I'm not Nearly as Prepared as I need to be

It's time for a moment of honesty:  I'm not nearly as prepared as I need to be. Oh sure, I keep a few extra things around in the house - water, cans of food, toiletries, some cash - but I'm certainly not confident in my personal preparations.

Part of the problem is the sheer amount of things I need to worry about! In a real emergency, I know I need a trustworthy water supply, good food to eat, shelter, and the means to protect myself. But I live in a city and, given the overwhelming amount of data out there about how to get prepared, I don't even know where to start.

Even more frustrating? All those preparedness poster children who make it look easy. They don't seem to be worried about the future. They seem to know just what to pick up at the store and just what to do with it when they get home. Their stockpiles are in order and they know where everything is all the time.

These are the people arguing about water stock rotation and the taste nuances of freeze dried foods while I'm still trying to figure out what the heck a chlorine tablet actually does. These are the folks who have a home remedy ready to go for almost any ailment and back up generators in place while I'm still wondering if I should get extra aspirin.

Frankly, it's a little exasperating. Everyone else seems to be leap years ahead of me when it comes to getting ready for the future, and it freaks me out. Will I ever be even half as organized or prepared as these people?

Yes, and in a lot less time than I thought...

You see, I was complaining about my lack of preparedness to a dear friend of mine online, and she sent me a copy of a book I'd never seen before. It's called Ready for Anything: The Ultimate No B.S. Survival Manual for Ordinary People, and it seems to have been written just for me. Honestly, I don't think you could get more ordinary or out of the loop than I am some days, and this book just cuts right to the chase with what's really necessary for when the you-know-what hits the fan.

I admit, I've bought how-to manuals before, but they were all so specialized and overwhelming I just gave them up. Not this book. It breaks things down into terms that even a hopelessly unprepared beginner like me can understand. The chapters take all my biggest worries and just tell it like it is when it comes to:

• Water supplies - how much I need, how to store it, and how to treat water for drinkability when I can't get any more bottled water from the store
  
• Food stockpiles - my real-world options, their pros and cons, what to try first, and how to keep it safe from scavengers (especially the two-legged kind!)
  
• Medical and dental care - the realities of first aid kits for emergency care, getting out of denial about medical and dental situations I'll have to be ready to handle, and the little things I can get now that will make a big difference later
  
• Personal safety and security - the 120-decibel alarm system I can install for $8.95, my key questions to consider for firearms, and what I'll really need to do to be protected
• Financial matters - I got some great practical tips about saving and hiding emergency money, as well as solid food for thought about my future relationship with precious metals
• Communications - turns out I will be able to keep my cell phone charged even if the power grid goes down ... and with smart shopping, have a way to keep my music addiction satisfied as well as keep on top of breaking news
• Keeping warm, cool, and well-lit - solutions for city and country, including one tip for windows that will help me cut my heating bill now, freeing up more money to spend on storing up basic essentials!
• Hygiene - the tricks to avoid living like a filthy animal in a short or long-term emergency - without assuming there's a compost toilet handy. Real, practical advice that can be put into place in minutes ... thank God!
• Transportation - what a car-addicted urban dweller like myself can do to prepare to get around without constant use of my vehicle, and the simple thing I already like to buy that may make a huge difference in my future comfort.

I never thought I was ever going to be good enough at getting prepared, but with this book I am giving myself an edge. Not just any edge - the edge that all those super-prepared souls have evidently already been using for quite a while!

Now I have the potential to be just as good as them without wasting time, effort, or my hard-earned dollars. It's like a crash course in Preparedness 101, complete with worksheets and checklists so I just have to follow directions when I start feeling overwhelmed.

The best part is that the author of this book isn't joking around or making assumptions. It's written in plain English for real people living normal lives ... but it comes with a life changing guarantee, promising that if within six months I don't feel like I'm more prepared than I was before, I can send it back for a full refund.

I'm so glad my friend showed me this book ... and I want you to go online and get a copy, too. Once you own this book, we can both get moving on our preparedness goals for 2012 without wasting time or resources. With Ready for Anything: The Ultimate No B.S. Survival Manual for Ordinary People, it's a short journey from clueless and scared (like I was!) to confident and prepared.

Jen,
Team member, Off the Grid News