Prudent Prepping: Random Musings

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Now we concentrate  on what to do in, and how to plan for, the long term via Prudent Prepping.

Random Musings, 

or why I haven't been around much

Well, this is a bit odd for me, sharing what is going on in my non-prepping life. My friend and co-blogger Evelyn has inspired me to get a bit personal and talk about real things.

My full-time job ended in August and I have been working several part-time jobs since then. Sometimes the hours I work on the shifts I get don't give me enough time to sleep much, let alone write for this blog. I made a commitment to myself, and the other authors, to write one article a week (and have it ready to be edited by Wednesday morning, since my work really needs editing!). This has not happened lately, but luckily for all of you, there have been several really great posts by very talented folks to fill my spot.

The current economy in California shows some very funny contrasts: Coastal California (urban) has an unemployment rate of about 7-10%, while Central California (rural and farms) has a rate approaching 15-20%. Combined with the health care fiasco, most companies are only hiring part-time workers. Combined with the drought, high taxes and companies leaving this state, more people are looking for work than there are jobs. The jobs are there and you can get them, it just isn't fun getting them or doing some of the work.

I am fortunate to have stored staples to fall back on, since my food budget has shrunk alongside my discretionary budget -- which includes all my prepping products. Rent, gas, and insurance on the vehicle are the first items paid, with everything else far down the list. This has given me a chance to reorganize my pantry items and pull out those items which are oldest, since I marked them with the actual date of purchase with a marker before they went into the boxes. 

This is a good example of why preps are important:  I am currently in a financial disaster and it's comforting to know I won't have to choose between paying bills and going hungry. It may not be the emergency I prepared for, but that doesn't mean I can't rely on my preps to get me through these hard times!

Stay tuned! There will be more reports from California -- leading the way with Bad Ideas(tm) and coming to your state soon!