In whatever emergency we might face, whether natural or human-induced natural disaster, there are ways to reduce the risk and
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We already discussed in the previous blog, Top Reasons Why You Need Emergency Money, why having an urgent fund is
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Emergency money which is also known as an emergency fund is a stash of cash you keep to cover surprise
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In the previous blog, How to Avoid Christmas Holiday Hazards at Home, we enumerated a list of the different accidents
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To some people, Christmas is the most festive time of the year. It is when relatives and friends get together
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Just when we thought our dilemma is over once we survive a disaster, moving forward right after is a different
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In whatever emergency we might face, whether natural or human-induced natural disaster, there are ways to reduce the risk and impact we might face.
Emergency Preparedness encourages us to take concrete actions to better protect ourselves and our families during emergencies.
By taking a few simple steps, you can become better prepared to face a range of emergencies – anytime, anywhere.
The things you have to remember are:
- Know the risks.
Being prepared means thinking about all the possibilities. Thus, knowing the risks specific to your community can help you better prepare for any kind of emergency.
- Make a plan.
It is important to ensure that the entire family is prepared and well-informed in the event of a disaster or emergency. Make a plan and share it with your family and friends. And once everyone is fully aware of it, be sure to practice or have a dry-run so you can see if everyone is acting according to plan.
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Get an emergency kit.
Another important thing to consider during an emergency is to keep a disaster preparedness kit. Have enough supplies to meet your family’s needs for at least 72 hours, in your home. Therefore, having sufficient emergency supplies at home will give you and your family a higher chance of survival. Because this so-called “basic kit” will definitely save your life and your loved ones. Learn more on what an emergency kit should have here.
- Have an emergency communications plan in place.
How will you contact your family members if something happens and you’re separated? Share your emergency plan with neighbors, friends, and relatives so they know how to contact you should an emergency arise. The following will make communicating easier:
- Develop a map of resources around where you live and work.
Having a vicinity map will help you and your family gain access to the nearest hospitals, grocery stores, government offices, other city agencies, and power-efficient commercial buildings should the city-wide power be out. In addition, you should also consider adding taxi stands, bus stops, subway stations, and parking lots on the map.
- Keep assistive devices and equipment charged and ready to go.
Consider having an extra battery on a trickle charger if you use a power wheelchair or scooter. If available, have a lightweight manual wheelchair for backup, extra chargers, and charging cables for all assistive devices.
- Make sure you have access to important documents.
Collect and safeguard critical documents in an event of an emergency. For instance, store electronic copies of your important files on a hard drive or email them to yourself. And you must also keep your money disaster-proof because you’d definitely be needing more of it before and after a disaster.
Experience has shown that individual preparedness goes a long way to helping people cope better.
This holds true both during and after a major disaster. Take concrete actions to be better prepared.
In other words, be responsible and do your part!
To conclude, getting an emergency kit, being knowledgeable, and spreading awareness to your community can make a big chance of survival.
We already discussed in the previous blog, Top Reasons Why You Need Emergency Money, why having an urgent fund is important, so you probably know that this should be one of your financial priorities, right? Chances are, you’re probably even considering starting now. However, do you know how?
If you have no idea how to start, here are the simple steps you have to take.
Review Your Income and Fixed Expenses Then Calculate
Ideally, we need to think about taking our savings first from our gross income before planning how to delegate the rest for our expenses. However, in the practice of planning, this is impossible to do, especially if you have no idea what your future expenditures are.
For you to effectively plan your budget, know first all of your expenses. It’s better if you put all of your notes in an affordable mini-sized memo notebook that’s portable enough for you to keep in small spaces or bring anywhere. Although you can usually put notes in your phone, tablet, laptop, or computer, these devices might get broken or might run out of battery when in need, so try not to depend on them all the time.
Also, if you’re always on the move and has a lot to do, writing it on paper or notebook will be your wisest choice. Besides, how much space and weight can a small notebook occupy, right? It’s not expensive and it’s useful for many other things, so it’s a good investment.
Create a Budget
Determine the exact amount you will be saving for emergency use alone. Then, know in what ways will you be keeping this money. Will you store this in a savings account or will you keep it in cash?
If you choose to save money through an ATM Savings account, that’s a good choice because the temptation of having cash nearby will not haunt you into spending it. However, when disasters or any emergencies happen, will you be able to withdraw the amount immediately?
