CHILL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Is there such a thing as “Chill Emergency Preparedness”? I’m not sure, but I am going to give it a shot. In April 2022, when I was knocked out in bed for five days thanks to covid, I was watching gardening videos, and one thing led to another.
I am down a rabbit hole of gardening and prepping [videos] today. And I am loving it. A lot of info to sort through, it is a bit overwhelming. I should have been taking notes.
April 15, 2022
Y’all I wasn’t joking when I wrote that there is an overwhelming amount of info out there about canning, preserving, and emergency preparedness. And some of it is too kooky for me. I need chill prep, I need prep that doesn’t take over my whole life and has me building a bunker in my garage. I need regular 9 to 5 folks talking about how to properly store water, and which food from the dollar store was the best for shelf stability.
There is so much value here, especially as we see more disastrous climate events hit us. Wildfires, droughts, extreme temperatures, these things are here to stay. The question is, how are we going to prepare to help our families and communities get through them, survive and thrive. I would like to be able to do my small part, so I’m doing it I guess!
MAKING A PLAN
This was the plan I made for myself back in April 2022.
- Add an amount to my monthly budget for this
- Create a list of items and amounts and work toward that goal. How? take the list to the store and shop the sales (within the monthly budget)
- Create a space in the basement for prep and pantry items
- CARE for others by distributing some of the appropriate on sale items to the Community Fridge
I got started working on this list, but quickly forgot about it. I didn’t make space or time for it in my planner, adding reminders and whatnot, so it stopped existing in my brain and memory. But the plan is good! In 2023 I decided to be more intentional about it, within my personal ability. And in 2024 I continue to fit this into my daily life – time and budget considering.
2024 IMPROVEMENTS
If there is one thing I learned from the internet preppers (other than perfecting the Costco haul), it is that they are continuously learning as well! Trying new things when they find abetter product, tweaking and scaling up or down depending on successes and failures.
I have two areas I want to work on improving this year:
- Water storage
- Better containers for what I already have
- Bringing my community into this
My hometown and our rival city to the south have both experienced catastrophic water emergencies this year. When the systems are working, they work great. But as soon as there is a failure – a part breaks down or a pipe breaks – we learn just how NOT resilient those systems can be! I want to be ready, and water is actually an easy one. My plan is to use what I already have and to start purchasing a new storage system for drinking water that fits in my hall closet.
While I know I never want to have loads of supplies on hand, and when I got started in this I just needed to use what I already had, my storage system is crap! I ran out of space almost immediately, the bins don’t fit very well on my shelves, and I didn’t take into consideration the basement renovation we are completing. This year, I will focus on finding or purchasing better sized and suited plastic bins. Budget friendly sales, thrift stores, and online marketplaces will be the primary source.
FURTHER READING AND RESOURCES
Like I mentioned at the start, there is an overwhelming amount of resources out there on emergency preparedness, from every angle. I focused on preserving food and purchasing items that would best insulate my family from a shocking event. I found that many older videos from preppers were utilitarian while current videos are filled with visions of a doomsday on the horizon.
My only advice to you is:
- be critical of the source material
- focus on COMMUNITY over individualism
Best of luck to us all.
Not Ladylike Community 
One thought on “Beginner Emergency Preparedness”