30 EASY PREPAREDNESS IDEAS — DAY 15

WE'RE HALFWAY THERE! 

Can you believe it?

DAY 15!

We are officially HALFWAY through our 30 Easy Preparedness Ideas Challenge!

If you've been following along every day, look at everything you've already done.

And if you've missed a day—or five—guess what?

YOU'RE STILL PREPARING.

This isn't a race.

There isn't a prize for finishing first.

There isn't a preparedness police officer coming to inspect your pantry. 

The whole point of this challenge has been:

ONE LITTLE THING AT A TIME. 

And today we're going to pull several of those little things together.

Go find your:

GRAB-N-GO BAG!

Today we're not just looking inside it.

We're going to ask one very important question:

CAN YOU ACTUALLY GRAB IT AND GO?

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FIRST...WHERE IS IT?

Before we even unzip the bag:

Could you find it quickly?

If someone said:

“We need to leave the house in five minutes!”

Would you know exactly where your Grab-N-Go Bag is?

Or would you be saying:

“Wait...I KNOW it's here somewhere...” 

Closet?

Garage?

Under the bed?

Behind the Christmas decorations?

That's our first test.

Your emergency supplies don't do much good if you can't find them.

Choose a location that is:

✔️ Easy to remember
✔️ Reasonably accessible
✔️ Known to the family
✔️ Practical for your household

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NOW OPEN IT UP!

Remember all those little preparedness jobs we've been doing?

Some of them should start coming together right here.

Let's take a peek.

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REMEMBER DAY 4?

We made our Grab-N-Go Sanitation Kits.

Do you have basic personal hygiene supplies?

Maybe:

• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Soap
• Hand sanitizer
• Tissues or toilet paper
• Wipes
• Lip balm
• Sunscreen
• Personal hygiene items

Those little PackFreshUSA Stand-Up Pouches we talked about are a handy way to organize some of these smaller supplies so you're not digging through the bottom of a backpack looking for them.

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REMEMBER DAY 6?

We built our Grab-N-Go Snack Kits!

Check them.

Are they actually IN the bag?

Do you have foods your family will eat?

Remember Mimi's rule:

PACK FOOD THEY'LL ACTUALLY EAT!

Not the emergency snack everyone hates but somehow keeps getting moved from one emergency bag to another for seven years. 

And don't forget water.

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REMEMBER DAY 7?

We charged our Backup Power.

If a power bank belongs in your Grab-N-Go Bag:

Is it actually there?

And here's the million-dollar question:

IS THE RIGHT CHARGING CABLE WITH IT?

Because a fully charged power bank and the wrong cable make a lovely little paperweight. 

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REMEMBER DAY 8?

We checked our Pet Grab-N-Go Bags.

If you're evacuating...

THE PETS ARE GOING TOO.

Make sure their supplies are easy to grab along with yours.

Food.

Water.

Leash.

Harness.

Carrier.

Medications.

Identification.

Waste supplies.

Comfort item.

You shouldn't have to build the pet bag while everyone else is standing at the door waiting.

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REMEMBER DAY 11?

We opened our First-Aid Kits.

Do you have an appropriate small first-aid kit with your emergency supplies?

It doesn't have to contain everything in the bathroom medicine cabinet.

Remember:

SMALL. LIGHT. USEFUL.

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REMEMBER DAY 12?

We started our Emergency Cash Stash.

If you've decided to keep a small amount of emergency cash with your Grab-N-Go supplies, is it secure and discreet?

You don't need to carry your entire emergency savings account on your back.

Just another layer of preparedness.

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REMEMBER DAY 13?

We made our Emergency Contact Cards!

This one is easy.

PUT A COPY IN THE BAG.

Phone numbers.

Important contacts.

Out-of-area contact.

Essential information your family might need.

Your phone is wonderful.

Paper doesn't need a charger. 

WHAT ELSE DOES YOUR BAG NEED?

Every household will look a little different.

Depending on your family and situation, consider things like:

• Change of clothing
• Extra socks
• Appropriate footwear
• Seasonal layer
• Flashlight or headlamp
• Batteries or backup power
• Water
• Food/snacks
• First-aid supplies
• Sanitation supplies
• Emergency contact information
• Small amount of emergency cash
• Necessary personal medications
• Spare glasses when practical
• Baby supplies
• Items needed by older family members
• Pet supplies
• Small comfort item for a child

But before you start adding EVERYTHING you can possibly imagine...

STOP.

Because now comes the most important part of today's challenge.

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PUT. THE. BAG. ON.

Seriously.

PUT IT ON.

Don't just lift it with one hand and say:

“Yep. Seems fine.”

Put it on your back.

Adjust the straps.

Walk around.

Walk down the hallway.

Walk outside.

Walk around the house.

If appropriate for you, walk for several minutes.

Then ask:

COULD I ACTUALLY CARRY THIS IF I HAD TO LEAVE?

This is where we sometimes discover that our wonderful emergency bag weighs approximately...

742 POUNDS. 

Okay, maybe not.

But when we're preparing, it's really easy to keep saying:

“Oh! I might need this!”

