11/2026 UPDATE:
I originally wrote and compiled this during the craziness of 2020. while i am past the point of following every possible “what if” scenario, and going down every rabbit trail (my nervous system was shot after that)

i do find it helpful to be prepared for some type of power outage. (i do live in florida now, hurricanes ya knowwww) i think a good range is 3 days minimum, 14 days is ideal, and past that is extra credit in my book.

i realized that if there truly was a long term doomsday scenario im screwed on so many levels, and im not worrying about having months and months of food and water prepped. call me dumb, i dont care. i dont have the mental OR physical space for that. if the world is ending, take me out quick baby.

bare minimum:

water // 1 gallon per person, per day. aim for 3 days. (plus purification tablets, device)
food // shelf stable - think rice, beans, oats, peanut butter, canned foods. COFFEEEEEE. come up with two meals you can make and stock those.
a way to cook them (camp stove, cylinders, fire starter)
gas and solar generator, plus solar charging devices
satellite device, hand crank radio
first aid kits, flashlights, batteries
road atlas, books
personal care // toilet paper, paper towels, meds, homeopathic tablets, oils, pads/tampons, diapers, etc

this is something that i think is wise to think about at ALL times. not when there’s some chatter on the internet about something coming. natural disasters happen all the time - floods, hurricanes, droughts, ice storms. having these items already in your home will give you such peace. we don’t need to put our nervous systems into overdrive worrying about the “what if” - but that doesn’t mean we should just go into life blindly.

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If you told me a few years ago I would be taking a selfie like - “Lemme pose next to my bag of flour".” - I would look at you like you were off your rocker.

But YOLO here we are, and I am talking to you guys all about being PREPARED!

Why is it important to be prepared?

This is the question I get asked the most! '“But Annie, what am I preparing for? Seems extreme.”

The last two years alone should have taught us all how fast the world can change. We went from “two weeks to slow the spread” to no toilet paper to be found, to wear a mask or you can’t enter this store to buy food for your family, to back to semi-normal, to get this brand new injection or you lose your job, to food shortages, to bills in the works that say you can’t fly without a vaccine, to thousands of cargo ships stuck at ports and shelves looking bare REAL FREAKIN’ FAST.

Not to mention - the weather be cray. Texas and Oklahoma had over a week of freezing temps - people couldn’t leave their homes, had no food or water, no heat, and broken water lines. The pacific northwest had over 100 degree temps for weeks and they don’t typically have air conditioning. Pennsylvania had more tornadoes than Oklahoma. Flash flooding has been rampant, and if you get stuck somewhere, do you have anything in your car to help you stay safe and comfortable for a night? Hurricanes in the south have been devastating.

If you are still asking why you should be prepared, bless your sweet sweet heart. That must be nice. LOL.

So listen, I am no expert. But, I am going to share the things I have done for our family (without showing you everything, because the first rule of prep club is don’t show your stash.) and the resources I have found incredibly helpful!

CAR EMERGENCY KIT

A car emergency kit is a must-have. If you were stuck somewhere, side of the road (flash-flooding, storms, traffic jams, or god-forbid an accident) - would you have any food, first aid, or emergency items?
I wrote an entire blog post with links on this topic - HERE.

You also MUST have a map of your state, and I also keep a US map in my car.

To me, this is a similar idea of a Go-Bag, just kept in the car. The idea of a Go Bag is you could get by for 72 hours on everything in it.

If you want the BASIC OF THE BASIC - grab a Judy kit to keep in the car. But, you’ll def need to add some things to it! This one is great too, and an outdoor survival kit here.

I also keep a tourniquet easily available within reach, and I’ve taught the kids how to apply them. Why a tourniquet? Well, if you ever needed one, you have about 2 mins of massive blood loss until you die. It’s that quick. So, having one handy is good practice, as well as a basic hemorrhage kit.

Don’t forget a bag for your pets! I don’t keep this in the car, but I do keep it handy. You could easily make your own, but here is an idea.

STAYING IN PLACE

So this is your - we can’t leave the house, maybe at all, for weeks - type of situation. Think natural disaster, or government lockdown.

