"A small percentage of something is so much better than a higher percentage of nothing"

I was looking for updates this morning on all of the Provident Living blogs that I follow and saw the above title. It intrigued me, so I logged in and read it. Basically, it was a motivational post for those who are not working on our food storage and preparedness that it takes "BABY STEPS" to get to the end product (the year's supply, etc). Here is what she said:

In a conversation I had with a salesman, it came up that at times, he has to reduce the price of what he's selling in order to get the business and make the sale. Reducing the price of the item(s) he sells lowers his commission. He then said along the lines of, " A (lower) percentage of something is better than a (higher) percentage of nothing." He's so right. That saying has emerged in other conversations, but I was thinking about how it applies to food storage.

If you are like me, I like to have things done. That's why, for a longer time than I care to admit, I put my food storage on the shelf and walked away. I didn't want to use my food storage. If I used it, I would have less, right? So I put it there and felt pretty good about the numbers, but had very little to no idea about what I would do with it if a crisis hit. Rice and beans were good in theory, but didn't make an appearance on the dinner table until I decided to get serious about the actual preparation of food storage. Practical application trumps the dream of self-sufficiency any day.

Back to the percentage thing--I'm pretty sure that those concerned with being prepared for emergencies (you have no idea how much I wish that meant absolutely everyone) would like to be 100% prepared. Well, ummm...the bad news is that in my personal opinion being absolutely prepared for everything is not possible. The good news is that you can be absolutely prepared in some areas, though. And that's where the lower percentage of something undeniably beats a higher percentage of nothing.

I think that sometimes, people think they will do things all at once, and usually the time for that will be sometime in the distance future. They may think that they will save up for an entire year's supply of food, when they could just purchase needed items little by little---they want the 100% prepared version, which, since it is not in their hands, is essentially 100% of nothing.

Personally, I think that a smaller percentage of something in our possession, even if at the beginning it only amounts to a three-day supply of food, is far superior to having nothing on hand. Set goals for yourself if you are just starting out, and don't let food storage overwhelm you. You can get a 3 days' supply to start out with, and chances are, rice and beans won't even be on the menu at that point. Then move on to 3 weeks. Then to 3 months. Then to 3 years. (Yeah, I was just checking to make sure you were paying attention--would love to have 3 years' supply on hand, but still working on that year goal....)

There are still things that I need to work on. Here we are in June, and I still haven't completed my inventory and worked out a system that works for me where that's concerned. Part of it is just that I don't think about that particular aspect of it enough. I haven't worked enough on the 3 month supply as opposed to long-term storage. We all have our areas that we need to work on (hey, if I'm alone on this, be kind :) but we can up our percentages if we set realistic goals and work on them. And it is work.....work that we might not be able to do tomorrow, so we better do it today. http://adventuresinbloggingtoo.blogspot.com/ (this is the blog that I pulled this from)

I wholeheartedly agree with what she says. So, start off with "baby steps" -- that is what I did and now I have a nice supply of food (always still working on it, but it is so comforting to know that we could survive for "quite some time" on what we do have). When I first started food storage, I would buy one can extra of "something" (for example, spaghetti sauce). That was the most I could do at that time in my life. Then, it got to be a habit to buy one extra can of several things and then several extra cans of several things and then an extra case of something and then extra cases of several things.... see the progression? Now I am to the point of typically ONLY buying storage items when they are on sale and buying LOTS of that particular item. When I go to the grocery store, it is usually for a cart full of dairy and produce -- and the sale items.

Well, I like some of the new ideas that have come out on how to begin your food storage. There are many different ways to approach this elephant. The most important thing, though, is to start. Some may say that it is most important to store the wheat and the rice and the beans and the powdered milk first. However, I tend to like the "new" counsel to store three months of what you actually eat now and then work on the year's supply of the other items. And, as a side note, if you are not used to eating beans, wheat, etc., you better start learning to use them now or your body will reject them if that is all you are using in an emergency. I never thought my family would be able to get used to eating beans and wheat and now we eat them all the time with no side effects.

What I am saying is... START NOW! You've heard this before and I am sure you will hear it again -- time is running short. We have been counseled for so many years -- we have no excuses. How blessed we are that we have been warned and shown how to do it. Now, progress ladies... onward and upward.

BTW, if any of you would like help in getting started, please contact me and I would be happy to help you get on your way. I have a passion for this subject and love to share with those around me. Call me (or e-mail me at susan_wheatley@comcast.net) and set up a time to come over and I'll give you handouts and more importantly, help you make a plan.

Have a beautiful Sabbath -- it is a gorgeous day out there! Susan (SuWheat)