The Procurement function often reports directly into the Finance Department. One issue Finance people often have is how to measure the performance of these Procurement people. Here are some questions that Finance executives can ask their Procurement staff to test whether or not they are getting value for money.

What answers would you give?

1. What cost savings have you achieved in the last year – 20%, 30%, 50% or more?

2. Have you made any radical changes to your supply chains in the last 12 months? How as it improved service and/or lowered costs?

3. How do you challenge your suppliers’ prices? Are negotiations and competitive tendering your only tools?

4. Do you systematically and regularly collect data on the total cost of acquisition and use of the things you buy? How do you use this information?

5. How does the rest of the organisation view the procurement department? Do they see it as adding a true competitive advantage?

6. What do your suppliers think of the way you deal with them? How do you capitalise on this?

7. Are you the first organisation that your suppliers come to with new ideas? What radical innovations have they brought to you in the last 12 months?

8. What % reduction have you achieved in your supply base this year? How does this support your business strategy?

9. How many people are involved in procurement in your organisation? Is this too few, too many or just about right?

10. Does anyone outside the Procurement department commit your organisation to expenditure with suppliers? if so, how do you make sure that money is spent wisely?

11. How do you know if your procurement people have the right mix of skills and experience for your business? Do you benchmark roles, responsibilities and abilities?

12. How do you go about updating the skills of people in procurement? Do you have a programme in place to meet the requirements from a training needs analysis?

13. It has been said that the best form of buying is not to buy in the first place. How do you challenge demand for purchased goods and services in your organisation?

14. How do you challenge the specification of the things you buy?

15. Do you have a structured process in place to systematically improve your supply base?

16. Do you know where all of your supply bottlenecks and risks are? Do you have a disaster recovery plan in place?

17. How do you measure the improvements your people make to business performance? Do you benchmark this and identify any gaps?

18. When was the last time you reviewed your processes and procedures? Do they still support the ways in which you need to work? Do they ensure that “best in breed” ideas and practices are applied consistently by all buyers?

19. Is your IT system capable of giving you all the information you need to manage Procurement?

20. You have Procurement under control. Quality and delivery are good and costs have been reduced. What do you do next? Do you have a vision and plan that has been agreed by the business?

How well do you think you and your colleagues would fair if your Financial Director asked these questions of you?

In about 5 billion years our sun is expected to die. Recently the Hubble Space Telescope, trained on the planetary nebula NGC 6210 about 6,500 light-years away, photographed a star, slightly less massive than our sun, suffering its last gasp.

A dying star forms a planetary nebula (really just gas and dust, but resembling a planet when seen from a great distance) when it ejects its outer layers. In its death throes a star throws off multiple shells, including electrons of platinum and gold, in irregular patterns. In what has become known as the last breath it leaves behind a tiny, extremely hot remnant called a white dwarf.

In an uncharacteristic parallel, romance meets empiricism, giving rise to the poetic and scientifically-correct image of gold as the last dying breath of a dying star — its final fading expiration.

I don’t know if a star breathes as such, but children (and I suppose adolescents) of the Sixties were prey to Joni Mitchell’s opinion. She sung, “We are stardust. We are golden.” Many didn’t know any better, but had the Children of the Sixties been inspired to put the insights about prana in the yoga manuals of Ernest Wood and Richard Hittleman into practice, they would at least have realized that they breathed. The root of the word inspiration is “to breathe in” and this revealing connection opens up its inner significance and associations, as well as its potential for stimulating personal enlightenment in both the spiritual and the knowledgeable senses.

Because if inspiration — that mysterious essence that visits us in life and promotes enthusiasm, meaningful action and connects heaven to the earth — is as commonplace, ordinary, predictable and freely available, then why aren’t we inspired all the time, or at least as frequently as when we breathe in?

As the ancient alchemists might have put it, the Philosopher’s Stone of self-knowledge enables us to turn lead into gold, or our mundane humanness into our divine nature. In inner alchemy, for example, a key concept is the refinement of essential matter into vital breath and spirit. Taoists practice breath exercises, massage and martial arts towards this end with great commitment.

In New Age and pop psychology literature today we are often advised that our attitude dictates our commitment to our learning potential. It is manifested and expressed through our responses: glib, dismissive, doubtful, cynical, angry, resentful. Other ways to respond to statements of truth, or guidance are: strangely sad, filled with longing (some distant longing you cannot find words for), hesitant, hopeful, afraid, hurt, unforgiving, fixed or unyielding.

