Pets During Disasters Statistics: The Brutal Reality Most Owners Ignore

If you share your home with a dog, cat, or any other companion animal, you already know the bond goes deep. These creatures depend on you for everything: food, shelter, safety, and in the most terrifying moments of your life, survival. Yet when it comes to actual emergency planning, most pet owners are operating with ... Read more...

from Prepper's Will

Why You Need To Prepare Your Vehicles Now

Why you need to prepare your vehicles now. Most families think about stockpiling food and water when they hear talk of conflict or national emergencies. That’s a smart instinct. But there’s something most households overlook entirely: their vehicles. In wartime or periods of serious national disruption, auto parts, tires, and basic fluids can become some of the hardest things to find. Stores sell out quickly, supply chains freeze, and shipping slows to a crawl.

The good news is that preparing your car or truck isn’t complicated, expensive, or time-consuming if you start now. This post walks you through exactly what to do, what to buy, and what to repair before any shortage reaches your community.

Why Vehicle Preparation Matters in a Crisis

During major disruptions such as wartime, natural disasters, or economic instability, your vehicle becomes one of your family’s most important assets. It’s how you get to work, pick up your children, reach medical care facilities, and evacuate an area if you ever need to. A car that breaks down during a shortage isn’t just an inconvenience; it can become a serious safety problem.

Historically, periods of conflict have led to rapid shortages of rubber, metals, and petroleum-based products. These are the exact materials that go into tires, batteries, hoses, and fluids. Acting now while shelves are still stocked is the wisest thing a family can do.

Start With a Thorough Inspection

Before you buy anything, understand what your vehicle actually needs. Take your car or truck to a trusted mechanic for a full inspection. Ask them to look at everything, not just what is obviously wrong. You want to know the condition of your battery, tires, belts, hoses, and brakes, as well as the levels of all fluids. Get a written list of everything that needs attention, then prioritize repairs from most to least critical.

Practical tip: If you drive more than one vehicle in your household, inspect all of them. A family van sitting in the garage with worn-out tires is just as vulnerable as a daily driver.

Batteries: Don’t Wait Until Yours Dies

A car battery typically lasts three to five years. If yours is approaching that age, replace it now. Battery production depends on lead, acid, and global logistics. In a shortage, finding a replacement for your specific vehicle make and model could be difficult or impossible for weeks.

When you replace your battery, consider keeping your old one if it still holds some charge. A second battery, when stored properly, can serve as a backup for jump-starting or powering emergency needs. Make sure you also own a quality set of jumper cables and a portable jump-starter pack. Car Jump Starter

• Have your battery tested at any auto parts store, usually at no charge
• Strongly consider replacement if it’s three years or older, or if the test shows weakness
• Keep jumper cables or a portable jump-starter in every vehicle
• Store a spare battery at home if you have a vehicle with a hard-to-find size

Tires: Your Most Critical Safety Component

Tires are made from rubber, steel, and synthetic compounds, all of which are subject to global supply pressures. In wartime, tire shortages have historically been some of the most severe. Rationing of rubber has happened before in American history, and it could happen again.

Check all four tires on every vehicle you own. Check the tread depth with the penny test: insert a penny into the tread groove with Lincoln’s head facing down. If you can see all of Lincoln’s head, the tread is too low, and the tire needs to be replaced. Also check for cracks in the sidewalls, bubbles, or uneven wear that might suggest alignment or suspension problems.

Make sure every vehicle has a properly inflated spare tire. A spare that’s been sitting flat for years is useless in an emergency. Check the tire pressure in all spare tires now, and keep a portable air compressor in each vehicle.

• Perform the penny test on every tire of every vehicle
• Replace tires that are six years or older, even if the tread looks acceptable
• Inflate and inspect all spare tires
• Keep a portable air compressor in every vehicle
• Learn how to change a tire and make sure you have the proper tools in each car

Antifreeze: Protect Your Engine Year-Round

Antifreeze, also called engine coolant, does two jobs: it keeps your engine from overheating in summer and from freezing in winter. Without it, your engine block can crack or seize, resulting in a repair costing thousands of dollars or rendering the vehicle a total loss.

Check your coolant level and condition now. Old coolant becomes acidic over time and can corrode your radiator and hoses from the inside. Most manufacturers recommend flushing and replacing coolant every two to five years. Pick up several extra jugs of the correct coolant type for your vehicle and store them somewhere cool and dry. Antifreeze has a long shelf life and is inexpensive now compared to what it might cost or whether it will even be available later.

