Be prepared was my Girl Guide motto, and one I have tried to live by ever since. I see lots of posts on social media at the moment about preparation. This may be for winter, preparing for bad weather, or more frightenly, preparing for war. Sometimes I need a nudge to check a few things, but for me, being prepared is a way of every day life. It saves me stress, money, and time.
According to the dictionary, being prepared is about a state of readiness. I don’t believe that preparedness is something that you do once a year. It is not making sure that you have enough candles or a camp stove to cook on in an emergency. It is a daily routine for me. I want to have the resources and skills to cope with any challenge or emergency. My everyday habits help me with that. I never need to panic buy food or loo rolls. I am always preparing and making sure that I have enough food and sundries in case a large bill comes my way, or there is no surplus money, or I want to spend what I have on a treat.
By being prepared, daily, I am adding to my resiliance, my self sufficiency, my freedom and my independence. I do this every single day of the week. I am also on the look out for potential threats or challenges. An example is that I keep up to date with world farming news so that I am aware of failed harvests that may impact on prices. Each day I will take small actions that I will thank myself for later. That helps me feel more secure, generally.
Being prepared has so many facets. It is about thinking ahead and doing something now that will make life easier, or more pleasant, later. Examples are that I will forage and preserve enough wild garlic to add flavour to my food for the whole year rather than just what I will need that month. I will sow pepper seeds in February which will provide peppers now in October. Washing will be dried on a warm, windy day so that I have enough clothes to wear on a rainy day. I will cook meals and put in the freezer for days I am tired or can’t be bothered. 
There is a saying about planting a garden means that you believe there is a future. It is the same with being prepared. You are never done, you are always thinking ahead and taking positive actions for your future. I will buy Christmas cards, presents, and paper, in the January sales for the following Christmas. Sometimes I buy the next size clothes for my grandson for the following year if I find a bargain in a sale. I will forage for winter firewood during the Spring, or collect pine cones for fire lighters in late Spring. Although I try to live for the day, I do always plan for the future.
Preparedness isn’t just for emergencies in my book. Life throws us curve balls most of the time, and usually I can absorb them. It is about little habits. These include rotating my pantry each month, keeping up with my freezer inventory, making jams and preserving food, or meal planning. I review my budget monthly and put aside money for annual bills so that I am not worried when I face them later. These habits change as I learn new skills, adapt to higher prices, or improve my knowledge and understanding. That way I am never stagnant or caught unawares.
I started being prepared in order to reduce my stress and anxiety after my breakdown. Having a plan B, and being ready for all scenarios, helps me feel safer, and more in control. I need that for my mental health. It has also helped me during ‘lockdowns’, and when I was ill for 3 weeks and couldn’t leave my bed. It also stops me having to get into debt when I physically have no money left.
At the moment I am refusing to use the heating or fire. It is chilly, but I know that it is more important to have enough firewood for when it is really cold in a few months time. We are using throws to keep warm instead. Preparedness for me is about long term comfort and security, rather than short term or instant gratification. Do you prepare every day and are ready fot those potential curve balls?
Being prepared definitely brings Security and it reduces anxiety for me which can only be better for my health.
As I’m getting older, being prepared is important. As you say, curve balls arrive, and in case of illness or infirmity it’s a comfort knowing I don’t need to panic about managing. I try and keep on top of decluttering and cleaning for the same reason.
Being prepared issomething my
Nan taught me and a motto i have lived by. We always have emough food for at least 2 weeks. Probably more if my child wasnt autistic and Arfid but i know if it came to it, i could easily survive on my prepared stores and just use the cash available to replenish her chosen foods.
I also keep a food store. Now I am by myself, I don’t need to keep so much and I am slowly using up things in the freezers and food store. I rotate as much as I can, but most of the dry goods will last even if they are beyond there ‘best before’ date. It is time I did an inventory, it is about six months since I last did one.
I will check on my batteries, candles and matches should we have a long power cut. I have solar panels, battery and inverter, but I can’t use them if there is a power cut. I will budget to get an electrician to instal an isolater switch so that I am not powering the national grid should the power come back on.
I have a large, but neglected vegetable patch which I hope I can get in order over the winter. I have sufficient potatoes to last and I have just put in onion sets where the potatoes were growing. The next bed across has been cardboarded and then composted ready for next spring. I have a new herb garden that is partly planted and I will get that done before winter.
My wood range cooker will have to go soon as I am unable to lift the cast iron hot plate out to clean the inner workings. I have to ask younger members of the family to help at the moment. I am also finding the log stacking difficult (Oh to be 20 years younger).
I am just off to do some decluttering and sort stuff out for the tip run that is overdue.
It sounds like you are really well organised. It is a pity about the wood burner. Good idea about the inverter switch. My daughter has a sepparate battery in her solar system that needs no electricity to use and is separate from the power grid. Thanks for sharing
I have been doing similar, but what i find very difficult is spending on anything apart from absolute necessities. I know the psychological benefits but they are not always so clear in the face of competing difficulties
I now have a new wild garlic bed. It was all carefully moved from the unsightly baby bath and I hope it grows well.
