These are two topics which, on the surface, appear to be in conflict with each other. The question being, how do I keep my stuff to a minimum while at the same time storing items I may never use? I believe some thoughtful planning will show these two concepts can live in harmony.
I grew up in Florida and very much remember hurricane season. Back then, the media coverage and warnings were nothing like they are today. Evacuation was mostly voluntary and the accepted practice was to just hunker down and ride it out. If I lived there today, I would most likely evacuate because there is no telling when essential services and consumables would again be available.
However, once you have been through a hurricane you don’t need the media to tell you to be prepared. Besides the hunkering down in a closet and filling the bathtub for a source of drinking water, the thing I remember most was the rush to the grocery store to buy essential items. It was worse than shopping during black Friday. Even today, the media loves to show the hesteria right before a major storm.
What people seem to forget is that we now live in a “just in time” society. Stores don’t have the capacity to store much beyond what you see on the shelves. If the truck doesn’t deliver, you just have to wait until the next truck. What if the trucks can’t get there or the trucks don’t have anything to pick up from a distribution center, what then?
One of the things I did in my old jobs was develop disaster preparedness plans. Think about what could potentially happen and have a plan in place to minimize the harm and impact. This also a very good thing for all of us to consider in our everyday lives and something you might want to consider putting on your to do list. Do you have a plan and maintain items essential for everyday life if there was a disruption in services and supply chains for a few weeks? Depending on where and how you live and the type of disaster you are planning for, the list of essential items to keep on hand will vary. Also, your tolerance for risk will determine how far you will take your preparedness. Every community has some form of emergency planning organization, which can provide guidance and materials to aid in planning. However, there are also volumes of information available on the internet. Here are a few: https://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan https://www.beprepared.com/emergency-preparedness-plan-for-your-family and https://www.fema.gov/pdf/areyouready/areyouready_full.pdf
Getting back to the subject of this post, does keeping all this stuff conflict with minimalism? The simple answer is no. I have never considered getting rid of all my worldly possessions and moving into a monastery. What I want to do is get rid of the materialistic habits, clutter and focus on things that add true value to living. Fifty screw drives don’t add value. But having a type of screw drive for each type of screw I will encounter and, more importantly, being able to find it when needed, does add value.
I ran across this quote during one of my morning internet surfs, “being prepared doesn’t mean more and more and more stuff; it means having items that serve real purposes that aren’t met by other items”. This thought can also be utilized when trying to decide if you really need to buy an item. Ask yourself, “Will this provide real value/purpose that is not currently being met by something else that I currently own?” Maintaining a first aid kit in the home and in each car adds value to me but having one in each room of the house, not so much.
As we enter the New Year, hoping for wellbeing and prosperity, it doesn’t hurt to take a little time and ask yourself am I prepared if ______ (fill in your most probable disaster(s)) happens tomorrow? Remember a one degree change today could pay an extreme amount of dividends in the future.
Wishing all you a very happy, safe and prepared New Year from the recliner.
Linda says
Happy New Year to you also Vince.
Diane Russell says
Happy New Year to you. I am looking forward to hearing about your mushroom and 3D printer adventures.
montanaclarks says
We live 22 miles from town in an area where blizzards are common. Like Judy, I could feed us for at least a month or more. We have a flowing source of water, we have generators, we have gas. During a past blizzard our area lost power for almost a week and the roads were impassable–very unusual–but it happened. One of our friends who lives in a HUGE log home with plenty of storage space remarked, “I thought we were going to run out of food.” Are you kidding me??? We too want to reduce the clutter but nothing will induce my husband to get rid of tools he might need for some purpose–and I’m glad–he always has what we need. The author of the book I referenced when commenting on your last blog obviously lives in a city, probably in an apartment and does now have the need for clothes that “don’t bring her joy.” We live in the country, I need clothes for grubby chores–do they “bring me joy”–nope but they are necessary! Good luck with your quest and happy New Year to you and Judy!
Liz says
What is the definition of “joy”? It is different for people and age. There is a joy in being prepared – of knowing that you have food, water, source of heat for cooking, and so on to be able to survive, even if it is for a short period of time.
With the tools and stuff for a specific purpose — there is a joy or contentment in being able to care for someone and maintaining a home. For your grubby chore clothes – I have some of those and the joy in them is that I don’t have to worry about stains and rips. I also have some clean clothes to live in.
montanaclarks says
Very well said Liz!
Liz says
Happy New Year to everyone!
Since many of us face multiple issues, Vince’s question about being prepared needs to be expanded into several parts parts.
First – for a situation, what are the conditions that you would leave or stay in place? Repeat for other possible situations. For example, a house fire – leave asap, a wildfire – evaluate winds and other conditions since leaving may put you in greater danger. Types of dangers – fire, severe storm, earthquake, tornado & hurricane, ice storm, snow storm, riots, electrical grid problem, long term political problems (war).