Like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the authoritative manual of nearly 1000 pages of diagnostic criteria used by mental health professionals and insurance companies, descriptions of disease and illness surpass descriptions of well-being. But spot the logic. Our attitude only produces a positive response when we become receptive, open and insightful. Yet there is a plethora of ways to sabotage this response and find our way into negativity.

And the logic is this. I am driving to London, England from York. The route is to take the A64 to the A1 then the M1 all the way. This is the route because it will get me there quickly, safely and more economically than any other route. However, if I take a wrong turn and take the M18 to Sheffield just past Doncaster, I will sustain a 20 mile or more detour, adding time, more danger and expense to my journey. If by mistake I take the M62 to Hull or stay on the A64 to Leeds the result is the same. There is really only one efficient route.

In another uncharacteristic parallel, inner work corresponds with outer life in amplifying and reflecting the fact that one way is right, while a multitude of wrong ways exist. Is it any wonder that so many are lost and seeking guidance?

“I don’t know who I am/But you know life is for learning,” sung Joni Mitchell in that stardust/golden song. Knowing who you are is the goal of personal enlightenment, as in “Who am I?” or “What is a human being?” The root meaning of enlightenment is wisdom, knowledge and there is even some connection to feathers. The word “drive” carries the curious meaning from the German of “pushing from behind”, which is reminiscent of the Taoist concept of “leading from beneath”.

In one ancient Taoist story a man is filled with the irrational fear that the sky would fall and destroy his home and family. A friend counseled him that heaven was everywhere and consisted of nothing but the air in which he walked and breathed, so how could anyone fear the collapse of heaven.

The fearful man replied that if the heavens were accumulated air then wasn’t there a danger of the stars falling. The friend replied that the stars were merely illuminated bodies of air, to which the fearful man replied, “What if the earth should sink beneath my feet?”

His friend replied that the earth was a solid mass filling space. “It is everywhere,” he said, “because you can walk for the whole day and night on it without reaching its end, so how can you be afraid of its breaking up beneath your feet?” Apparently the fearful man experienced great relief in the explanation and began to live with confidence.

We are getting closer to a breathing universe with the friend identifying the planets as bodies of air and the earth leading from beneath. To tie in that correspondence let us just say that the ancient Taoists who used to say, “Look neither to left or right”, got it right and moved on ahead suffering no distractions. Each time, according to one old story, they placed a foot on the earth they refused to take for granted the fact that there was stability and matter around their feet, so inspired to gratitude were they by the blessing of all they needed for their groundedness.

Perhaps they were inspired as often as they breathed out.

Quick ejaculation prevention is a goal many average, everyday men try to successfully accomplish. It can be a long road of trial and error, trying to find the right formula to be able to last long each and every time sexual intimacy occurs. Ideally that should in fact be the goal, a long term, permanent solution. In order to get there one has to do three things:

1. Research the LONG TERM solutions, while avoiding the quick fixes. Long term solutions will be centered around both physical exercises you can perform to last longer, and also mental techniques which have proven to be extremely useful in permanent quick ejaculation prevention. Short term remedy’s to avoid are creams or magic potions which promise overnight results. While the creams may have a numbing effect on your member, you can easily fall into a spiral of having to rely on the creams, and avoiding learning long term solutions where you don’t have to be all numbed up and can actually enjoy sex to the fullest, while lasting as long as one desires.

2. Practice-Practice-Practice. This is paramount in one’s success in becoming a long lasting lover and preventing quick ejaculation. Once you apply the physical techniques, then add in the mental techniques. When you repeat these practices over and over, there will come a point where everything ”clicks” and you are suddenly able to control ejaculations very easily, and hence last as long as you want. The good news is that there are ejaculation control and prevention programs online which contain complete easy to follow systems designed to stop premature ejaculation in the shortest amount of time possible. Where as once it would have to take several months of trial and error, now one can prevent quick ejaculation with the right program in a matter of weeks.

Although many people feel alone when they discover their spouse has had an affair, they are not alone in terms of the shear numbers of affairs that are going on.

Below are some statistics that will show how common marital affairs are becoming.

