Being Prepared: These Are My Favorite Things

Sometimes being prepared can seem a bit overwhelming and can lead us to be frustrated. Today I decided to break down my thoughts and discuss my favorite things I highly recommend when it comes to being prepared. Please remember, I don’t recommend anything I haven’t tried or don’t own. That’s how I roll.

I’m sure you remember this outline I’ve provided before:

• You can survive for 3 minutes without breathable air.
• You can survive 3 hours in extreme heat or cold environments.
• You can survive 3 days without drinkable/potable water.
• You can survive 3 weeks without food.

I don’t recommend you test any of these, but it may help you realize what our bodies may or may not tolerate.

Being Prepared: These Are My Favorite Things

Shelter Is Needed

Along with food and clothing, shelter is a must-have preparedness item. Some people have tents, but I don’t want one at this time in my life due to my age. I did when I was younger. We don’t plan on bugging out. If an earthquake hits, yes, we will probably need to evacuate. Tents are wonderful for camping, but if you have an RV that would be awesome if the roads are driveable.

Plus, hopefully, you have your gas tanks filled, you don’t want to line up to fill your tanks after a disaster with hundreds of other people. If the power is out your gas tanks can’t be filled. Here again, please keep your tanks filled.

Lead-Free Hose

Please clean the spigots you plan on filling your water storage containers. Use unscented bleach on the hose after you clean your containers with that unscented bleach. Soap is often too hard to get the residue out of, including a hose. Just giving you the heads up here.

Most garden hoses have lead in them, please fill your clean water storage containers with a lead-free hose if you are filling them outside. Lead-Free Hose (They are like RV hoses).

How To Store Water

You may have read that the American Red Cross recommends one gallon per person per day. American Red Cross. I beg to differ, I recommend 4 gallons of water per person per day. You may ask why, well, we need water for drinking/hydration, cooking, limited personal hygiene, and washing dishes or clothes.

If you have a water heater, please keep in mind if our city/county water is contaminated, that water won’t be drinkable. It may be an error made by a city worker or a terrorist group. We have had water contaminated in Utah several times by accidents or mistakes.

If you have a swimming pool, it seems like that would be all the water you need, but not if we lose power. That beautiful swimming pool filled with clear water will become a dangerous algae mess without electricity to keep it circulating and filtered. How To Store Water

Please store all water containers and food storage containers off the concrete with 2 by 4s. You don’t want the chemicals in the concrete to leach into your containers.

WaterBricks

I have always suggested 4 gallons per person per day. That amount could help support not only needed hydration, but also cooking, small laundry tasks, and some limited personal hygiene. We tend to forget that personal sanitation is an important part of getting through an emergency scenario.

WaterBricks and Spigots plus Water Preserver

These WaterBricks hold 3.5 gallons of water and weigh about 27 pounds each when filled. I use Water Preserver in these as a treatment solution so I only have to rotate the water every 5 years. I use a 1/2 teaspoon of Water Preserver in each WaterBrick (the 3.5-gallon size). You can stack the “bricks” and/or put them under beds for storage.

BlueCans

I’m extremely fussy about my water, I particularly mean the taste of my water. I have always had reverse osmosis water because I’m concerned about the quality of water where we have lived over the years. Blue Cans drinking water is my favorite source of drinkable water to store. The cheapest place to buy them is Brownell’s Blue Cans. Please sign up for their newsletter to see when they have discounts or free shipping. I buy the 24 cans in a case.

I love that they use 95% recycled aluminum to manufacture their cans for this emergency water product. WooHoo! Good for our environment! BlueCanStores I quote, “In accordance with the FDA requirements and California Proposition 65, BLUE CAN Water cans have a non-BPA epoxy coating on the inside to protect the contents from the metal. (Aged water in the can have been tested BPA-free by an FDA-certified lab.)”

The little Blue Cans are 12 ounces of pure water. Blue Can filters and purifies its premium canned water to less than one part per million of dissolved solids. They recommend a temperature to store these cans between 33 degrees F to 150 degrees F. This means they could freeze in the garage if you have brutal winters.