• Check the coolant level and color in the overflow reservoir
• Have a coolant flush done if it hasn’t been done in the past three years
• Stock two to four extra gallons of the correct coolant for each vehicle
• Check all radiator hoses for soft spots, cracks, or swelling

Windshield Washer Fluid: Small Supply, Big Impact

Windshield washer fluid is one of the most overlooked items in vehicle maintenance, yet it’s among the first to disappear from store shelves during a shortage. It’s petroleum-based, inexpensive to buy now, and easy to store. Running out of it in winter or during a dusty summer drive can seriously impair your visibility and create a dangerous situation.

Buy several extra gallons of windshield washer fluid for each vehicle you own. Store them in your garage or a storage shed. Make sure the fluid you buy matches the climate where you live. In cold regions, use a formula rated for well below freezing. Don’t substitute plain water, as it can freeze in your lines and crack the reservoir.

• Top off the washer fluid reservoirs in every vehicle now
• Stock at least four gallons per vehicle in storage
• Use a formula appropriate for your climate zone
• Check that the washer nozzles are clear and spraying correctly

Other Fluids and Supplies Worth Stocking

While batteries, tires, antifreeze, and washer fluid are the top priorities, there are other items worth having on hand. Motor oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, and brake fluid all have long shelf lives and can be difficult to find during a major disruption. Buy the correct specifications for your vehicle and keep at least a one-year supply in storage.

Air filters and fuel filters are also worth stocking. They are inexpensive, light to store, and critical to engine performance. Belts and wiper blades are two more easy-to-store items that people routinely neglect until they fail at the worst possible time.

• Stock several extra quarts of the correct motor oil for each vehicle
• Keep extra brake fluid and transmission fluid in storage
• Replace air filters and fuel filters now if they are due
• Keep a spare set of wiper blades in each vehicle or in your garage: include windshield and rear window blades
• Stock spare serpentine belts if your vehicle has an accessible belt system

Fix What Is Already Broken

This may be the most important section in this entire article. If you’ve been putting off a repair, now is the time to stop waiting. Mechanics are available, parts are in stock, and prices are still reasonable. That check-engine light, that grinding noise when you brake, that slow coolant leak you have been ignoring: fix these things today.

Don’t assume you can find the parts or the labor when a crisis is already underway. Repair shops become overwhelmed. Parts stop shipping. Prices go up. The family that spends a few hundred dollars now on a neglected repair will be in a far stronger position than the family whose car breaks down with nowhere to turn.

Important reminder: Keep all service records in a folder in your glove compartment. If you ever need to sell a vehicle quickly or demonstrate its condition, those records are invaluable. Vehicle Contents Insurance Holder and Vehicle Service Paper Holder

Build a Basic Emergency Kit for Each Vehicle

Every vehicle in your household should have a basic emergency kit that stays in the car at all times. This doesn’t need to be expensive or elaborate. The goal is to handle common problems on the road without needing outside help.

• Jumper cables or a portable jump-starter: Jumper Cables
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Basic tool kit with screwdrivers, pliers, and wrenches: Basic Tool Set
• Duct tape and zip ties: Gorilla Tape
• Reflective triangles or road flares: Triangle/Flare For Vehicle
• First aid kit: Mini First Aid Kit
• A gallon of water per vehicle
• Portable air compressor or Fix-A-Flat for tires: 12V Compressor
• Paper map of your region in case GPS or cell service fails

Teach Every Adult in Your Household the Basics

Vehicle preparedness isn’t just about parts and supplies. It’s about knowledge. Make sure every adult in your home knows how to check tire pressure, add washer fluid, check the oil level, jump-start a vehicle, and change a flat tire. These are skills that take less than an hour to teach and can make a critical difference in an emergency.

Children old enough to understand should also know what a low tire looks like and where the emergency supplies are kept in each vehicle. Preparedness is a family habit, not a solo task.

The Right Time to Act Is Before You Need To

There is no downside to preparing your vehicles now. Even if no crisis ever arrives, you’ll have reliable transportation, longer-lasting cars, lower repair costs, and greater peace of mind. The supplies you buy will eventually be used. The repairs you make now prevent bigger problems later.

If a serious disruption does come, whether from conflict, economic shock, or natural disaster, your family will be among those who are ready. That readiness is something you can build this weekend, one vehicle at a time.

This article is for informational purposes and is intended to help families plan ahead in a thoughtful and practical way. Always consult a qualified mechanic for vehicle-specific advice, and check your owner’s manual for the correct fluids and part specifications for your make and model.

