Discover essential, hype-free steps to become more resilient for everyday living and common emergencies.
Whether you are buying land and embarking on creating a homestead or living in an urban setting, Common Sense Preparedness will help you understand the basics of self-sufficiency. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of homesteading and preparedness, combining the best of old and new skills and modern technology. From growing your own food and medicine, to food storage and preservation, to planning for emergencies and more, you can feel confident facing common challenges such as natural disasters, rising food prices, and supply chain disruptions.
Preparedness is more than survival--it's about freedom, responsibility, and resilience. It's not stockpiling for the end of the world, but instead building a life that's steady in a world that's not. Laurie Neverman of Common Sense Home shares her experiences, insight, and tips and tricks from her family's homestead so that you can create a life of abundance wherever you live. Chapters cover:
- Gardening and permaculture basics
- Food preservation and building a deep pantry
- Wildcrafting and foraging for food and medicine
- Collecting, storing, and purifying water
- Maintaining a disaster-resistant home
- Emergency hygiene, first aid, and waste disposal
- Developing a prepared state of mind
- And more!
Table of Contents:
Foreword
Introduction
PART ONE: FOOD
Chapter 1: How to Grow a Garden
Why Grow Your Own Food?
Planning Your Food Garden
Preparing Your Growing Space
Planting and Caring for Your Garden
Organic Pest Control
Natural Fertilizers and How to Use Them
Harvesting and Storing Your Crops
Project: Build a Lasagna Garden Bed
Chapter 2: Permaculture--Growing for the Long Term
Permaculture and Preparedness
Core Principles of Permaculture in a Survival Context
Project: Defining Your Permaculture Zones
Perennial Vegetables for Permaculture Homesteads
Chapter 3: Home Food Preservation
Why Food Preservation Matters for Preparedness
Key Principles of Safe Food Preservation
Home Food Preservation Basics
Must-Have Kitchen Equipment for Food Preservation
Project: Water Bath Canning Honey Spiced Peaches
Chapter 4: Stocking the Pantry
The Foundation of Preparedness
Organization is Critical to Effective Food Storage
Commercially Packaged Food Items: What Stores Well and What Doesn't
Bulk Food Purchasing
Money-Saving Tips
The Pantry as a Foundation for Resilience
Project: Starter Pantry Checklist
Chapter 5: Wildcrafting and Foraging for Food and Medicine
What is Wildcrafting?
Why Forage?
Ethics and Safety First
Preparing to Forage: Knowledge Before Harvest
Project: Three-Season Wild Foraging Challenge
Preparation and Preservation
Wild Medicine: Healing from the Land
Stewardship of the Wild
PART TWO: WATER
Chapter 6: Sourcing Water
Introduction
Private Wells
Municipal Water
Rainwater Harvesting
Surface Water and Emergency Sources
Project: Identify Your Emergency Water Sources and Access Plan
Chapter 7: Emergency Water Storage
Store Water Before You Need It
How Much Water Do You Need?
