Saturday, January 14, 2012

No, the zombies didn't get me.

Life kind of gets in the way, as we all know. One of our dogs was hospitalized for a few days in mid October. He's okay now, but that was a great reason for having an emergency fund. We didn't, but luckily had a credit card with low interest and a high limit! 

We also had the storm from hell right before Halloween, which provided some AWESOME opportunities for testing our survival skills. Needless to say, we have some work to be done. We managed to feed our dog his special diet, despite not having power for a week. That was the only thing that mattered to me.


We were supposed to have a Halloween party, so when that didn't happen, we were stuck with lots of party food that was going to waste. Me? Waste food? No way! We got creative. Mini tacos and mashed potatoes on the grill? Yep.

Then there was the dog's food and medicines. Luckily there was snow, so we were able to pack coolers to keep things cold. Stores really didn't open up for a few days after the storm, so I was grateful for the snow and cold temperatures.



And then there was our anniversary. We were married on Halloween, so our exciting anniversary evening included watching a movie on the laptop in front of the fire. And then the battery died about 45 minutes in. Damn. (And yep, that is 28 Days Later.)

So, lessons learned?
  • Batteries are important.
  • Have at least a wood-burning fireplace, if you can't have a wood stove. It helped a bit when the blankets and hats and gloves weren't enough. 
  • Propane grills are awesome. You can cook on them and boil water. 
  • Keep your car fueled. You never know when the zombies will strike. People were waiting in line for hours trying to get gas at the few stations that were open. I had filled up before the storm for this reason. Plus, a full tank of gas makes your car that much heavier and better on the slippery roads.
  • Have cash on hand. No power = no credit card readers. 

Rule #32 of Zombieland: Enjoy the little things.