Social Class

Adultery does not know how to distinguish between social classes. It does not care who you are, what your income is, where you live, where you work or any other factor.

Around 60% of adulterers are middle class wage earners, and of those, 40% are women. The most common age bracket of people having affairs are between 25 and 39, which also coincides with the highest demographic of divorcees.

Common Traits of an Affair

Some things that are common are that among cheating spouses, most only knew their spouse for 2 years or less prior to marriage, and they have been married for less than 3 years. This is not to say that it is uncommon to find couples who have been married for more than 25 years to have one spouse having an affair.

Gender Disparity

For some reason, we always assume that men are the cheaters. While the statistics do lean that way, they are much closer than you may think. In fact, 22% of men and 14% of women admit to having an affair. Women are closing the gap on cheating spouses.

Who Knew?

Keep an open eye to your spouse’s activity. That is not to say you should focus on your spouses every move or assume that h/she is having an affair, but pay attention to their activities and behaviors.

Your spouse, if they are having an affair, will leave behind many clues they are unaware of. If you can pick up on them, you may be able to catch your spouse cheating!

The importance of paying attention is in the statistics. Of married women, 70% never knew that their husband was cheating. Of married men, 54% never knew their wife was having an affair.

Length of an Affair

Affairs affect 1 in every 3 couples. That’s 33%! But how long does an affair last?

* 10% of affairs last 1 day

* 10% last more than 1 day, but less than 1 month

* 50% last more than 1 month, but less than 1 year

* 40% last more than 2 years!

What is most interesting is that the divorce rate for those who marry their lover is 75%! This is because affairs lack the necessary emotion to sustain anything long term. They ignore faults between the two parties which gives off a false feeling of love.

Work Place Affairs

Some studies suggest that 2 out of 3 women and 3 out of 4 men admit they have sexual thoughts about co-workers. While a thought doesn’t always lead to an affair, 75% of men and 65% of women admit to having sex with someone they work with.

There are endless statistics to talk about, but these are some of the important ones. Now that you’ve read them, do you think your spouse is cheating on you?

A Father of one of the 13 U.S. military members who were lost at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan four days ago on August 26, 2021 told how his son had said that his brothers and sisters would take care of him, and now it seemed “that they all went out together.” That broke my heart. I served in Afghanistan and was fortunate to come home whole, but the memories always come back to me, especially when I hear of someone else who answered our country’s call and did not come home the same way that they went to the tip of the spear.

This is a story that continues from long ago and it has no end that we can see. Whether from direct conflict with our country’s core principles, a threat to us, a principled stand, or simply accidents during training or a failure in a complicated piece of machinery, it is so hard to see harm come to the heart and soul of America, its young people, our future, who stepped up to be our shield, our champions, our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, National Guard, Coast Guard, and Veterans, many of whom go back to those places as Contractors or as Humanitarians in Non-Government Organizations. Why do they contribute so much to our country and people?

The reasons vary: Honor, the desire to be honorable for our country; Tradition, often in American families, the next generation steps up to continue a multi-generational contribution to uniformed military service; Adventure, Some of the coolest “toys,” most exotic travels, and best friends are enjoyed by those who serve. At a retirement for a man who served for 30 years, someone who was one of the best and brightest I have ever met, when it was time for him to speak, all he could say was, “I can’t believe it’s over.” He wept.

Then, there are those who are affronted when our country is brazenly attacked. In my lifetime, I experienced that. At 9/11, I saw tens of thousands of Americans join me in the military ranks; they were pissed and spoiling for revenge. Now, over the last four days I hear that American toddlers at the time of 9/11 gave their last full measure in uniform trying to save Afghans who had earned the right for America to save them.

It is so hard to hear the stories about who they were, knowing that they did not get to live their lives fully, and that they did not pass peacefully in their sleep. But, don’t turn that off, and don’t shy away from it. If you don’t understand it, watch actor Kevin Bacon’s master piece, a film titled “Taking Chance.” Watch that, then you will not shy away from this sad news. You will embrace it, because you understand that every American is their witness. You owe it to them.

Introduction

Financial failure is the rule rather than the exception in entrepreneurial ventures. Even in well-established businesses the occurrence thereof is alarming. A multitude of reasons for financial failure exist. Sometimes these factors are beyond the reach of management, but most of the times they could have been foreseen and prevented.