55-Gallon Barrels

These are my least favorite water storage units. With no lower spigot, you need a water pump to pump the water out, which works great. The drawback is that they take up so much space and you must cover them with UV Barrel Covers or they will crack eventually from the weather if stored outside. You’ll also need the following:

High-Capacity Tanks

The thing about high-capacity tanks is that they are heavy very large and bulky containers. These tanks are typically 250-350 gallons of water for family use. They do take up a rather large corner of your garage, but water is critical, so it is what it is. But they usually have 2 spigots, one for filling a bucket, and one to empty the tank when you need to. I rotate the water every 5 years by treating the water with Water Preserver. I don’t use unscented bleach because that water needs to be rotated every 6 months. Water Preserver

Food Storage

I mainly buy freeze-dried food products because it lasts longer. How To Store Your Food Storage In case you are wondering I DO NOT buy meals ever. I only purchase FREEZE-DRIED fruits, veggies, meats, cheese, and instant milk. All of the ones I purchase have a 25-year shelf life, but once opened, it’s one year. I don’t buy ham or sausage because they have a shorter shelf life, at least in the brand I prefer.

Before you run out and start buying food storage please write down what you think your family will eat. It doesn’t make sense to store things family members don’t like! This form may help get you started. PRINTABLE: Where do I start (PDF)

• Thrive Life
• Augason Farms
• Valley Food Storage
• Nutristore (Located in American Fork, Utah)
• Be Prepared (Emergency Essentials)
• Wise Food Storage
• Canned Foods are great, Canned Meat, Canned Vegetables, and Canned Fruit

Cooking Without Power

• Store fuel resources like charcoal briquettes, propane, butane, wood, and pinecones in airtight containers without the lighter fluid in the briquettes. Emergency Fuel To Store For Survival
• Dutch Ovens work great in a fire pit. Here is my PRINTABLE Dutch oven chart that Lodge Manufacturing allowed me to make for you: Dutch Oven Chart
• Butane Stoves work awesome inside with a window or door cracked for ventilation. Butane Stoves
• Your barbecue will work fine but will use too much fuel to cook most meals or even heat water.
• Camp Chef Stove/Oven Combination is great with propane. Make sure you have the attachments required for the different sizes of canisters and tanks.
• Kelly Kettle I wrote a post about Kelly Kettles
• Volcano Stove I hope you enjoy this post about Volcano Stoves
• SunOven If you have consistent sunlight in your location, these are awesome.

72-Hour Kits-Bags Of Food-WaterBricks

I have a list of items you should consider for your 72-hour kits. 72-hour Kits Please keep in mind, this is a very LONG list, it’s intended for you to choose what you need in your kit. I DO NOT store any food in my 72-hour kits. I store them in a zippered bag with food that is freeze-dried and has a longer shelf life.

Then I have WaterBricks filled with water and ready to take with us. Please note that Thrive Life no longer sells “bags” or pouches”. They do sell “Pantry Cans”. I used a sweater bag to store my food items inside my home as well as the WaterBricks. I store my 72-hour kits in bags in another location close to an exit so they’re handy to grab on our way out.

Flashlights and Lanterns and First Aid Kits

• OLights
• Bushnell Lanterns
• Solar Flashlights I have my solar flashlights on window sills throughout the house so they’re kept charged at all times. Solar lanterns are great too. If you use regular flashlights, be sure to have extra backup batteries that are rotated to keep them fresh and reliable.
• First Aid Kits or you can make your own: First Aid Kits

Depending on your location, the time of year, and weather conditions, it’s always a good idea to have extra changes of clothes. During an emergency, you may get cold, get wet, or need items more suitable for hot temperatures. Evaluate your personal needs based on past experience and the makeup of your household. Pay particular attention to the older people, the little ones, and any family member with unique needs.

Final Word

I hope you enjoyed my post today, Being Prepared: These Are My Favorite Things! Life is good when we are prepared one step at a time. Be patient, have a plan, practice the plan, and include all family members in planning and execution. Don’t feel like you need to do everything all at once. I’ve told my readers for years, you can do it one can at at time. Yes, we can do it, my friends! May God Bless this world, Linda