Gustov is coming, get your butt in gear

If you live in an area where you are totally safe from the approaching hurricane, then go plan for whatever disaster is prone to your area.  If you are live near the gulf coast of the US, then prepare NOW.

I know you already have your personal kit ready, and you have your car prepped.  I covered both of those here and here. Now, if you are sheltering at home and you lose electricity, here are some things you need to know.  (If you are ordered to evacuate, then for heaven’s sake, LEAVE!)

Here’s a link to a good resource, preparing food during a power failure.  Some of the best tips:

• Conserve Fuel. Try to prepare food that does not require long cooking time, or cooking at all.  If you can, cook food in your fire place, or on your grill.
• Conserve Water.  Use the liquid from canned food for some of the water required to cook it.  Save the liquid from canned fruit to use in place of water when making beverages.
• Make only enough food for one meal at a time.  Anything you cook needs to be eaten within two hours if no refrigeration is possible.
• Avoid most meat, seafood, creamed foods, and most dairy products because they can easily spoil.
• Stock up on canned meat, canned vegetables, canned fruit and dried or dehydrated foods.

One important point I would not have though of is to avoid home canned vegetables.  The reason is the long cooking time needed to prepare these.  When the whole point is to conserve your resources, these are not the best option.

The paper has an extensive list of foods to avoid and foods to choose in the event of a power failure.  There are options you may not have even considered and luckily, you still have time to stock up on these before the power goes out.  For example, I’ll be making sure I have plenty of bottled hot sauce on hand so I can spice up whatever I prepare. No reason for your emergancy food to be boring.

Where I live, flooding is unlikely, but a power outage from downed power lines is a real possibility.  I have plenty of wood so I can make campfires, and I have the pots to withstand cooking over an open flame.  I would use a grill, but I don’t have one. If you have a grill, or a little propane cooker-use it OUTSIDE. Never use these in an enclosed carport or in your home.  I wouldn’t even put this warning in here if some people were not stupid enough to have tried it.  You can burn your house down or suffocate.  A disaster is no time to throw away your common sense.

I have water stockpiled and lots of canned food on hand.  Speaking of water, if you have not already done so, put some (or all if you have the space) in your freezer.  This gives you cold water when you need it and the ice will help keep your freezer cold longer.

All I have left to do is stock up on some essentials like crackers and a treat or two such as poptarts and twinkies.  Before you laugh, I have not eaten a twinkie in over 10 years.  If the worst happens, I will be thrilled to have such a delicious sugary snack to look forward too.  Plan some happiness into your preparations.  You will be glad you did.

Solar Powered Bags

Wow is this neat!

One of the blogs I peruse had a link to a company called Reware.  I checked them out and wow, they are so cool.  They have bags made of recycled plastic bottles which is great, because hey, plastic bottles are getting a second life and not clogging landfills.  They have a process that turns the plastic into a fiber and then the fiber is used to make hobo bags, messenger bags, and more.

BUT, even better, they have bags that contain solar panels that you can use to recharge all your electronic gear.  This is so cool to me because now, you can just use your bag to recharge on the go and you don’t have to lug a heavy charger with you, or worry about if you will have access to an outlet!  Going to the beach?  Let your ipod or camera charge while you frolic in the waves then take great sunset shots while you let your hair dry.

I’m always looking for a great recycled product or a new solar product and here, I found both.  For the record, I have no contact with this company and they are not paying me to review them.  I just think this is an awesome product and I wanted to share it with you.

Do you have one of these great bags?  If so, how do you like it?

Looking Out for Number One

Part of being frugal means staying on top of your finances, knowing what your bills are and how much you owe, and if you have ever been a Citigroup customer, how much you paid.  Today, NPR and CNNMoney reported on a ’sweeping’ practice of Citigroup.  ‘Sweeping’ is where the company takes money from customers accounts into the bank’s own accounts.

Citi of course says it was just an accounting practice, and that they stopped voluntaily,  and that in no way was this stealing money from customers.  This practice started in 1992, but they stopped, totally on their own, in 2003.  Hmm. Supposedly it only affected 53,000 customers and Citi is refunding those customers.

What can you learn from this?  Diligence. Look at your credit card bill and your bank statement every single month.  Make sure your records match the banks records.  If you are paying a credit card bill, and you pay over the minium amount, make sure it is reflected on your statement where it shows payment, AND where it shows the new balance.

