The Prepared Home: How to Stock, Organize, and Edit Your Home to Thrive in Comfort, Safety, and Style

by Melissa George

Turn your home into a sanctuary

When your home is ready for the many surprises life can bring, your whole family can enjoy everyday moments and stay at their best. Whether there’s a power outage, the Wi-Fi goes out, or you are asked to quarantine, The Prepared Home is designed to help you plan and reach preparedness goals without letting them take over your space and your life. It’s your full-color guide to a stylish home that feels like a sanctuary in normal and in challenging times. You’ll discover how to . . .

·Transform your home from entertaining mode to disaster-ready mode quickly and easily
·Discover clever and aesthetically pleasing ways to store emergency items
·Assess your risks and stock up on all the right things for your household

The Prepared Home by Melissa George is just what you’ve been looking for to prioritize your needs and take steps to make your home a place of safety, comfort, and beauty!

Genres: Nonfiction

176 pages, Hardcover

Published July 6, 2021

Reviews

[Jacqueline M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best "prepping" book I've ever picked up. No scary unrealistic doomsday-ing. Just how to prepare for likely disasters in small baby steps. I really like how in the first chapters the author has you think about what KIND of disasters are most likely in your area (winter storm? tornado? Wildfire? Civil Unrest? Chemical spills?) so you are focused on preparing for those type of events first. I also like how she splits the types of preparation into 5 different impact areas: Staying at Home (shelter in place), Power Outage, Loss of safe Water, Loss of connectivity/communication, and Evacuation. She walks you through each of these areas and preparing for these impacts gradually: first we prepare for 72 hours because the vast majority of problems will be solved in that time, then 10 days, then "longer". You can have guidance for being reasonable without falling into the trap of buying everything or feeling severe anxiety because you don't have a Rick Grimes worthy bug-out Jeep equipped with zombie crushing brush bars. The pictures are also lovely and show how these types of preparations can fit in a normal house. She does call out and recognize smaller spaces too, though I will say as someone with limited storage many of her ideas would never work for my situation and will require thinking more outside the box.

[Stephanie]

I randomly came across this book at the library and I’m glad to have found it. No prepper vibes, just great information for thinking through possible scenarios such as water/power/internet outages, etc.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked how the book presented ideas in small, manageable steps. It was actually pretty reassuring to read this book; made me realize I'm already in pretty good shape. Lately I've been doing a lot of cooking at home, so I've got pantry staples to last. I already keep my financial documents pretty well organized, so I'm good there. And I have some water on hand already because I like to keep a couple gallons of distilled water on hand for my Keurig to avoid buildup. However, I really should have more than just a "couple."

And I never considered how likely a housefire can be and that I should keep a "water & fire resistant bag" with my paperwork where I can keep a little cash. Just in case. If ID or paperwork burns up, they can be replaced. It'll be a pain, but it can be done. If cash burns up, then I just cry. Snoopy style. Head tilted back, mouth wide and wailing, tears sprouting in all directions. Yup. Just like that.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book, though I'll confess that it raised my anxiety level.🤭

[Djrmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful, practical ideas that allow for different comfort levels in different scenarios.

[Kim Veach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should have this great little book (only 160 pages.) The author lists the most common disaster impacts that could occur. Regardless of the disaster, you may need to stay at home without access to food, water, or power. For each of these scenarios, you figure out how much you need to survive for the first 72 hours, then 10 days, or up to a month or more. If the disaster requires that you leave your home, you make a plan for where to go, how to get there, and what to take with you.

She doesn't scare you with doomsday predictions, though I admit to having felt a little nervous while reading some of the scenarios. Her goal is to help you feel ready to deal with whatever happens. And she does this by incorporating all the supplies into your home and using them regularly. You don't need to set up a 1950s era bomb shelter to accomplish this.

Throughout the book, there are pictures of how to store what you need and suggestions for items you might need to purchase.

I'll be giving this book as a housewarming gift to younger relatives.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I COMPLETELY misread the title of this book and thought it was about regular ol' home organization.

Not at all.

It was very informative and I actually ended up taking notes and making a list of things I need to do to prep our home for upcoming severe weather that might knock out our power. It wasn't really things I didn't know. More like things I forgot about and realized I needed to do. A gentle reminder.

Minus chapter 8. Goodness.

[M Aghazarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to prep for everything from inconvenience to doomsday without feeling like the world is ending. I did feel somewhat anxious by the end, but to the author's credit she paced things out very well so that it's more about a consistent added thought rather than ongoing alarm or panic.

[BookBee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my Jam! I loved it. So incredibly relatable and elevating. Lots of inspiration and encouragement. I'll be purchasing this book to reference and share with family and friends. Truly fantastic, level-headed advice for beginners and experienced preparedness people alike.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gives advice on how to more prepare your home in case of things like natural disasters, fire, Wi-Fi outage and other issues. Some good ideas that I might implement such as getting an emergency ladder to escape my second floor home in case of fire.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aesthetically pleasing emergency preparedness.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ beautifully presented book. Very relevant in today’s times. Quick read.

[Tressa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the recommendations from The Prepared Home about incorporating emergency preparedness into your everyday lifestyle and how to organize supplies.

[Ronda Canary · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to go back to this book when I actually have time to plan and implement the ideas.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much information! Helpful suggestions and bright, colorful illustrations too.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ideas for real implementation for emergency preparedness.

[Chuck Borges · Rating 1 out of 5]

More useless than most preparedness books, and that's saying something. Even a beginner wouldn't need this book. Glad I picked it up from the library on a lark.