Emergency Essentials has made it our goal to help our customers be prepared for emergencies since 1987. So, it’s no surprise that our most popular blog posts of 2022 focused on emergency preparedness and emergency supplies.
This year’s roundup of blogs includes several about how to use your emergency supplies in day-to-day life and prepare for disasters beyond your control.
There are also a few that focus on some family-oriented preparedness-themed fun, such as a guide to survival movies and how to make bug-out ice cream.
Read on to see which blogs caught our followers’ attention in 2022.
1. Do You Know the 8 MOST Important Property Prep Hacks? (Most Don’t!)
Too many people focus solely on stocking up on emergency supplies, but there is much more to preparedness. For example, it’s just as important to develop your emergency preparedness skills and prep your home against natural disasters.
Have you anchored your furniture or cleaned up the trees in your yard?
Your home will have a much better chance of surviving a disaster if you use these 8 property hacks.
Read More: Do You Know the 8 MOST Important Property Prep Hacks? (Most Don’t!)
2. Top 15 Prepping Mistakes and How to Fix Them
One part of preparing is recognizing your own mistakes.
If we simply purchase a bunch of random survival gear but don’t know how to use it, it won’t be much help when the time comes. Or if we stock up on a bunch of emergency food that our family dislikes, it’ll be a waste of money.
These are just some examples of common prepping mistakes.
To make sure you stay on top of the game and are the most prepared you can be, look over this list of the top prepping mistakes.
Read More: Top 15 Prepping Mistakes and How to Fix Them
3. Top Uses for Your Expired Emergency Supplies
We stock up on emergency supplies hoping we never have to use them. Fortunately, most of these long-term emergency foods last for many (many) years unopened.
But what do you do if you are one of the lucky ones who has not experienced a disaster or had a reason to bust into your emergency supplies?
In this blog post, we carefully break down when supplies have actually gone bad and are unusable and provide tips on how to safely use expired supplies (such as medicine, food, and gasoline).
Before you throw anything “expired” out, read this blog.
Read More: Top Uses for Your Expired Emergency Supplies
4. 10 Surprising Emergency Uses for Expired Cooking Oil
Cooking oil can expire in as little as a few months.
But you’d hate to waste it.
The good news is that there are many emergency uses for expired cooking oil because it isn’t nearly as dangerous as other rancid foods.
It works in many unique ways, such as removing rust and lubricating parts and hinges.
Before you toss it out, see if there are other ways you can use it.
Read More: 10 Surprising Emergency Uses for Expired Cooking Oil
5. Why and How Water Scarcity Affects You
Water is essential for survival, but what many people don’t realize is that the majority of the water on earth’s surface is undrinkable.
Even worse news – the small percentage of drinkable fresh water is running very low.
This means America is facing a water shortage in the near future, with some areas of the country already experiencing a megadrought.
By staying aware of America’s forthcoming water shortage, you can better prepare your family for water scarcity.
Read More: Why and How Water Scarcity Affects You
6. The Science of Shelf Life and How to Slow It Down
Do you pay careful attention to the best-by dates on your food products?
What if we told you that there are many foods that are safe to consume far past this best-by date? It’s true.
If you learn the science of shelf life, you can better stock your emergency pantry.
In addition to knowing how long foods really last, there are several ways to extend the shelf life even further, such as preserving food by freezing it.
This article also provides helpful tips on how to store food to make it last as long as possible.
Read More: The Science of Shelf Life and How to Slow It Down
7. 10 Binge-Worthy Movies That Will Instantly Up Your Preparedness Game
Sometimes the best lessons come in the form of entertainment.
At Christmastime, we all laugh at Kevin Arnold booby-trapping his home, but at the same time, we are seeing some pretty handy DIY security measures.
If you want to teach your family real-life emergency preparedness skills, sit down for a family movie night, and watch one of these preparedness classics.
This list has everything from family-friendly films like Swiss Family Robinson to award-winning films like Castaway.
Read More: 10 Binge-Worthy Movies That Will Instantly Up Your Preparedness Game
8. Preserving Food When the Fridge Goes Out
Nothing is worse than having to throw away a bunch of food in your refrigerator because of a power outage.
Unfortunately, power outages happen.
If you prepare ahead of time, such as knowing a winter storm or hurricane is headed your way, you can make wise choices to save the food you have in your refrigerator.
Should you face a power outage, use the following tricks to keep your food safe and edible.
Read More: Preserving Food When the Fridge Goes Out
9. How to Make Bug-Out-Bag Ice Cream
While we focus a lot on emergency skills and gear, the truth is you need creature comforts during an emergency.
That’s why we always suggest packing a game or a kid’s favorite stuffed animal with your emergency supplies.
Along those same lines, it’s comforting to know you can enjoy comfort foods even in an emergency.
In this blog, we take you step-by-step through the process of making ice cream when you are out of power or bugging out.
Read More: How to Make Bug-Out-Bag Ice Cream
10. How to Make and Preserve Your Own Yeast
We didn’t experience a yeast shortage in 2022 as we did during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
But 2020 taught us the importance of being self-sufficient in the kitchen and not relying on grocery stores.
We never know when we will face another run on essentials, such as yeast.
In this blog, we provide readers with several recipes for making your own yeast using different ingredients you likely already have in your pantry.
In addition, we provide tips on how to store yeast, so it lasts as long as possible and how to determine if it is still good.
Read More: How to Make and Preserve Your Own Yeast
Happy New Year! We hope this year’s resolution is to prepare.
