I started to seriously prepare for a prolonged period of sheltering place about 18 months ago by buying food with at least a two year shelf life. Last week I happily gathered up supplies expiring in the next six months and donated them to the local food bank. It was about $30 to $40 worth of food which I am replacing as things come on sale. This amounts to a five dollar a month insurance policy.
The value of this habit, this insurance policy was driven home again with RenalWEB's link to aAP article via Yahoo, US health official says flu threat high:
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Julie Gerberding says bird flu fatigue among countries and the public is a growing concern.
The way to combat preparation fatigue is to make preparation a habit. Being in a position of donating food to the local food bank periodically feels good and is smart insurance.
I have six plastic bins - covering the range of expiration dates. As I buy food I store them by their donation date - every three months I will donate the food expiring in the next four months. The six bins are organized by food to donate in three months; six months; nine months; over a year; over two years; over three years. The best outcome would be if I never needed any of these supplies and this amounts to a habit of supporting the food bank: support the food bank while meeting my civic responsibility for personal preparation.
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