by 3AD Scout, Survival Blog:

Our first home had a gas forced air furnace and a wood fire place. I had a natural gas ventless heater installed in our basement. A few days after our daughter was born, we had another major storm and power outage. With a two year old and a new born we decided to bug out to her dad’s house until our power came back on. Before we left, I turned the ventless heater on low and left the basement door cracked open. When our power came back on just shy of 72 hours later, our house was still 55 degrees in the dead of winter.
Over the years the emergency bags I insisted be in each vehicle have proven wise and useful. Whether it was used for an emergency poncho at a sporting event, or for its first aid kit, everyone always knew to check those bags. For one of my birthdays, my wife asked me what gun I wanted. I was really thinking about a Barrett .50 caliber at the time, she asked how much it would cost, I told her, and she said: “Go buy it.” (See, she is a keeper.) I really wanted that rifle but it was a want not a need. I told my wife that I really appreciated the present but I think there was something more practical to do with the money. Freeze-dried and dehydrated food in number 10 cans was probably the last thing she would have thought I would say. She was shocked that I would give up my “dream gun” for “camping” food.