Prepare now.
I've been reading a lot lately on the way that our economy is going. Its said that by the end of 2015 we will have 5.00 a gallon gas prices. If you think that boggles your mind, just think back to 2008 when we complained about gas prices hitting 1.80 a gallon. That's a big jump from 1.80 to 5.00 a gallon. The thing is, if gas prices do go up as they are predicted to do, that means the cost of living will climb as well, but our paychecks may not. We could see food shortages, gas shortages, rolling black-outs and water rationing like we've never seen before. This is pretty scary.
The other things that I have been reading about, if any of you follow my pinterest board, you will see a lot on canning and DIY. Yeah, I'm working on food storage. After Ike came and knocked out power to our little section of Texas for two weeks, it became abundantly clear that if we experienced anything worse than that, like on the scale of the tornadoes earlier this year in Oklahoma, then a lot of people would be having some serious issues. I think that smaller towns have an advantage over big cities in that everyone pretty much knows everyone in one way or another. If they don't know them personally, then they know of them. In a big city like Houston, not so much. Things could get ugly.
Why am I bringing this up? Because we're due here on the Gulf coast for some pretty nasty weather, for one. For two, the economy and the failure that is happening is pretty frightening. Somethings got to give somewhere and I think the middle class and poor are going to see some stuff that makes a zombie apocalypse look tame in comparison. Yeah, I know, doom and gloom, but hang in there with me, okay?
What I'm encouraging my readers to do is to start to put some sort of disaster plan in motion. To start, begin to stock up on your non-perishable food and personal supplies. Figure one week's worth for every person in the household. You don't have to go out and do it all at once, just pick up the extras when you go grocery shopping. Some here and there should do it, and put it in a dedicated area of the home, whether it's a closet, the laundry room (which I really wouldn't suggest because it can get awfully warm and humid in there) or where ever you have room. Then get your supplies up to the week per person. Once you have one week, work on two, then three and further if you have the want to. Also, keep an eye on your expiration dates. Rotate out what is close to expiration, but make sure that you replace whatever you take out of your stash. Now, keep in mind that canned goods are pretty much good (according to quite a few survival articles that I read, I cannot tell you that for sure. My suggestion is that you find some good resources to back up those claims) for twenty years as long as the can is not damaged, rusted or compromised in any way. Like I said, do your homework on that and my best suggestion is that if the thought of twenty year old green beans gives you the willies, don't eat them.
Learn how to can and dehydrate. In the case of power outages, freezing is not a viable solution to your food storage. You will end up having a block party and inviting all of the neighbors, who will love you, by the way, to dinner. Then you won't have that frozen stuff anymore. It is what it is. You can can anything from tomatoes to meat to milk to water. There are sites from the USDA that tell you the proper temperatures to can items and even some tried recipes to get you started. Don't be squeamish about pressure canning, that's the only way that you can put some food items in storage. Read up on it and know what you're doing or you could end up with a lot of spoiled food which means money down the drain or even injury if you don't use the canner properly.
Go on the DIY sites and learn about water capturing. Contrary to popular opinion, the government can't control you gathering rain water or condensation for personal purposes, although I'm sure they would love to try to. Switch out your fancy-schmancy cooking ware for cast iron and cast aluminum, but be careful on the cast aluminum, some of it is made very cheaply and with metals that could cause problems when heated. I'm going to go out on a limb and recommend Lodge Cookware. It has one of the best, if not the best reputation out there and has been around I think for over a hundred years. Anyway, you need cookware that will withstand direct heat without melting. Think campfires, fireplaces, patio firepits, charcoal and gas grills. You put a pot or pan on any of these that has any kind of plastic on it and the piece is ruined. Speckled enamel ware is a good choice as well.
First aid and medications are another biggie. Start with a first aid kit that has a military tourniquet in it, flat gauze rolls, assorted bandages, antibiotic creams, eye wash, pain relievers (acetaminophen, aspirin), iodine, tweezers, bandage scissors, cool packs and eye patches. Your goal is to get this kit up to the specifications that a doctor would have at a M*A*S*H unit. Disasters come in so many ways that to not be prepared medically would be a sin, in my opinion. Also, don't forget your prescription medications. That's where mail-order comes in. Generally mail order pharmacies will send a three month supply and that is what is recommended to have on hand in case of emergency. If it is an option, see if they will send you a six month supply instead, that way you will always have the three months on hand.
This is just scratching the surface of what we should have on hand in case of an emergency or disaster. I'm not trying to scare you, folks, but I am trying to give you a realistic look at what's going on around us. Here in the Gulf Coast we contend with hurricane season every year and it is ridiculous that people should not be prepared for a big storm to hit. Even if you don't have your house float down the Guadalupe or the San Jacinto, there are still power outages and regional flooding that causes ground transportation to slow down causing runs on grocery stores, hardware and DIY stores and banks. Again, it is what it is.
