The Survival Savvy Family Book arrived in my mail box with much anticipation. Not only because I follow the author’s blog but because I knew Julie would have something new to offer readers on the topic of survival. I couldn’t be happier to have the opportunity to review this awesome tool.
If you read my blog regularly you’ll know that I don’t consider myself a prepper. I write about prepping for the non-prepper. But that may just what appeals to me about Julie’s book so much. You don’t have to be a doomsday prepper or a hardcore survivalist to appreciate the information and know that it is viable skills that we can and should obtain.
The Survival Savvy Family Book Review
The Survival Savvy Family is written by Julie Sczerbinski of the Home Ready Home blog. She’s got a firm grip on the subject of family preparedness. So I know going into the book that she know her stuff!
First things first – the book is the perfect size to pop in my purse and cart around with me. This is important in my world because reading is stolen in little moments here and there. Call me crazy, but that’s kind of important.
Now onto content! I love that this isn’t your average flare and scare survival book. Julie isn’t spending a bunch of time convincing you on prepping but her opening chapter does a great job of laying it out. This is great for the beginner prepper or one whose only knowledge of prepping is Doomsday Preppers. She asks some good, probing, questions that get you thinking about keeping your family safe in an emergency, disaster or economic turn. I like that she has 3 categories for disasters: personal, natural and man-made. This is a great way to get focused on your plan of attack, so to speak.
Chapter 1 is all about making your family emergency plan. I think what really sets Julie’s book apart is that it is written with your whole family in mind. This include your kids, special needs family members, pets, etc. I love how she gets younger children involved without making the process scary.
Chapter 2 is the start to building your emergency kits. She include a great check list, so if you’re unsure of where to start or how to finish your kits, this list will make it happen. I especially appreciated the list on what to put in your child’s go-bag. Spot on!
Chapter 3 goes in more depth with pantry storage and water. Good variety on the different ways you can store water. Julie does a great job on answering the questions of how much and what food to store in your stockpile. She even touches on how to make sure you get healthy pantry items in your plan (can you say fruit chips?). Again, she includes an awesome checklist that you could just take with you to the store. I love a list!
Chapter 4 was particularly impressive. More than just a list of medical supplies to have on hand, but she does include that; she makes some great suggestions on medical history, health habits and skills that we should have. Solid advice. But just in case you didn’t get any training she includes a lot of help for treating ailments. Again Julie gets the whole family involved in learning how to handle medical emergencies. This chapter is not to be missed!
Chapter 5 is something I don’t see enough when it comes to preparedness guides. Financial readiness. Disasters come in the form of layoffs too folks. Don’t miss her tips on a Social Media Will!
Chapters 6 – 8 touch on subjects like what to do when you’re away from home and an emergency hits. How to handle power outages and “bugging out” or “digging in” during emergencies.
Chapters 9 and 10 cover natural disasters and home fires. Everything from tornadoes to earth quakes. Not every disaster requires the same preparations. Julie does an awesome job breaking each down with their individual needs. The chapter on home fires made me realize there were some things I need to get straight in our home. This is why it is good to read lots of different perspectives, you may find you missed something.
Chapters 11 – 13 are all about home and personal safety. I can tell you that Julie is ready folks and she wants you to be able to protect yourself, your home and your kids. I realize that there are skills we are lacking big time here. These chapters did get me thinking more than I thought they would. Have you gone over how to help your kids thwart a would-be abductor? I think as a homeschooler I may be lacking here because my kids are usually with me. But we can’t ignore this. I loved loved loved her tips on helping your kids stay safe, and “don’t talk to strangers” isn’t cutting it. Julie even touches on how to help your kids deal with bullies!
The book completes with an awesome resource list with websites, gear, blogs and more that can help you continue your education.
I have spent several years in and around the prepping community and I finished this book with new information. Great for beginners but it should not be overlooked by the veteran either. Two thumbs up from me!
Bravo Julie – well done!
