Your own home "store"?

I was grocery shopping the other night and amazed at all the non "grocery" items I had filled my cart with. 

 

 

They didn't get in there on accident either. 

Most of them were purchased on sale and with coupons, so they were all good "deals". 

But I didn't buy them for the deal... 

 

I bought them to have as my own home store. As in, rather than running to the store for every little thing, I keep a small reserve or supply on hand so I never get caught empty handed or at the immediate mercy of the "real" stores.

 

I'm am in no way a doom and gloom kind of person. But, honestly, you never know when weather, economy or infrastructure could cause our stores or their suppliers to be without "goods" for a day, week or even months.

One of the reasons I am a consultant for Shelf Reliance is so I can build a food "store" for my family. Balance is important in all things. That includes our efforts to be self-reliant. I could have tons of food on hand but if I run out of essentials like soap and toilet paper, let's face it, life would only be mediocre. 

So, while I will always encourage people to have a small reserve of food as their own home "store", I'd also remind you to keep stock of those things that just make life so much easier, just in case.

That's right, I bought 4 packs of toilet paper... just in case! :)

National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month. 

I am pretty excited to be helping out with the East TN Emergency Preparedness Fair on the 24th!

I think everyone who lives in TN knows that when the weather man call for bad weather of any sort, people go into a frenzy and buy all the milk and bread they can fit in their carts! 

It's pretty silly & frustrating really!

The same thing seems to happen all over the world when hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc make an appearance.

Ask yourself, would you like to be among the ranks who run to the store and have to deal with this...

Or would you like to be among the prepared who don't need to run to the store or panic because they know they can always go here...

to their own "home store" and have everything a family will need to "weather" almost any situation.

Here are some great basic guidelines to go by when working towards preparedness. Think of them as baby steps. Start with one, and move on as you reach each goal.

1. Three-month supply
Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage.

2. Drinking Water
Store drinking water for circumstances in which the water supply may be polluted or disrupted. Store water in
sturdy, leak-proof, breakage-resistant containers. Consider using plastic bottles commonly used for juices and soda.

3. Financial Reserve
Establish a financial reserve by saving a little money each week and gradually increasing it to a reasonable amount. Keep in mind that some emergencies may render banks inaccessible, so consider keeping a cash reserve in safe place.

4. Longer-term Supply
For longer-term needs, and where permitted, gradually build a supply of food that will last a long time. None of us knows when we may need to rely on our own supply to survive. Be it natural disasters, economic collapse, injury, job loss or other emergencies, being prepared is never a bad thing!

Excerpts from All is Safely Gathered In pamphlet.