How To Make Your Own Emergency Car Kit

Final Word

Preparation isn’t fear, nor is it pessimism. It’s one of the most loving things a family can do for itself. The families who fare best in times of crisis aren’t the ones who panic at the last minute, but the ones who quietly and steadily make good decisions before trouble arrives. Your vehicles carry your children to school, your spouse to work, and your family to safety when safety is needed most. A working car with good tires, a strong battery, fresh fluids, and a full emergency kit isn’t just a machine. It is a lifeline. The cost of preparing now is smaller than during a crisis. The cost of being unprepared when shelves are empty and mechanics are overwhelmed is far greater. So don’t wait for the headlines to frighten you into action. Let love for your family be the reason you act today, while the parts are available, the prices are fair, and time is still on your side. May God bless this world, Linda

Copyright Images: Mechanic Working on Car AdobeStock_495030243 By kunakorn, Cars In Repair Shop AdobeStock_616738503 By memorystockphoto

The post Why You Need To Prepare Your Vehicles Now appeared first on Food Storage Moms.

from Food Storage Moms

My $500 Beginner Prepper Plan

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

If you haven't prepared for some kind of disaster or emergency scenario, now is the time. With the ongoing war in Iran, markets going crazy, and the tension between the East and West higher than it's been in decades, there's no time to waste. Especially if prices keep going up.

If you have at least $500, then you have enough money to get prepared for all the most likely disaster scenarios. The question is, how exactly do you spend that money? It's easy to freeze up from analysis paralysis or blow hundreds of dollars on some tactical gear you'll never actually use.

Don't make either of those mistakes. With a tight budget, the goal is simple: cover the basics, skip the fancy stuff, and build a foundation you can add to over time. There's plenty of debate about what to prioritize first. Should you start with food storage? Water filtration? A bug out bag?

We've already created several beginner prepping lists on this website, but I recently came across a YouTube video from the channel TheOneRow that really impressed me. David has been prepping for over 25 years, and the way he breaks down a $500 beginner kit is very practical and exactly what someone just getting started needs to hear.

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You can video the video below, but I'm also going to walk you through his plan. If you haven't started prepping, this is a great place to begin. If you're already an experienced prepper, send this breakdown to a friend or family member. It really makes preparedness feel a lot simpler.

The $500 Beginner Prepper Plan

As David points out, this list assumes you already own the really basic stuff like shoes, a jacket, and maybe a backpack. What you're doing here is filling in the gaps so you can handle a temporary emergency scenario.

He also keeps firearms off the main list (since not everyone can or wants to own one), though he does recommend allocating an extra $500 for a budget pistol, holster, and ammo if that's an option for you.

With that said, here's how he'd spend the $500:

1. Water ~$80

This is first for a reason. In any emergency, clean water becomes your most urgent need fast.

• Sawyer Mini Water Filter (~$25 each) — David recommends picking up two or three of these if you can. They're compact, reliable, and can filter hundreds of gallons. For a single person, one is a solid start.
• 7-gallon Aquatainer water jugs (~$20 each) — These let you store a meaningful amount of clean water at home. Grab one or two to start.
• Water purification tablets (~$15) — A backup to the filter. Cheap insurance.

The combination of storage, filtration, and chemical purification means you've got multiple ways to get safe drinking water no matter what the situation is.

2. Food Storage ~$100

The goal here isn't gourmet. It's calories, shelf life, and cost efficiency.

• Bulk rice, beans, oats, and peanut butter — These are the workhorses of budget food storage. High calorie, long shelf life, and dead cheap per serving.
• Extra pantry staples you already eat — David's smart suggestion: spend about $50 of this buying extra of stuff you'd normally buy anyway. Macaroni and cheese, canned goods, whatever your family actually eats. That way nothing goes to waste even if you never need it.

If you're thoughtful about it, $100 can realistically get you 2–3 weeks of calories for one person. More if you've got a family and you're cooking from the bulk stuff.

3. Cooking ~$60

All that food does you no good if you can't cook it when the power's out.

• Small propane camp stove + two 1 lb isobutane canisters (~$40) — Simple, portable, and gets the job done. Works outside, in a garage, or anywhere with ventilation.
• Lighters and fire-starting kit (~$20) — A handful of quality lighters and some basic fire-starting material. Don't overthink it — just make sure you can reliably start a fire if you need to.

