Preparedness Is Not About Hording

Bre McAdam’s recent article is focused on a woman in her area, Tammy Brooks, who is moving towards a more self-sufficient lifestyle. She quotes Ms. Brooks as saying “It’s great to have a storage room full of this, that and the other thing, but if you have no idea how to do it yourself, you’re lost.” This could not be more true. There is no point to just collecting up a garage full of military surplus gear and canned goods if you don’t take the time to learn basic survival skills. All you will accomplish is getting strange looks from your neighbors when you open the garage door.

For example, if the power goes out, you gas range will still allow you to cook, as usual. The only catch is that many gas stoves use electric ignition. You’ll need a lighter or a box of matches to fire it up. Of course, you put all that stuff somewhere really safe, where the kids can’t get to it…hmmm… So, while your spouse hunts around for the hiding place, you can MacGyver up a fix. One option would be to grab some steel wool from under the sink and a nine volt battery from your smoke detector. The cigarette lighter from your car, paired with a rolled up piece of paper is another choice. Even the sparks from a lighter that is out of fuel will be enough to get the stove’s burners going and amaze the spouse with your ingenuity.