If we get back to the blog, How to be Financially Sustainable After a Disaster Strikes, it was emphasized how important having cash at hand is in case of emergencies. Note that during these tough times, there’s a fat chance that debit cards or credit cards won’t be functional. That’s why if you’re saving emergency money, it’s best if you keep cash or coins.
Keep Your Money in a Safe Place
The word “safe” is relative here. This is why it’s important that you analyze first the dangers you or your money could face. You need to discover the weaknesses to know how you could give your saving its strengths.
If a case of fire or flood might ruin your precious emergency fund, you can put it in a waterproof envelope that’s made just for a cash envelope money saving system, or you can check out Ways to Keep Your Money Disaster-Proof for more interesting ways. However, if the problem’s just you overspending it, that’s another story.
Whether it’s cash or coins, store it in a place that’s accessible to you but not to the different dangers around you, like theft, fires, floods, or any kind of mayhem.
Next time you’ll have some spare change lying around, a work bonus, or a lottery prize, remember to save a portion of it for your future’s unplanned events. At all times, keep yourself worry-free by avoiding all kinds of unexpected mishaps ruin your life’s most treasured moments. Prepare for the worst and enjoy all the bests.
Be positively practical and have a wonderful day!
Emergency money which is also known as an emergency fund is a stash of cash you keep to cover surprise expenses in the future.
These unplanned expenses are deemed to be very stressful in that they can actually make you feel desperate and annoyed.
Such unplanned expenses can also come from many different causes, which could include accidents, job loss, home repairs, medical/dental treatments, immediate educational/work requirements, or unplanned travel expenses. It could even be a combination of any of the mentioned reasons.
So Why Do You Need to Have an Emergency Money?
There are plenty of reasons you can cite to explain to yourself why you need to save your own emergency fund and save emergency money. However, in this blog, let’s enumerate the positive ones.
Keeps You Ready For Any Accidents
A broken bone will hurt your body but an empty pocket will hurt your soul. If you’re injured and you haven’t saved up enough emergency money, you can only blame yourself for drowning in tears and regrets later.
When you have no money to pay for your medical expenses, how will you get yourself treated immediately? Will you wait until money pops out of your imagination? How will you magically earn money when you’re not even fit to work? Will you get a loan for it? Are you sure you can pay the interest?
Will you borrow money from friends and relatives? Are you sure they can and they will lend you some? Most importantly, can you put that stress on the people you care about the most? Think about it.
If you are unsure about any of these, it’s important that you keep a sum of cash. This way, no matter how difficult things will be, you’ll have a way of dealing with your mishaps even if they come your way repeatedly.
Keeps You Stress-Free
Aside from accidents, there are also other unknown expenses that you might encounter in the future. For example, you might have immediate unemployment, disaster, and travel expenses but have no spare money to spend. Just thinking about those possibilities can be stressful for you, right? Then, thinking about those crises without you having any funds to solve them immediately can be traumatic.
You might not be aware but we have the ability to overthink when it comes to life protection and security, and it does not just include our physical being. This is the reason why we desire to be financially secure. So just the thought of lacking the means to overcome financial troubles will keep you up at night.
You have already a lot of things on your plate to think about. Would you want to add this too? You’ll never know when that dreadful time will be, so keep yourself stress-free by saving up for your future needs.
Keeps You From Spending on a Whim
It’s payday so it’s time for unlimited shopping, right? Wrong. No matter how much money we have left in our account, we can’t actually spend them all at once whenever we want to.
“But it’s my hard-earned money and I deserve to pamper myself for once.”
Are you sure you can afford to do that now? Yes, it’s your hard-earned money but if you keep thinking this way, there will be a time when you need it the most and you don’t have any of it left.
You might be sick or injured or you might lose the job that’s generating that income someday. When that time comes, can you pay the hospital bills with the clothes and accessories you bought on a shopping spree? How about your everyday meals? Can the expensive junk food you ate on your payday be worth it when your family will have nothing to eat?
It’s okay to pamper yourself, but not until all of your family’s present, and future financial needs and enough emergency money are secured. Once you do, then you can truly enjoy that vacation, travel, or shopping spree worry-free.
Keeps You From Making Bad Decisions
Impulse spending is something most people are guilty of doing. Maybe even you do this sometimes, but you’re just not aware of it.