4. Lighting and Power ~$50

When the grid goes down, you'll be very glad you spent this fifty bucks.

• Rechargeable headlamps (~$15–20) — You can get a 3-pack on Amazon for a reasonable price. Hands-free lighting is a game-changer.
• Solar lantern (~$20) — Great for lighting up a room at night without burning through batteries.
• USB battery pack (~$15–20) — Lets you keep your phone charged, which keeps you connected to information, maps, and communication.

5. First Aid and Hygiene — ~$50

This one's easy to underestimate until you actually need it.

• Pre-built first aid kit (~$30) — You're not going to get a fully kitted trauma bag at this price point, but a solid basic kit covers cuts, burns, sprains, and common injuries.
• Personal hygiene supplies (~$20) — Extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and hand sanitizer. When things get rough, staying clean becomes more important, not less. It affects morale, health, and disease prevention.

6. Tools and Self-Defense ~$100

This is where you start building the capability to handle physical problems, whether that's cutting cordage, preparing food, or protecting yourself.

• Fixed-blade knife (~$50) — Look for something with a 4.5–5.5 inch blade and a comfortable handle. You don't need to spend a lot here — decent overseas-made knives in this price range are plenty capable for a beginner kit.
• Multi-tool (~$30–50) — A Gerber or similar brand gives you pliers, a screwdriver, a saw, and a dozen other things in one package. Worth every penny.
• Pepper spray (~$10–15) — David recommends this even if you do own a firearm. There are plenty of situations where you want to deter someone without escalating to lethal force. It's cheap, legal almost everywhere, and easy to carry.

7. Information and Communication ~$50–60

This one often gets skipped by beginners, and it's a mistake.

• Paper maps of your local area — If your phone dies or cell towers go down, GPS goes with them. Know your area on paper.
• Emergency radio (battery-powered or rechargeable) — This is how you stay informed when the internet and TV are down. Weather alerts, emergency broadcasts, local news, which are all accessible without a grid connection.
• Extra cash — David mentions this as a catch-all for whatever's left: having a few extra $20s tucked away means you're not completely helpless if card readers go down or ATMs run dry.

What You End Up With

When you step back and look at the full picture, $500 gets you the ability to filter and store water, feed yourself and your family for a few weeks, cook without electricity, stay informed, treat basic injuries, light your home, and protect yourself. Combined with whatever you already own (boots, a jacket, a backpack, some basic tools, etc.), you've suddenly got a legitimate 72-hour kit and a reasonable bug-in setup.

That's a pretty solid foundation. If you're a newbie prepper, start with this list and build from there. You'll thank yourself later.

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You May Also Like:

• 25 Survival Items for Brand New Preppers
• 8 Survival Skills You Can Learn Without Spending Much Money
• 50+ Items Everyone Should Have
• Top 20 Emergency Supplies for Beginners
• 10 New Year's Resolutions for Beginning Preppers

The post My $500 Beginner Prepper Plan appeared first on Urban Survival Site.

from Urban Survival Site

If We Have a War: Have You Tested Your #10 Cans?

If We Have a War: Have You Actually Tested Your #10 Cans? Most families who have built up a food storage supply did so with the best intentions. They stacked the cans, rotated a few boxes, wrote the year purchased on a piece of tape, and felt ready. But there’s a question that doesn’t get asked nearly enough: Have you opened any of it lately?

Because opening it is the only way to know whether your stored food will actually be of the quality needed to feed your family when it matters most. Can Openers, Large Can Openers, and Electric Can Openers

The Myth of the 25-Year Shelf Life

Walk into any emergency preparedness store or scroll through prepper websites, and you’ll see it everywhere: “25-year shelf life.” It sounds reassuring. It’s also frequently misleading.

That number, when it’s legitimate at all, refers to a very specific set of conditions. The food must be stored in a cool, dry, dark environment with consistent temperatures, ideally between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. It must be sealed in a nitrogen-flushed, oxygen-absorber-packed #10 can with no prior exposure to humidity, light fluctuations, or heat.

Your garage in July doesn’t qualify. Neither does the corner of a basement that floods. Neither does the closet next to the water heater.

Many families store their emergency food in exactly those kinds of places and never think twice about it. The 25-year clock starts the moment those cans were filled, and it assumes conditions most households simply can’t maintain.

