use – and if you have one, you’ll know it.
  5. click HERE for a list of what to do in a power outage

    *note: I do NOT have a small portable stove suitable for indoors. This challenge is a good reminder to me to look into that. We have a wood stove downstairs, but I don’t want to light a fire in our woodstove just to cook a meal if its not cold outside. We do have a gas barbeque outside that we can certainly use to cook food when its not cold outside, but we’re not skilled at using it for things that are not your typical barbeque foods. If we had to use it for a few days, I’d need to get pretty creative on how to do that.

9 powerless cooking methods

1. a Solar Oven
I know some people who use solar ovens and though they’d take some practice getting used to, I think they’re brilliant. Its kinda like a slow cooker, but you need a sunny day. I guess it would depend on how many sunny days you get in your area. Personally, I decided against buying one, just because I didn’t think I’d get enough sun in my back yard to make it a viable solution for us.

2. an outdoor fire pit
Just like you’d cook on an outdoor fire when you’re camping, but think outside the usual hotdogs and s’mores. Do you have a rack or grill you can use over the fire? Experiment with making “food storage” meals. If you can heat water, you can use emergency ‘just-add-water’ meals. Having several of those on hand for such times as this could save your sanity. Using freeze dried eggs, sausage, and veggies to create your own omelets or scrambled eggs are quick to cook over a fire.

3. your barbeque
Whether you have a gas barbeque or a brickette barbeque, if you use it regularly, you know how too. Go for it!

4. make an emergency stove, oven or grill using a #10 Can (gallon size)
here is a one page instructional guide from Food Storage Made Easy

5. using Your Dutch Oven
Because a dutch oven is traditionally very heavy, it retains heat for a long time. You can use it on your barbeque, over your fire, or on your camp stove. True dutch oven cooking can be a fun adventure and the food can be delicious! But its a skill that should be developed and practice makes perfect, so start doing it now when you don’t have to.
Check out this blog on dutch oven cooking.

6. your camp stove  
If you’re a camper, you may have some sort of propane or butane camping grill already. Perfect. Use it. But use it outdoors unless it is rated for indoor use. Now would be a good time to pay attention to fuel usage so that you can make a plan for how much to store. That’s what these trial runs are good for.

7. Ever heard of a Wonderbag?
A wonderbag is a heavily insulated bag that keeps food cooking at a low, but safe temperature over several hours to continue cooking your dish while you are away or busy doing other things. Though its strength comes through in a power outage, it has other more frequent uses too. I have some friends who use their bag almost every Sunday, to cook their meal while they’re at church and doing other church related things. When they get home, dinner is ready to put on the table.

The wonderbag has no ability to ‘cook’, it only keeps something slowly cooking through insulation – which means you have to have a primary source of heat to bring that pot (or dutch oven) up to temperature to begin with. Its strength is to use LESS fuel, not NO fuel.

You can buy Wonderbags or you can make them. I found this tutorial video quite helpful and even a little entertaining. If you like to sew, then check it out. Its really quite an easy project.

8. Alcohol stoves
These stoves burn cleanly, using liquid fuel. There are disadvantages as with everything, like you have to let the stove cool down before refueling. This can be inconvenient if you run out of fuel while you’re partway through cooking a meal. Worth looking into though.

9. Canned heat. 
Canned heat is a condensed alcohol gel that comes in a can, similar to what caterers use to keep serving pans warm. Simply pop the lid off, light it with a match, and you’re ready to cook. It’s fuel is nearly transparent so you’ll have to be careful with that.

REMEMBER, TOMORROW’S CHALLENGE WILL BE DIFFERENT.

Make sure your fill out today’s REPORT CARD to see how well you did, to keep track of areas you can improve, to remember things you need to do, and things you need to buy.  Use the data you gathered to make a game plan to take you to the next level of preparedness, whatever that may be.