If you’re not familiar with it, well it’s really just spending on a whim. However, it’s important to cite it here because most of our bad financial decisions come from the urge to buy things we don’t necessarily need but we want to have.
If you are saving your emergency money and for your emergency fund, then you’ll prevent yourself from making these bad decisions. It’s because whenever you try to buy impulsively, your brain will constantly remind you of the future unplanned expenses you might have.
That’s how saving for your emergency fund becomes a habit that can help you avoid spending badly.
Keeps You Financially Stable
The last and most important reason why you should save your own emergency money is to be financially stable. If you know how to allocate all your income properly, you’ll have plenty to spend on your wants and needs in the future.
Most people don’t have the freedom to get to places they want to go, to eat the food they want to eat, and have the things they want to have because of the loans they are currently paying from the bad decisions they previously made. If you don’t have extra money saved for unexpected events, you’ll eventually become one of the majority of the population that are drowning in debt.
Avoid this situation as much as possible. Save ahead and spend later. This is the only way you’ll get and enjoy the retirement plan you truly deserve.
These are the top reasons why you need to save emergency money. If you are aiming to keep yourself from worries and stress, remember to strategize an emergency money plan ahead. Don’t wait before it’s too late. Be positively practical and start planning now!
You may also check this article Avoiding Hazards at Home, and you’ll know that even your most anticipated holidays can make your bodies and your pockets broke when least predicted. That’s why it’s ideal for you to always expect the unexpected.
In the previous blog, How to Avoid Christmas Holiday Hazards at Home, we enumerated a list of the different accidents you should watch out for to have a safe celebration.
If you haven’t read about it, you should check it out.
However, if you did, then continue reading the following fire and electricity-related dangers we need to avoid.
Overheating of Power Sockets Due to Overusing and Overkill
During the holidays, we love decorating our homes with flashing lights and lanterns, and most of them are consuming electricity overnight. Depending on the quality of the wires and other materials they are made of, this could lead to overheating of power sockets hazards due to overuse.
Try not to overload your electrical outlets as much as possible to avoid overheating. To protect your devices from electrical overload, use a high joule rating, premium surge protector, with filter banks, lifetime warranty and built-in diagnostic capability for your home and office electronics. It’s a must investment that your family needs.
Electrically-Induced Fire Due to Substandard Christmas Lights
Another disaster that may arise is an electrically-induced fire due to substandard Christmas lights and lanterns. To save from too many expenses, buyers often buy cheaper versions of Christmas decorations. However, we do not advise this, especially if you use such products overnight.
Most of the less expensive ones usually have wires that are undersized and insulations that are substandard. It’s not worth the risk. Decorate your home with durable and high-quality Christmas lights to avoid hazards. The money you saved in buying cheaper ones won’t compensate for the lives you will be risking.
Accidental Fire Due to Excess Wrapping Materials Which are Often Flammable
Properly dispose of the excess materials you will be using in wrapping those gifts you will be giving. Most of them are highly flammable and can potentially cause fire hazards when lit by a small match, a lighter, a candle, or burnt coal. Be cautious not only about where you put them but also about how you are working with them to keep away from danger.
To ensure that they won’t cause a fire, put them in a non-plastic, lightweight, odor-proof, comfortable, versatile, corrosion-resistant, rust-proof, easy to clean, hygienic, compact, fireproof trash bin. Not only will they be away from causing any house fires but will also keep you indoors free from the garbage smell.
Fires Due to Unattended Candles
Candles should never be left behind and forgotten. Put them in a place where they can’t cause fire hazards even when stumbled. Keep them out of children’s reach and away from all flammables, too. It is easier to watch out for possible sources of danger than to extinguish the results of not doing so, right?
If you want to include candles in your Christmas decorations, try to put them in a dishwasher-safe candle holder that will not tumble down easily when pushed. You’ll not only avoid a disastrous incident but will also make your room filled with an attractive golden light.
Electric Shocks Due to Fluid Spills
During holidays, food and drinks are plenty on the table. There’s a high risk that someone might trip and spill some fruit punch or juice on the Christmas lights, the sockets, or any electronics. This might cause shocks and sparks that could ignite an explosion. Be careful not to put drinks anywhere near to avoid electrocution hazards.
If you can’t change your extension cords to waterproof ones, or if you can’t place them in safer places, protect them with a versatile and water-resistant extension cord cover. You can reuse them after the holidays for your outdoor electrical connections too!