If there is a problem, follow up with the company immediately.  The quickest way to get your account corrected is to be quick.  Call customer service.  If that does not solve the problem, write them an actual paper letter with copies of any documentation you have to prove your side.  Keep a copy of what you mail to them.  Once they correct the problem, don’t let your guard down.  If they misplaced your payment once, it can happen again.

I’m sure giant corporations have only the best of intentions, and they would never screw the little guy.  Surely Citi didn’t mean to ’sweep’ money from thousands and thousands of their customers.  After all, it was just an accounting practice.

Whatever the case, be diligent.  Keep track of your payments, keep track of your balances, and if there is a problem, follow up!

A Plant’s Agenda

People think they are in control of their lives, their world. We think everything we do is because we come up with a plan and then we act on that plan. What if that’s not the case? What if in fact, people, as a species are being manipulated?

It’s an interesting concept and one Micheal Pollen addresses in his TED presentation. Check it out.

Reusable Drinking Straws

I still use plastic drinking straws.  Sigh, I know, these are a one use item, unless you wash them which I usually do.  Still, they don’t last forever and then they are just more plastic, sitting in a landfill, forever. I am finishing up a bag of straws that I bought several years ago.  When they are finally gone, I will buy reusable, compostable or recyclable straws.

Glass
Green Home offers a beautiful set of glass drinking straws, complete with a brush sized just right for cleaning them.  I think these would be perfect for my smoothies, that I love to sip on throughout the morning.  These are my favorite of all possible options.

Compostable
Green Home also offers compostable straws made from corn.  These are offered in boxes of 4000 straws which is WAY more than I need. I would love to see these at restaurants.

Bamboo
Bamboo is another reusable, washable alternative.  Bamboo will last much longer than plastic, although not as long as the glass.  When they are finally worn out, they are completely compostable. I like these because you can get a set of 12 for a very reasonable price.  I think these would be awesome for my next friendly get-together.

If you are in the market for a better drinking straw, I think you couldn’t go wrong with any of these options.

Road Accident, What to Do When YOU are the Witness

You are driving along when you see a car hydroplane, spinning 360 degrees in the road, then sliding backwards into the median where it spins some more before coming to a stop.  While your heart is still racing, what’s the first thing you should do?

This is exactly what I had to figure out this morning.  Riding to work, my commuting buddy and I were talking when he said “Look at that.”  We watched a car spin, hit the median, spin and come to a stop.  We slowed as we pulled up, Sam already turning on his emergency flashers.  He got out to check on the driver who thankfully was ok.  She was already on the phone arranging a ride, and the highway patrol was on the way.

Luckily for us, we were far enough back, we had plenty of time to slow down, pull over, and then help the driver this morning. It has been raining for over a week here thus Sam was driving just under the speed limit.  That allowed a nice margin between his truck and any other traffic. When road conditions are bad, keeping extra distance between you and the car in front of you is always a good idea.

What if you are behind a car that wrecks?  What should you do?

• Make sure you are not part of the accident.  Brake as slowly as you can before stopping and put on your emergency flashers.
• Call 911
• Check on the driver.
• Stay with the driver until help arrives. If they are able to get out of the car, you can help them out.  If they are injured, do not try to move them.

Other items you might have in your car are a first aid kit, a reflective triangle (the kind you set on the road when you change a tire), a blanket, or a flashlight. Most often, these would be items you would have in case you are in an accident. However, if you are in a position to offer aide to an accident victim before help arrives, they can be quite useful.

Each situation is different. Offer as much, and the best help that you can. If all you can do is call 911 to report the accident, then do that. Drive safe and hopefully you can be the assistor, not the one in need of assistance.

Container Gardening

I have done a little bit of container gardening.  I recycled old water bottles to make plant holders and I have some pots on my front porch that have ivy and aloe in them.  I was looking for more ideas and I came across two great videos full of ideas.

This first video is for an herb garden.  I love the container she uses, it never would have occurred to me to use an old basket in that way.  What really shocked me is what she said about baby diapers.  Check it out.

This next video has lots of ideas for fall containers.  It is early enough in the year to plan and plant fall containers so as to have beautiful showings for the season.  This video also focuses on flowers and grasses which is a nice contrast to the earlier one which was all about herbs.

