Tuesday! (Week #17)

This week for your 72-hour kits, gather infant and feminine needs. Infant needs include a clean bottle, some formula (if you formula-feed), some diapers and wipes, and maybe a pacifier. Diapers are tough to store because babies grow so quickly, but if you remember to rotate them every time your baby changes sizes, that would be great. I think I'm going to put a few size ones in, maybe some threes, and mostly fours or fives. Bigger is better, in my opinion. It's easier to get a big diaper on a small baby rather than a small diaper on an older baby.

This week my Target had backpacks for 75% off, so I bought 4 (I had been waiting to buy mine). If you still don't have backpacks, now is the time to get them on sale!

Also consider stocking up on infant and feminine needs for your 3-month supply. The great thing about these things is that they don't expire or go bad in hot weather (except for the formula), so these can be stored virtually anywhere - in your hot attic, your garage, crawlspace, etc.

How's your wheat supply coming along for your longer-term storage? Don't forget that you DON'T NEED A GRINDER in order to cook with wheat. I used to put off buying wheat because I don't have a grinder and figured wheat was pointless without one. That's not true! Check out our post from a few weeks ago for more information.

Inspirational Thought

Avoid debt. … Today everything is seemingly geared toward debt. “Get your cards, and buy everything on time”: you’re encouraged to do it. But the truth is that we don’t need to do it to live. We wonder what our people will do who have been spending their all and more. If employment and income should reduce, what then? Are you living beyond your means? Do you owe what you cannot pay if times became perilous? Are your shock absorbers in condition to take a shock? Plan and work in a way that will permit you to be happy even as you do without certain things that in times of affluence may have been available to you. Live within your means and not beyond them. … Purchase your essentials wisely and carefully. Strive to save a portion of that which you earn. Do not mistake many wants for basic needs.

“Chapter 11: Provident Living: Applying Principles of Self-Reliance and Preparedness,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball, (2006),114–23

Safely Gathered In: Weekly Roundup: Applesauce and Inventories

Stephanie over at A Year of Crockpotting made applesauce this week in her crockpot! She suggests freezing it, which would be a great way to store some applesauce. Wait for apple season so you can get dirt cheap apple prices. This looks SO much easier from the way we did it growing up. To be safe, don't store all your applesauce in your freezer, if you love applesauce, purchase some jars that can be kept in the pantry until opened, just in case you don't have electricity at some point.

Donna from Smart Spending has a good article on why you should inventory your food supply.



Last week we shared an amazing food storage room. This is a great goal for me, but simply not a reality at this time. So I cleaned out my daughters' closet for water storage space and stuck bags of chips up in my decorative baskets on top of the bookcase. Mountain Man (my better half) didn't even notice until I pointed it out. Don't get down if your food storage doesn't have it's own space, just look for ways to sneak your food storage in, it's worth it!