Burns from Cooking Accidents
The kitchen is not the safest place to be, especially for children, during the busiest time of preparing. Hot pans, stoves, microwave ovens, and more could cause burn hazards to your skin. Good food is never worth the risk so in preparing your loved ones’ favorite holiday dishes, be very careful.
If you want to prevent this danger from happening while still doing the holiday dishes you love, use a double-layered fireproof set of gloves. With this, no hot pan or pot will ever stop you from cooking safely.
Wildfire or Housefires from Firecrackers
We didn’t mention this in the previous blog so you can consider this as a bonus. However, this is probably one of the most important ones to mention. This is also a cause of fire hazards you never want your house to have.
Firework displays are attractive sights to see, but these beauties are actually beasts that cannot only take away some of your body parts when hit but can also burn your house down. To know more about how to deal with this potential hazard, watch a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to fireworks safety with information coming from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), and OSHA.
Don’t let your holiday fun be ruined by these fire and electricity hazards. Don’t just wait for them to come. Fight them with thoughtful preparation. Invest in things that will last longer for your family’s safety and be positively practical.
To some people, Christmas is the most festive time of the year.
It is when relatives and friends get together to eat, laugh, and have fun together for some cheer, relaxation, and celebration.
However, even during the happiest of times and even in the comforts of your home, mishaps can happen.
Because of this, everyone must be proactive in knowing and warding off danger to prevent holiday disasters during the merriest season of sharing. To give you an idea of the possible things you should be watching out for, here is a list of the hazards that can take place.
Fires, Burns, and Electric Shocks
There’s a reason why the government allocates some of your tax money to fire prevention, especially during the holiday season like Christmas. Fire accidents, which could be caused by faulty sets of equipment, clutter, human error, or even arson, surely are property-wrecking and life-threatening. If you’re someone who is not prepared for it, it could be very devastating.
To keep yourself away from such a dire situation, here are the fire and electricity-related hazards you should note:
- Overheating of Power Sockets Due to Overusing and Overkill. When you plug too many appliances in one set of sockets or one extension cord, especially overnight, they might consume more watts than wires could handle. This might lead to overheating or sometimes arcing.
- Electrically-Induced Fire Due to Substandard Christmas Lights. Christmas lights are usually turned on for a long period of time, especially when it’s put indoors so don’t use substandard ones. They have poor insulation and are often undersized.
- Accidental Fire Due to Excess Wrapping Materials Which are Often Flammable. Most materials we use to wrap our presents are usually made of materials that can be burned easily
- Fires Due to Unattended Candles. Candles cause a number of house fires every year. When left unguarded, it will burn nearby flammable.
- Electric Shocks Due to Fluid Spills. Extension wires or sockets should never be left lying around the house for it might create potential dangers when touched by water or any type of fluid.
- Burns from Cooking Accidents. People are often in a hurry when cooking for the most celebrated time of the year. Hot pans and pots should be watched out for.
Here’s a blog on how to keep your home safe from fire and electrical hazards.
Fractures, Cuts, and Punctures
Another type of accident that might happen doesn’t involve fire and electricity. These might not be as severe as the previous things we mentioned but are surely worth noting.
To have a safer holiday, these are the things you should be watching out for:
- Fall Due to Loss of Balance in Putting Up Decorations. Christmas lanterns, lights, and tree decorations are usually put in higher places, making people who arrange them prone to this danger.
- Injuries Due to Lack of Common Sense Brought by Booze or Over Excitement. What’s a celebration without booze or games, right? However, we should drink or play with moderation for accidents come when we are least aware of it.
- Being Tumbled Down by Unbalanced and Externally-Stricken Christmas Decorations. Kids or pets may roam around the house fascinated by those glittering fixtures. Keep an eye on them for they might be toppled down by collapsing things.
- Wounds from Cluttering Kitchen and Cooking Utensils. Don’t leave sharp knives and tools scattered around your kitchen or living room. They are very dangerous, especially when reached by toddlers.
- Slipping Due to Food Spills. Electrocution will be the least of your problems when it comes to food spills. Depending on the type of floor you have, even adults can trip or slip.
- Accidental Cuts and Stabs While Unwrapping Packages or Gifts. Don’t get too excited when you uncover the lovely gifts you will be given. Scissors or cutters might wound you while recklessly doing so.