So what are you going to do about being prepared? It doesn't cost an arm and a leg to start if you don't want it to. Start small, add a couple of things into your grocery cart, look on the DIY sites and see what you can make yourself. Prepare. The Boy Scouts have an awesome motto: Be Prepared. Let that be your motto, too.
Until next time....be safe and God bless!
The other things that I have been reading about, if any of you follow my pinterest board, you will see a lot on canning and DIY. Yeah, I'm working on food storage. After Ike came and knocked out power to our little section of Texas for two weeks, it became abundantly clear that if we experienced anything worse than that, like on the scale of the tornadoes earlier this year in Oklahoma, then a lot of people would be having some serious issues. I think that smaller towns have an advantage over big cities in that everyone pretty much knows everyone in one way or another. If they don't know them personally, then they know of them. In a big city like Houston, not so much. Things could get ugly.
Why am I bringing this up? Because we're due here on the Gulf coast for some pretty nasty weather, for one. For two, the economy and the failure that is happening is pretty frightening. Somethings got to give somewhere and I think the middle class and poor are going to see some stuff that makes a zombie apocalypse look tame in comparison. Yeah, I know, doom and gloom, but hang in there with me, okay?
What I'm encouraging my readers to do is to start to put some sort of disaster plan in motion. To start, begin to stock up on your non-perishable food and personal supplies. Figure one week's worth for every person in the household. You don't have to go out and do it all at once, just pick up the extras when you go grocery shopping. Some here and there should do it, and put it in a dedicated area of the home, whether it's a closet, the laundry room (which I really wouldn't suggest because it can get awfully warm and humid in there) or where ever you have room. Then get your supplies up to the week per person. Once you have one week, work on two, then three and further if you have the want to. Also, keep an eye on your expiration dates. Rotate out what is close to expiration, but make sure that you replace whatever you take out of your stash. Now, keep in mind that canned goods are pretty much good (according to quite a few survival articles that I read, I cannot tell you that for sure. My suggestion is that you find some good resources to back up those claims) for twenty years as long as the can is not damaged, rusted or compromised in any way. Like I said, do your homework on that and my best suggestion is that if the thought of twenty year old green beans gives you the willies, don't eat them.
Learn how to can and dehydrate. In the case of power outages, freezing is not a viable solution to your food storage. You will end up having a block party and inviting all of the neighbors, who will love you, by the way, to dinner. Then you won't have that frozen stuff anymore. It is what it is. You can can anything from tomatoes to meat to milk to water. There are sites from the USDA that tell you the proper temperatures to can items and even some tried recipes to get you started. Don't be squeamish about pressure canning, that's the only way that you can put some food items in storage. Read up on it and know what you're doing or you could end up with a lot of spoiled food which means money down the drain or even injury if you don't use the canner properly.
Go on the DIY sites and learn about water capturing. Contrary to popular opinion, the government can't control you gathering rain water or condensation for personal purposes, although I'm sure they would love to try to. Switch out your fancy-schmancy cooking ware for cast iron and cast aluminum, but be careful on the cast aluminum, some of it is made very cheaply and with metals that could cause problems when heated. I'm going to go out on a limb and recommend Lodge Cookware. It has one of the best, if not the best reputation out there and has been around I think for over a hundred years. Anyway, you need cookware that will withstand direct heat without melting. Think campfires, fireplaces, patio firepits, charcoal and gas grills. You put a pot or pan on any of these that has any kind of plastic on it and the piece is ruined. Speckled enamel ware is a good choice as well.
First aid and medications are another biggie. Start with a first aid kit that has a military tourniquet in it, flat gauze rolls, assorted bandages, antibiotic creams, eye wash, pain relievers (acetaminophen, aspirin), iodine, tweezers, bandage scissors, cool packs and eye patches. Your goal is to get this kit up to the specifications that a doctor would have at a M*A*S*H unit. Disasters come in so many ways that to not be prepared medically would be a sin, in my opinion. Also, don't forget your prescription medications. That's where mail-order comes in. Generally mail order pharmacies will send a three month supply and that is what is recommended to have on hand in case of emergency. If it is an option, see if they will send you a six month supply instead, that way you will always have the three months on hand.
This is just scratching the surface of what we should have on hand in case of an emergency or disaster. I'm not trying to scare you, folks, but I am trying to give you a realistic look at what's going on around us. Here in the Gulf Coast we contend with hurricane season every year and it is ridiculous that people should not be prepared for a big storm to hit. Even if you don't have your house float down the Guadalupe or the San Jacinto, there are still power outages and regional flooding that causes ground transportation to slow down causing runs on grocery stores, hardware and DIY stores and banks. Again, it is what it is.
So what are you going to do about being prepared? It doesn't cost an arm and a leg to start if you don't want it to. Start small, add a couple of things into your grocery cart, look on the DIY sites and see what you can make yourself. Prepare. The Boy Scouts have an awesome motto: Be Prepared. Let that be your motto, too.
Until next time....be safe and God bless!
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