From the time I was a small girl growing up in Colorado, I knew I wanted to be a mom. So I married, had 2 children of my own, then became divorced. The children grew up and had children of their own, so I adopted 2 disabled children, both girls. One has Aicardi’s Syndrome and the other has Shaken Baby Syndrome. I stay at home to care for both of them and live off of the disability payment they both receive. So saving money is of HIGH importance. That is how my “prepper prepping” began.

At first I was just trying to save money on things I used frequently. Soap, body wash, laundry soap, then I began to see things differently. I can’t say that I am prepping for any one disaster, just have a stock pile of things for my family. I am planning an action plan in case of any disaster. It has been my goal for use in case of a shortage or outage of food sources. My goal is to have a 1 year supply of food and water for my family and possibly more.

I have purchased heirloom seeds, and have started them in 2 mini green houses inside (I live in Montana) to be planted in a garden that I will plant this summer as soon as the ground warms appropriately. As well as saving some seeds in the right fashion to use as possible trade when and if our systems fail.

Just this past week I have begun to can things. And I have been buying fruits and vegetables on sale, can them and store them for use later. I plan on becoming proficient and canning prepared entrees, meats and continue to add to my stock pile. It gives me a sense of security knowing that I can provide for not only my family but possibly others.

I have also started to think about what type of skill set would be beneficial to others in rebuilding society, so I have started reading on building structures/homes made without the aid of power tools so I have been researching cob building and making your own solar cells and creating power that would run my home without the need for relying on power provided by companies, or off grid. Not too bad for a single woman with disabled children!

And I wanted to add that I really appreciate Kellene’s blog with all the helpful hints and recipes and "how to’s"; it REALLY has helped me in getting started and continuing on with my prepping skills.

K.T. MT