Preparedness Principles: A Review

I found this book while shopping at a local bookstore. It was marked down to $5.99 from $26.99. I figured, why not? It's about preparedness and it's relatively cheap. Even if it only has one or two good things in it, it'll be worth the price.

It turned out to be a very, very good deal.

As a side note for those who would rather not be prepared or think preparedness means having food and water for three days, I strongly feel that preparedness is the heart of homemaking. All preparedness means is that you've thought ahead for your family. It's the same feeling behind making a will or starting a college fund for your child.

Anyway, on to the review: Preparedness Principles by Barbara Salsbury and Sandi Simmons (link provided so you'll know what the cover looks like).

Summary: A fantastic book both for those who have no idea where to start in getting prepared on a domestic level for the future as well as those who have been studying and practicing these things for several years. Covers several subjects and gets to the heart of the matter quickly.

Good stuff: First off, I love the focus of this book. Focusing on principles makes it much easier to plan specific responses tailored to your locale and family situation. That foundation makes everything else in the book flow along smoothly.

She divides crises into four categories: worst-case scenarios, provident living, dealing with disasters and emergency evacuation. The first two are long-term preparedness and the last two are short-term and the ones we usually think of when we think about preparing for disasters. She focuses first on the worst-case scenario and by doing so shows the importance of planning as well as diversifying our preparedness activities. Very well done.

I also like the emphasis given money and storage space right up front. To paraphrase, it's all well and good to have a year's supply of food but that's not going to pay the mortgage. Having a handle on finances also makes it much easier to know how much extra one can spend at the store to build up her Pantry Principle living.

In fact, that was really my favorite part of the book. Amy Dacyzyn mentions it as well in her Tightwad Gazette books as a way of dramatically lowering the grocery bill but Preparedness Principles integrates it into a long-term storage plan.

The information on crises was the best I've seen, especially regarding sanitation during a disaster. In fact, that chapter alone was worth the price I paid for the book. Honestly, I would have probably paid full price as long as she helped me figure out what to do about the toilet and diapers.

All of the information, by the way, is based on actual experience, unlike other books which shall go unnamed that seemed to be thrown together just to make a buck from interested folks (don't even get me started on those frustrating collections of paper).

And of course, my favorite chapter was How Can I Store a McDonald's In My Cupboard? :)

Not so good stuff: I'm sitting here looking through the book and I swear I can't find any. I wish she had mentioned other options other than soymilk for those with lactose intolerances, but that's about it.

This book is highly recommended for any and all homemakers.