Emergency Preparedness Task #11- Stock Up On Entertainment Items For An Emergency

This one task is pretty simple, and you may not even need to do or buy much of anything extra here.  For short-term emergencies, electronic items such as a charged-up portable DVD player, a tablet reader (like a Kindle Fire) or a charged SmartPhone (assuming you have a way to recharge it) can provide easy entertainment.  ALWAYS keep items like this fully charged up, just in case!  But I highly recommend also buying some very engaging paperback or hardcover books to read, maybe a few good board games, a deck of cards, a chess or checkers set and any other non-electronic, inexpensive means of entertainment that can be enjoyed in natural daylight or a lantern's light.  Light-hearted novels, thrillers like Stephen King books and good autobiographies are my favorite emergency book choices.  Hopefully, you will have already have purchased an NOAA radio and anything you need to keep items charged in an emergency, but additional forms of entertainment never hurt to have on hand.  This may sound like an idiotic suggestion, but with so many of us virtually living online these days (including our children), we may in fact have to give a little additional thought, time and money to planning activities which are now considered old-fashioned in many circles.  If your kids (and yourself) were without a computer, a cell phone, video games, a TV, etc., are you prepared to keep all concerned entertained?  Emergencies are naturally stressful and you'll need some items available to lighten the mood.  Yes, a blackout or similar circumstance can actually just give you time to merely chat and catch up with your family- but eventually, you'll probably need something else enjoyable to pass the time.  Some people may choose to knit or take up some other practical skill towards prepping even when they're not facing an immediate emergency, a hobby that can be continued under almost any circumstance.

Note: I would hope whatever problem strikes, that you aren't so busy trying to stay alive that you'll have no chance to embrace the downtime.  I realize that in some extreme cases, you and/or your family may be so engaged in simply trying to save yourselves and your home that entertainment will be the last thing on your mind.  But my rule is to first be prepared for a three-day blackout or something akin to it, where you may or may not have to leave home.  Making sure that the people in your immediate circle will have some fun respite in the midst of an emergency is just yet another practical prepping step, in my humble opinion. 

Here's to being a prepared organized minimalist,
Liz