Prepping | organised castle

Here we are in the third week of December and everyone’s thoughts are firmly focused on Christmas celebrations.

There are other things we should be thinking about at this time of the year as well. The weather bureau is expecting a low pressure system which is south-east of Papua New Guinea to develop into the first cyclone of the season, probably within the next 48 hours. You can see the details here. While it is unlikely to directly affect Queensland in the immediate future, it is worth remembering that cyclones can be extremely unpredictable.

Regardless of where you live or what natural disasters are a threat to your region, you should have both an evacuation plan and arrangements which ensure that you can survive in your home or current location without supplies or resources for at least 3 days (minimum).

Part of being organised is that it is easy to decide what to take if you have to leave in a hurry, or conversely, being able to function with what you have for at least a few days. I have no intention of being in the queue for toilet paper and other basic necessities in the last 12 hours as a cyclone or flood approach.

What plans do you have in place in the event of a natural disaster?

I was debating what to write tonight when I came across this post from Jennifer Lorenzetti at Fast, Cheap and Good. The final 2 paragraphs are the crux of the matter as far as I am concerned.

For many people it is becoming increasingly difficult to meet financial commitments and this is a clear reminder that simply making at least some meals from scratch can be a huge saving on the budget.

If you can manage to grow even a few vegetables it can make an even greater difference. Here in Australia, we have the benefit of being able to grow something almost all of the year round in most parts of the country.

Lettuce, bok choy, pak choy and broccoli

Compared to the USA and Europe we are still in relatively good financial shape but it is anyone’s guess how long that will continue. Therefore, it is prudent to consider what changes we can make to the way we prepare our meals that will both save us money and reduce our reliance on ‘just in time deliveries’ to the major supermarkets.

Have you made any changes to the foods you eat or way you prepare meals?