Christmas is right around the corner, and of course New Year’s is right after that. Good old 20013 has almost come to a close. With the holiday season, most of us have a little down time. So instead of sitting around thinking about gnawing on another turkey and cranberry sandwich, or peeling off one more slice of that spiral cut ham, why not go take inventory of your situation?

Do you have a regular “EDC kit? I ALWAYS carry, as a minimum, a wallet, keys, and cellphone. This provides me with:

• signaling (aluminum can p-whistle), money, tinder, a magnifying lens, and a small edged multitool all carried in my wallet.
• A flint, water purification tablets (in a micro pill fob), more tinder, a knife, a photon flashlight, tweezers, and a 4 gigabyte thumb drive with important documents (encrypted, of course!) all on my keyring…in a small enough package that it fits comfortably in my pockets.
• More important documents, a GPS, camera, another ignition source (battery shorted with metal from my keyring), a signalling device, flashlight and of course a way to call, text, or email someone (depending on the location) from my cell phone.

So in very little space, I have everyday items ready to assist in an emergency.

Is there room for improvement? Absolutely! I’ve been thinking about adding another blade to the wallet, something more robust than what I already carry. And that is just one of the many things I want to improve on. Now is a great time to tweak what I already have.

For vehicle travel, I always carry a personal day pack with a lot more odds and ends to help make my day easier, first aid kit, medication, my Berkey Sport bottle, spare cordage, extra batteries for my electronics, my camera, blah, blah, blah. My wife carries one as well, but neither of my girls do. I’d like for them to start doing so, maybe now is the time to stress the importance to them, if only as a means of having a change of clothes and some personal hygiene items…just in case.

Vehicle bags could use a going-over as well. Test the carry battery jumper boxes, check wiper blades, air in the tires…there is a multitude of things to check on a vehicle.

I’ve also recently stopped carrying a gas can with a couple gallons of spare fuel. Dumb move on my part, so I should sort that out this week – I have the time!

My rain barrels need some minor maintenance, better to do it now while it isn’t raining, and we don’t NEED the water.

I should also go over my batteries for my solar panels. Check the water levels, make sure all the connections are good, and verify that all the wires are routed without being pinched or kinked.

Now is also a fabulous time to do the dreaded food inventory. Be sure to get all the food counted, resorted, and put back into a FIFO (First In First Out) configuration. Also take note on anything that seems to move fast, in order to buy more, as well as what moves slowly, so you can taper back purchasing that product. No need to store what you DO NOT eat!

There are many other things to go over, smoke detector batteries, fire extinguisher expiration dates, insurance policies, heat and A/C air filters, batteries in flashlights, oil in the generator….look around, you KNOW you need to check on it, just go do it!

Once you’ve gone over your preps, it should be close to New Year’s Eve. Go enjoy yourself, sensibly. Be safe….and on January 2nd, set yourself a realistic New Year’s Resolution that will improve your preparedness standings. Education, more rice, a better bug-out location, a larger garden, get your HAM license, the possibilities are endless.

And be sure to follow through on your resolution. ANYONE can be a slacker….no need to be with the majority on this one. By doing an inventory, you’ve measured your standings. What get measured gets done, as the say.

You know where you need to beef up your preparedness, nobody is ready for everything. Go do something to improve your standings. Like I always say….

Just in case…

Peace,
db

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