Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read.  One does not love breathing.
-To Kill a Mockingbird

"Red File" - Part 1

I attended a preparedness class yesterday that has me very motivated to get prepared.  This class was one in a series of four on preparedness, including things like food storage and financial preparedness.  Perhaps what struck me most about this class was that much of what we discussed costs nothing to do, but could mean the world to you if a disaster were to happen.

My blog doesn't really have a theme, but forgive me if for the next little while I post things on preparedness: I feel like everyone should do SOMETHING to start being prepared.

DON'T FEEL OVERWHELMED.  I'll break this down into workable sections.  :)

The first thing to do is get your "Red File" in order.  This is the file you would grab if someone knocked on your door and said "There's been a chemical spill, you have 1 minute to be out of the house."  The best part is that it doesn't cost money to put this together. 

Please note that leaving this marked "Important Documents" or "Emergency File" is like gift-wrapping identity theft.  Though I believe these should all be stored together, you want them in a secure (or very unassuming) place that nobody would find if they didn't know it was there.

To keep things simple, we'll call this "Red File Part One".  Gather the following:

1. Copy of driver's license
2. Birth Certificates, naturalization papers
3. Social Security Cards and information
4. Immunization records
5. Deeds, Titles and Trust information
6. Mortgage loan information
7. Insurance policy information for auto, home, life, business

I'll post more in a few days: happy gathering!

Graduation

Oh yeah - tomorrow is graduation.  I'm walking, receiving my MBA.  Maybe earning would be the better word.  Either way, it's kind of exciting - I am ecstatic about having merited a hood and am looking forward to celebrating the day.  For me it's a pretty big deal.