Prudent Prepping : Change

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.

Change is a good thing
I have a tendency to stick to the things I know and like, and don't even attempt to change what I have. This is the situation I'm in now with my new pack. Not only have I not swapped out winter gear for summer/fall gear in my assorted bags, there are several other things I neglected to do to on my normal Prepping Checklist:

• Check for expiring food stores
• Clean out the water jugs
• Replace my stored water

The biggest one was not swapping out my stored water. I should have done this last month,  around the time the Buffet Post was written, since it has been pretty warm here. 

Water

http://tinyurl.com/o52jwon 

I have both water and time available, so I change it more often than might be necessary. My water is stored inside the house so I don't need to worry about evaporation or it tasting bad quickly, but it still gets warm. (I also add a small amount of bleach to each jug to prevent things growing in the water.)

The jugs I use are these, which I purchased from my local Walmart instead of Amazon. I like the size, shape and how there are two handles which make it easy to carry and pour. I bought mine locally as I needed jugs immediately and could not wait for delivery.

I just gave one of my jugs to a friends son, who is starting to think about prepping since he is now living on his own.

Food
The other things I changed in my packs were all the food items, especially the canned goods kept in the bags that spend any amount of time in my truck. I do know that the amount of time spent in the heat won't affect the food quickly, but if I change it regularly now, there will never be a problem in the future. So all the old canned chicken, repackaged almonds and jerky goes into the house, and fresh ones are swapped in. Coffee, tea and drink mixes stay, since they don't degrade quickly. 

Clothing

Sweaters and knit caps have to come out, and long sleeve Tee shirts go in. Windbreakers, socks and pants stay along with boonie/rain hats.

Fitness
Another item I have started to change is the amount of exercise I have been doing. I am hiking a very hilly 5-6 mile loop two days a week and swimming for at least one hour 2-3 days a week. I don't seem to be losing weight yet, but my clothes are getting a bit looser. I tell people I don't really mind my weight, just where it's at. 

I find that I'm sleeping better, my digestion is better and there are fewer things that stress me out when I get outside. Funny how that works.

The Takeaway

• Get a calendar or set alerts on your phone for regular checkups on your stored pantry items. 
• Change out items that might be degraded by high temperatures. 
• Do seasonal gear swaps before the season is over.
• Lose weight to improve your health and mood. 

Recap

Nothing was purchased this week, but good karma was boosted with some equipment given to a friend.


As always, if you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it, Feds.