WATER
Portable Water Bladder - this safely stores water in your bathtub, without the risk of a little one falling in
Big Berkey (extra filters and fluoride filters) - Here’s a blog on why I love the Berkey. This is a great size for our family of 4
Travel Berkey - This is a smaller version, we have this in our travel trailer
Water Purification Tablets
Containers for water
Water filter straws
Electrolytes
Bottles/jugs of water - I get a case or two of water delivered each month, so we always have extra. Grab a few jugs each time you head to the grocery store. Ideally, you have 1 gallon of water per person, per day. 1/2 gallon for drinking, 1/4 gallon for cooking, 1/4 gallon for washing. That is a LOT of water, but it’s good to know what to aim for. Here is more info on water storage.

FOOD
Ideally you want enough food to get by for a solid month without leaving. I came up with 2 breakfasts, and 4-6 lunch/dinners my fam loves and made sure we had enough to rotate those for a month.
For example, when I make us oatmeal, I use 2 cups oatmeal and it lasts us two days. If I was going to make that for us twice a week, I would want to have 16 cups oatmeal. Buy in bulk, or look at how many cups come in the bag or box you purchase and buy enough for a month!
Remember - first in, first out! When you use up an item in your pantry, go and pull from your “extras” stash. Then, add the item to your grocery list, and replace it. This ensures nothing expires or goes bad.
I often order bulk items from Azure Standard and I am LOVING Costco lately.

Start sourdough! It’s easy, and makes the most delicious bread…everything..naturally.

Get a deep freezer! Fill it. Meat, frozen fruits + veggies, green juices/smoothies. For meat, find a local farm!!!! Get to know your farmer.

This is a great book - Food Storage Made Easy

COOKING
Sun Oven - No power? Got sun? Better get you a SunOven!
Manual can opener - If you can’t open your food, you’re in trouble.
Solo stove - We are obsessed with ours. No heavy smoke!
Blackstone 17” Griddle
Pans and pots that can be used on an open flame
Fire starter + flint
Propane
Waterproof matches
Fishing set

HEAT + POWER
Sleeping bag, blankets, warm jackets, hats, mittens, wool socks, warm overalls - think if you don’t have power, it’s the middle of winter, and you are stuck in your home. How would you stay warm?
Hand and foot warmers
Indoor propane heater
Batteries and Battery Organizer
Beeswax candles
Or roll your own beeswax candles
Emergency radio
Faraday bags
Generator with solar panels - We have the Goal Zero Yeti, it has kept our fridge and multiple other items running for over 24 hours! It does NOT run on gas, so it’s quiet and can be brought indoors. They have multiple sizes at different price points! We also got the solar panels so you can recharge in the sun, and booster that charges it faster!
Gas Generator - I have a similar one of these, and then I had an electricion come to the house and install a plug where we can hook it up and it will power parts of the house.
Generac Generator - When we moved into my old house, we invested into a whole house generator the very first summer. It runs on your gas lines, and powers basically the whole house. When the power goes out, we only know because we can hear it kick on outside. Everything inside works. It was an investment (ours was around 12K) - yes - but in the two years we’ve lived here, it’s kicked on for multiple days, and we are the only house in the neighborhood who have one - so we were able to help our neighbors by charging phones, computers, making meals, and offering fridge and freezer space when we recently had a tornado here (in Pennsylvania. Yes.) There is a long wait for these, so if you are going to get one, get on the list now.
Solar phone chargers

TOOLS + SUPPLIES
This is where your Amazon cart starts to look a litttttle serial-killer-ish. But, ya need what ya need.
Electrical tape, tool kit, nails and screws
Zip ties, rope, fishing line
Knife, set for butchering , pocket knife
Ax
Saw

WELLNESS
Oils: I would make sure I had a Make A Shift Kit, a Premium Bundle, and a Golden Touch Collection.
KidScents Owie, Lavender, Melrose, Peppermint, RC, Tea Tree, Helichrysum, Clove, Thieves

I have been keeping my at-home first aid supplies in this tackle box - it works awesome!

