WHAT'S IN YOUR BAG?

A friend of mine had a Pinterest board labeled "Mary Poppins Bag."  She had a lot of ideas for her little people to do while they were waiting at Dr. offices, hanging out at music lessons, sitting in traffic, or wherever.  I have always thought that was a great idea.  In my purse, I have pens and a pad of paper that many of my kids will use from time to time.  I also try to keep a Hot Wheels car of two for my little guy, though this last Sunday apparently just all the stuff in my bag was enough to keep him occupied during Sunday School as he unloaded my entire bag piece by piece. 

This got me thinking about what our preparedness needs are as we are out and about and preparing for the future.  Some things I do well with, but others I know I can improve upon.  I'll throw out a few ideas and you can take what you will, and add to it.

In your purse:  Hand Sanitizer, Band Aids (or small first aid kit), chap stick, period protection, kleenex, small notebook and pen, safety pins, small toys--if you have littles, small Swiss army knife or tool card, snacks, ponytail holder.

In your car bag:  Jumper cables, gloves, flashlight, pair of tennis shoes--if you usually wear high heels or flip flops, water bottle, whistle, first aid kit,  blanket or space blanket, multi-purpose tool, rain poncho, pen & paper, cell phone charger, paper towels/toilet paper.

A kids' boredom bag:  Printouts of riddles, jokes, and conversation starter questions, pads of paper or index cards with pens or pencils, balls, jump ropes, collapsible frisbee (can double as a fan), travel size or card games, Hot Wheels cars or other figurines, a great distraction toy like bubbles, I spy books, magnadoodle, etc.  (Take only one item out at a time to keep it exciting as long as possible!)

Anticipate for hiccoughs or changes in life.  If you know something is coming up a little different than normal, you can prep bags for you, your kids, or your family.  While attending a homeschool training this past year, I made "fun bags" for each of my kids.  When they were good that day, they got to open it at a predetermined time.  Sometimes it had a fun snack or treat, other times it had a dollar-store surprise.  It was never a big item, but the anticipation made it fun and it helped the big sister babysitters keep kids on track with the reminder of "the bag."  Even older kids (and dare I say husbands?) might enjoy a little something just so you know they are thinking of them--whether a favorite candy bar or a thoughtful thank-you note, a bit of fun and kindness can go a long way.

I challenge you to think about what kind of "bag" will help you with your preparedness.  From practical to fun, I am sure there is something that will help you and your family be just a bit more prepared.

What If...

What if you were asked to live on the food and toiletries you have in your home for one week?  How about 2 weeks?  How would it go?  What would you miss the most?  Maybe, fresh fruits and vegetables, milk?  Would you run out of shampoo or laundry detergent?  How hard would it be if you couldn't just stop by the store or order something from Amazon?

I have heard of wards or stakes that have played out this scenario.  Every time I have heard feedback, every family has something to change or add to their storage, no matter how prepared they are. 

Over the last several months, I have given you goals to store "the basics" in the form of long term storage (Salt, Cooking Oil, Containers,  Grains,  Beans, Sugar and Honey, Milk) and short-term storage (3-month meal plan:  Month1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4).  These basics are enough to sustain life and make things semi-comfortable. 

I heard of a family that would periodically live on what they have.  One night, the father would call the family to Family Home Evening and announce that for the next week, there would be no grocery store trips.  All meals had to be prepared with what was currently in the home.  This would be a great way to rotate food storage and other food items!  This particular family also used the money saved that week to purchase the supplies for their food storage that they found that they were deficient in.

Whether or not you have a "live on food storage week" is up to you and your family, but I think it is worth looking at and determining if it is something you could do and what you think you would need.

I challenge you to think about what you would want to add to your stores in case you were not able to buy it for a block of time.  Maybe this is a good time to determine needs from wants.  I leave it to you to prepare for the time of "What if..."