Water Storage Options
Water and Container Treatment for Storage
Storage Best Practices, Monitoring, and Maintenance
Replacing or Treating Stagnant Water
Water Storage Troubleshooting Guide
Considerations for Off-Grid and Rural Homesteads
Project: DIY Water Storage Projects
Make Water Storage a Priority
Chapter 8: Emergency Water Filtration and Purification
Why Clean Water Matters--In Emergencies and for Everyday Use
Filtration vs. Purification
Types of Contaminants and How to Remove Them
Layered Defense: The Three-Step Approach
Emergency Water Filters and Systems
Special Cases and Limitations
Routine Maintenance of Filters and Disinfectants
Practice Before You Need It
Project: Prep an Emergency Water Filtration Kit
Water is Life
PART THREE: HOME AND SHELTER
Chapter 9: The Well-Maintained Home
The Philosophy of Preventive Maintenance
Seasonal Home Maintenance Overview
Emergency-Ready Features to Monitor
Proper Fuel Storage and Shelf Life
Project: Build Your Own Home Maintenance Toolbox
Teaching the Next Generation (and This One)
Chapter 10: The Disaster-Resistant Home
Making Your Home a Haven
Know Your Risk: Threats by Region
Most Common Home Disasters
Structural Hardening for Wind and Impact Protection
Safe Rooms: Shelter in Place with Confidence
House Fire Preparedness
Wildfire Defense
Water Intrusion and Ice Damage Prevention
Lightning and Surge Protection
Theft and Intrusion Defense
Reducing Liability Risks
Resilient Systems and Passive Backup
Project: Build a Seventy-Two-Hour Emergency Kit
Think Like a Risk Manager
PART FOUR: HYGIENE AND WASTE
Chapter 11: Emergency Hygiene and First Aid
Why Hygiene Matters During a Crisis
Emergency Butt Wipe: What to Use When Toilet Paper Runs Out
Washing Up Without Running Water: How to Stay Clean from Hands to Hair
Menstrual Care in Emergencies
Emergency Socks and Underwear: Staying Comfortable and Clean
Cleaning Clothes without a Washing Machine
Special Situations: Kids, Elders, and the Sick
Project: Build Your Own Emergency Hygiene Kit
First Aid and Hygiene: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Project: Build a Basic First Aid Kit
Clean, Calm, and Capable
Chapter 12: Managing Waste and Remains Safely
Why Waste Disposal Matters
Types of Waste on the Homestead (and Beyond)
Human Waste Disposal Methods
Community Solutions in Emergencies
Sanitation Best Practices
Project: Make a Bucket Toilet
Animal Waste Management
Household and Food Waste
Hazardous and Medical Waste
Legal and Environmental Considerations
Dealing with Dead Bodies: Human and Animal Remains
Plan Ahead for Clean, Healthy Living
PART FIVE: THE PREPARED STATE OF MIND
Chapter 13: A Way of Living, Not Just a Plan
What Averages Tell--and What They Don't
Situational Awareness and Personal Safety
Financial and Work Resilience
Commitment to Health and Self-Care
Mental and Emotional Resilience
Creating a Family Culture of Preparedness
The Strength of Community
Chapter 14: Preparedness as a Journey
The Path Forward
Lifelong Learning and Growth
Lessons from History: We've Been Here Before
Leaving a Legacy
The Joy of the Journey
The Real Dream
Living Prepared, Living Well
Resources
Index
About the Author
"Laurie Neverman has been a prominent voice in the preparedness sphere for well over a decade. She takes the fear element out of it and instead offers clear instruction and reasons why we should have a prepared household. No doom and gloom, just common-sense, approachable steps you can take, starting now. Be part of the solution: read this book, act, and be prepared."--Janet Garman, Timber Creek Farm
"Laurie Neverman warmly invites you into the rich, abundant world she has created and shows you how you too can have a lifestyle that will see you through good times and hard times. It's not just about prepping for disasters. It's about forging a prepared life. It goes back to what prepping should be about: peace of mind, not fear."--Daisy Luther, The Organic Prepper
"Laurie has been sharing her down-to-earth, common-sense approach online for years, and I'm thrilled to see that same practical, real-life wisdom gathered into a book. Laurie doesn't just teach, she lives this life everyday, and her many years of experience shine through in her writing. Common Sense Preparedness is an encouraging guide for anyone who wants to build a more resilient, capable life without fear, hype, or overwhelm."--Ashley Adamant, creator of Practical Self Reliance and Creative Canning
Laurie Neverman is the creator of Common Sense Home (formerly Common Sense Homesteading). She was raised on a small dairy farm in northwest Wisconsin and worked in the family catering business as her summer job through high school and college. She has a BS in math/physics and an MS in mechanical engineering with an emphasis in renewable energy. Before coming home to raise her family, she operated the world's largest solar water heating system.
Her gardening adventures include companion planting, wildcrafting (using weeds for food and medicine), vertical gardening, herbalism and permaculture. She hasn't found a wild edible she wouldn't try (including quackgrass wine) and grows over a hundred varieties of fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in her garden each year. She lives with her husband and two sons on their homestead in northeast Wisconsin. Visit her online at commonsensehome.com.