Severe flooding in the Midwest, earthquakes in Japan, fatal tornadoes in the southern states…maybe it’s me, but it seems that these disasters are happening more often and in more diverse places than ever before. That makes it all the more important to be prepared for an emergency because in all reality an emergency in your area is a matter of  “when”, not “if”.

Here are some simple steps you can take to prepare for an emergency.

1. 72 hour kit. My wife and I each have a backpack with the basic supplies we’d need if we had to leave our house for three days. It includes highly concentrated food (e.g. Powerbars, soup, etc.), medical supplies (band-aids, gauze, Tylenol, antiseptic), water and water purification tablets, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, a change of clothes, a hand-crank flashlight/radio and cash.

These backpacks are kept in a closet near our front door so in case of a fire or other emergency, they’re easy to grab and go. We replace the perishable items in them about once a year, or based on their expiration date.

2. Meeting location. In an unexpected event like a fire or earthquake, have a safe place for your family to meet that’s outside your home. Growing up, it was by our mailbox. This is to make sure everyone knows to go to the same place so people can quickly be accounted for. It’s extremely important to know if everyone is out of the home because you don’t want to risk the lives of emergency response personnel by sending them into a burning or unstable building looking for someone who has already gotten out safely.

3. Build up a supply of supplies. We’ve grown accustomed to driving down to the local market on a whim to pick up anything we need. But as we’ve seen in the news, it doesn’t take much time for grocery store shelves to be picked clean during emergencies.

Start to slowly build up a store of food and other supplies. In the event of a food shortage (for whatever reason), you’ll have enough to subsist on. So the next time something you eat regularly is on sale, buy a few extra and put them in boxes under the bed. Same thing goes for canned fruits and vegetables, pastas, fruit roll-ups and other items that aren’t immediately perishable.

4. Learn from cartoons . How many times have we seen cartoons of someone stranded on a desert island with cans, and no can opener? (Or maybe I’m the only one.) All your canned goods you have aren’t going to do you much good if you have an electric can opener with no power. Keep a manual can opener in your 72 hour kit as well.

5. Just add water. Freeze-dried food is great for emergency preparedness because it’s lightweight and has a long shelf life. However, it won’t do you much good if you don’t have water. Each time my wife and I go to Costco we pick up a big box of bottled water. This has been a good method for us as it spreads out the cost and also makes it easier to rotate through (water does go bad you know). Imagine having a month’s worth of bottled water all expiring at the same time!

Water, of course, is also beneficial in case supplies become tainted or cut off all together.

6. Out-of-state contact. If there’s a major disaster in your area, say an earthquake, there’s a good chance phone lines and cell towers may be overrun with people calling each other and emergency services (“All circuits are busy now. Please try your call again later”).

Sometimes when local calls can’t get through, long-distance calls will. Have a designated contact person out of state (for my wife and I, it’s my parents in Oregon) who you can call and check in with. Even if my wife is just 10 miles away from me at work, I can call my folks 750 miles away and we can all coordinate through them. Plus it allows my parents to know that we’re OK as well.

7. Keep emergency numbers handy. Put local numbers for emergency services, poison control, the Red Cross, your gas, electric and water companies, your state health department, etc. in your 72 hour kit or another easy-to-access place.

8. Master your utilities . Know where the shut-off valves for your utilities are, and know how to shut each off. Even if your home seems to be in good condition after an earthquake or other disaster, a hidden water or gas pipe with a crack could cause significant damage over time if left unattended.

9. Prepare your car. If you’re like me, you probably spend a good chunk of my day away from your home. Keep your car stocked with some water, blankets, snacks, flares, jumper cables, flashlight with batteries (ever tried changing a tire on the side of a road at night?) a cell phone charger, some backup cash and walking shoes and socks.

Listed here it seems like a lot, but it will all fit neatly in a gym bag in your trunk.

Also, it’s a good idea not to let your gas tank get too low. My wife has started filling up at about half a tank and it’s been reassuring to know that the car is always available and ready to go.

