With the credit crunch, stock markets moving down and recession looming, Americans need to be ready to take care of their families. We're moving into a time when we are all going to have to become more self-reliant. This doesn't have to be a big scary task, but can be pursued in small and inexpensive ways.

Why Prepare?

The federal government has long advocated each family have emergency supplies for at least three days. In the last few years they've upped the recommendation from three days to two weeks. Storms can knock out power or disrupt supply lines without notice.

Snowstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes all leave many people without power or supplies for extended periods of time. It has been estimated that in most large cities, there is only a three day supply of food. Any emergency that disrupts trucking to the area will prevent resupply of the stores. It makes sense to have a cache of goods that will keep your family safe, warm and well fed during any emergency.

How to Prepare - The Basics

First off, make sure you have at least a three-day supply of food and water for each person in your family. Many companies carry a 72-hour Kit for portable security, but you can just put together your own supplies in a backpack. You can get a three-day food bar for only about $7.50. Add some bottles of water, a small first-aid kit and blankets and you've got a good start.

You'd be surprised how many potential emergency supplies you already have in your house. Gather up all the candles, oil lamps and any extra blankets you have. Look through your pantry at all the foods that you don't really eat, but are there anyway. You're likely to have excess canned vegetables, soups and dry goods. This all counts toward your emergency supply.

Do you have camping gear? Many of these items can do double duty as emergency supplies. You might have a propane stove, sleeping bags and tents, along with heaters, lanterns and cooking gear. All these items would be helpful in an emergency. You might have a first-aid kit that came with your car, or a roadside emergency kit that has some helpful items inside. You get the idea. Look at everything you have with your emergency cache in mind and you might find you are already more prepared than you thought you were.

Step Two -Buy What You Need

Gather all your emergency preparations in one place. Now that you've got a pretty good pile of supplies, you can see what you're missing and may need to purchase. You can go to any discount store, like Aldi's or Sav-a-Lot, and buy cases of canned and dry goods. $50 will get you a good amount of basic supplies. Even buying 5 or 10 pounds each of beans and rice is a nutritious and ultracheap way to make sure your family has enough to eat, and can be had for 10 or $15. You're not going to WANT to live on beans and rice for two weeks, but you could if you really needed to (add some digestive enzymes to your storage to help your body adjust to the diet).

For immediate and longer-term storage, freeze-dried foods are a good choice. They will stay fresh for up to 25 years and are ready-to-eat without cooking. This could be important in an emergency, since it eliminates long cooking times and the need to store fuel.

Another possibility for complete ready to eat meals are MRE's . These are civilian versions of the military "Meals Ready to Eat." They are said to be much better tasting than the old C-Rations are K-Rations that had such a bad reputation. Food science has come a long way!

Water Storage

For your short-term emergency supply, buy bottled water. You should figure on 1 gallon a day per person for drinking. Start buying a few large bottles or cases a week, and adding them to your stores. You can economize by cleaning and filling pop bottles You'll need to treat the water with bleach for storage, see my water storage page for details.

Longer term, you may want to store your water supply in large water barrels or clean 2 liter pop bottles. If you have a reliable source of water (like a river, pond, lake, or stream), you could invest in a good water filtration system to supplement your short-term supply. This gives you security, and you get the added health benefits of pure water right now.

Miscellaneous Items

You'll need basic first aid supplies . You probably already have a lot of these in your home. Make sure your medicine cabinet is well-stocked and keep your medications up to date. Buy your family extra soap, toilet paper, and personal toiletries. These are items you wouldn't want to be without. Buy potassium iodide if you live downwind of a nuclear plant (you can get it from Nitro-Pak.com ).

Plastic, duct tape and cord can all be very helpful in an emergency. If you don't already have these items, you can purchase them for very little money. Also a small supply of nails and screws might be handy to have. Sometimes it's the little things that make the difference.