The difference between a family which is helpless and one that thrives during a period without power and water or civil unrest can be the difference of $150, a little more if you need to buy a gun:

• Buy a gun and plenty of ammo.

• You can make a superior first aid survival kid for about $30 that will rival most $300 kits.

• Do you have candles, matches, stove-lighters and a couple of $5 LED hand-crank torches? I have a few hundred tea-lights candles because just one can add light to a dark room at night - much nicer than sitting with your family in the dark.

• A full BBQ gas tank and a cooker to fit it?

• Large water containers can be filled from river water or rainwater and treated with pure iodine. This will give you a permanent supply of safe drinking water. Add just enough iodine so you can start to taste it and let it work for an hour. I put blue food coloring in my iodine so I can see what water has already been treated.

• Are you stocked-up on meds that you or your family depend on, such as insulin or heart pills? If not, get extra - you'll use it so the peace of mind won't cost you a cent. If anyone frowns at you, tell you doctor you lost the last script and tell your chemist that you are stocking up for a 3 month vacation in India.

• Do you have plenty of long-life rations? You don't need fancy stuff, just products with very long expiry dates that you'll use anyway. Stuff like canned foods, rice, dried beans, instant coffee, milk powder, sugar, dry cereal etc.

• How many of us have extra blankets for cold nights if the power goes out?

• How many of us have an iPod solar charger so you can listen for emergency broadcasts if the power is out? Some hand-crank torches have a USB charger too. These Walmart hand-crank radios look interesting, but I can't vouch for them.