Do you have a plan?

Do you have a plan?  Spring has sprung, despite the Midwest impending snowstorm this week, and that means it is time for "interesting, sporty weather"...aka tornadoes, hail, high winds and heavy rains. 

 (Recent hailstorm at a friend's house)

So, do you have a plan?

There are many reasons to prepare for uncertainty in life.  Can you manage to get by, if your wage earner loses their job?  Can you recover financially, if your A/C dies in the midst of summer?  Or if you total your car?  What about unexpected medical emergencies?

Most of us have some form of insurance policy for the house & contents, the car, and health care.  But collecting on those policies can take time and effort.  Perhaps having an emergency fund would be wise.  Perhaps being debt-free would be wise too.  Dave Ramsey has a lot of good advice and a method to help you get debt-free.  It is worth investigating.

You want to have some fun with it?  Try walking into a used car dealership, finding the used car you want, and then paying cash!  The poor sales guys won't know what to do with you!  They don't even have a PLAN on how to handle a cash transaction.  Their entire system is built around financing the car (debt).  Cash just plain messes with their heads!  It's fun...hehehe.

But what about those natural disasters?  What if that F5 decides to bull-stomp your neighborhood into oblivion, like Greensburg, or Joplin?  Do you know where to shelter?  Do you have some supplies in that shelter?  After all, you could be buried in a debris pile for some time.  While I am no big fan of big government, for those folks seeking to begin planning, the government already has a website set up, Ready.gov that can help the uninitiated get started.

Everyone should evaluate their own risks based on their location, job, and past history.  Once you prioritize your risks, you have a basis for your plans.  Do you have a way to communicate with family, in the event that the phones are not available?  Do you have a known meeting place, so you can make sure everyone is safe?  Food?  Temporary shelter?  Tools to clear debris or effect repairs to a damaged structure?  How about helping your neighbors?  We are commanded to "Love thy neighbor as thyself."  Are you prepared and willing to help your neighbors?

Preparedness takes many forms.  The media machine would like you all to believe that prepared people are crazy nutjobs, aka Doomsday Preppers.  To me, preparedness means being responsible for my own welfare and that of my family as much as possible.  It means being willing to help others in their times of need if I can.  It means not incurring or carrying financial debt.  It means not living beyond our means, or keeping up with the Joneses...but rather being content with what we have, and counting our blessings.

Stay safe out there folks, and keep an eye on the spring skies.