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Prepping During Cold Weather
The path to preparedness…
The winter months can require an adjustment in the way we approach our daily activities. Snow on the ground means the lawn doesn’t need to be mowed, but it also means that it is cold enough outside that the average person does not feel like spending much time outside. Colder temperatures could be an excuse to take time off from prepping all together because you “can’t work in the garden or spend any time at the range” but it can also be the catalyst to get some of the less exciting tasks completed at the same time.
Some of the prepping tasks that are ideally suited for cold weather months include:
- Rotate Food Storage – The food you put up for the future or for tough times should always be rotated and maintained. If it is consumed, it should be replaced. If it has an expiration date, eat it before it goes bad and then replace it! Even though some long-term storage food is good for 10 or even 25 years, it can still go bad far sooner if it is not properly kept. As a result of this fact, the winter months can serve as the perfect time to check over food stores and ensure that cans aren’t swollen, boxes aren’t stained or soaked with moisture, or that there are not “things” living in your food.
- Update Emergency Information – Curl up in the easy chair with your computer in front of the fire and make sure that the administrative side of emergency preparedness is together and organized. Things that can be updated include the evacuation routes that would be taken from home, work, etc., who to call if there were a tree that fell across your driveway, and ensure the accuracy of insurance information/coverage amounts.
- Plan Next Year’s Activities – What do you want to accomplish next year? Is the garden going to be bigger? Will you grow a different variety of a certain plant? This is also the perfect time to determine what your financial goals will be and how your projected income will fit into your prepping efforts.
- Learn New Skills or Brush Up On Old Skills – Some new skills can be acquired through reading, taking a class, or watching a video. If you are staying inside anyway, learn one of those new skills that you have been thinking about picking up! YouTube is a great resource for many survival, homesteading, emergency preparedness, etc. related videos and allow anyone with a computer and internet access to learn something new or brush up on a skill that lacks confidence. The local library usually offers a wide variety of books that can be useful in this same area. Many skills such as cooking or home brewing can have some level of mastery achieved in the course of one cold weather season.
- Perform Maintenance/Upgrades – Equipment needs to be maintained and upgraded. Maintenance and equipment upgrades can sometimes be put off and the downtime that winter affords can be the ideal time to perform some much-needed work. Firearms can be cleaned and oiled, knives can be sharpened, first aid kits can be upgraded, and the car can be taken to the shop to have the oil changed and the tires rotated.
Winter does not have to be down time for preppers. There is always something that can be done regardless of the weather. These are some of the ways that I could think of to stay prepping during the cold weather, how do you plan to stay with it this winter?
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2012-11-20 05:03:39
Source: http://www.thepreparedninja.com/prepping-during-cold-weather
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