2012 Looms Near - Prepare Now

We're all doing our best just to stay afloat these days. Looking around at the people in my life I can see that it's not easy for any of them. There's house payments and cars to tend to. Health care has become an issue in almost every family close to me. Grocery bills are at an all time high. We have children and parents to tend to and pets to care for and feed. Add in all the extra hobbies and activities and most of us are just too worn out to even think about anything more. At the end of the day we get cozy on our sofa or chair and kick up our feet. This is a huge mistake. Now is the time to be putting out that extra effort to look out for your family and prepare for 2012.

This is the home stretch ! With only about two years left to get ready for whatever might come in 2012, the list of things to do seems to grow rather than shrink. There are so many predictions of possible disasters out there that most people have no clue just what to do to feel they've planned and prepared themselves. With that in mind, here are a few of the things that I believe should be done to prepare for whatever may come.

Liquidate :
If you're like most people, you've got plenty of extra items in your house or apartment that you've been meaning to put in that garage sale you were going to have some day. It's time to quit procrastinating and organize all of the spare items you own and could live without. It may take some time to get everything clean and priced all ready to sell, but it's something that should be done. Get rid of as much as you can to keep your life clutter free and to also make it so nothing slows you down if you need to evacuate.

Invest in items that are sure to be good for trade. :
If most of the predictions are accurate for 2012, power and communication will be a real issue. Dry food goods and fuel will also be in dire need. There are many items you might consider investing your garage sale profits in to. Basic survival items would be a smart investment. When money is no longer an option, a small piece of flint to start fires might be of value. You have to put your mind into the right frame to think of items that would be easy to trade and still be easy to stock up on. The future could be very bleak so preparing as if you were going to live in a cave for a few years isn't a bad idea. Trade could easily become the only way to acquire things. Keep that in mind when you make purchases to prepare.

Buy How To Books and Magazines :
It would be great if we were all educated enough to be useful and capable when needed. The problem is that there are too many things that might need taking care of. Don't wait till you need to build a fire to try to learn how to build one. Think about the things you're great at and the things that you're a little unsure of yourself with. Get some how to books to help you through. There are books on just about every survival subject that you can purchase or check out at your local library. Take the time to learn about the things that will get you and your family through most any crisis. It would be wise to invest in a first aid book when preparing for 2012.

Plan escape routes and keep gas tanks full :
It's amazing just how fast the price of gas rises and how so many stations manage to change the price on the same days. Gas could become scarce with virtually no notice. Those of us that are older will remember the lines we waited in during the seventies to get gas. While you can't store more gas than your car holds, it's smart to keep your gas tank full at all times. If you have more than one car, keep all tanks full. You may not be able to store up gas, but you can purchase extra car batteries and parts now. These items may become hard if not impossible to find during an emergency. Be smart and have spare hoses, spark plugs, and any other parts you're able to store easily. Also investing in a good tool kit is absolutely essential to being prepared for disaster. If you're able to upgrade your car to a hybrid economical car, now might be a good time to start shopping. Equip any car you have with paper maps and acquaint yourself with alternate routes to your emergency destination.

Put together a first aid kit :
Medical supplies are sure to be one of the first things to run low in any disaster. Don't wait till prices inflate more than they have already. Stock up now on as many first aid and medical items as you can easily afford and store. This should be an extensive kit. Increasing your content to four hundred percent of a regular first aid kit would still be conservative when planning for a world disaster. 2012 might bring untold virus or flu and any other air borne illnesses. There might be war going on that would include germs or poisons. Every kit should have air filtering masks in large quantity included. You can not be too prepared in this area. Medicines and ointments are sure to be good for trade as well. Store items as labels direct.

Think Big :
The hardest part about trying to prepare for 2012 is not knowing what disasters might occur and how long they might last. To really prepare, you have to think big. You might need several months of supplies just to survive. Cleaning out things you can't use to make space for storing things you will need is the ideal solution. If you can transport things to your planned safe spot and store them there, even better. Remember to store dry food items in cool dry areas. Keep as many plastic containers with lids as you can and use them for added protection. It's also an excellent idea to start collecting individual condiment containers that you get from fast food stores and store them in a large plastic container.

No matter what you do to prepare for 2012, it's likely to not be enough. It's so hard to plan for the future even when we know what we're planning for. Trying to prepare for the possible disasters that are predicted to come during 2012 is a huge task. Putting off planning and preparing seems incredibly foolish. We've been warned from many cultures that the year 2012 will bring many changes. To turn our heads and look away from these warnings could bring on dire consequences. I will be doing many things to prepare for my family and myself in the next year. I hope you and your family do the same and I hope we're all laughing about it in 2013.