In recognition that I tend to write mostly about travel, I skipped posting last week since it became exceedingly evident that now is not the time for travel, and I am not sure when it will be time again.
Here, in Salt Lake City, Utah, covid-19 came slowly and swiftly. My company, among other tech companies, made a swift and aggressive decision to mandatory work from home, which started on Friday, March 13th. Thankfully, Jordan took his final exam that same weekend and was one of the few in his class to get all of the things he needed to do to get certified done. This last week, we practiced self-isolation or social distancing and learned many things along the way.
I am going to break this into a series of posts since this seems to be our new norm for the foreseeable future. This is part one, how we have prepared for emergency situations and are still preparing:
Part 1: Be Prepared
This is easier said than done, I know, but I believe there are actions that you can take now or continue to take to be better prepared.
Financial health
This may be more daunting for those who don’t already have their finances in order, but there is no time like the present to start becoming more financially prepared.
I have mentioned previously how Jordan and I budget, etc, this is due to our desire to be financially secure. We have worked really hard to not only save for travel but also to have a solid emergency fund that we can pull from if needed. We also strive to live debt-free, and if we are unable to be completely debt-free, then at least not have frivolous debt. We follow our own version of Dave Ramsey’s financial program. Because we have done these things, we have felt more secure during these tumultuous times.
I highly recommend saving at least a thousand dollars for emergencies and working your way to 3-6 months living expenses, while paying off any debt you may have. It is up to you to figure out what works best for your life and family. I believe that through saving, though at times it can be hard, when in hard or emergency situations you have the financial peace of knowing you have another plan if needed.
Examples of food storage we buy and realistic items we eat in our emergency two-week supply.
Two-week Supply
Throughout our marriage, Jordan and I have collected some food storage items as a way to prepare. We probably have enough food to last us a couple of weeks. But with word that it may get as bad as other areas where we might be truly stuck in our homes, I had a huge wake-up call. It wasn’t good enough to just have some food shortage, that was edible, but we should have a two week supply of things we actually want to eat.
It was the thought of having to open up and eat those items, did it really hit me that I may not want to eat them (but obvi would if it was all we had). I recently did a cleanse (see My Restricted Diet), and since have strived to remain gluten and dairy-free. Most of our food storage meals are not friendly to that diet. Thankfully, I had a bunch of canned items that we eat a lot and only needed to grab a couple of fresh produce to complement our two-week meal plan.
As we all know, food isn’t the only two week supply needed. I think this pandemic is a solid opportunity to look at a bunch of other essentials needed to survive two weeks and check to make sure your supply is up to date. One of the sites I have referred to as I round out my emergency two week supply is The Prepared. I like The Prepared because they have all the essentials about emergency prep and some more advanced prepping techniques for those ready for the next level. I will say that, though I love prepping and am a natural planner/preparer, the hardest part of being prepared is living in a small home and having nowhere to store 15 gallons of water… per person! If you have any tips please share them with me in the comments.
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This is only part 1 of our life amid the isolation that covid-19 has brought us. I will write more on how I work from home, stay social, stay active at a later time. I would love to hear if and how you prepare for a potential two-week quarantine in the comments below. If you are just starting out, know that Rome wasn’t built in a day and just starting is the hardest part. You got this! We are so lucky to live in a day and age where information is so readily available. Stay positive and together (6ft apart), we can get through this crazy time.