- Stepping on Broken or Shattered Things. When you have glasses or plates that are made of porcelain or glass, remember to be careful not to step on them or touch them when they break.
Food & Fluid Poisoning
Your Christmas holiday food might kill you. That’s a fact. However, it’s not always because of the cholesterol content (although that could also be the cause) but because of the following food and drink hazards:
- Indigestion or Choking. When your family loves to chat or watch comedy films, avoid doing this while eating or drinking. You’ll never know when you need someone to do a Heimlich Maneuver in the family.
- Alcohol Poisoning. Watch your liquor, especially if you’re not used to consuming high amounts of it. It’s okay to have fun but don’t kill yourself while doing so.
- Accidentally Swallowing delicious-looking Decorations. Kids might mistake your Christmas tree decorations for something edible because how they are similar to candies or cookies. Remind them such are not for they might eat those.
Financial Crisis
Oh, you should have expected the list to have this too. We are the practical team, remember? Although not a safety issue, these financial hazards can put your security at stake so you should also note the following:
- Overspending Due to Unplanned and Impulse Buying. Stores or online shops have a lot of promotions that might lure you to buy more than what you really need, especially if you don’t have a list of all of your holiday necessities. Plan ahead and shop wisely to avoid this.
- Emergency Expenses Due to Avoidable yet Unexpected Accidents. This is only secondary to the previous dangers we mentioned but this is also a problem that you should be prepared for.
Learn how to financial freedom and live within your means here.
Others
Alas! We’re almost at the end of our list, but the list isn’t over yet. The following are just minor hazards that often happen during this holiday season but should never be neglected.
- Glitters Gets in the Eyes. That adorable piece of decoration you have at home might not be as harmless as you think. If they have glitter on them that can be eroded by time, remember this hazard.
- Accidents from Playing with Peers. Beware of kids, teenagers, or adults running around the house while playing or teasing one another. They might hurt themselves in several ways possible.
If you think that this list is quite longer than you expected, well that’s because dangers can be found everywhere if we know where to find them.
Accidents won’t tip you when they will come so you better be ready for them.
Prevent them as much as possible to have a celebration away from trouble.
Just when we thought our dilemma is over once we survive a disaster, moving forward right after is a different story.
As a matter of fact, surviving after a disaster is a long and tedious process to go through.
But there’s no need to worry.
You just have to learn useful ways on how to avoid, as much as possible, setbacks along the road.
Here are some ways:
To Avoid Having No Water to Drink
Potable water is sustenance you can’t afford to lose, especially at times when it’s most valuable. When there is a chance that you could run out of water to drink, be sure to store an ample amount of drinking water. Don’t forget to replace them occasionally to keep the water clean.
Saving water to drink will make you survive any water supply shut down for days. In addition, it will also make you save the effort of looking for one when the supply runs dry.
If you are planning on doing this, look for some space-maximizing stackable water containers. This type of container will keep your water free from foreign contaminants. Also, it will give you the ability to store water that could last for more or less than 40 days efficiently at home.
To Avoid Having No Power to Use
Most of the things you use to survive at home are run by electricity.
However, when you run out of it, should you worry?
With a heavy-duty money-worthy portable generator built to power your home in a high-quality way, you will surely taste your cooked fresh meat, do your work, and bond with your family even when there’s no power in town.
This unit also has a three-year warranty included so you won’t need to worry about it leaving you and your needs that early.
With this at hand, you have power over power.
To Avoid Getting Ousted From Home
Your home keeps you warm and safe. However, in dire situations, this valuable asset might be taken away from you. What’s worse is that you might not be able to do anything about it because you lack the means for protecting it.
To avoid this, try keeping yourself free from debts to anyone so that when a disaster hit you or that person, you’d survive because you won’t be chased away desperately.
Also, keep in mind that if your house is still under mortgage, you might want to pay it up as soon as possible, especially if your area has a big disaster coming.
To have detailed information on how to spend your money even when you don’t have much and still live a lifestyle you want in a more affordable way, try installing Kindle app and read such valuable knowledge.
Remember that it’s not only during a disaster that you should be preparing to survive.
The problem actually starts to sink in right after such an unwanted event happens. So, you also have to prepare for it.
These are just some of the things you must have to keep. There are still more, depending on the lifestyle you want to have and the place you are currently living in.
However, taking these things in mind is a good start if you want to survive and keep winning in life.
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