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The irony that this episode is set to air the week Texas is in a state of emergency, is not lost on me. We have been struggling with power outages, frozen pipes, blizzards, historic cold temps, water shortages- it’s been crazy!! I am getting the message loud and clear that the Lord wants me and my family to be better ready for unexpected trials. This wild experience, combined with the important information and tools from this interview, have me ready to take on a new level of preparing my home and family.

With that said, Emergency Preparedness can be overwhelming. There is so much that can be done to prepare for the unexpected, it can be paralyzing at the thought. If you are wondering where to start, I have found an amazing resource that will guide us through step by step through how to get our homes ready in case of a house fire, earthquakes, gas leaks, water leaks, and other potential disasters!!

Meet Melanie Papworth, creator of Plan for Awesome!! She has created an AMAZING e-book that takes us through preparing our home and families so we can have confidence and peace when disaster strikes. She has an awesome challenge that will only take you 15 minutes per day for a month to get you where you need to have your home safe and ready. I am so excited to share her with you.

Listen below or through your favorite podcast app!

This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission for sharing at no cost to you.

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Show Notes:

How do we keep from being overwhelmed by all the things we need to get ready?

Start with the simple things. Instead of being overwhelmed by a big project, start with something small that you can finish.
Realize you don’t have to finish. This is something that you continue to work on little by little.
Start with what feels good and what is easy enough for you to get the ball rolling
Make sure you have a space to put your finished things - Melanie uses her coat closet for her 72 hours kids and emergency supplies

How do we afford emergency preparedness?

Use a tax return to purchase a big chunk of food storage or a big ticket item like a generator
Give as gifts! Flashlights are great stocking stuffers
A lot of stuff is free or really cheap, you just need to gather it

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Emergency Prep in 15 minutes per day challenge:

The challenge is broken up into 4 weeks. Each week you involve different people in your family. It’s Monday through Friday - you get the weekends off! Or you can do a ton on the weekend and not do it during the week. Whatever works best for your schedule!
Melanie has created a course to take you through each step to get you prepared: Quick & Easy Emergency Preparedness, HERE!!

How is the challenge set up?

Week 1 is for the parents: purchasing some tools, organizing some things before you involve the family. (Melanie tells a great story about her disaster with her gas meter!!)
Week 2 - bring your older kids into the mix: such as learning how to shut off the water and where the shut off tools are

In the e-book you are walked through things like: knowing how to open your garage door manually, making sure everyone in your home has a physical house key, getting fire ladders for your upstairs windows, mount the fire extinguisher you purchased in week one, etc. Lots of small details that will save you a lot of frustrations.
Week 3 - similar to week 2, checking smoke alarms, getting family emergency plan ready and printed, print out CPR instructions, think about things you would need if you were put on quarantine or stay at home orders, getting together an evacuation grab list
Week 4 (Melanie’s favorite!!) - involve the whole family in a chat together about your emergency preparedness plan. This week is about power outages, food safety, house fires, fire safety, and going through your family emergency plan.