When talking about laying in supplies for your home, business, hunting cabin or vehicle; money and available space are two prime considerations.
If you live in an area that has severe weather, look historically at how long utilities take to turn back on - then double that time. If you take the size of your refrigerator, that is a pretty good rule of thumb for supplies for two weeks.
Do you have a garage, storage building, an attic, a basement or storm shelter? How much "stuff" do you have in those locations that are unnecessary? How much room would be available for food, water and other essentials?
How much money can you spend to prepare? Buying products in bulk makes sense; however, you'll need to monitor expiration dates and develop a system that creates an Emergency Pantry.
To do so, buy items you would normally use in day-to-day living. Replace those items from the Emergency Pantry, purchase new items and put them back into the Emergency Pantry; that way you simply and conveniently update your supplies and extend your expiration dates. Always keep those items that expire first in the front making it easy to rotate items in and out of pantry.
Non-perishable items, such as toilet paper and feminine products can be stored anywhere without a problem. Use that unused attic space, set aside room, a space in the garage, store under beds and in closets; whatever space you can use may save your life and the lives of family members.
There is a piece of good news; "outlast" products and packaging have really improved over the last few years. There is more available today than ever and you can get it on the internet. With a little critical shopping and common sense, the average "outlast" cache can be created comfortably and economically.
Watch for specials, think about the unthinkable. The next time you're without power, use that as a test of your system.
What about your vehicle? You need a few tools, some form of lighting and a smaller version of your home "outlast" supplies (food such as granola bars or similarly packaged items and water) as a bare minimum. These can be stored in the trunk, under seats or in hidden compartments. If you experience cold weather, put some blankets in. Emergency candles are good, but know how and when to use them. In a later article, I'll talk about how to make an emergency candle that works, is cheap and can save you in a blizzard.
Waterproof matches or lighters are good, but remember the aspect of fire and carbon monoxide hazards. Shovels (both for digging and snow shoveling), road flares or hazard markers are good to have on hand. Twenty or so feet of rope and a tow strap or chain, is good. Gloves, contractor garbage bags, a small hatchet and non-folding knife(less likely to fail) are good ideas also. So is a piece of 2 x 4 to place the vehicle jack on, should be ground be too soft.
All of these can be routinely carried in an area of less than two feet by two feet by two feet.
In your glove box I recommend:
I'll tell you more about Outlasting in next week's Survival Basics.
