This Prepared Life

What if the food you've carefully stored isn't lasting as long as you think it will? We all have different challenges when it comes to where we store our food. Maybe your basement is humid, your pantry gets too warm, or you're dealing with light, insects, or even mice. You don't need a perfect food storage space, but understanding how your environment affects your food can help...

What should you stock up on in August? One of my favorite ways to build a home food supply is by paying attention to grocery store sales cycles. Every month, different foods and household items go on sale, making it the perfect time to stock your pantry while saving money. In this episode, we're talking about what to watch for during the month of August, including food, household items, and s...

In this episode, I'm answering your preparedness questions! These are real questions submitted by women in our community about food storage, water storage, meal planning, limited space, staying consistent, and overcoming overwhelm. We cover topics like: • How much food and water you should store • Commercially canned vs. home canned foods • How I rotate my long-term food storage • What foods...

Building a home food supply doesn't have to be complicated—but there are a few common mistakes that can make the process more expensive, frustrating, and overwhelming than it needs to be. In this episode, I'm sharing the five biggest mistakes beginners make when starting their food storage journey and, more importantly, how to avoid them. These simple shifts can save you money, reduce wa...

Do you ever feel like preparedness is something you'll get to someday... when you have more money? You're not alone. In this episode, I'm sharing 10 practical ways to become more prepared even when money is tight. From shopping store sales and learning new skills to building your food storage one step at a time, preparedness doesn't have to happen all at once—and it doesn'...

When you hear the words "prepper pantry," what comes to mind? For many people, it's buckets of rice and beans collecting dust in a basement. But long-term food storage doesn't have to look like that. In this episode, we're talking about layer three of my three-layer food storage system: your long-term food storage. I'll walk you through what belongs in this layer, how...

After years of trying to get everything done, I realized something important: overwhelm is not a badge of honor. In this episode, I'm sharing one simple mindset shift that has completely changed the way I plan my week. Instead of making a never-ending to-do list, I create what I call a wish list . It's a small change, but it's helped me feel less overwhelmed, more intentional, and a...

What if your food storage pantry functioned like a grocery store? In this episode, we're talking about layer two of my three-layer food storage system: your home grocery store. This short-term storage layer is made up of the foods your family already eats and uses on a regular basis. The goal isn't to buy a year's worth of random food. It's to intentionally build a working pant...

When we think about food storage, our minds often jump straight to buckets of long-term food and catastrophic emergencies. But in reality, most of the situations we are likely to face will have us reaching for the food already in our kitchen. In this episode, we're talking about layer one of my three-layer food storage system: your kitchen pantry. This often-overlooked layer is actually your...

After a long pause from the podcast, I'm sharing some of the lessons I've learned through one of the hardest seasons of my life. Life can change in ways we never expected. Sometimes the season we are in requires us to let go of the pressure to do it all and focus on what matters most. In this episode, I share a simple analogy that has helped me think differently about capacity, expectati...

Preparedness doesn't have to be complicated, expensive, or take hours of your time. In this episode, I'm sharing five simple preparedness tasks you can do this week to help your family become more prepared for everyday emergencies and unexpected disruptions. These are practical, affordable steps that can make a big difference over time. We talk about: • Water storage and simple ways to g...

My kids ate my food storage. Well, not all of it, but after several of my adult children moved back home, our household went from three people to seven almost overnight. What happened next gave me a real-life test of my food storage system that I never planned for. In this episode, I'm sharing what foods disappeared first, what I had too much of, what surprised me, and what changes I'm m...

I talk a lot about food storage, but nonfood preps are just as important. Here are over 150 nonfood prep items from a recent post on my Instagram titled If You Use It, Prep It. So get a pen and paper and get ready to take some notes. Preparedness is nothing more than planning for the things to come, and we each get to decide what that looks like for our families. Maybe that's one extra of the...

