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Emerson Publications
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Family First
What's Keeping You
Awake?
Last week I heard a friend of mine speaking at a church meeting about things that are keeping him awake at night. He is an investment broker with lots of contacts on Wall Street, so he's talking to real people. He's not getting his information from the media.
Here's what's bothering him:
1. The economy. 2. Hurricane season.
I think most, if not all of us, are concerned about the economy. I don't know if it's causing us to lose sleep, but we'd have to be totally out of touch with reality if we didn't realize that we can't depend on anyone else to save us. Certainly not the government or our employers. The price of gas is climbing and that means the price of everything else is going up. It's not anything we can control - it's just that if it costs more to transport a product from the manufacturer to your neighborhood store, then someone has to pay the price. It's not going to be the retailer. It's going to be you.
If you don't live on the Gulf Cost, then hurricane season might not bother you directly. Didn't you watch the television coverage of Hurricane Katrina? We watched our neighbors in Louisiana and felt so sorry for them. When we found out that Rita was right behind her and headed for Galveston, we got busy. We had to start preparing for our own disaster.
If nothing else, the tragedy in Louisiana and Mississippi should have made it very clear that individuals are responsible for themselves and their families. We can't depend on the government to solve every problem for us. Some people might complain about that, but I don't really want the government any more involved in my life than they already are. If I don't want to give my kids shots, I don't want someone else telling me I have to. That's way too much government involvement for me.
What all of this means is that you must be responsible. You may not want to be, but if you want what's best for yourself and those you care about, you're going to have to be.
This man went on to tell us he didn't want us to go home and board up our houses, but he did give us some sound counsel:
1. Don't let your cupboards get bare. Have a supply of food and water at home that will sustain you for three months. Ideally, this would be food that your family would actually eat, but at the very least, have food that can be eaten without much preparation. You may have a hundred pounds of wheat, but what good will it do you without electricity to grind or bake it? I've been buying extra tuna and beans for protein, applesauce and other canned/bottled fruit, and adding to my inventory of canned veggies. I recently went online to buy MRE's. One of my favorites is a shortbread cookie with 2400 calories. They are vacuum sealed and great to add to your emergency kit. One 2400 calorie bar will give you enough calories for two days. The great thing about them is that they taste good and don't require a glass of milk to choke them down. They are "non-thirst provoking," which means that they help produce saliva. I like the Datrex brand and generally buy them from http://www.emergencyessentials.com. Last week, they were OUT, and I had to submit my name to be notified when they were available. This should tell us something. There are smart people out there who are actually trying their best to be prepared. http://www.datrex.com/products/prodlist_standard.asp?ca=21
2. Save for the rain. You should have money set aside for such emergencies. I don't suggest stashing your money in your mattress, but I do think it's a good idea to have some cash at home. You should at least have enough to get you buy for a few days. You'll be glad you can get your hands on it if you need to evacuate for one reason or another. Again, if you don't live in the Gulf, you may think this is ridiculous, but how many other disasters might require you to leave your home? Wildfires? Chemical spills? Explosions? Floods? Tornadoes?
3. Keep your gas tank full. This is a tough one when gas is approaching $4.00 a gallon. I've started filling mine up before it gets to the half way mark, mostly because it doesn't hurt quite as much to put $40 in the tank each time as it does $80. When Texans wanted to flee before Rita hit, many of them had to abandon cars because they didn't have enough gas to reach their destination. Once the danger was over, it was difficult to find gas because the electricity was out in many areas. Just up the road from me, the very morning after the hurricane, a man was shot because he tried to cut ahead of someone else in the line to buy gas. Gas is just not worth giving your life for, but with some preparation, you can have enough to save your life.
Some might try to scare you into thinking the end of the world is near. We can't possibly predict that day, but I do think there is enough going on in the world to make us realize that there are some things that may never be the same again. We're probably never going to be able to buy gas again for $2.00. At the grocery store, it's a big deal to find bread on sale for under $2.00. A gallon of milk has been well over $3.50 in our area for more than a year. It's costing us more to eat at home, and costing us more to drive.
This would be a good time to sit down with your family and create a plan. Determine your "wants" and "needs." Instead of spending your money on "wants", spend a percentage of what you have available to put food in your cupboard and money your emergency fund.
Copyright 2008 by Joyce Moseley Pierce. Joyce is a published author whose
stories have been included in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. She’s the
owner of Emerson Publications and her specialty is helping others be prepared.
Visit
www.emersonpublications.com or
www.prepareandsucceed.com if you still have month left at the end of your
paycheck.
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