A Whole Heap

I have a secret..... well, not so much a secret but definitely something we don't readily talk about in public:) We keep most of the evidence hidden away. Tucked in cabinets and packed under the stairs and spilling out from under the beds:) No, its not clutter or dirt or an overabundance of clothes or toys.

So, to what hidden habit am I referring?

I am afraid I have become a food and survival hoarder. I guess the word hoarder is a little extreme. I have been watching the show "Hoarders; Buried Alive" and I promise its nothing like this:

Not yet anyway ;) So maybe a better word would be preparer? Is that a word?

But seriously, this is something that Steve and I feel is so important right now. Not because we feel like the end of the world is coming or anything. But we all have to admit that things have been getting weird. Inflation is quickly coming. Food, gas, corn, sugar, coffee and wheat are just a few of the everyday items that are going to cost significantly more in the coming months. Think I am an alarmist ? Check out this article. Even if you aren't a Fox News fan, the rising costs of daily necessities can't be denied. Take canned goods for instance. The rising cost of metals including tin and aluminum trickles all the way down to the store shelves in the form of canned food. There is a prediction that later this year, the price of canned goods will increase by 5% and will rival the increase the rising price of oil. Now I know that doesn't sound alarming yet but compound that with the rising costs of other things, it adds up fast. Thank God that Texas has been virtually untouched by major unemployment, foreclosures and rising food and fuel costs. But we won't be immune forever.

Okay, stepping down off of my soapbox now and back to the beginning of our stockpiling journey.

Very much like researching homeschooling curriculum's, investigating how to begin stockpiling food and supplies is OVERWHELMING to say the least. There are so many articles, books,websites that can help. Some are a little extreme and in my opinion crazy but if you search long enough, you will come across some keepers.

I am going to share just a few that helped me get started. Now, I am still learning and in the beginning stages myself. I am nowhere near where we would like to be but our first goal was to get enough surplus that we could survive, food wise, for one week and then gradually move to our first big goal of 3 months. Why 3 months? That is the average length of time that it takes to find a new job if you lose your current one. If Steve were to be unemployed, we would like to have the basic necessities, food, household items and medical supplies, taken care of so that would be one cost that would not have to be factored in.

I started with this resource: Food Storage Binder

These two ladies have put together a simple and clear plan for short term and long term storage. They provide lists and supplies that are essential for survival in a storm, car, power outage and all the way to a major catastrophe; and so much more. They send weekly updates to add to your binder as well as inventory sheets, legal document storage, checklists, worksheets and recipes. It costs about $17 to download but so worth it. This resource really helped me organize my thoughts and goals to efficiently. It's a must!!

Also, check out my sidebar of blogs I read. "The Harried Housemaker" shares her journey from the beginning. She has been doing preparedness for about a year. She has some great ideas, recipes and she also shares her "don't" items from experience. Another blog that is totally fabulous is "Prepared LDS family". She has great recipes as well as storage advice when you have small spaces or no storage space at all. Both of these ladies have been great resources!!

I hope to share my journey here. So far, we have right at a week's worth of storage. So technically, we could survive with no electricity for about 7 days. I am going to compile a list of what we have so far and some of our future plans next time. They include water storage, gardening and outdoor cooking.

So, if after reading this, you don't think I am crazy, I hope I can encourage any of you that are thinking about or have begun this too. Maybe we can work together on becoming more self-sufficient and better stewards.

Happy Hoarding!