 7 Day Challenge REPORT CARD

Today we focused on what to do with NO power. Really, we’re just going back in time a couple of generations, or pretending we’re on a real camping trip (not in a travel trailer). It wasn’t that long ago that our great grandparents were living with minimal to no electricity, and they did just fine. We just need to think outside our 21st century box – for a short time. This scenario plays itself out often, and sometimes for extended periods of time. If not in your life, then in who’s? Why not you? Don’t assume you’re immune. Have some fun and figure this out.

Goal: Learn what its like to go without electricity. Most people in the world do it every day. Buck up. You can do it.

Daily Evaluation Questions to ask Yourself

  1. How’d you do?
  2. How difficult was it to come up with several viable meals that didn’t require power to prepare? Share your menu and a picture of the meal you cooked in the comments.
  3. What did you use to cook?
  4. Though eating is pretty important, going without electricity is about more than what to eat and how to cook it.   You still have many hours left in your day. How did you spend them?   
  5. And its about more than eating and entertaining the family. How did you know what time it was, and how did you get to work on time?  
  6. What did you use for light?
  7. What kind of things do you need to ‘acquire’ before the lights go out for real?   

Daily Notes

Cindy, Karen and Linda

Posted on

7 Day Emergency Preparedness Challenge: DAY 4 – ABSENT FROM THE HOME

🚨 🚨 Mock Emergency Alert – Day 4: Family Crisis 🚨

This is Day 4 of testing our Emergency Preparedness.  
REMEMBER: No going to a store, or spending any money for the entire 7 days! And please feel free to adapt the scenarios to fit your own family and situation.

👉  You’ve received some bad news – you’ll be in the hospital for an extended period of time – an emergency unavoidable surgery.  You’ve been told that when you come home in about a month, you can expect to be bed ridden for at least another month.  After that, it will be a slow recuperation but in time, if you’re careful, you should regain most of your former health.  This all happens TOMORROW.  Today you must help your family prepare for you to have an extended “leave of absence”.
If you are single focus on getting your own affairs settled.  Prepare to be absent from your current life situation for two months.  Who’s gonna take care of things while you’re gone?

Goal: Teach your family knowledge and skills that depend on you

Today’s Tasks:

  1. Teach the other members of your household how to do any tasks that normally fall to you (i.e. laundry, cooking basics, mowing the lawn, car maintenance, etc.)
  2. THIS ARE CRITICAL LIFE SKILLS that you are not doing anyone any favours by not teaching.
  3. Make sure to pass financial information on to your spouse, significant other, another mature family member, or trusted friend.
  4. If you’re the one in charge of managing the family schedule and routines, write it all out and make assignments or arrangements for how the family could make it without you
  5. If you live alone, make a plan for who would look after your house/affairs if you had to leave suddenly
  6. Make a list of all your logins for important websites that family members may need to access. Either print it and put it somewhere secure or save it in a secure manner on your computer.
  7. Remember how important sharing is to us all.  It is the only way we can learn from another’s experiences. 

SHARING TIME: What is the ONE task that would be hardest for someone else to take over if you were gone for two months? Share in our group dialogue for today.

Today’s Limitations:

  1. For this day, and ALL days of the challenge: no spending money, no going to stores, and no restaurants.
  2. No other limitations today.

Advanced Tasks because you’re a super hero:

  1. After teaching your family how to do your “jobs” actually leave for the day or remove yourself from those tasks – testing your family to DO THEM.
  2. If you’re single or don’t have a large household, pass along the information to a friend or family for taking care of your house and affairs FOR REAL. Give a trusted friend or neighbour your key. Offer to do the same for them. This is not just a plan to do it – DO IT! If you ever do need to be gone, there will not be time to worry about it then.

As we tackle this scenario, let’s discuss strategies for preparing our households, rallying our support networks, and managing the emotional challenges that come with unexpected crises. Share your thoughts, experiences, and advice in the comments below or in our facebook Preparedness group. Remember, the challenge continues with new scenarios ahead. We’re here for each other, and together, we can face any challenge life throws our way. 💪 🌍

Goal: Teach your family knowledge and skills that depend on you

REMEMBER, TOMORROW’S CHALLENGE WILL BE DIFFERENT.

7 Day Challenge REPORT CARD

How’d you do?

Cindy, Karen and Linda