Supplements: (complete amazon list here!!!)
Tictures - Mullein is a MUST HAVE for anything lung related. Mullein-Dandelion, Mullein-Echinachea. Also Lemon Balm, Tulsi Lemon Balm, Black Walnut. Locally grown, family owned. I love everything they make at Nobletask Homestead! code is ANNIE10
NAC
Vitamin C (multiple kinds- Liposomal, Sufficient C, Sodium Ascorbate)
Inner Defense, Immupro, ParaFree, Super D, Super B, Life 9
ImmuneShroom, Zinc+, Microbiome Guard
Essentially Blessed Elderberry Syrup (ANNIE10 for 10% off) - I love their gummy version, and their multi.
Glutathione
Vitamin A
Activated Charcoal
Garlic capsules
SuperLysine
Leefy Organics
Suppository kit
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Homeopathy Kit
Oscillococcinum for flu symptoms
Snake + Insect bite kits
Conventional meds: Adult and Kid/baby versions - Tylenol, Benedryl, antibiotic ointment, Ivermectin
Manuka honey
Colloidal silver
Honey pops
Hydrogen peroxide
Medical supplies
Thieves Dental Floss, Thieves Hand Sanitizer, Thieves Spray, Thieves Hand Sanitizer Wipes, Rose Ointment, Seedlings Baby Wipes
Suture Practice Set

PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS
Toothbrushes, thieves floss, thieves toothpaste, thieves mouthwash
Deodorant
Diapers, wipes, formula
Toilet paper
Paper towels
Extra body wash, contacts, glasses, etc

LONG TERM PREPAREDNESS

WATER
Rain barrel systems for your home, garden, and animals
Dig a well, with a manual pump

FOOD
Keep stocking up, expanding to have more than a month’s supply of your favorite meals. Continue to rotate!!!!

Get chickens!!! We LOVE our chickens. We have 18 and we get about a dozen organic, free-range, farm fresh eggs a day. I wrote a blog post with every detail you’ll need!
You can also raise a batch of meat chickens - this is on our list to do soon. Raised with lots of sunshine, free bugs and grass, happy chickies, and then lovingly made into nourishment for your family. I ordered this book, this scalder, plucker, cones, scissors, and bags.

+ Emergency long-term food - Readywise is what we have! You can also grab freeze-dried here.
+ High-calorie, emergency food bars

GARDENING
Greenstalk planters - these are the BEST and they grow so much!!! You can put them on your porch, anywhere outside your home, and you can easily move them around.
Lettucegrow for indoors tower gardens!
Grow light for starting your indoor seeds
Seeds - Bucktown Seed Co. / Use these to sort and store your seeds!
This book is my favorite - choose your region! Also love this one on Back to Eden style gardening.
This is called The Family Garden Plan and is a must-have book!
Greenhouse - this is on my wishlist!!!!!

POWER
Solar energy

CANNING
Here is an area I haven’t dove into yet. I have the supplies but haven’t tried canning yet! I have this book and this one, jars, extra lids, jar lifter.

HOME ITEMS
It’s a good idea to have some cash available to you in small bills.
Make sure you’ve got extra sponges, cheesecloth, dish soap, laundry soap, Thieves household cleaner, dishwasher tablets, and cut up rags to clean with.

Sewing Kit

Knit or Crochet - over the winter I learned to knit! Seemed like a decent skill to know. I made two hats haha. But, I bought some yarn, knitting needles, circular needles, and crochet hooks. It was so soothing to my mind and soul to sit with this task. Highly recommend! I am going to do a blanket this winter!

SELF DEFENSE
Knives

Firearms
Ooh, hot topic. For a long time, I was so against having a firearm in my home. The last two years completely changed my view. I took a women’s course first, so I could learn and be more comfortable. I then took an all day, women’s only course. Once I learned about how they work, safety, and how to keep my family and home same with them, I realized I was no longer comfortable without owning them.
This book was very helpful in talking to the children about firearm safety. We also watch this video often, and are constantly repeating the safety rules. (Here is a good summary, and we also sometimes talk about rules any adult would follow - treating any firearm as if it’s loaded, proper trigger finger placement, and that no one would EVER point a firearm at something they were not willing to destroy. This is helpful for when they find a nerf gun at a friend’s house (I hate nerf guns so we don’t own them) or when Grey picks up a stick and wants to pretend it’s a gun. Starting conversations early and understanding why some people choose to have a firearm (self-defense, hunting, etc) is important to us.

Firearms, all different types
LOTS of ammunition. Just buy some every time you pass the store. Order online. Just have lots.
Eye protection, ear protection, hat
Safe to lock away firearms- multiple versions of safety and protection.

Some accounts I love following on this topic:
Ms. Amber Elle
Casual & Tactical