Being Prepared and What That Means for You and Your Family

This post contains a review of the ebook,  "The Untrained Housewife's Guide: Getting Prepared" by Robin Egerton with Angela England, from Untrained Housewife. I received a complimentary download to facilitate my review, however, as always, all opinions are my very own.

Can you ever be "too prepared"?

My answer is no . . .however I must confess that I am better prepared for some things over others. For instance, I have an emergency bag in my car. It contains, band aids, plastic bags, toilet paper, Neosporin, hand sanitizer and tissues, among other perceived "necessities". We are not prepared to shelter in place for more than a day or two - and even that is shaky.

I also consider myself to be a "Type-A' kind of gal . . .so I jumped at the chance to read "The Untrained Housewife's Guide: Getting Prepared" and squealed like a little girl when I saw that the first chapter was titled, "Preparing to Prepare".

Here's some food for thought. . .what if you had to "survive" for 30 days without power - could you do it? How about 72 hours? It seems crazy in our modern world full of conveniences, but if you live in Tornado Alley or rode out Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast, you know it's possible, if not probable. In fact, sometime in the last 45 years, the world has become an uncertain, somewhat crazy place. . .ok, truth be told, it always was. . .but seriously, tornado warnings in Pennsylvania? And after seeing the recent devastation in Oklahoma, I know for certain I am not made of sturdy enough stuff to live in a place where tornadoes happen on a regular basis. . .and not little spinning wafts of wind either - but Wizard of Oz and Twister sort of tornadoes.

I was an auditor for 20 years, and my favorite quote was, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." So while you may never need any of these preparedness tips, it doesn't hurt for you to read through, and think about what you may do if you have a large garden and animals (goats, chickens, llamas, etc) that you rely on for food and income, and there's a drought and water shortage. . .

A stockpile of canned soups and vegetables are a great idea. . .do you have a manual can opener? Do you know where it is? This is the type of practical advice you can find in the book, lending to better ways to live life everyday and still maintain a level of preparedness in case of an emergency. The information on Insurance coverage and tips on maintain good records is excellent and there is also a wonderful chapter on Canning Food for Storage, if that's something you are interested in.

Overall, this book delivers a wealth of practical information, from getting along during an extended power outage, to serious hunkering down after a natural or man-made disaster. There is a wonderful list of essential items for emergency situations, as well as essential items for a home first aid kit.

I'd love to know how you keep your family prepared for emergencies and disasters, leave a comment below!

catch you soon -

This post includes a review of the ebook, The Untrained Housewife's Guide: Getting Prepared by Robin Egerton with Angela England. I was not compensated for the post, I did receive a free download of the book in order to facilitate the review. As always, all opinions are my very own.