This category will focus on homesteading, survival, preparedness, and ensuring your family’s safety and well-being in various scenarios.
As the crisp air of fall begins to set in, it’s a reminder that the colder months are approaching. Preparing for fall and winter isn’t just about staying warm—it’s about ensuring that you, your family, and your property are ready to face the unique challenges these seasons bring. From severe winter storms to the risk of power outages and even the potential for isolation during heavy snowfalls, proactive preparedness is essential.
Following the creation of your initial family disaster plan, it’s time to look at the next step: considering your household’s specific needs. This step is about tailoring your preparedness efforts to ensure that every family member, from the youngest to the oldest, including your pets, is adequately protected and cared for during a disaster. Addressing these needs is not just about ticking boxes—it’s about creating a realistic and effective plan that truly works when it matters most.
Have you given much thought to keeping your food stored safely in case of an emergency? Probably not. However, food is one of the most important things to have in any survival situation, so knowing how to store it correctly is critical.
In our modern lives, we can get food easily from grocery stores, drive-thrus, or sit-down restaurants. However, in a survival situation, you’ll need a reliable stockpile of food and a sustainable food source that can last you a long time. You’ll also want to stock this food up in advance to avoid the rush of shoppers at grocery stores buying up everything in the initial moments of a survival event.
In our journey towards self-sufficiency, one crucial aspect often overlooked is the importance of basic first aid knowledge. Whether you’re dealing with minor injuries or facing a situation where professional medical help is not immediately available, being prepared can make all the difference.
Have you given much thought to personal hygiene during a disaster situation? If you think back to the great toilet paper shortage of 2020, you may think about it more than previous generations, but there’s more to consider than just TP. After this week’s shopping list, we’ll take a more in-depth look at the topic.
Do you know how to use a compass for survival? I’ll admit, at first, I didn’t know much about using one. Fortunately, it’s not too difficult to learn, so we’ll talk a bit about how to use one after this week’s shopping list.
A person holding a compass: Free Stock photos by Vecteezy
Continue readingIn a survival situation, water collection is one of the most crucial skills you will need. As a rule of thumb, people can go weeks without food but only a couple of days without water. This is why reliably obtaining clean water is one of the most important aspects of any survival prepper’s plan. It may seem intimidating initially, but water collection and storage are much simpler than you think.
Do you know how to assess your preparedness for SHTF situations? Assessing your level of preparedness is a critical step in ensuring you’re truly ready for a potential crisis. From supplies and skills to mental resilience and community networks, this process involves evaluating various aspects of preparedness. Strengths and weaknesses must be identified, and a plan must be created to address them.
Welcome to week two of our Baby Steps to Preparedness series. This week, we’ll discuss some hazards to prepare for. How did you do last week? To recap, I gave you a short shopping list to start building your emergency kit. I also gave you a few action steps to take. Did you find out what hazards are common in your area? If not, I’ll give you more information to help you in this article.
Do you have an emergency supply kit for your family in case of a disaster? Why not make it a goal for the year? According to a survey from Wells Fargo, only 46% of Americans have an emergency kit with enough supplies for everyone living in their home for several days after a disaster.
That’s less than half of the country. That’s terrifying! Especially considering that 84% of Americans live in areas that have experienced some form of natural disaster in the last few years, and 54% live in regions that have experienced severe natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, wildfires, or earthquakes.
If that’s not crazy enough, 72% say they or their families have been directly affected by natural disasters at some point in their lifetime.
Given these numbers, NOT having an emergency supply kit doesn’t make sense.
The Practical Homestead 