Use the reopening to prepare for what’s next with COVID-19

Jon StokesStaff - May 27, 2020

Whatever challenge you’ve faced from the pandemic — the psychological stress of distancing and of not knowing what will happen next, meat shortages,
[See the full post at: Use the reopening to prepare for what’s next with COVID-19]

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Great post Jon, thanks! Good insight, forethought and great to have a solid starting point for what’s coming down the road.

 

Very well written!

 

I really appreciate your ‘hope for the best but [literally] prepare for the worst’ attitude in these articles.  This line is great: “My fervent hope is that my kids will go to college and have fun stories to tell their friends about how their dad went full doomer during the coronavirus and they ended up with pet pigs and a giant water tank.”

Just to add to this: even if your budget/preps aren’t highly elaborate you can still take smaller steps: packing extra masks in cars (in case your forget while your out and need one), updating even modest everyday carry options (or finally adopting an everyday carry) with relevant supplies (hand sanitizer, first aide, etc).  Investing in modest ergonomics if you can telework (like a decent chair or standing desk so you don’t ruin your back).  Learning more about food storage (lemons and apples seem to last almost forever in the fridge, I’ve learned).

Even if you can’t prepare for a true worst-case scenario there are modest steps you can still take.

 

I’ve been looking for a post like this – to double check my goals with someone else’s.

My kids are teenagers now and we’ve been homeschooling since the beginning. For what it’s worth it took us a couple of years to get into the groove with homeschooling. So if it doesn’t click right away, don’t assume it won’t work for you – sometimes it just takes awhile to work out the kinks. We love homeschooling the freedom is priceless!

 

Thank you! I find myself coming to this blog more often lately for rational, non-politicized information on what to do next. It’s refreshing to cut through all the noise and get focused advice. One thing I’d love to hear from you all is how to prioritize prep in a small space. We live in South FL in a condo. We’re thinking through how to piggyback on our standard hurricane preparations (it’s that time of year) to try to be ready for both a major storm and more fallout from COVID-19. Daunting.

 

Hi Audrey,

I’m also in a small space and have suddenly invested in a LOT of wire rack shelving.  It’s useful both for storing supplies and also for hanging grow lights over the food I’ve started growing.  My apartment now looks more like a fulfillment center but I’ve surrendered to giving up aesthetics.  The extra plants add some beauty, at least.

 

This post has a wealth of good advice. I particularly appreciate this line: “For instance, if I have an asset or a liability (e.g. a lease or other commitment) I’d like to part with before things get bad, now’s the time to hand that off to someone who’s more optimistic than I am.”

It’s like my own personal wake-up call to do some things I’d been putting off before the pandemic. Thank you!