30 EASY PREPAREDNESS IDEAS — DAY 20

CAN YOU ACTUALLY OPEN YOUR EMERGENCY FOOD?

Welcome to Day 20 of our 30 Easy Preparedness Ideas!

Yesterday we found our utility shutoffs.

Today we're doing something MUCH easier.

No crawling around looking for valves.

No electrical panels.

No gas meters.

Today I have ONE question:

DO YOU OWN A MANUAL CAN OPENER?

And before you say...

“OF COURSE I DO!”

Go find it. ?

Because owning a manual can opener and knowing exactly where that manual can opener disappeared to are apparently two entirely different things.

---

YOU STORED THE FOOD...

You've been building your emergency pantry.

You've got:

• Canned vegetables
• Canned fruit
• Soup
• Beans
• Meat
• Chili
• Sauces
• Maybe enough canned food to feed half the neighborhood

Wonderful!

Then the power goes out.

You reach for the electric can opener.

And...

OH.

That's why today's preparedness challenge is ridiculously simple:

FIND YOUR MANUAL CAN OPENER.

Then...

TEST IT.

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MIMI'S RULE FOR TODAY

If you haven't actually used your manual can opener in years, don't automatically assume it still works well.

Maybe it's:

✔️ Perfect

Or maybe it's:

❌ Rusty
❌ Bent
❌ Dull
❌ Difficult to turn
❌ Missing a handle
❌ Living in a box somewhere since 2007

Today we're finding out.

---

OPEN A CAN!

This might be the easiest preparedness drill we've done all month.

Choose something you're already going to eat.

Maybe you're making:

Soup
Chili
Beans
Canned fruit
Vegetables
Tuna

Use your manual can opener instead of the electric one.

That's it.

Did it work?

Was it easy to use?

Could another adult in the household use it?

Could an older child or teen safely use it if appropriate?

If YES...

PERFECT.

You just tested an emergency tool without wasting anything.

Dinner AND preparedness.

Mimi likes that kind of multitasking. 

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WHY A MANUAL CAN OPENER?

During a power outage, your electric can opener may not be available.

And depending on the emergency, you may also be:

• Away from home
• Using a Grab-N-Go Bag
• Temporarily staying somewhere else
• Unable to use your normal kitchen
• Without electricity for an extended period

A basic manual can opener doesn't need:

• Electricity
• Batteries
• An app
• Wi-Fi

You grab it.

You turn it.

You eat.

SIMPLE IS GOOD. 

---

MIMI'S TIP: DON'T HAVE JUST ONE

If canned food is an important part of your emergency food plan, consider having more than one manual can opener.

One might stay:

• In the kitchen

Another could be stored with:

• Emergency pantry supplies
• Grab-N-Go supplies
• Vehicle/camping supplies, if appropriate for your setup

Why?

Because somehow the ONE thing you're absolutely positive is in the kitchen drawer...

WON'T BE THERE WHEN YOU NEED IT. 

I'm pretty sure there's a secret place where missing socks, scissors, tape measures and can openers all live together.

---

PUT ONE WITH YOUR EMERGENCY FOOD

This is probably my favorite part of today's challenge.

Don't just own a manual can opener.

STORE ONE WHERE IT MAKES SENSE.

If you have a dedicated emergency-food area, put a manual can opener there.

That way you aren't searching through every kitchen drawer during an outage.

You open the emergency food.

And right there is the tool you need to open it.

Preparedness should make an emergency easier, not create a scavenger hunt.

---

WHAT ABOUT YOUR GRAB-N-GO BAG?

Take a quick look at the food in your Grab-N-Go Bag.

Remember our rule from Day 6?

OPEN IT. EAT IT. DONE.

If your Grab-N-Go food requires a can opener...

You have two choices:

Include an appropriate manual opener

OR

Choose foods that don't require one.

For a lightweight Grab-N-Go Bag, I generally prefer foods that are simple to open and eat.

Remember:

SMALL. LIGHT. USEFUL.

A can of chili may be wonderful in your pantry.

It may not be quite as wonderful when you're carrying it three miles. ?

---

CHECK YOUR CAR KIT TOO

Remember Day 10 — Check Your Car Emergency Kit?

Take another look at the food you've stored there.

If anything requires a tool to open...

IS THE TOOL THERE?

This applies to more than cans.

Look at your emergency food and ask:

“WHAT WOULD I NEED TO ACTUALLY EAT THIS?”

