abby « Robin Writes

No, not that one! Last week until the election . . .

Did you follow directions last week? No? Well, you still have time!

See, I’m not paranoid or wishing for SHTF, most preppers aren’t—with some exceptions, particularly the ones who make “good TV.” But, if something happens, well . . .

Personally, I’m leaning toward a big issue with the election itself, although it’s hard to tell if that’s specific to this particular year or if it’s every presidential election and we just don’t remember the acrimony, the mud-slinging, the legal issues. Et cetera.

I think every four years we tend to forget a bit, to let it go. Then, when the season rolls around again, we not only remember, we dig up more dirt, sometimes going back several terms or decades.

It doesn’t matter. Social media is kind of an evil, ancient curse, in spite of its newness. You think you’re getting something good, and some of it is, or it is for a time, and then BAM. You’re screwed.

Point is that you better be ready for just about anything. If you live in an earthquake zone, you have a kit and plan, right? Flood area? Tornado Alley? Sure, you do.

This isn’t anything different.

We all know, historically if not personally, how the “I’m from the government and I’m here to help” works, amiright?

So when you shop this week, add some extra items, things you absolutely can’t do without and things you can’t make yourself. You’ll feel a lot better.

And be sure to vote. Confession: I skipped one year, ONE year, and wasn’t happy with the outcome. No, my vote didn’t matter by itself, but what if there’d been many people who’d planned to vote as I would have?

You never know.

And you never know when some kind of emergency will require you to be a lot more self-sufficient.

I’ve talked before about the importance of food storage, but a little less about keeping track of what you have and what you might need, as well as rotation.

Now, you should only be stocking food you’ll actually eat, so theoretically rotation should be simple: you remove it from storage, use it, replace it.

For instance, if I’m out of butter, say, here in the house, I can run up to the freezer in the barn and grab a pound or two. If it’s not in the house, it’s in the barn freezer or storage unit; if it’s not there, I make do until our next trip to the store. Rotation, in this case, is simple.

And of course, when shelving items, put the new ones in the back and take from the front. Like your own grocery store.

I mentioned the dreaded “I’m out of ____.” Yes, it happens, even to the most prepared people. This is why I have a list.

I keep it on my computer, and once a month I print it out and check off all the items I have on hand, adjusting quantities as needed. Normally, if we pull something out, I note it right away; likewise, after a shopping trip, I use the receipt to add things we’ve purchased. By using the receipt instead of counting actual items, you’re able to shelve things right away. We usually stop at the barn first and unload whatever goes there.

Normally I’ll make the quantity adjustment as soon as I remove something, but occasionally that doesn’t work out so well. Say, if I’m in the middle of cooking and can’t leave the stove or even when my husband grabs something and doesn’t, ahem, tell me.

It’s important to keep track—what if SHTF and you suddenly can’t find batteries—or butter—because you used them and didn’t write it down? What if your propane is all used up? Or you’re out of bacon? Disaster!

So you not only need to stock supplies, but keep track of them and rotate—otherwise, you’ll be out of something important or, even worse, it’ll be moldy or stale and useless.

Take the time to make a list of all the things you might use in a week, and make sure you have at least one of each item, plus one more to store. That makes your inventory small and doable. As you get better at prepping, you can increase the amount of time and number of items needed to keep yourself in supplies for a longer period.