Survival Mama

There is an ancient “curse” that says: “May you live in interesting times”… and boy, don’t we ever!

It seems like every day we hear about disasters worldwide… earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, droughts, wars. This news can be frightening, but eventually we tune it out from sheer self-preservation!

Closer to home, the economy has left many families hurting. No job seems secure. Health problems or accidents can cause financial disruption, as well. And our generation is poorly prepared for these types of events. Our grandparents and great-grandparents who lived through the Great Depression had many skills and habits that were developed through necessity. We, however, grew up in an age of fast food, stock market and dot com bubbles and a feeling that somehow, nothing bad could ever happen.

As a mother of seven who has lived through many personally difficult financial times, I get great peace of mind from having learned well the lessons of thrift and frugality that were handed down to me from various sources. While I’ve certainly made my share of poor financial and life decisions… having this knowledge and these skills has helped me to provide for my children far more abundantly than I otherwise could have.

Food Storage Basics

If your paycheck stopped coming in, would you have enough food on hand to survive until you got another one? What if there was a disruption in the food supply? Perhaps trucks can’t get through to your area… what happens when the shelves in the local store are empty? Could you last a week… a month… a year? Just how dependent upon local circumstances is your family?

We’ve all seen the “speed and efficiency” of government organizations such as FEMA in responding to these types of crises… can your family survive until the government finally gets their act together?

Gardening

The grocery store does have one advantage… you can usually get just about any kind of produce any time of the year. But that advantage is pretty heavily outweighed by the fact that homegrown produce tastes so much better! Since it doesn’t have to be bred for durability, home-grown produce can be selected for what should matter most… taste and nutrition.

Home Medical Care

What would happen if you couldn’t get to a doctor or hospital when you needed one? A health crisis doesn’t wait for a good time to strike… even during blizzards and hurricanes people still have health needs. First aid skills as well as basic skills in stabilizing more serious injuries while you seek medical attention can mean the difference between life and death.

Livestock

Rabbits and goats and chickens, oh my! … okay, sorry… on a more serious note… if you have the room (and zoning) to add livestock in to your self-sufficiency mix, it will greatly expand your options for fresh food. (If you can’t handle the idea of killing a “pet” for food, you can still raise chickens for eggs or goats for milk.)

Survival Supplies

Okay, so, you’ve got food and water, you’ve got a garden going and you know how to do basic first aid…. what about all the other “things” in life that we’ve gotten used to… you know, like some way to cook all that food? Or clean up afterwards? Something to wear… or brush your teeth with?