Everyday Preparedness – Rogue’s 31 Days To Readiness [Day 4]

Have you seen day 1, day 2 and day 3?

How’s your everyday preparedness look? Many preppers tend to focus on the end of the world, but rarely focus on the everyday. We still have a life to live and plenty of surprises are waiting for us around every corner.

We should certainly continue to prep for long term preparedness, but the needs of our everyday lives shouldn’t be ignored.

Can you answer these everyday preparedness questions?

• If you or someone else were to cut their hand, would you have a first aid kit handy and know what to do?
• If your tire blew out, would you know how to fix it?
• If you needed to escape a building, would you know the alternate exits?
• If you were stuck in your vehicle on the highway for hours, would you have snacks and water available?
• If your child has a blow out, do you have wipes and diapers ready to go?

Obviously not all ‘scenarios’ or ‘what ifs’ will apply to everyone. Also, sometimes we must take into account how we’d be able to help others.

If the fire alarm went off and there was someone having trouble getting out of the building or didn’t know protocol; you could help them get to safety.

We think we’ll never be in any bad situations and ‘bad’ is relative based on the individual. My child falling face first onto the floor and busting her lip open with blood gushing down her neck…that’s a bad situation! One that I would want to be able to handle immediately, without having to wander around looking for someone else to help.

Did you know that people aren’t as eager to help others as they once used to be?

While we might have official services such as the fire department, police department, AAA, etc., they can’t be everywhere. And they certainly aren’t able to help immediately when you need it.

My mom once sat on the side of the road (of a very busy highway) for HOURS waiting for a tow truck.

While there might be certain things out of our control and we’ll need outside help, there are certainly ways to mitigate it.

• Keep up with house and vehicle maintenance. Regular maintenance will keep everything running as smoothly as possible.
• If something does go wrong, learn how to fix common breakages. If a circuit keeps tripping, could you diagnose and fix? If your spark plugs need to be replaced, would you be able to diagnose and resolve?
• Keep a basic first aid kit in your car, in your work desk, at home and if you can, in your everyday carry bag. Don’t forget to learn how and when you’d apply certain first aid techniques.
• Keep snacks and extra bottles of water in your everyday carry bag/purse, vehicle and work desk.
• Check your driving route prior to leaving. If anything happens along your route, learn to find alternative routes.
• Always remain situationally aware of your surroundings, even at home.
• Remember to take any necessary items your children will want or need during your outing, such as snacks, water, toys, blanket, jacket, extra socks, diapers, wipes, etc.
• Call your insurance and double check your coverage, change anything as needed.
• Take a look at your home and car security. I advise taking a close look at your own self-defense needs as well.
• Put away cash for ‘just in case’ scenarios such as loss of job, water heater going out, vehicle needs a huge repair, etc.
• Learn how to put out different types of fires. Certainly always prevent fires from happening in the first place.
• Take a look at our mental and physical wellness.

The list can certainly go on.

Take a look at your everyday life and whenever you feel yourself saying, “gee I wish I had that/knew that”, whether it be knowledge or an item, make a note of it. As soon as you’re able to fix it, fix it! Don’t let it linger and never do anything about it. Most things can easily be accomplished quickly with simple action. However, if you procrastinate and put it off, the list will grow and grow and it will become too daunting to get anything done.

You got this!

See you in day 5!