Second – what do I need to be prepared for? Water, food, shelter, heat, physical & medical necessities, currency, entertainment, protection/security are just a few things. For who/what – parents, children, animals, self?
Third – for how long do you want to be prepared for? Start with a 72 hour plan, then a week, two weeks, a month or two, depending on where you are.
Finally, once you have your action plan (in your head or written down), be careful who you tell since you could become a target in case of a severe problem. You may have enough food for your family for a month, but not for the whole neighborhood. This attitude depends on what the emergency is and how soon you figure life will be close to being normal.
Joyce says
I run into the issue of where to store things. I live along the New Madrid fault line in Missouri, so there is the potential for earthquakes. I also live in tornado alley. If I keep supplies in the basement, I may not be able to get to them after an earthquake. If I keep them upstairs, they may get blown away in a tornado…I try to keep some supplies in both places, but it does make storage more difficult. A friend of mine lives in a hurricane area. She keeps important documents, (insurance papers, titles, etc.) in a crate that she can just pick up and put in the car if she needs to evacuate. Then if there is damage, she has the necessary paperwork for contacting insurance companies, etc.
Vincent Laquidara says
Thank you for taking the time to add additional considerations Liz. I very much appreciate your comments.
V
Liz says
You’re welcome. I started thinking about prep planning after some storms that made the news. Since most of my decisions were to shelter in place, so I had to think about all the other stuff. I’ll probably go through the thought process in January to see if I need to make any adjustments in my plans.
By the way, my decision to shelter in place for most emergencies is because of what happened in OKC few years ago. One of the TV weather guys got a bit overemotional and told people to get underground or leave their houses. So a bunch did, right around rush hour which clogged up traffic even more. Other people went into storm drains which is not smart when heavy rains accompany tornadoes. And, some storm chasers were killed since they got too close and then the tornado direction changed and increased in severity.
Vincent Laquidara says
This link was in my email today https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s64GiwN3hCs I thought it was timely and I can’t wait to start playing with Judy! Do you think the spouse should have a say in what the other discards? It might be an interesting twist on the game. Well, not everything but maybe 1 out of 10 items.
Liz says
A person has to be willing to make a change whether it is drinking, overeating, getting exercise, or getting rid of things. Every person will buy into the change process at a different rate. Forcing a person to do something may just cause an unhealthy stress level. I tried to help my mom with decluttering and we stopped once it became obvious she was stressing out. But, when a friend asked for help in going through some fabric stash, we had fun and she became more open to finishing the process.
I get calls on a monthly basis from charity pick-ups. I never refuse even though I might end up getting up real early that morning to collect a bag or two of items. Now, I’m trying to go through a drawer, shelf, closet or box of stuff to fill up a bag to drop off at charity location. So, you like to go into town to shop, but do you carry a donation bag to drop off? Taking a bag or two every time might be a greater incentive than being competitive or scolding.
As to selecting something for the other to discard, this activity could lead to some cruel retaliation. Declutter and organize your stash of stuff and perhaps Judy will feel like joining in to deal with her excess stuff.
Jackie says
Food for thought, I’ve never thought seriously about having a plan for longer than a few days but will now. Happy New Year everyone!!
JEAN says
We try and be prepared in case of a calamity. Thank you for all the interesting discussion on this.
Happy New Year. I wish you all well.
-Jean <3
Nelle Coursey says
Happy New Year Vince!
DonnainKS says
Quite a number of years ago the area of our former home was hit by a tornado. Several homes, a school totally destroyed. Lots of less severe damage. Electricity and phone out for several weeks. Other areas of the city suffered extreme damage and deaths so our somewhat isolated area did not receive any (official) attention for a long time. We had adequate generators. We had the only gas stove and oven. We fed a lot of our neighbors.
DonnainKS says
We both enjoy your posts, Vince. Of course mostly on a daily basis, we have breakfast with Judy. Die hard fans one might say! Your thoughts on minimalism are good. Very good. Some of us are still DIYers which does mean we hang on to more ‘stuff’. I’ve wished your dear wife a happy, healthy New Year. It bears repeating, Happy, Healthy New Year, Vince. Keep up the good work!
dezertsuz says
My first thought at the beginning was, “I don’t store things I don’t use.” All my preparedness is things I use all the time, with a little additional, such as those handy screw drives, though I really only have one with changeable heads – or my son does and he lives downstairs, so that’s as good as mine, right? =) Somehow, I don’t see you living in a monastery, Vince! Happy New Year.
w jordan says
Well put Vince. Happy New Year to you and Judy this year too .I know you will be glad when she makes it home.