Maybe you need:

*A can opener
*A spoon
*A fork
*A way to open difficult packaging
*Water for preparation

Sometimes we do a GREAT job storing food...

and forget the little things required to use it.

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THINK IN COMPLETE MEALS

Remember Day 9?

We planned three no-cook emergency meals.

Today is a good time to look at those meals again.

Can you actually prepare and eat them without electricity?

For example:

Canned chicken + crackers + fruit

Great.

But if the chicken doesn't have a pull tab...

WHERE'S THE CAN OPENER?

Preparedness isn't just:

“DO I HAVE FOOD?”

It's:

“CAN I ACTUALLY USE THE FOOD I HAVE?”

That's a much better question.

---

CHECK FOR PULL-TAB CANS

Some canned foods have easy-open pull tabs.

Those can be very convenient during an emergency.

But don't assume every can in the pantry has one.

Take a quick look.

You may discover:

• Some have pull tabs
• Some require an opener

That's exactly why we're doing this BEFORE the lights go out.

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LET THE KIDS HELP

Kids can participate in today's challenge too.

Have them help look through the pantry.

Ask:

“WHICH OF THESE FOODS NEED A CAN OPENER?”

Then show older children, when age-appropriate, how a manual can opener works and how to handle opened cans carefully.

Remember that opened metal lids and can edges can be sharp.

For younger kids, their job can simply be:

FIND THE CAN OPENER!

Turn it into another preparedness scavenger hunt.

---

CHECK THE CONDITION

While you've got the opener out...

Give it a quick inspection.

Is it:

✔️ Clean?
✔️ Working smoothly?
✔️ Free of serious rust or damage?
✔️ Easy to turn?
✔️ Something you would actually want to use?

If not...

Put a replacement on your shopping list.

You don't need anything fancy.

You just need something dependable that works for your household.

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ADD IT TO YOUR SIX-MONTH CHECK

Remember our growing six-month preparedness routine?

We've checked:

• Batteries
• Emergency snacks
• Backup power
• Pet supplies
• Grab-N-Go Bags
• Vehicle kits
• First-aid supplies

Now add:

TEST THE MANUAL CAN OPENER.

It takes about a minute.

Use it to open something you're eating anyway.

Done.

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TODAY'S BONUS QUESTION

Once you've found the can opener, stand in front of your emergency pantry and ask:

“IF THE POWER WAS OUT RIGHT NOW, COULD WE EAT THIS FOOD?”

That one question may reveal a few things.

Maybe you need:

• Another manual can opener
• Disposable or reusable utensils
• More stored water
• More no-cook foods
• An emergency cooking plan
• A few simple meal ideas

Don't try to fix everything today.

Write down what you notice.

Remember:

ONE LITTLE THING AT A TIME.

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TODAY'S EASY PREPAREDNESS CHALLENGE

Today:

☐ Find your manual can opener
☐ Make sure you actually HAVE one ?
☐ Inspect its condition
☐ Open a can you're already going to eat
☐ Make sure it works properly
☐ Decide where it should permanently live
☐ Consider keeping a second opener with emergency supplies
☐ Check whether canned emergency foods require an opener
☐ Check the food in your Grab-N-Go Bag
☐ Check food in your vehicle emergency kit
☐ Ask what other tools you need to eat your stored food

Then ask:

“IF THE POWER WENT OUT TONIGHT, COULD I OPEN OUR FOOD?”

If the answer is YES...

TODAY'S CHALLENGE WORKED!

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✅ DAY 20 — DONE!

Twenty days!

Look at how much we've accomplished without trying to completely rebuild our emergency plans overnight.

And today's lesson couldn't be simpler:

STORING FOOD IS GREAT.

BEING ABLE TO OPEN IT IS EVEN BETTER. ?

Find it.

Test it.

Give it a permanent home.

Then enjoy whatever you opened for today's preparedness drill.

Tomorrow for Day 21, we're adding something to our emergency bags that doesn't necessarily keep us fed, warm or hydrated...

But during a stressful emergency—especially for children—it can still be incredibly important.

COMFORT.

A small toy.

A deck of cards.

A book.

Coloring supplies.

Something familiar.

Because preparedness isn't only about surviving an emergency.

It's also about helping the people we love get through it.

Until tomorrow...

ONE LITTLE THING AT A TIME.

— Mimi

PackFreshUSA | 30 Easy Preparedness Ideas