As the world looks global recession square in the face, it’s time to take the scout motto to heart – and quickly!

• Are you and your family prepared for a disruption of services or goods that you use every day?

• How long could you survive RIGHT now with what you have in your home?

• How long could you continue to meet your financial obligations if you lost your income tomorrow?

• If your drinking water supply were to become undrinkable how long could you survive on the supply you have right now?

If trucks suddenly stopped delivering food to stores it would take about three days for store shelves to become completely empty. This is assuming, however, that food is flowing off the shelves in normal circumstances and is not stripped off in a panic.

We are to the point where every family really needs to seriously think about being prepared for self-sustained survival.

This includes:

A three-month food supply – yes this is large – but at least start working on this! Purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply. Then gradually increase your supply until you get to a three-month supply. Rotate regularly to avoid spoilage.

Drinking water supply – How much water should be stored? Everyone needs a minimum of a gallon of water for drinking and an additional gallon of water for cooking and washing per day is also necessary.

This means that two gallons of water, per day, per person are necessary. You should add about 10 drops of liquid chlorine bleach (Clorox) per gallon of stored water. PLAIN bleach only – no fragrances or additives! This will kill most microorganisms in the water. A slight chlorine smell is fine.

Financial reserves – The ideal would be six months of savings to cover your current obligations. Save a little money each week and gradually increase it to a reasonable amount.

Get out of debt to increase your reserve also. Interest makes a slave out of you and until paid it will continue to grow. Avoid future debt if at all possible!

Teach your children the principles of hard work, frugality, saving and debt-free living while they are young. This mindset will serve them well for the rest of their lives.

Time to remember that old scout motto! Be prepared! Before it’s too late!