I’ve had bigger laundry piles than I’ve ever dealt with in the past few weeks. It is so odd for us not to have clean clothes in the drawers. (It’s very typical for the floor to need sweeping…but we always seem to have clean clothes.) The past few weeks have caused me to really reflect on being prepared and why that is even remotely important.
I worked nights as a nurse when my son was first born 5 years ago. I longed to stay home with him and researched all of the ways we could save money in order for me to be home full-time. One of those ways was saving money on groceries. I learned how to shop with the help of The Grocery Game and Money Saving Mom and really saved my family some money. And it helped me learn the art of stockpiling.
For those of you don’t shop this way, you buy items when they go on sale with a coupon. And lots of them. It’s not unusual for me to have 6 5-pound bags of flour in the pantry or 8 containers of Tide. It just makes sense to stock up on the lowest price available instead of paying full price when I need it.
Although it is great to save money using the stock piling method, it’s not my favorite reason. I love that we are always prepared. We can eat for 3 months out of my pantry if we need to. I can skip going to the store a week if I can’t find the time to make it there. Having a stocked pantry gives me peace of mind.
What does this have to do with laundry?
Oh it’s the same principle! Having drawers full of clean clothes is just like having a well-stocked pantry. There is no need to rush to get clothes clean, because everyone already has clean clothes in their drawers. You are never missing last minute items (think baseball pants or pantyhose) because they are already waiting for you clean and folded on the shelf.
When real tragedy strikes your family, washing clothes should be the last thing taking up your time or your mental energy.
A few scenarios to ponder:
- If the power was unexpectedly turned off to your home, how many days of clean underwear are in the drawer?
- If your child was suddenly ill and in the hospital for several days, would your other children and husband have clean clothes?
- If the economy literally shuts down in the next few weeks (not a prediction – just hypothetical here), would you be able to survive on the amount of laundry detergent currently in your house?
- Your parent is very ill and in his last days. Are your ‘funeral clothes’ ready? Or do you have to scramble around to find something appropriate to wear?
Please don’t take this as ‘doom-and-gloom’ as I certainly don’t intend for it to be that. But I do intend to make you question if you are prepared. Being prepared for an emergency or tragedy makes sense and can make a world of difference in how you react. Best of all, it brings you the glorious blessing of a mind at peace.
A few good resources if you only have one day of clean underwear:
Lastly, some wonderful sites on learning the art of stockpiling:
- A great YouTube video from Centsible Sawyer
- The Dollar Stretcher
- Another article from The Dollar Stretcher
- The forums at The Grocery Game – a ridiculous wealth of info
- My price book template – download and print as many as you like! A price book is essential in knowing your lowest target price
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I have thought about this concept before. My mother-in-law died several years ago, and I was so amazed that everything in her house was ready. Her laundry was done, her kitchen was clean, her house was ready for the dozens of family members and friends who flooded its walls during that first week. Sadly, I can’t say it’s influenced me to actually BE ready for whatever happens, house-wise, but I sure have thought about it a lot!