An idea too good not to share

I saw a post this weekend that I so wanted to share, but put my own ideas into.  One of the hardest parts about blogging is getting inspiration from someone else and not simply copying their idea.  My inspiration today is A Non-Threatening Way to Get Them to Prep from The Apartment Prepper's Blog.  I know that I am not an expert on preparedness; if I was asked to say what level I'm at, I'd say somewhere between Novice and Intermediate.  I'm constantly learning and I'm grateful for all the others out there who know more/different than me and share that information.  And when I'm asked if I'm a Prepper, I don't know how to answer because I'm preparing for those high probability situations (winter storm, power loss, unemployment, natural disaster) over the extreme situations (like civil unrest, revolution, EMP, etc.).  But my attitude is also that if I'm prepared to bunker at home due to a winter storm, natural disaster, etc., then those preparations would also help me in the case of the more extreme situations.

So no more rambling - let's go back to the idea too good not to share.  As much as I am working on being prepared, not everyone around me is.  So how can I encourage them to start preparing without overwhelming them or them thinking I'm crazy (they don't think this, though, when there's an emergency).  I loved the ideas presented in the blog post that inspired me.  Check them out - there are some great ideas!  My favorite was the power outage basket idea (matches, flashlight, small lantern, solar charger, battery or crank radio, and some form on entertainment like Uno cards).  I have a 95 y/o grandmother who it is very difficult to buy presents for and a power outage basket would be great for her (and we've actually gotten her several of these items over the years).  One suggestion to add to this basket would be a corded telephone.  We learned the hard way years ago that when our power is out, the cordless phone doesn't work; so off to the store we went and purchased an inexpensive corded phone.  I would have sworn we bought one for Nana after her first power outage in her apartment but the last power outage I couldn't reach her so now added to my to do list is to double-check that.

After not having a tire gauge when I needed one, I whined to my mom.  That Christmas, she put together a mini-emergency kit for both of my family's vehicles.  They have a candle (to provide some heat if we're stranded in a snowstorm), crank flashlight, matches, and tire gauge.  Not a complete kit but better than what I had and it fits in my glove box.  I also keep a first aid kit under a seat, not counting the flares, jack, spare tire, etc. that are in the rear of my van.  I just found and like this Car Emergency Kit Checklist that might give you some additional ideas.

Winter is officially starting at the end of this week which will mean we'll be adding sleeping bags, hiking boots, water, and probably a small bag of non-clumping cat litter to our vehicles.

What simple ideas do you have to help yourself and others be better prepared?