Readying a 72 Hour Bag

I laugh at some of the earliest blog posts I wrote. In one, I relayed the importance of preparing for emergencies and the burden I felt to better equip my family to survive an earthquake or other sudden event. At the end of that blog post, I invited my readers to join me with a “ready, set, go!”

Well, I may have “ready-set-go’ed” but I didn’t get very far. All these years later, I’m still not as prepared as I want to be. I’ve birthed nine babies; why is getting a 72 hour bug out bag harder than that?  Am I simply taking the Lord’s good graces for granted? Assuming His protection and provision in areas I’ve carelessly left undone?

But here I am and I’ve dusted off my Prepper’s Blueprint book. I’m on chapter seven, and halfway through getting said 72 hour bags ready. What’s hindered me the most is trying to get bags ready for not only myself, but for ten other people. However, not getting them done because it might be a little overwhelming is not going to feel good if I’m ever in a position of wishing I had.

So today I have less than a week left to finish that chapter. I mapped out tasks in my planner calendar to the end of the year, so that I could feel the pinch of deadline and today I feel it keenly. The biggest purchase I need to make are some sort of hiking boots, and it’s hard to make that kind of purchase when I’m not much of a hiker. I mean, I like the *idea* of hiking…but with a baby on my back, not so much.

And yet, if I have to walk at length anywhere, guess what shoes I’m going to wish I had? AND I’ll still have the baby on my back.

Ah, that “IF”. It seems so…iffy. But I am trying to be more intentional about preparation.

I think it’s good to have those “72 hour bags” in the car. In the area where I live, likely scenarios when I am out and about include:

• my car breaking down miles from amenities in the rural areas
• getting stuck for hours in rush hour in the city areas (or having to wait multiple ferries to get home)
• my kids getting hungry and cranky when errands go too long
• a kid vomiting in the car and having need of cleaning supplies and fresh clothing
• people thirsty and wanting water
• people having had too much water and needing a potty (like NOW)
• baby blow outs
• a need for first aid of some sort
• a flat tire or other automotive problem

I like to simply start at one scenario and prepare for that one. Then, slowly, one scenario at a time, one week or one month at a time, the supplies and confidence grow.

If you’d like to join me (I promise not to “ready set go” you this time!), here are some resources to get you started. This is the book I am working out of to prepare: THE PREPPER’S BLUEPRINT.

For water, we keep at least a couple of gallons of water in the van, and everyone is in the habit of taking their own filled waterbottles everywhere we go. A couple of us have Berkey waterbottles. Beyond that, I have life straws in our large first aid bag, as well.

For food, I usually have a few things in my bag for myself: bars, almond butter packs, nuts. Between pregnancies and nursing, I’ve needed a little snack more times than I can count when I’ve been out and about! But I’ve been able to up my game for the entire family with Thrive Life To-Go packs. All I need to do is add water and provide forks, and that will help us avoid questionable drive thru food or late visits to grocery stores in areas we aren’t familiar with.

Snackies are great, too, just to keep in the car for the munchies. It sure beats having candy bars!

If you’re interested in preparing your pantry at home, too, it’s easy to get on to a Thrive Life delivery and have the food of your choice shipped to your house. For orders of $100 or more, shipping is FREE. I make Thrive Life a part of my grocery budget and shop the sales (such as below) every month. Slowly, the pantry grows and my courage to meet a crisis does, too.

These are the kinds of things I share on my weekly review through Patreon: what I’m doing for work (like emergency preparations), what I’m studying, and where I’m at in the Bible. I also share the projects I’m in the middle of and personal goals. If you’d like to be a part of my community there, I’d love to engage with you on your own weekly goals, too. My patrons are a big reason why A Happy Home Media continues to be here!

I’d love to hear what you’re doing, preparation wise, in the comments. If I ever get around to buying those hiking boots, maybe you’ll find me taking more hikes. And THAT will prepare my heart and mind for more than I probably expect it will.

Blessings,

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