Thoughts from a Farm Girl...

This is my first foray in the world of blogging – I thought I would weigh in and share some of my thoughts on having a storehouse of supplies and produce for a "rainy" or as is the case in Canada – a "snowy’ day.

Martin and I are the founders of Good2GoCo. Much of the ideas and products that are included and being added almost daily to our website come from him. That said, I grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan – where the closest city was 15 miles from our farm and many of the products that we carry are familiar to me because of my family’s rural lifestyle. I grew up on a 1000-acre grain farm, where we had chickens, pigs, a couple of dogs, along with a huge area for my sisters and me to roam. We explored much of the region first on foot and then on a 75 Honda trail bike.

Most of our summer months were consumed with tending to the animals, working in our 1-acre garden, and helping with grain farming (driving grain trucks and auguring grain into storage bins) – tasks like that. My mom was a true-blue city girl turned farm wife – I still call her that to this day. She jumped right into farm wife tasks: canning and other food processing and storage, making whole wheat bread/baked goods from grain that she milled herself, processing meat during hunting/butchering season including: plucking and eviscerating chickens and making sausages from venison. She also managed to grow a very productive garden in a sometimes harsh Saskatchewan environment, while supporting my dad and his extended family with planting, growing and harvesting crops on our grain farm.

With all that we did on that farm, my sisters and I learned a lot about managing with little resources (much of the time), making the most of what was grown and raised on our farm, and developed a solid work ethic which I am truly grateful for to this day. In this first blog, I wish to share a few important thoughts on preparedness in all circumstances, and in a follow up blog – I will share some ideas on how to be prepared on a budget.

1. Being prepared is nothing more than a lifestyle choice.

   Putting aside some food, water storage and supplies on a regular basis for a time when money might be tight, when resources might be difficult to get – such as in an emergency situation.  The goal for me and my household is to be a little less vulnerable – and maybe to be able to weather the event a bit more effectively and help others around us.  We have fire season every year here in BC, but I know in talking to friends, family and customers that everyone has their own localized issues: ice storms, hurricanes, flooding and fire (fires certainly aren’t exclusive to us in BC) as well as weird events like a pandemic - who would have thought?

2. Stocking up really isn’t all that difficult.

   I often chat with family and friends who live kind of like we do.  What we find is that the biggest factor is staying organized and that everyone takes a role and pitches in.  Thank goodness some members of my family are crackerjacks with a spreadsheet.  Our family will come together at times to inventory what we have, as well as work on making sure that we are using up old stock (especially food) eating it up – then of course replacing it.

3. Being organized and prepared saves money.

   We as a family attempt to restock when stuff is on sale.  Because we have a reasonable amount of stored products, it allows us to be selective when we are restocking.  Meal planning becomes a whole lot easier when there are limited items that are needed for meals.  Generally speaking, fresh fruit and veggies tends to be one of the only things that are needed from the grocery store on a regular basis - outside of our short growing season.

4. Being prepared even when away from home.

   I have often carried a bag in my car when I traveled either for work or pleasure that housed things like candles, water, snacks like crackers and candies, and maybe a flair to put outside the car if we broke down.  What I have discovered having experienced a flat tire in the middle of nowhere this past year (thankfully within cell range of my husband…phew!) is that because I felt more vulnerable at that moment, I began to realize that I needed a better stock of "stuff" to get me through.  I have since begun to carry a larger seasonal bag – with both winter or summer clothes as well as a good walking footwear and many many other items to better support whoever is in that vehicle should it be needed.  Overall, what I would say is that I take it far more seriously -  having supplies with me wherever I am.

I will wrap up this blog by letting you know that in the coming weeks, I will share with you a few tips and tricks for folks who are new to preparedness and how to start and do it on a budget!

Jacquie
Co-Founder/COO