I have some old baskets and a few pots that I think I can combine into a really nice arrangement for my own back deck container garden.  What’s your favorite plant to grow in containers?

Driving to Safety, What to Have in the Car

A happy prepared driver

You’ve packed your personal disaster kit with everything you need to flee. It’s in the car with you, but is there more you should have in the car?  Yes.

1. A tank full of gas. In general, it is a good idea to keep your tank half full at all times.  If you have enough lead time, fill your tank completely before you leave.
2. Blanket, and pillow.  You may have to shelter in your car, and having a pillow can make sleep easier. An emergency blanket is a good idea if you live in an area with very cold weather.  You need to be able to conserve your body heat and not depend on the car’s heater to keep you warm.
3. Water and food.  You may get stuck in traffic if everyone is leaving at the same time.  Energy bars, or other ready to eat food is a good choice.
4. Car kit with jumper cables, emergency triangle, and basic tools.
5. Inflated spare tire, jack, and instructions on how to change the tire.
6. Car charger for your cell phone.
7. Cash or traveler’s checks.
8. Flashlight with batteries, or glowsticks.  Glowsticks are chemical lights that usually last for 12 hours.
9. Maps showing the evacuation route and shelter location.
10. Audio books or music CD’s. You don’t know how long you will be in the car and this gives you a way to pass the time.

This is just a basic list and there may be other things you need depending on your situation.  There are many items that should already be in your personal bag, that I didn’t list here.  Yes it is important to have a separate store of food and water in the car, and in your bag.  If you are stuck in traffic for a day, and then at a shelter, you need your three day supply of water for the shelter.

When you prepare your car, don’t think it’s a do it and forget about it situation.  Just like you need to keep your personal disaster kit up to date, you need to do the same for your car.  Especially the water and food, rotate them on a regular basis.  Check your spare tire twice a year to make sure it is in good shape.  Go ahead and practice using your jack, taking off the tire and putting on the spare.  In your driveway is a much better place to learn than on the side of the road with cars whizzing by.

Keeping your car ready includes basic maintenance as well.  Keep your oil changed, your fluids topped off, and the inside clear of clutter and trash.  If you have to leave in a hurry, you don’t want to waste precious time cleaning out crap so you can put your valuables in the car. Maintain your car and it will serve you well when you need it most.

Hurricanes, Tornados, Floods, and Fire, Oh MY!

Any day, disaster can come knocking on your door.  Well, maybe not knocking, more like bashing in your door.  What to do?  Today, while you are thinking about it, get your disaster kit ready.  You can buy a ready made kit, but those can be pricey.  Making your own insures it has only what you specifically need, and nothing you don’t.  Making your own can be cheaper and if you have family, it can be a fun project to work on together.  No one wants to think about a disaster, but the best time to think about it is before it happens.

Every disaster kit should be tailored to the individual, but there are some elements common to each one. Here’s the top ten items that everyone needs.

1. Copy of your important papers.  How to decide what is important?  If your house burns down, how easy will it be to replace that paper?  If it will be hard, take a copy with you. Keep the papers in a sealed bag.
2. Water and food, enough for three days.
3. Clothes
4. Sleeping gear, because you have no idea what a shelter might have. Also, you don’t know if you will make it to a shelter.
5. Medicine. Check this regularly. You don’t want to be in the middle of an evacuation and realize your meds are six months out of date.
6. Cash.
7. Playing cards or a book. You need something to occupy your mind for the time between getting settled and then going home.
8. First aid kit.
9. Flashlight and fresh batteries.
10. Written list of important phone numbers.

These are just the basics. You want to keep these items in a backpack or duffel bag.  A bag you can easily carry is ideal.  When disaster happens, you don’t know how long you will have to get out of your home.   Here’s a great resource from Mississippi State University for more information.  This site covers EVERYTHING you want to know about being prepared, and recovering after disaster strikes.

Later this week, I’ll tell you what to keep in the car, and what to keep at home if you shelter there. Stay tuned!

Sharing the Solution

Today I want you all to go to Homesteading in a Condo and read the wonderful post there.   Ilex has written a terrific speech that she will be giving on the solution to our food crisis.

I have been reading her blog for a while, and learned more about composting with worms than I ever thought I could know.   Ilex lives in Detroit and gardens on her balcony.  The amount of food she grows is amazing.

So, go read the post from this amazing lady.