Hindrances to Frugality: Emergencies
Since it's the day after St. Patrick's Day, you might be interested in these ten ways to use with leftover corned beef, some of which also include leftover cabbage and potatoes!
I've been talking about hindrances to frugalities, and we're up to number 8, which is one of the hardest things to surmount-
8. Emergencies- here is where some planning can help, but there's a reason why a crisis is called a crisis. I don't know that anybody can ever plan their way out of all possibly emergencies, and we definitely should not go around beating ourselves (or anybody else) up for not being frugal during an emergency. Not only do crises toss a firecracker in the midst of your careful financial planning and good habits, they cloud your judgment and often weaken your stamina. It is what it is. Do the best you can under the circumstances and move foreward. Self-recrimination has EXTREMELY limited value here.
Sometimes, something will come along that is so serious it just wipes all your frugal progress out from under your feet, and you might feel like, "Why'd I bother?" That's hard, and I have no easy answers. Perhaps it would have been even worse if you had never bothered. Perhaps you'll get through it the better for having 'bothered' than you would if you'd never tried to be frugal. Perhaps there is nothing to do but read and reread the book of Job.=/
There are a few things you can do in advance that might help alleviate some of the financial stress of some emergency situations, but you can also do all of these things better than everybody else and still be completely wiped out by the unexpected or a crisis so large that nobody could plan adequately for it and it renders every single attempt you've made to prepare for emergencies completely, utterly, void (see: Japan). But there are many smaller crises that can be averted or at least ameliorated by the following:
Keep your pantry well stocked with staples, and keep at least a few meals in the freezer.
Have a strong support system- family, friends, neighbors, your church family.
Build up your emergency fund
Develop good habits, including the habit of prayer and trusting God.
Put together the appropriate disaster preparedness items and kit for your area.*
Set up a food storage system
Learn some basic skills, first aid, camping and backpacking lore, food preservation, treating illnesses with herbal remedies or items in your kitchen, cooking from scratch, recognizing safe edible plants- brain storming here- what would you suggest? What training have you found helpful in crisis?
Do what you can to stay in good health- eat well, exercise, stay in shape (I am really in a do as I say, not as I do mode with this one)
*On the disaster kit, here are some posts I've written on a frugal approach to this. I am NOT an expert, and you really need to tailor your emergency supplies to your family and your area, so these are just kind of a way to jumpstart some ideas:
Frugal Guide to Disaster Preparedness- Tips on the right state of mind, faith in God, water storage, wild foods, and instant bean soup flours you can make with a grain mill, and how to meet somebody with a grain mill.
The Frugal guide 2 post- dehydrated foods, recipes, and links- how to dry food in your oven, etc.
Four basic items from your grocery store
Frugal and slightly less frugal ideas for things you won't have to cook. Like Ramen Noodles. Yes, Ramen noodles. Go see.
Granola and homemade candy using an often overlooked resource
The Indispensable non-food item
Who's in charge in a disaster? Also a very frugal recipe for a popular and versatile item.
Flexibility vs Complexity, and why to tape a pair of flip flops to the bottom of your bed
Small Selection of Seasonings and Sweeteners, because when you're stressed, it's easier to eat food that you like.
Water: storage and emergency supplies that sometimes get missed
Do you have a disaster kit, a frugal emergency plan? What's in it? Have a great resource for frugal preparedness? Pass it on!
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6 Responses to “Hindrances to Frugality: Emergencies”
March 18th, 2011 at 6:11 am
First of all let me say that this is a great post talking about a subject which I can never get enough of.
I completely agree with your article about emergencies and how they can hinder any progress. One strategy that I’ve used it to outline my absolute essentials and from there branch out in lesser essentials. My plan of attack is to start from the center to secure these things and slowly move out.
As you said it’s called an emergency for a reason. If you prepared and were hit hard imagine how much harder that hit could have been. Life is full of risks and you can’t account for all of it.
-Ravi G.
March 18th, 2011 at 6:44 am
Good column. I’ve been an strong advocate for emergency preparedness for two years and have prepped accordingly, within a budget, and with the interests of my family, friends and neighbors in the forefront.
As one of the state moderators of American Preppers Network(APN) I endorse the prepping state of mind as a hedge against a bad economy, weather related scenarios and/or natural and manmade disasters.
There is a wealth of information on that forum and its goal is teaching others about self-sufficiency.
March 18th, 2011 at 11:51 am
It was kinna weird reading all the Katrina references in the links. I lived it
. I fed 8 people on a tiny steal grill on my apartment patio for 2 weeks post Katrina.
Something that we do down here. My mom collects those big High C jugs from friends and church functions. She keeps them full of water. They usually spend some time stored in a freezer. When the freezers get packed they are the first to come out. This does 3 things… Keeps the freezers at max capacity, which keeps down the power usage. Keeps an emergency stock of clean, drinkable water and helps keeps the freezers colder longer should the power go off
March 24th, 2011 at 11:39 pm
Krysta, your use of your tiny grill is impressive. Love the tip on freezing water in jugs.
March 25th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Thanks! The water jugs comes from my mom. I don’t know where she got it from.
March 27th, 2011 at 12:28 am
some great ideas & links in this post! I’ve had a few financial & health emergencies that resulted in big debts. I think having an emergency fund and a well stocked pantry really helps when something unexpected happens.
All these natural disasters do make me think more about what I’d need if we lost power for any length of time.
great post!
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