Not All #10 Cans Have a 25-Year Shelf Life

Not all items in your storage have a 25-year life, either. Here is a quick reality check on commonly stored foods and their realistic shelf lives under good but not perfect conditions:

White rice: 25 to 30 years when sealed with oxygen absorbers

Hard red or white wheat: 25 to 30 years when properly sealed

Powdered milk: 2 to 10 years, depending on fat content and storage temperature

Instant Milk (Thrive Life): 25 years under ideal conditions, far less in heat

Freeze-dried fruits and vegetables: 25 years under ideal conditions, far less in heat

Canned goods from the grocery store: 2 to 5 years, sometimes more, but quality declines significantly after that

Cooking oils: 1 to 4 years, and rancid oil is a health hazard, not just a flavor problem

Sugar and honey: indefinite if kept dry and sealed

Salt: indefinite if kept dry and sealed

Pasta: 8 to 10 years under good conditions

Dried beans: technically edible for decades, but after 8 to 10 years, they may never fully soften, no matter how long you soak and cook them. Please note that you could pressure-can them if you have the jars, lids, rings, stove, and fuel available.

That last one surprises people. Old dried beans are safe to eat, but can remain hard as pebbles even after hours of cooking. In a crisis with limited fuel, that’s a serious problem.

What Happens When Food Goes Bad in the Can?

People often assume that sealed means safe. That assumption can get a family into trouble. Inside a sealed can, several things can go wrong over time, even without visible signs of damage on the outside.

Oxygen absorbers lose effectiveness. If a can wasn’t properly sealed from the start, or if oxygen was not fully removed, oxidation continues slowly inside. This causes fats to go rancid, vitamins to degrade, and flavors to become stale or unpleasant.

Moisture intrusion causes mold and bacterial growth. Even a tiny pinhole or an imperfectly sealed lid allows moisture vapor to enter over the years. You may open a can that smells fine on first sniff but reveals clumping, discoloration, or a musty odor underneath. You’ll also notice the color has changed. It shouldn’t be dark and discolored. It would be bright and colorful if it were sealed with the correct amount of oxygen absorbers.

Temperature cycling causes condensation inside the can. If a storage area heats up in summer and cools in winter, moisture repeatedly condenses on the inner walls of cans. This degrades product quality and can encourage spoilage even in sealed containers.

Insects can compromise packaging. Grain weevils and other pantry pests are surprisingly good at finding their way into storage areas. If you’re storing grain in buckets without proper seals, you may open a bucket years later to find it’s been colonized.

Signs That Your Stored Food Has Failed

Here’s what to look for when you open a can or package you haven’t checked in a while. Smell is your first and most reliable tool. Freshly stored wheat has a mild, clean, slightly earthy scent. Fresh powdered milk smells faintly dairy-sweet. Freeze-dried vegetables smell like concentrated versions of themselves. When those smells turn sour, rancid, musty, or sharp, something has gone wrong.

Color changes are a strong warning sign. Powdered milk that has yellowed significantly has oxidized badly. Freeze-dried apples that have turned dark brown have likely been exposed to excessive heat. White rice that has developed yellowish or grayish patches may have absorbed moisture.

Check The Texture

Texture tells a story, too. Powdered items that have clumped into solid masses have absorbed moisture. Grains that feel soft or gummy instead of hard and dry have been compromised. Freeze-dried foods that are no longer crisp but instead feel leathery or chewy have lost their protective dry state.

Taste it. This is the step most people skip, and it’s the most important one. A small taste of reconstituted powdered milk, cooked wheat, or rehydrated freeze-dried vegetables will tell you immediately whether the flavor is acceptable. Rancid fat in whole-wheat or whole-grain products has a bitter, almost metallic taste that’s unmistakable. Oxidized powdered milk has a flat, almost soapy flavor. These are foods you don’t want to rely on.

For commercially canned goods, bulging lids are an absolute red flag. Discard any can that bulges, hisses when opened, or has an obviously off smell. Botulism is odorless, but most other forms of spoilage aren’t, and a bulging can is never safe regardless of cause.

How to Actually Test Your Storage

Set aside an afternoon and approach this like a home inspection, not a casual browse. Start by going through every area where you store food and making a written list of what you have, when it was purchased or packed, and where it has been stored. Be honest about the storage conditions. If cans spent three summers in a hot shed, note that.

Then open things. You don’t need to open every can. Open a representative sample from each type and each storage location. Check the oldest items first. Open items stored under the worst conditions first.

Reconstitute powdered products and actually taste them. Cook a small amount of your stored grains and taste the result. Rehydrate a portion of freeze-dried food and taste it. Write down what you find.