We have got so much food in the freezer, it worries me if there is a long power cut, so mostly we are using food from the freezer. We still have a converted wardrobe and a pantry full of my food. I sometimes think it strange when there were 5 of us we had less as we didn’t have the pantry or the wardrobe. We have plenty of chutneys, pickles and jams as well.
I buy ahead also when I see bargains for birthdays and Christmas nd 8this year some will get knitted scarves. Our son was round this morning and pulled a face when I said I was knitting scarves for people. I told him not to worry as he wasn’t having one!
That sounds like you are really prepared. Brilliant. Yes my freezers keep being full even though I am increasing my canning and dehydrating. I would like to get rid of one of them. Thanks foor sharing
Thank you Toni. Yes, I like to be prepared. I read something interesting online about health and fitness being part of our resilience. They suggested keeping up to date with dental care and eye checks as part of that. (I know not everyone can find a dentist though.) After the power cut in Spain and Portugal, I bought a solar/wind up radio and keep more cash handy – you never know! I always have a coat and shoes I could walk a distance in in the car, and a small amount of food and water just in case.
Great preparatioon. I bought my self a few pairs of cheap reading glasses for the next two gradings. Some to save money as they keep increasing in price, but some because I would be useful without them.. i agree with you about health
I try and be organized and prepared as much as possible. I think since Covid it’s made a lot of people think about this
I agree, though many have fallen back into old habits now that the world has speeded up again. Well done andcthanks for sharing.
I’ve always tried to be prepared ( ex GG as well) and is has come in useful with the curveballs but it also has made us stronger, calmer, and happier. We started well before the lockdowns in 2020/21- Melbourne, Victoria was the most locked down place in the world, what a claim to fame, but I didn’t really change my shopping habits at all, and was even able to help a couple of work colleagues with toilet paper. I could probably last a month without leaving the house for shopping. The only problem I would have is if there was a total prolonged power failure, we have a generator for the freezers but I’d still worry.
Oh this brings back memories of buying the kids winter coats etc. in the sales every year for the next year. I used their growth charts from the yearly checkups to extrapolate which sizes, they would be the next year, a georgeously infallable system.
I too have a completely stuffed freezer and am on the verge of buying a to my poor mind rather classy solar generator. My old shoulder won’t pull the string for a petrol generator and with the madmen running half the world, I’m on the verge of hysteria about my freezer. Also my woodburner has automated shunts, which saves a lot of wood thanks to higher efficiency, but LOL, it won’t run without just a bit of electricity… Just stubbornly closes down the shunts and says sorry, no go.
The solar generator, I’m looking at, will recharge within an hour from the grid and keep my freezer, fridge, some light & my ⁰woodburner going for 2 days – and in a severe prolonged crises the portable folding solar panels will be a blessing. No petrol needed.
What is the world coming to? This is mad having to waste so much money on something, I hopefully never will need. But I’m definately caving in, am going to prioritize massively and buy it. Be prepared…is precisely what is going through my head.
The young people are cottoning on now – my youngest was considering whether to volunteer or finish his studies if it hits – and he only has one year left.
Like you I am planni g to buy a smalll solar system. I am using some emergency funds. I will use it as much as I can to get my money back and will feel better having it for back up. Thanks for sharing
Yes power is a worry, but mainly about my freezer. I am trying to preserve more using other methods this year but my freezers are still full 😄. That must have been hard during lock downs. I was going stare crazy and ours were a lot easier. Yes, I was giving people flour to make all of their banana breads. Thanks for sharing.
Another thought provoking blog Toni, thank you.
Aww thanks for commenting
Another informative blog, being prepared is the only way I survived most years. Even though there is no longer the same sense of urgency, it is instilled in me to get ahead, keep stocks, cash funds and try to be organised. I know the husband and I would be fine for quite a while but I do worry about my girls, especially with the people in power driving us towards a cliff edge constantly. We have lost a source of income due to no longer having a rental property and are having to renovate said house. Luckily all this preparedness means we will manage with careful juggling of funds. Xx
Thanks for sharing. I am glad that you are in a good position. Yes one of my daughter’s is the same. They barely have any food in the cupboard at the end of the week
I have been buying a few extra bits here and there over the past few months. The odd extra tin or two when I see a special offer. I now need to do an inventory and focus on any gaps.
I have a very small fridge freezer and I’m wondering whether the cost of running another freezer would be worth it or not.
I think it only is if you forage or grow a lot of food, or bulk by or cook. It is for us, but we don’t do weekly, or monthly shops. Yes my inventory really helps, especially with the freezers. It is great that you are stocking food. It is important to keep on top of dates and rotate, though, so things aren’t wasted. Thanks for sharing