Week 27

If you have not already completed your household inventory make that your goal this week and get it checked off your list. It is one of the most important things you can do. If you were to lose your home an inventory can save you time, money and regrets. In most cases if you fail to list any items as being lost, with the insurance company, it is too late later to be reimbursed for the items.
1. This week we are going to begin our Car Kits.  Can you imagine being stuck in the car for many hours! Wouldn’t it be nice to have something to eat and drink, something to provide a little light, or a whistle to attract help if you should have a health emergency.  When traveling long distances a Car Kit can be a real life saver.  If you need to put on tire chains a bright orange vest may save your life as people can see you from a distance. Mylar blankets can protect you from the desert sun and provide warmth during a snow storm. This week find an old back pack or purchase one so you are ready to begin adding items next week.
2. Add a hammer to your Grab and Go Kit
3. Practice building a fire. If you have a fire pit in your yard use that. Practice starting a fire with items that you may have on hand if you are stranded on the road. Use a pair of eye glasses to light the fire.  Collect some pine needles, dried leaves or small sticks and use them as kindling. Try starting a fire using a battery and steel wool. Get a 9 volt battery and a small piece of steel wool. Wrap the steel wool in a little paper, tissue or other flammable material. Leave a little of the steel wool exposed. Gently rub the steel wool against the battery connection. This will cause sparks so be careful. Blow to increase the flames and drop onto your prepared kindling. Gently blow to keep the fire going until the kindling catches.
4. Learn a new skill. Ask a friend to teach you to can or make freezer jam. Learn to change a tire. Invite a friend to teach your family to build that fire if it is all a mystery to you. Take a CPR class. Learn to sew or jump your car battery.
5. Add a cooking pot to your Grab and Go Kit. I like a Dutch Oven because they are so versatile, they hold a lot, you can use them directly in a fire and they can take lots of abuse.
6 . Purchase milk for your food storage.
7. Practice your new skill you have learned in #4 above

Week 26

1. Place a pot in your grab and go pile. Make sure the pot is heavy as you will probably be using in on an open fire, camp stove, or barbecue grill. You will only be adding one pot as during an emergency you won’t want to be carrying more than that. A lid for the pot is also important and with limited water you may need to reuse any water you have used to cook your food and you definitely don’t want water evaporating.
2. It time to think shelter. If you have a small 3 man tent they are great and light weight. Tube tents are not the best. They are flimsy, small, open at both ends and easily carried away in a wind. If you purchased a 72 hour kit with one please don’t count on that for an emergency. Tarps are good. Added rope to your GGK (Grab and Go Kit) and with the addition of a tarp or two you can make a much bigger and more  sturdy shelter. Tarps can be used as a tent, lean to, dining cover, ground cover, to temporarily repair a leaky roof and even to haul debris. They are much less expensive than a tent and much easier to carry. If you have a large  family add a few tarps and extra rope.
3. Clear a ten foot area around your propane tank and your barbecue grill. We often hear about clearing a defensible space around our homes but most of us think we are safe because we don’t live in a wooded area. Propane tanks and barbecue grills can be very dangerous. Tanks can and will explode during a weather emergency and barbecue grill can easily create a grease fire with dangerous flame. Grills have also been know to tip over and catch lawns and lawn furniture on fire. Give yourself plenty of space away from your house so you have time to put out the fire before it can cause major damage.
4. Purchase one can or container of protein per family member. This may include; tuna and other fish, meats, peanut butter or beans. This is not the only time we will add protein to our food storage so check the sales this week and add items that are on sale.
5. Move heavy items to bottom shelves. This is especially important during a tornado or earthquake. You do not want heavy items falling out of shelves on to family members. Anything that is heavy or with sharp edges should be on bottom shelves.
6. Check you garage and area around heaters and water heaters and move any items that are flammable away from heat sources. If you have a shed store propane bottles, cleaners, lawn mowers (they are flammable) in the shed. Also move any weed killers and pesticides away from heat sources. They can become deadly if they are exposed to a fire.
7. Draw a floor plan or your home. Using markers or colored pencils mark at least two escape routes from each room in case of a fire. Spend time this week walking through those options with your family. Practice good fire safety techniques, low to the ground, feel the door before opening and always practice meeting at your designated meeting place.

week 25

1. Add cleaning supplies to your preparedness and your Grab and Go Kit. Add a bucket, a small bottle of bleach and rags to your kit. Be sure this is separate from the bucket and rags you have in your home. If you need to evacuate for a fire, hurricane, tornado, flood, or earthquake you may come home to a home that is no longer intact. You will need cleaning supplies. Be sure you have a good push broom and a good mop. It is not feasible to take these in a Grab n Go Kit but not all emergencies will destroy your home.
2. Get online and print off a copy of your credit reports. Be sure to check all three credit reporting agencies ,Trans Union, Equifax, and Experian. If you find anything that is incorrect change it now. Don’t be caught off guard. Fix any mistakes now!
3. Add clothes pins to your Grab and Go Kit (GGK). Last week we added rope. With the addition of clothes pins we are now ready to dry clothing, photos, important papers, and even build a shelter. We will talk more about all their uses in coming weeks.
4. Add an ax to you GGK.
5. Gather, count and clean all sleeping bags. If you don’t have one per family member this may make a good gift.
6. Add 1 bottle of juice per family member to your food storage. Remember only 100% juice counts as a fruit so make it 100% juice.
7. Copy your tax returns for at least the last 2 years and add them to your adult 72 hour kits and add to the envelope to mail to your contact person. If you don’t want to share this info with your out of state contact place them in a sealed envelope before mailing them off.
We are to the point now where you are developing quite a good food storage.