Check For Damage On Cans

Check for physical damage on all containers. Look for rust on #10 cans, particularly around the seam and the lid edge. Light surface rust on the outside doesn’t necessarily mean the food inside is bad, but deeper rust or rust near the seal line is concerning. Look for dents on the seam lines of commercial cans, not just on the body. A seam dent is a structural failure that may have compromised the seal.

Check your bucket storage carefully. Gamma seal lids are more reliable than standard snap lids for long-term storage. If your buckets have only standard snap lids, consider whether they have been sealed well enough over the years.

What to Do With What You Find

Food that tests well goes back into storage with a fresh label including the test date and a note that it passed. Food that has declined in quality but is still technically edible gets moved to active use. Work it into your current cooking now so it doesn’t go to waste.

Food that has genuinely failed gets discarded. This is hard when you’ve spent real money building a supply, but eating rancid fat causes real harm, and serving your family food that makes them sick during a crisis is worse than having no food at all.

Replace what you discard with fresh stock, properly sealed, labeled, and stored in your best available conditions. And this time, commit to a rotation and testing schedule so you aren’t in the same position five years from now.

Building a Testing Schedule Going Forward

Emergency food storage isn’t a one-time purchase. It’s more like a garden: something you tend, check on, and actively maintain. A reasonable schedule looks like this. Once a year, do a full audit of your storage. Walk through every location, check dates, look for physical damage, and open and taste at least one item from each category. Twice a year, rotate any items within 2 years of their expected shelf life into active use and replace them. After any significant temperature event, such as a power outage in winter, flooding, or an unusually hot summer, do a spot check on anything that may have been affected.

Keep a simple storage log. A notebook or a basic spreadsheet works fine. Record what you have, where it’s stored, when you purchased or packed it, and when you last tested it. This small investment of time will save you from discovering failures at the worst possible moment.

A Note About Commercial Grocery Store Cans

Not everything in emergency food storage comes from specialty preparedness-oriented companies. Many families round out their supplies with regular canned goods from the grocery store, and that is completely reasonable. But those cans operate on a different timeline.

The dates printed on commercial cans usually list best-by dates, not safety dates. Most commercially canned vegetables, fruits, and meats remain safe to eat well past those dates if the can is undamaged. However, quality, flavor, and nutritional content decline over time. A can of green beans from three years ago is safe. A can of green beans from ten years ago in a corroded or dented can isn’t something to gamble on.

High-acid foods like tomatoes and fruits degrade faster than low-acid foods like vegetables and meats. Commercial canned fish and meat hold up reasonably well for several years past the printed date under good storage conditions.

Plan to rotate your commercial canned goods on a two to three-year cycle, and you’ll generally have no problems.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Preparedness

Having a storage supply on paper and having one that’ll actually function in a crisis are two different things. The gap between them should be tested regularly, not stored indefinitely.

The families who’ll fare best in any extended disruption, whether from a natural disaster, an economic shock, supply chain failure, or something more serious, are the ones who actually know what they have, know that it’s still good, and know how to use it. That knowledge only comes from opening cans, tasting food, and doing the maintenance that effective preparedness actually requires.

Check your cans. All of them. Not because the world is ending next week, but because the whole point of having a supply is to be able to count on it when needed.

Food Poisoning: What You Should Know

Foods That Have a Long Shelf Life

Final Word

As mentioned, having a storage supply on paper and having one that will actually function in a crisis are two different things. Most families stack the cans, write a year on a piece of tape, and feel ready. But sealed doesn’t always mean safe, and 25 years isn’t a guarantee; it’s a best-case number that assumes cool, dry, stable conditions that most homes simply don’t provide. Powdered milk can turn soapy and flat. Dried beans can become permanently hard. Cooking oil goes rancid in ways that are genuinely harmful, not just unpleasant. The only way to know what you actually have is to open it, smell it, and taste it. Do that before you need it. May God bless this world, Linda

The post If We Have a War: Have You Tested Your #10 Cans? appeared first on Food Storage Moms.

from Food Storage Moms

14 Ways to Know that Your Rabbits Like You

Domestic rabbits have something of a reputation as being standoffish and aloof. Compared to dogs and even cats, both of which tend to wear their hearts on their sleeve by comparison, most folks find rabbits inscrutable. Nonetheless, many owners report that they share a close bond with their furry, long-eared companions and that they show ... Read more

14 Ways to Know that Your Rabbits Like You can be read in full at New Life On A Homestead- Be sure to check it out!

from New Life On A Homestead