Years prior to 2008, I was a daily shopper – never thinking past the next day. My routine was much like many other people I knew – I would get up, go to work, and stop on the way home to “pick up what’s for dinner!”  I would get aggravated if the grocery store didn’t have what I wanted and I recall thinking once, “I have the money and still can’t get what I want – stupid store!”  

We use a common sense approach to prepping; it’s a way of life for us.

I am all about practical preparedness. Because my husband and I live the art of practical preparedness, we have a great life. We are so used to our way of life that it is normal to us. We have our yearly routine that we do to maintain a level of preparedness at all times. We are constantly working on prepping. Every time we use up our food storage we replace it so we always have a stockpile.

Preparedness has been a way of life, taught to me through example, by my parents and grandparents.  My grandparents were not a “preppers”—they were smart, hard-working farmers, who knew how to make the best of their resources—growing and canning their own food and being happy with what they had.

My parents followed that example and even though we lived in the city, we gardened, canned and worked hard to be self-reliant.  Our garage was full of shelves filled with food, water and paper goods.

For years we have talked about stocking up on food and water. And for years we did nothing about it. I think busy life and not really worrying was the culprit. Then I lost my job. At first I figured everything will be fine. I will get a job no problem I have a lot of skills.