Baby Steps #4--Emergency Info

After many years of telling myself we are going to do this, we've finally done it. We've had lots of legal documents and stuff in the safe, but we've finally got most of our stuff together.

• birth certificates
• passport (I'm the only one that has one. It's expired, but it still has memories.)
• social security cards. Mine is missing. I've been looking for it, but I can't find it. Doh!
• copies of credit cards, licenses, insurance cards, etc., front and back
• copy of our credit scores, with notations about some accounts we need to check into, but we need an account number. Got to figure that out. I also called and closed an old Chase account that we haven't used in several years.
• homeowners insurance policy
• auto insurance policy
• life insurance info. We don't actually have a policy to put in there. It just shows on Darin's paycheck that we have it, and I've also got the grid that shows the amount.
• Darin's paycheck
• bank statements.
• retirement statements
• 401k & 403b statements
• immunization papers
• utility statements for power, gas, water, Dish, Comcast, and Sprint.
• tax documents

So, I need to find my SS card and make a list of all of our passwords to put in the safe. Not too bad!

Baby Steps #3-- long term and non-food items

Tonight, we bought the following long term items at Costco:

• salt
• 25 lbs sugar
• 50 lbs white flour
• children and adult vitamins (coupon for the children's vitamins)
  
• 12 lbs butter
  

We also bought the following non-food items:

• 10 boxes of Kleenex
  
• garbage bags
• hand soap (coupon)
  
• dish washer soap (coupon)
  
• disinfectant wipes (coupon)
  

Baby Steps #2--organizing my year supply

wheat--250 lbs
rice-170 lbs.
oats--75 lbs.
beans--refried--10 lbs
--white--10.6 lbs.
--black--16.5 lbs.
--pinto--30 lbs.
--total--67.1 lbs.
pasta--spaghetti--85.8 lbs
--macaroni--17 lbs.
--about 20 misc. lbs.
--total--about 122 lbs.
potato--20 lbs.
dry milk-- 29 lbs.
sugar--50 lbs.
vinegar--2 gallons.
baking powder--5 lbs.
Yeast--4 lbs.

Findings:

• We're doing great with wheat.
• We're doing great with rice.
• We're doing great with oats.
• We need about 100 more lbs. of beans.
• We're doing great with pasta.
• I think we're fine with potatoes, since we don't use it as often. My kids don't eat potatoes much, and when we do, I like to make the real stuff.
• We need about 30 more lbs of dry milk.
• We need about 70 more lbs of sugar.
• Vinegar is fine.
• Baking powder is fine.
• Yeast is fine.

Future goals:

• beans, dry milk, sugar.
• powdered eggs.
• salt.
• maybe some shortening, even though my husband is against it. I do need to get some more butter in the freezer. I only have 3 sticks left.
  

Baby Steps #1--72-hour kits

I've decided I need to go through my 72 hour backpacks again and make sure they are up to date.

Here's what's in mine:

front pocket:
sewing kit (thread & needle)
emergency poncho
4 handwarmers
waterproof matches
hard candies
3 fork/spoons (both in one)
band aids
barely working manual flashlight

middle pocket:
candles
survivor blanket
emergency sleeping bag
3 toothbrushes (2 adult, 1 kid)
TP in a ziploc
4 ziplocs of 1 cup each dry milk in a big ziploc

main pocket:
1 can raviolis
3-5 oz cans ham
2 pkgs Ramen noodle
1 can green beans
1 can carrots
1 can beef chunks 14 oz
1 can pears
large flashlight
small flashlight
sports tape
alcohol burner
mess kit
utility cord
tube tent
cell phone charger (from our last cell phones)
bug spray
lotion
sunscreen
2 liter container with:
tampons
pads
soap
mouthwash
razor
floss
toothpaste
2 hair ties
2 travel deodorants
almost empty roll of TP
travel size Pert shampoo
travel packet of Tide
hand sanitizer
toothbrush

In Jadyn and Devin's backpack:

front pocket:
first aid kit
travel size lotion
travel size shampoo

middle pocket:
towel & washcloth
2 survival sleeping bags
2 survival blankets
1 emergency poncho
1 mess kit

main pocket:
1 bag raisins
3 cup of noodles
4 pkgs "In an Instant" drink packs (10 each) to add to water bottles
1 bag baby wipes in a ziploc
1 bottle of dish soap and a sponge in a ziploc

In Darin's backpack:

Front pocket:
waterproof matches
small pair of scissors
flint
poncho?
survivor blanket
emergency poncho

In the middle pocket:
4 diapers (obviously no longer needed)
barely working manual flashlight
hatchet

Main section:
large first aid kit
utility cord
2 cans 6 oz tuna
1 can of peaches
1 can of beets
1 can of corn
1 can raviolis
1 can 14 oz chicken
mess kit
water disinfectant
quart container with the following:
4 granola bars
6 instant oatmeal
2 instant breakfast malts
4 Lipton cup of soups
2 pkgs snack crackers
5 fruit leather
1 container of Crystal Lite powder

in the trunk:
2 blankets

Menu:
Breakfast 1: granola bars, pears, flavored drink
Lunch 1: raviolis, green beans, chocolate milk
Dinner 1: chicken, corn, chocolate milk
Breakfast 2: Instant oatmeal, peaches, flavored drink
Lunch 2: Lipton soup mix, raisins, chocolate milk
Dinner 2: Beef, beets, Chocolate milk
Breakfast 3: canned ham, fruit leather
Lunch 3: Cup-a-soup, chocolate milk
Dinner 3: tuna, Ramen noodle, carrots, chocolate milk

Findings: I had to add some more food since the kids are growing. I still should add some more, but it is not fitting very well in the backpack. We used to have a big bag of dried fruit, but I think Darin took it to work and ate it. Need to replace that! I am also wondering where the can opener is. I thought there was one somewhere, but I'm wondering if Darin "borrowed" it and forgot to put it back. I also realized I need to put some water bottles in there. I also need to put an extra pair of glasses in mine! Without that, I might be in trouble! There is no cash anywhere, but that can't be helped right now. We also should put some clothes and sturdy shoes in, but where the heck do they fit? They might need to just hang out in the trunk. Need some extra batteries for the flashlights, and I want to try to find one of those flashlights that doubles as a radio. I used to have one, once upon a time.... Darin used to keep his Leatherman on him, but since he started working for the public school system, he's had to leave that at home. Maybe that should go in a pack? Also, we should put some work gloves in a pack.

Next up is our grab and go list. Also, I want to put all our document and important files in a binder with sheet protectors.

3 Month Supply of Food Storage

I was thinking this morning that the drawback to eating your food storage is that you are never really done. It's just one crazy cycle. There are days when I feel so empowered by all the planning and shopping and cooking, but today is not one of them. When money is tight, it's hard to think that buying something that I won't need for a few months just because there is a sale is a wise idea. Deep down I know it is. Today must just be a bad day. A few days ago I decided that I would add to my new year's goals and keep my 3 month rotation up, so I've been gung ho for the last 3 days, but suddenly I'm not so eager. It will pass.