it's the end of the world as we know it...

okay, not really. but i freaking love that song. and it happens to be in my head.

some things you probably don't know about me: politics and finances confuse me. like this whole economy thing. i'm totally at a loss. i don't really understand it. after about ten minutes my head hurts when i try to understand it. but what i do understand is this. it sucks. it's crappy. and everything is based on speculation. like, who cares if the bigwigs think that there's going to be some big storm/war/bailout/stock market drop. what does that have to do with anything? (you're not required to explain it to me. i promise i still won't get it.)

the other thing i understand is that things are going downhill. money is really tight. it always has been, my whole life. but it is getting tighter. and who knows, in a year, a month, a week, maybe even tomorrow, there could be a natural disaster. a fire. a flood. the government could crash. doom and gloom, doom and gloom, yadda yadda. but even though i don't like to be pessimistic, it is a very real possibility. and we have been told to prepare for the worst. so today after stocks dropped huge points (again) my hubby called me at work. and we made a decision. a decision that was put on a credit card, that we are trying to pay off. but an important decision.

a $400 decision.

flour, powdered milk, canned food, water, flashlights, emergency kits, and ammunition later we had two carts full of stuff at wal-mart. 72-hour and first-aid kits. and the reassurance that we at least have something to fall back on. tomorrow i'm going to make sure we have clothes and other staples to go with our food etc.

those of you who have prepared yourself for disasters: what do you think is the most important thing to have? what food items do you keep on hand? any suggestions on how to store it and rotate it? what is the shelf life on stuff like that? any helpful hints are appreciated!