40 Reasons to be prepared and self reliant

How many reasons do you have for being prepared and self reliant?  Would you like 40?  The idea for this post came during my 5 Top Food Storage Tips for Newbies a while back.   Tip #1 in that series is that “Food Storage isn’t just for natural disasters.”

Most of us have never been in a serious natural disaster.  They are occurring far more frequently, and we should be prepared for one, but still, many of us may never be in such a situation.  But there are many other things to be prepared for.  There are also many ways to prepare: food storage and emergency supplies are just two.  We can prepare by gaining skills and education, by role playing, by taking care of our documents, by living within our means, by saving some of our income etc.  We should also work to be prepared emotionally and spiritually.

Having a mindset of preparedness and self reliance now can make your life so much easier when and if the following “disasters” occur.  I’ve come up with a list of 40 reasons to be prepared and self reliant.  Do you have the resources and knowledge to be self reliant in each of these situations?

1. Your home burns.  Most of your possessions are lost in the fire.
2. Your tap water becomes contaminated due to a sewage spill
3. You lose your wallet
4. Your 10 month old start choking
5. The electricity goes out at night and stays off for 3 days
6. Truck drivers go on strike leaving grocery store shelves bare
7. You get a flat tire
8. You car breaks down over 50 miles from the nearest town
9. Your heat stops working for 2 days in the middle of a snowstorm
10. It is an hour past dinner time, but you haven’t even started dinner yet
11. You gas line is shut off by the gas company due to an “unidentified risk”
    
12. A water pipe starts leaking inside a wall in your home
13. You are asked to evacuate in 10 minutes
14. You or your spouse lose your job.  You aren’t able to find another for 9 months
15. There is a mudslide near your home b/c of a broken water main
16. A water faucet breaks and water is sprayed all over your room
17. Your car catches on fire
18. You are in the middle of a recipe and realize you don’t have one of the ingredients
19. You lock your keys in your car
20. Your next door neighbors’ home is destroyed in a tornado.  Your home is fine.
21. Your parents lives are lost
22. You smell something electrical burning in your home
23. Someone hacks into your email or blog or website or facebook account
24. Gasoline becomes completely unaffordable
25. There are serious wild fires near your home
26. Your clothes dryer starts leaking gas
27. Your child falls in a lake without a life jacket on
28. Someone steals your identity
29. You face unexpected health bills
30. You or your children are very ill and you are unable to make involved dinners for a few nights
31. You discover your child is missing
32. You find out a dear friend is struggling with a serious loss or just having a bad week
33. Your home is destroyed in an earthquake
34. Your daughter falls and cuts her leg while hiking with you.  It is sever enough that she cannot walk.  You are 5 miles away from anyone.
35. A construction mishap causes a power-surge to your home ruining most / all your appliances and computers.
36. You break a gas pipe during a home improvement project
37. Your water is shut off just after you get your kids in the bath and hear the words: “Mom, I just pooped in the tub!”  (this actually happened to me)
    
38. Your busy schedule keeps you from getting to the grocery store one week.
39. Grocery workers go on strike and groceries become unaffordable
40. The transmission gives out in your family vehicle.

Can you think of others?

Being prepared and self reliant is a mindset.  You can never be too prepared and there is always something more you can be learning or doing that will help you to better deal with what life may throw at you!

A quick head’s up: The look of my blog and facebook page will be completely changing around the first of the month. I don’t want you to think you’ve landed at the wrong place!

I am an independent consultant for THRIVE Life (formerly Shelf Reliance); a company with a mission to empower others to become self reliant, prosperous and charitable.  You can learn more about THRIVE Life (formerly Shelf Reliance), becoming a THRIVE Life (formerly Shelf Reliance) consultant ,buying their products, or earning free products, on my THRIVE Life (formerly Shelf Reliance) Consultant website.