There are a lot of things that can be done in the summer time to aid your preparedness efforts. I covered five of my favorite summer preparedness related activities in my recent newsletter, but when you’re not doing something, summer is a great time for calculating.
Now, when all the kids are home for the most part of the day, is the best time to figure out how quickly your family eats a case of green beans or consumes a jug of syrup. It’s also the best time to count how many rolls of toilet paper and other non-food products your family really uses. It may be more than you think, and those numbers will help you to more accurately know how many of what products you need to stock to have a 3 month or 6 month or 12 month supply. Remember to add a bit to your totals for any working members of the family who aren’t hanging around the house with the kids while you’re counting!
Keep preparing! Angela
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Due to my college degree in Home Ec, during Johnson’s War on Poverty, getting a nickel’s worth out of every penny was programmed into me. I know how long a roll of toilet paper lasts (3 sheets if it’s pee, 4 if it’s more), how long a box of 100 tea bags lasts (saving used tea bags in the refrig and using 6 of them will make a quart of iced tea), how many loads of laundry a week & how much detergent is used. It’s not hard just time consuming. I also know how often BOGO deals on veggies, syrup, coffee, tea, etc. occur. This knowledge makes for a big payoff in being able to take advantage of sales but not overbuying.
Other useful info I know – how much water we use monthly, kW per month, what size clothes we wear, what colors of clothing we have (so anything I buy will go with what I already have), which library has the best selection of cookbooks, craft/sewing books, gardening books, do-it-yourself books (4 libraries in our county and all have a ‘specialty’ allowing for more choices), location of parks, beaches, zoos, museums and if they charge or have free days. Same for concerts, plays, fairs, and any program offered by schools, libraries, organizations, etc. Lots of these themed shows, like Fall Home & Garden, will offer freebies of magnets,pencils, pens, hard candies, matchbooks, shopping bags, etc. I pick all of these up and stash them for future & current use. Those magnets can be turned into little gifts by pasting over the advertising, and I make sure to keep a couple of shopping bags in our truck.
Anything and everything that we do at home or elsewhere is noted, priced, frequency of use, distance from home, etc so we can always be well stocked and prepared without overspending or over stocking. I’ve been doing this for the past 45 years – it takes time and determination, but can be done. It’s how we’ve been able to deal with low-paying jobs, lay-offs, major natural disasters and resulting financial losses and still come out OK.
You’re right that Summer with the kids around will give you a better idea. Preppers can always do something! Here’s our “100 things TO DO prepper’s list: http://www.happypreppers.com/to-do-list.html
Wow! This is all such great info! So encouraging to see someone else who is on the same track as my family as well! Great work! I will be passing on your ideas to my parents for sure.
Check out my blog: http://www.offgridchick.com
Cheers :)