In conclusion

These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how to prepare you, your family and your home for an emergency. And keep in mind that these things won’t just be useful in the case of natural disaster. What if you get laid-off or have some kind of medical emergency that diverts your income? In that case, wouldn’t it be amazing if you didn’t have to buy food for a couple of months because you already had it stored?

These are practical things you can start doing right away to build up resources against a time of need.

Like I said, this certainly isn’t comprehensive. What do you think should have been on the list? Please share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments.

LivSimpl

Please subscribe to LivSimpl by clicking here .

Images courtesy of here and here .

Pay down debt. The money you put toward paying down the principle on debt is going to be worth more than the dollar figure of your refund. Let’s say your stimulus check is $1,000 and you put it toward your credit card debt which is at 15%. That’s $150 you’re not paying in interest so your $1,000 has become $1,150.

While you’re at it, ask for a lower rate. I have a friend who works for a major credit card company and he says if they won’t give you a lower rate, you can threaten to cancel your card. Be prepared to have some competitor’s rates and state that the Feds have dropped the prime rate so you want yours lowered. They’ll most likely comply. And be sure to make the lower rate apply to your existing balance, not just your future purchases.

Few things add more stress to life than having debt linger over your shoulder, day and night. Heck, it’s what got us into this mess to begin with. Do what you can to remove the burden of debt – your stimulus check could be a good way to start.

Save. Stick it in savings for an emergency fund or for a significant purchase you’ve been saving for. My wife and I are putting ours in our “someday we’ll have a house fund.” Often it seems that when we get some extra money and put it aside we end up needing it almost right away for a car repair, medical bill or the like. We’re always thankful we put it away in savings instead of spending it so those unplanned expenses are easier to handle.

Invest. Mutual funds, CDs, 401k, IRAs are all options. Factors to consider are liquidity, rate, risk and length of the investment. Check with your bank or financial advisor for more information. Another option is to take a portion of it and check out the do-it-yourself stock trading sites. It could be a good way to learn some stock market basics.

Donate it. If you’ve gotten by just fine without it this far, why not help someone else out who might not be getting along so well? Depending on who/what organization you’re giving it to, it may be tax deductible which means the government will give you money for giving away the money they gave you (which, realistically, you gave them in the first place).

Even if you already have a plan for your stimulus check, please consider how it could be used to simplify your life by reducing worries about debt, or even just putting it away so you can have peace of mind for a rainy day.

Any other ideas? I’d love to hear them in the comments!

LivSimpl

Please subscribe to LivSimpl! Control + click here or paste the following into your feed reader: http://feeds.feedburner.com/livsimpl.

Photo courtesy of here.

A while back I decided to ditch my traditional wallet for a slimmer, more efficient hack using a Moleskine notebook. The only things I carried over from my wallet were my driver license, my debit card, and a few business cards. I ended up leaving a number of membership/loyalty cards in my wallet (along with my credit, library and other cards) for the sake of simplicity and that the pocket in the back of a Moleskine notebook just isn’t that robust. :)

For the most part, I’ve been fine. But there have also been times when it would have been extremely useful to have, say, a grocery membership card that could have saved me 15 cents a gallon on gas.

Enter Just One Club Card. It’s a site that let’s you plug in the numbers under the barcodes of your club/membership/loyalty cards and will print out all the appropriate barcodes on a single page. The page is designed to be cut and folded into a card shape for E-Z access. And ta-da! All your membership cards are available to you on a single card.

Of course, not every club card in the world is available but there are some popular options including Smiths, Albertsons, ACE Hardware, Best Buy, Delta SkyMiles, and Office Depot as well as some lesser-known establishments such as Bob’s Stores. (I have never heard of Bob’s Stores. Would anyone care to enlighten me?) There’s even an option to add a store/business yourself if the one your looking for isn’t available.

The proprietor of the site says he won’t use your barcodes/information for any nefarious purposes, but use at your own risk. (Personally, I’m not all that worried about someone finding out what kind of groceries I buy.) It could be a great way to cut down on the clutter, and width, of your wallet.

Visit Just One Club Card here.

LivSimpl

Please subscribe to LivSimpl! Control + click here or paste the following into your feed reader: http://feeds.feedburner.com/livsimpl.