In a conversation I had with a salesman, it came up that at times, he has to reduce the price of what he's selling in order to get the business and make the sale. Reducing the price of the item(s) he sells lowers his commission. He then said along the lines of, " A (lower) percentage of something is better than a (higher) percentage of nothing." He's so right. That saying has emerged in other conversations, but I was thinking about how it applies to food storage.
If you are like me, I like to have things done. That's why, for a longer time than I care to admit, I put my food storage on the shelf and walked away. I didn't want to use my food storage. If I used it, I would have less, right? So I put it there and felt pretty good about the numbers, but had very little to no idea about what I would do with it if a crisis hit. Rice and beans were good in theory, but didn't make an appearance on the dinner table until I decided to get serious about the actual preparation of food storage. Practical application trumps the dream of self-sufficiency any day.
Back to the percentage thing--I'm pretty sure that those concerned with being prepared for emergencies (you have no idea how much I wish that meant absolutely everyone) would like to be 100% prepared. Well, ummm...the bad news is that in my personal opinion being absolutely prepared for everything is not possible. The good news is that you can be absolutely prepared in some areas, though. And that's where the lower percentage of something undeniably beats a higher percentage of nothing.
I think that sometimes, people think they will do things all at once, and usually the time for that will be sometime in the distance future. They may think that they will save up for an entire year's supply of food, when they could just purchase needed items little by little---they want the 100% prepared version, which, since it is not in their hands, is essentially 100% of nothing.
Personally, I think that a smaller percentage of something in our possession, even if at the beginning it only amounts to a three-day supply of food, is far superior to having nothing on hand. Set goals for yourself if you are just starting out, and don't let food storage overwhelm you. You can get a 3 days' supply to start out with, and chances are, rice and beans won't even be on the menu at that point. Then move on to 3 weeks. Then to 3 months. Then to 3 years. (Yeah, I was just checking to make sure you were paying attention--would love to have 3 years' supply on hand, but still working on that year goal....)
There are still things that I need to work on. Here we are in June, and I still haven't completed my inventory and worked out a system that works for me where that's concerned. Part of it is just that I don't think about that particular aspect of it enough. I haven't worked enough on the 3 month supply as opposed to long-term storage. We all have our areas that we need to work on (hey, if I'm alone on this, be kind :) but we can up our percentages if we set realistic goals and work on them. And it is work.....work that we might not be able to do tomorrow, so we better do it today.
7 comments:
That's very true Marie. having at least a 3 month supply is better than having nothing. Don't wait to get that 1 year supply purchased, start small and work your way up.
matthiasj
Kentucky Preppers Network
Some very good points, my friend! Doing enough small task means that the big task are closer to being finished!
Good post!
MatthiasJ--Things are getting so expensive that if you haven't started any kind of storage, you might get intimidated by any amount of storage--my hope is that people who haven't started at all will get something in....
HermitJim---Couldn't say it better myself! I've been working on my 3 month supply more, and although it seems soooooo slow, it is getting closer...
Thanks so much to both of you for your comments--they are very much appreciated!
Great Post Marie and Commentors.
Having been at this prep stuff for a couple of years and being blessed with some extra resources to purchase prep food, I now have quite a bit despite rotating as much as possible. NOW, I have a new challenge, My wife has a serious liver problem and cannot have any salt. Salt is so prevelant in canned and prepared foods it is very scary. So I(we) are into fresh canned growing our own food preps.
By the way reading food nutrition labels is now a way of life.
Your Friend
Carl
Carl--Sorry to hear about the salt issue. That would be very difficult indeed. It seems like there is salt in just about everything, so I'm glad that you have the skills to can your own. It's amazing what you find when you actually read the labels on food--there are food allergies in my family, so I grew up reading them, and sometimes the ingredient list can be amazing, and not in a good way.
Best wishes to you and your wife, and thanks for your comment!
I am so with you on the "something in our possession" I started with nothing except the will to begin. I am short(as we all are) on some areas but quite confident in others. It's all a matter of a bag of beans or a box of cookies in my estimation.
Everything depends on your personal outlook on your preps at times. I know I fall short in some spots but am aware enough to try and work on them as I can. A little bit of "something" is better than nothing....
Hey... I'm just sayin....
SciFiChick--Couldn't have said it better myself. I hope if everyone is not already in the midst of preparing, that they will get the will to begin...Thanks for your comment!
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