I’m all about lists. I love making lists because it helps me focus on what I need to do. If I just keep the information stuck in my mind, then there’s a good chance that it’ll never actually come to fruition. For me, writing it down is a vital part to making things happen.

This is especially true when it comes to preparedness.

Here are a few lists that I make for my preps:

Bug Out Bag – It’s really handy having a list of what’s actually inside of your BOB. When I inventory, I can take this list and compare it to what is actually inside my bag. I inventory my bag every 3 months and within that time, I’m constantly throwing new things in there and taking things out. I include the date of last inventory, date of any expiration on food and date of when I *might* have added something to my bag.

Bugging in Food/Water Supply – Keeping a list of all the food & water that you store for bugging in purposes is extremely handy because instead of going through your entire box(s), you can just pick up a list and go from there. This will also be helpful to know how many gallons of water you have on hand. Make sure to include any expiration dates and/or dates when food was added.

Evacuation Routes – Having a list of all available evacuation routes in your area is going to be extremely helpful. In order to make this list, you’ll want to actually go out and explore your neighborhood/area to find specific evacuation routes. You can mark each route on a map and then put a number next to that route, then put that number on a piece of paper and mark it as ‘option b’ or whatever. You want multiple evacuation routes.

Kits – Kind of like the bug out bag list, you should make a list of what is inside each one of your kids. Again, this will be helpful so that you can simply pull out the list and know what’s in there instead of having to root around for whatever you think might be in there.

Important phone numbers/addresses – In an emergency or disaster, you’re not going to have time to look up important phone numbers of family, local fire/law enforcement or anything else. Write it down! Then keep the list somewhere handy, like maybe on the fridge, where everyone can access it. You could also write down important addresses, such as any local emergency shelters.

The amount of lists that you can make for preparedness can go on and on.