And...

“Maybe I should add this too!”

And...

“One more thing won't hurt!”

Until we have a bag we can't comfortably carry.

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MIMI'S RULE

Remember this?

SMALL. LIGHT. USEFUL.

Your Grab-N-Go Bag is not your entire home emergency supply.

You don't have to carry everything you own.

Think about what you would realistically need if you had to leave quickly.

Some emergency supplies stay at home.

Some may stay in the vehicle.

Some belong in your Grab-N-Go Bag.

EVERYTHING DOESN'T HAVE TO GO ON YOUR BACK.

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NOW CHECK THE KIDS' BAGS

This is especially important.

If your children have their own Grab-N-Go Bags:

HAVE THEM PUT THEIR BAGS ON TOO.

Can they comfortably carry them?

Are the straps adjusted correctly?

Has your child grown since you packed it?

Are the clothes inside three sizes too small now?

Is the bag itself too heavy?

Kids grow FAST.

That little backpack that worked last year may not work the same way today.

Mimi's Tip: A child's emergency bag should help them—not exhaust them.

Adults should still plan around the child's age, abilities and needs.

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AND DON'T FORGET THE ADULTS

This same rule applies to us!

Different people have different physical abilities.

A bag that's perfectly manageable for one person may be far too heavy for another.

Age, mobility and health all matter.

BUILD THE BAG FOR THE PERSON WHO WILL ACTUALLY CARRY IT.

Not for the person in the survival video who apparently hikes 47 miles before breakfast. 

Preparedness should work for YOUR real life.

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TRY A MINI GRAB-N-GO

Want to make today's challenge even better?

Tell the family:

“WE HAVE FIVE MINUTES. LET'S GO!”

Don't actually leave for the weekend. 

Just practice.

Grab:

• Emergency bags
• Phones
• Wallet/purse
• Keys
• Pet supplies
• Essential medications or other critical items your plan calls for

Then meet at your designated exit or family gathering spot.

HOW LONG DID IT TAKE?

Did someone forget their shoes?

Could nobody find the keys?

Was the cat carrier buried behind six boxes in the garage?

Did somebody's bag weigh more than the child carrying it?

GOOD!

Those are exactly the things we want to discover during practice.

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LOOK FOR THE GAPS

After your mini drill, ask:

WHAT ARE WE MISSING?

Maybe you need:

☐ Another flashlight
☐ Fresh snacks
☐ More water
☐ Different clothing
☐ Updated medication information
☐ A new charging cable
☐ A copy of your Emergency Contact Card
☐ Pet supplies
☐ A lighter bag
☐ Better organization

Write it down.

You don't necessarily have to buy everything today.

MAKE A LIST AND WORK ON IT.

One little thing at a time.

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ADD YOUR BAG TO THE 6-MONTH CHECK

Remember our growing six-month preparedness routine?

Add the Grab-N-Go Bags.

Every six months:

• Open the bags
• Rotate snacks
• Check water
• Review medications
• Check clothing sizes
• Recharge power banks
• Test flashlights
• Update Emergency Contact Cards
• Review emergency cash
• Update pet supplies
• Adjust children's bags
• Inspect backpacks, zippers and straps

And then...

PUT THE BAG ON AGAIN!

Because supplies change.

Kids grow.

Our needs change.

Preparedness should change with us.

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LOOK HOW FAR WE'VE COME!

We're halfway through this challenge.

And look at what we're building.

We're not trying to prepare for every possible disaster in one afternoon.

We're building habits.

We're organizing.

We're practicing.

We're teaching our families.

We're finding the gaps.

And we're fixing them.

ONE LITTLE THING AT A TIME. 

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TODAY'S EASY PREPAREDNESS CHALLENGE

☐ Find your Grab-N-Go Bag
☐ Make sure everyone knows where it is
☐ Open it and check the contents
☐ Add your sanitation kit
☐ Check snacks and water
☐ Check backup power and cables
☐ Add your Emergency Contact Card
☐ Review first-aid supplies
☐ Review personal medications and needs
☐ Check pet supplies
☐ Check children's clothing and bag fit
☐ REMOVE things you don't really need
☐ PUT THE BAG ON
☐ Walk around with it
☐ Ask: “Can I actually carry this?”

BONUS:

 TRY A FIVE-MINUTE FAMILY GRAB-N-GO!

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✅ DAY 15 — DONE!

WE'RE HALFWAY THERE! ?

Fifteen days.

Fifteen little preparedness jobs.

And hopefully your home and family are a little more prepared today than they were when we started.

That's the goal.

Not perfection.

PROGRESS. 

Tomorrow for Day 16, we're heading into the pantry.

We're going to choose ONE dry food your family already eats and package it for longer-term storage.

Rice?

Beans?

Pasta?

Oats?

You choose!

We'll talk Mylar, oxygen absorbers, sealing and labeling—and we'll keep it EASY.

Until tomorrow...

ONE LITTLE THING AT A TIME. 

— Mimi

PackFreshUSA | 30 Easy Preparedness Ideas