Prepping? A Balanced Approach

     You can't go very far on Pinterest these days, or around the web for that matter without seeing loads on "prepping". It seems people "prep" for different reasons, from fearing a polar shift, or expecting some sort of appocolypse, down to a big snow storm or hurricane. Prepping is all about being prepared from some sort of disaster. And I'm finding that its as personal as your tastes in food are. My plan may not be the "recommended" one but it is a plan that we feel is wise and balanced.

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As a girl who always likes to be prepared for anything it is easy to get sucked into  the fear of others and concern for my family and want to pack out the basement with all sorts of food and supplies. Also as a believer in Jesus Christ I never want my security to come from my stock pile. My security should be in Him. So how does one balance this? I take great encouragement from the Proverbs 31 woman who "provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls" and "when it snows she has not fear for her household for all of them are clothed in scarlet". The passage further talks about all the work she does for her family to prepare for their needs. To this planner girl this is gold!

So what does "prepping" look like at our house?

Well, my goal is to have 3-6 months of food stocked up. I do this, sticking within my weekly budget, by buying extras of whatever is on sale and that I have coupons for. This is easier said than done but is made a lot more achievable by following a local deal site. I use savingaddiction.com. Stocking this much food helps to prepare for any food shortages, price increases or disasters but also for more personal disasters like a job loss or major financial crisis. If a washer needs repair and we don't have the cash on hand, going without buying food for a week or two won't hurt and will meet our need. Another benefit to doing this is saving money! If you only buy what it on sale {and everything goes on sale at least once every 3-6 months} you are saving a great deal in the long run. Make sure to buy things you will actually use and rotate your supply so that you use things before they expire.

Stored in one location are all of our flashlights {including a wind up one}, radio, extra batteries, candles and plenty of matches. Because we have a well, in a power outage this wouldn't work, so we have dozens of gallons of water stashed. {These have to be refilled every 6-12 months unless a few drops of bleach are added}. This is easy to do if you haven't started this yet. Every time you use up a gallon of milk, wash the jug out well and fill with water. Be sure to write a date on the cap of when it was filled and update this when you refill them.

On top of these basic supplies we have a large first aid kit, duct tape {whose benefits are many in a crisis from making rope to creating splints for injuries and repairing a broken window or tent}, tarps, a large tent, and outdoor cooking capabilities. We have a small garden that has produced some veggies for us but is an area that we hope to grow in. {no pun intended! ;)}

These preparations are basic but are far more than most families. I know that I have been promised that, "my God shall supply all my needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19, and this is where my true stock pile lies!

Please don't get so focused on stockpiling for your physical needs that you neglect the emotional and spiritual ones. Stockpiling for your spirit and emotions means cultivating your relationships, building your marriage, and growing your faith. Being prepared in these ways will  help to safeguard you from divorce, loneliness, worry, fear, and  will help to create strong bonds with family, friends & God. 

I hope you have been encouraged to be prepared in many ways, for whatever life throws at you!

Thanks for stopping by!