Practical Prepping Podcast
Episode 544: Home Preparedness Basics: Water, Food Storage for Emergencies, and the “Poop Plan”
March 2, 2026
Hosts: Mark & Krista Lawley

Episode Overview

This episode wraps up a three-part series on prepping basics by focusing on "provisioning"—how to keep daily life running smoothly during common emergencies like power outages, grocery shortages, or severe storms. Mark and Krista Lawley provide practical, judgment-free advice on the essentials: securing water, building a workable food storage system, and sanitation solutions ("the poop plan"). The delivery stays friendly, rooted in real-world experience, and emphasizes smart, sustainable skills over extreme or fear-based prepping.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Essentials of Provisioning (00:00-01:34)

• Provisions answer the basics: eating, drinking, hygiene, and morale during system failures (01:03).
• Focus is on simple, sustainable steps for families—no apocalypse scenarios.

Water: The Top Priority (01:34-08:56)

• Water is the #1 priority. "You can survive weeks without food, but you can only make it a few days without water." – Krista (01:37)
• How much to store: Government minimum is 1 gallon per person per day, but Krista advises 1.5–2 gallons to cover drinking, cooking, and hygiene (01:53).
• Include water for pets and cooking staple foods like dried beans and rice (02:18).
• Choosing the right containers:
  • Use only food-grade plastic buckets or glass containers for long-term storage (02:40).
  • Avoid reusing milk jugs—prone to leaks and hard to sanitize (03:10).
  • "We actually discovered a leak in ours and we said, that's it, no more." – Mark (03:25)
• Hidden water sources:
  • Water heater (20–40 gallons), back of toilet tanks (if untreated), ice bins, and pre-frozen gallon jugs in the freezer (03:57–05:04).
  • When freezing water, leave 20% head space to avoid bursting the container (05:22–05:43).
• Natural sources: Nearby streams and lakes, but must pre-filter and purify (05:44).
• Water purification:
  • Multiple redundant methods are ideal—boiling, filtration, chemical disinfectants (06:40–08:56).
  • Boil at a rolling boil for 1–3 minutes (go for 3 minutes, more at high elevations) (07:00–07:30).
  • Filters: Sawyer Mini, Sawyer Squeeze, and gravity-fed systems; use in combination with pre-filtering and boiling (07:34).
  • Chemical methods: Water purification tablets, unscented bleach (8 drops/gallon for clear, 16 for cloudy), chlorine dioxide (08:33).
  • "Redundancy, redundancy, redundancy." – Mark (08:53)

Food Storage: Smart, Layered, and Practical (08:56-15:46)

• Storing food isn’t hoarding—it’s budgeting with foresight:
  • "I’ve been able to beat inflation by my prepper pantry being stocked with foods that I purchased at a better price." – Krista (08:56)
• Build a deep pantry: Add a can or two extra each grocery visit (10:03).
• "Eat what you store and store what you eat." (09:20–10:42)
• Personal anecdotes about using the prepper pantry during job loss or illness (10:20).
• Three-tier food storage system:
  1. Tier 1: Perishables (fridge/freezer)—use first during power outages. Neighborhoods sometimes organize communal cookouts (11:08–11:57).
  2. Tier 2: Shelf-stable canned/bagged items (soups, pastas)—last 1–3 years; rotate especially tomato products before expiration due to acidity (11:57–13:09).
  3. Tier 3: Long-term staples (white rice, beans, freeze-dried foods in mylar with O2 absorbers)—decades of shelf life (13:34–13:51).
     • Food grade buckets needed only if food contacts the plastic; otherwise, mylar-lined storage is fine (13:52–14:00).
• Caloric needs:
  • Stress = higher energy requirements; plan for protein and calorie-dense foods (14:42).
  • Rotate stock using FIFO (First In, First Out); label clearly, organize by type (14:42–15:57).

Food Preparation: No-Power Solutions (16:10-19:52)

• Manual can openers are non-negotiable:
  • Have at least two; "Two is one, one is none." (16:46–17:36)
  • "Electric can openers do not work during a grid failure." – Krista (17:00)
• Cooking without electricity:
  • Options include propane or butane camp stoves, outdoor grills (never indoors), cast iron pots/pans for open fire, solar ovens, makeshift grills (17:36–18:08).
  • Include "no-cook" foods in your 72-hour kit—canned meats, nut butters, soups, snack foods (18:08–19:35).
  • "Any canned food is already cooked." – Krista (19:55)
  • Not always tasty cold, but "I’d rather have it cold than not at all." – Krista (20:03)

Morale Boosters & Comfort Items (20:07-21:09)

• Don’t forget flavor and morale:
  • Store spices, coffee, tea, sugar, candy.
  • Keep card games or board games for distraction, stress relief, and family bonding.
  • "Maybe it’s time to pull out the old family board game and have game night again..." – Krista (20:56)

Sanitation and the “Poop Plan” (21:09-23:34)

• Waste management is critical:
  • When toilets don’t flush, need a plan to prevent illness and odor.
  • Simple system: 5-gallon bucket lined with heavy trash bag, pool noodle for comfort, cover with kitty litter or sawdust after use (21:28).
• Store: Bathroom tissue, wet wipes (can be used as bath wipes), hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies (21:55).
• Cleanliness prevents secondary crises like infection when already stressed physically (22:22).

Storage Tips for Small Spaces (23:34-25:21)

• Optimize space: Under-bed (with risers), backs of closets (use Command hooks), behind furniture, under draped tables, storage bins/crates (23:34).
• Mark recalls hiding a propane tank under a TV table as a creative solution in a small apartment (24:23).
• Label storage bins for easy access and organization. Regular inventory helps avoid overbuying (24:47–25:07).
• "Organization reduces the stress and it prevents overbuying." – Mark (25:21)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Water is the number one priority. You can survive weeks without food, but you can only make it a few days without water." – Krista (01:37)
• "Storing food is not hoarding, it is budgeting with foresight." – Krista (08:56)
• "Eat what you store and store what you eat." – Mark (09:20)
• "Have at least two high quality manual can openers... If you only have one and it breaks, you have none." – Mark (16:59)
• "Flavor and morale kind of interesting go togethers... part of your provisioning stage." – Krista (20:07)
• "We did an episode one time on a poop plan." – Mark (21:27)
• "Organization reduces the stress and it prevents overbuying." – Mark (25:21)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00 – Introduction to provisioning (water, food, hygiene)
• 01:34 – The priority of water and how much to store
• 03:57 – Hidden water sources at home
• 06:40 – Water purification methods
• 08:56 – Food storage as budgeting, not hoarding
• 11:08 – Three-tier food storage system
• 14:42 – Planning calories, stock rotation, organization
• 16:10 – Food preparation and essential tools (manual can openers)
• 17:36 – Cooking without electricity; no-cook options
• 20:07 – Morale items (spices, games, comfort foods)
• 21:09 – Sanitation, "poop plan," and hygiene
• 23:34 – Storage optimization in small spaces
• 25:21 – Organization and inventory advice

Summary

This episode delivers a practical, accessible guide to home emergency provisioning without resorting to scare tactics or expensive gear. Mark and Krista emphasize storing and purifying water, building a pantry from foods your family actually eats, planning for food prep without electricity, boosting morale, and managing sanitation. Their homespun stories, straightforward advice, and encouragement to “stay prepared, not paranoid” make this an ideal starting point for anyone new to prepping—or anyone looking to shore up their systems for the next storm, outage, or surprise event.

"Stuff happens. Stay prepared." – Krista (27:08)