Today, we are having a conversation with Patrice Lewis of Rural Revolution. Join us as we discuss the importance of community in preparedness and the process of moving a homestead. We covered so many topics in episode 27. You can find Patrice on her blog http://www.rural-revolution.com/ Subscribe for Food Storage, Everyday Preparedness, and Homesteading. Jump in with my free Preparedness Planner....

Today's episode is a conversation with Crystal from Whole Fed Homestead. Join us as we talk about food preservation, long-term power outages, using a car as a solar dehydrator, her new book Freeze Fresh, and so much more. You can find Crystal: https://wholefedhomestead.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@wholefedhomestead https://www.instagram.com/wholefedhomestead/ Her book Freeze Fresh can be fou...

Today's guest is an episode not to miss. I talked with author, mother, and prepper for over fifteen years, Millie Copper. Millie Copper writes fiction and non-fiction and is the author of the series Havoc in Wyoming. We talked about creative storage in small spaces, being off-grid, budget prepping, finding community as a prepper, her books, and so much more! You can find more about Millie&apo...

Not my typical content; skip it if this isn't for you. Today, we are talking all about being Prepared, not scared, and how it relates to the Proverbs 31 Woman. Join the discussion on what fear is, how to move from a place of fear to a place of focus, and what it might look like in our preparedness journey. Episode 2 is mentioned https://www.thispreparedlife.com/podcasts/this-prepared-life Pro...

Homesteading and preparedness when you don't live on your farm. Today's guest is Jen from Serenity Hill Farmstead. Jen is a mom to four living in Illinois. Join us today as we talk about her life homeschooling four children, homesteading when you don't live at your homestead, their shed-to-house conversion, living with an autoimmune disease, and so much more. This episode is packed...

Carving a farm out of the woods with passion and energy. Join this discussion with guest Rylee Faust. She is a 20-something homesteader, wife, & mom living in Northern MN. Today as we talk homesteading, prepping, making it work on one income, tips for new homesteaders, living this life with small children, and so much more! Rylee can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/rylee_faust/ Find e...

Azure Standard is my go-to resource for bulk buying and stocking my food storage and prepper pantry. In this episode, I walk you through everything from placing an order to picking it up at a drop site. I also share some of the items I buy and what I like about Azure. I wanted to clarify something regarding the shipping fees that were discussed in the episode. Please note that while using drops, t...

This is part three of the Garden 101 Series. Today, we are talking about one of the most exciting parts of gardening. Join me for a discussion about how I plan my garden, how I handle garden notes, what I plant, how much I plant, and figuring out where and when to plant for your growing zone. Subscribe for Food Storage, Everyday Preparedness, and Homesteading. Jump in with my free Preparedness Pla...

Today is a special guest episode to end #womenwhoprep month over on Instagram. Join today's roundtable discussion with five guests. We answered some listener questions, shared our thoughts on women who prep, and so much more! Joining me today are: Miranda from https://www.instagram.com/ourbusyacres/ Des from https://www.instagram.com/muthaprepper/ Kim from https://www.instagram.com/the_preppy...

Let's talk gardening! This is part two of the Garden 101 series. Today let's talk about starting a garden. Where to put your garden, different things to consider as you pick a space, from sunlight to accessibility, and so much more. I also touch on how to garden if you don't have space at all. You do not have to have land to garden!  Subscribe for Food Storage, Everyday Preparedness...

Let's talk gardening! Spring is right around the corner, and gardeners are getting out their seed packets in anticipation. If you are a new or beginning gardener, this episode is for you. From annual to hybrid to days to harvest, in this episode, I define common gardening terms. I share examples and give you the knowledge you need to understand what you are reading in your garden books and on...

What is practical preparedness and what does it look like as a mom of young kids? Join the discussion in this episode with JaNae from PreparedLikeAMother. Janea lives in Utah with her husband and small children. You can find JaNae at: https://www.instagram.com/preparedlikeamother/ Subscribe for Food Storage, Everyday Preparedness, and Homesteading. Jump in with my free Preparedness Planner. This 2...