Dec122010
56 Comments
Three-Things-I’ve-Learned
image by khrawlings
There’s a lot to learn about living a life that is more self-reliant and prepared. Thinking back to what I’ve learned this year, I could make a list as long as my son’s Christmas Wish List. However, when I whittle it down, the most important Three Things I’ve Learned are:
- It’s not enough to know about something. You have to get busy and act! As TheSurvivalMom, I get side-tracked by keeping up with the blog and everything associated with it, and yesterday my husband looked at our meager (to him) supply of rice and commented, “We need to stock up on a lot more rice.” Actually, we’re more of a rice family than a potato family, so he was right. I’d been buying wheat like there was no tomorrow and overlooked rice, a necessity around here. While we were standing in the pantry room talking about rice, I noticed that my pantry is a MESS! We regularly use stocked up items like peanut butter and cans of refried beans, but what were once orderly rows of cans, jars, and filled 2-liter soda bottles (filled with rice, oats, and the like) are now a jumbled mess. I know the importance of organized food storage but haven’t been doing it.
- Preparedness is a long-term focus, not a short-term fad. Headlines come and go. One week the world seems to be all a-panic and the next, the headlines are soothing, promising us a return to Good Times. Preparedness isn’t living from one headline to the next, though. It’s an awareness that, overall, our world is changing, and we need to adapt now before hard times force us into a corner with few choices. I welcome any and all good news about the job market, the price of homes, the value of the dollar, but sporadic good news can’t overcome the snowball effect of decades of disastrous financial policy and a world economy that seems to be falling apart, one country at a time.
- My family is everything and always will be. Circumstances constantly change. Future worries and hopes change, but my family makes everything I do worthwhile. They’re my constant in life’s whirlwind.
Now that you’ve read my Three-Things-I’ve-Learned, what are yours?
© 2010 – 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.
(56) Readers Comments
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Oh my goodness Soren you are hilarious! I guess we had better stock up
Lynn
The three things I've learned:
1. Plan before you act! You'll waste less time and money.
2. Don't wait for others to get on board. It's okay to be the only prepper in your family! What's important is that someone is doing something!
3. Stay focused on your goal: to protect your family first and then reach out to others!
Renae
1. I CAN start small, and with only a little bit of money. I have been at it for about a year now, and I have watched my preparations grow, and my sense of peace has grown with it!
2. Pay off debts NOW! By paying off my credit card, and all of the other little things that add up, I am opening up possibilities that I didn't have before. Owning a piece of property, with hopefully a bit of land is something that is now in reach, where before it wasn't. Paying off debt is also a great stress reliever!
3. Education. This hasn't been discussed on this site, that I am aware of, but as a Mom, education for my children is important. This upcoming school year, I will begin homeschooling my oldest son (he will be entering 1st grade). I feel that this will greatly benefit us for many years to come, not only in his faith, but in the ability for him to learn irregardless of what is occuring in the rest of the world. Another bonus is that I will be able to reuse the materials with my daughter when she is that age.
ke4sky
"PACE" your plan – have Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency options.
Primary start point is HOME. Alternate start point will probably be WORK or SCHOOL
Think about what likely events might trigger an evacuation, winter storm, hurricane, tornado, earthquake.
Goal is to gather family at a safe place which is viable, accessible, and not affected by what made you flee in the first place.
Alternate destination in case your primary destination becomes unsafe or inaccessible centered around people you know and whom you can depend upon.
Primary route assumes you have warning and act quickly.
Alternate routes use lesser travelled roads to avoid traffiic choke points.
Plan several alternate routes. Take notes and mark routes on maps using different color highlighters – so someone besides yourself can drive the route.
Your primary travel mode is your car. Keep your Bugout bag in the car. Keep gas tank at least half full at all times. Keep your car in good condition! Alternate travel is other car, neighbor’s truck, bicycle, motorcycle or WALKING.
If you your car breaks down your bag cannot be more than you can carry.