Emergency Preparedness Task #2- Set Up a Schedule of When to Purchase Your Supplies

Having a specific schedule when you'll be buying some emergency preparedness supplies is a good idea.  Without having a list or a schedule, you'll never quite know where you stand on purchasing enough emergency supplies.  You can opt to purchase a supply or two every week when you go to the grocery store, at least until you've purchased all of the items that you want.  If you take a once-a-month trip to a Big Box or bulk-supply store, you can usually find good prices on emergency preparedness supplies there.  There are many good online stores that sell emergency supplies and sometimes they have good sales going on, too.  Some people like to shop for these items with their tax return or another source of special income once a year, especially if they are in need of a lot of items all at one time.  It's entirely up to you, based on what works for your lifestyle, goals and budget. 

Once you purchase your supplies, keep an eye on the items that have an expiration date, like water, food or OTC medicines.  For this reason, don't buy items that you wouldn't use in the course of your day-to-day life.  Plan to use the water, food and OTC meds up before they expire, if you end up not needing them for an emergency.  Having one big shelf, one closet or one container (as space allows) where you keep all of your supplies will help you know what needs to be used up and when it should be used up by.

Here's to being a prepared organized minimalist,
Liz