Thursday, March 5, 2015

Mark the Date an Item Was Opened.


     Everyone that practices emergency preparation and storage usually ends up wondering how long will their supplies last.  The way I answered that question is that when I open a product, such as shampoo, I take a permanent marker and I write the “opened” date on the container.  Whenever the contents become used up, I mark that date down in my record of supplies.  Count the number of days from “opened” to “used up” and there you go! 

     I have used this "opened" date method for accurately finding out how long several of my items actually last.  That enables me to be prepared for specific lengths of time to have my prepping supplies serve my needs.  I suggest that you try doing the same thing to find out how long your own supplies will last.  For example, that shampoo of mine lasted a specific amount of time, but I was the only person using it.  My wife doesn’t like the shampoo I use, so she uses another brand.  Yesterday I used up that shampoo that I opened on the 20th of October 2014.  Calculating that period of time, I found that my daily use of shampoo in that sized container  lasted me 132 days.  Make note of how many people use the product you are tracking.  That's important information when making quantity calculations. 
 
    Using this method accurately identifies the consumption rate of each product, whether it be shampoo, bar soap, laundry soap, catsup, cooking oil or whatever.  Doing it this way you can plan your preps without having a glut of one product over another.  Your preps will be very much more organized than before.

     I hope this benefits you in your efforts to be prepared for life's unexpected challenges.  Even though they may be unexpected, we know they're coming our way.  It's just a matter of time. 

Have a great prepping day!
Bob Hotaling
preppingpatriot@gmail.com