Over more than a decade we advised and assisted companies in growing and managing their businesses. This case study highlights the importance of proper financial planning and the management of the various financial issues. It shows a real-life example of how many factors culminated in financial disaster.

Why Did This Company Fail?

It is normally several factors that cause the financial downfall of a company. By analyzing the failure of a company a storyline presents itself with a thread that runs through the various mistakes. We analysed this medium-sized company’s figures on behalf of the shareholders and the company’s biggest supplier. By that time the company was already in financial ruin. The main causes for this failure can be summarised as follows:

• Financial Acumen. The problems within the company started when managers were appointed with a lack of experience and financial acumen.
• Financial Planning. No financial planning was done – not even cashflow projections. Everybody was measured on sales.
• Gross Profits. The gross margins were on average 3.3% over the last three years. This is extremely low in an industry that operates around 20% margins.
• Sales. The rationale behind the low gross margins was to get sales – at all costs. In the beginning the sales went up to $135 million (from $58 million) and this gave them around 35% of the market share (in their niche market). At that levels they could not afford to properly service the clients and during the last year sales drop to $91 million.
• Expenditure. During this time of crisis operating expenses increased from 2.9% to 5.7% – substantially above the 3.3% gross profit. This was a recipe for financial disaster. Increases in expenses were mainly due to conference costs, salaries, entertainment and products that were just given away.
• Debtors. Management decided to slacken their credit policy to assist the sales. They also did not want to offend their clients and were very lenient with collections. The net effect was that accounts receivable went from an already bad 66.8 days to 93.4 days. Bad debts increased from 0% to 0.8%.
• Inventory. Stock holding was more or less constant at 43.6 days. The average in the industry is around 30 days. Management bought extra stock at discounted prices. Unfortunately most of these stock items were not excellent sellers.
• Debt. The debt to equity ratio changed over time from 15.4:1 to 28.9:1. The accounts payable (creditors) were paid on 211 days on average – up from 147.8 days. The industry norm is 90 days. Interest costs worsen the problems and increased from $644,000 to $1.81 million during the last two years.

The cumulative effects of these problems were devastating. The ratios were extremely bad. The company was not profitable, liquid or solvent. No investor or bank was prepared to put anything into the company. The creditors took legal action and a once healthy (but smaller) company was destroyed and liquidated within less than five years after the new management took over.

How Could This All Be Prevented?

The company’s problems really started when they restructured and appointed shareholders in the key management positions. These people did not have the necessary business- and financial acumen. They were also given a free reign and this created attitude-, ethical- and corporate governance concerns. By the time that the situation was investigated it was already too late.

In addition to the appointment of the right qualified people (with a much lower salary bill at market-related remunerations), a few changes could have made a big difference:

• Financial Planning. Professionally managed cashflows could have indicated where potential problems lie and corrective actions could have been applied. Financial planning would also have shown that the path of too low gross margins and too high expenses are guaranteed financial suicide.
• Gross Profits and Sales. By targeting gross margins in the region of 20% and by keeping their service levels as before the company should have sustained there previous sales (around $58 million). This would give them a gross profit of $11.6 million (compared to about $3 million currently) – more than enough to cover expenses, provide for growth and bringing their financial ratios to acceptable levels.
• Expenditure. By keeping salaries market related, by curtailing entertainment and conference costs and by not giving products away the company could have easily saved another $1.5 million per year.

In addition to the above the inventory holding (stock) and debtor days (accounts receivable) could have substantially be improved. The accounts payable were, however, in such a bad situation that drastic changes were necessary. The effect of these changes would mean another $3.5 million was needed as working capital. The net effect of all these changes in the company would have been a surplus cash of around $4.6 million. This was enough to service the company’s interest commitments, improve its ratios and to steadily grow the business.

Summary

It is seldom just one issue that causes the financial failure of a company. Sometimes apparent small changes are necessary to increase the chances of financial success in a business. It is important for management to gain the necessary financial acumen, to plan properly, to monitor the financial performance diligently (especially against cashflows) and to take corrective actions where needed (preferably pro-actively).

Copyright© 2008 – Wim Venter

Whether you intend to place a wager, enter a competition or simply attempt to predict football outcomes for fun there are many aspects worth considering before making your final choices. Many people make the mistake of simply allowing a teams reputation to rule their selections. For example Manchester United are the current reigning Premiership and European champions, if they were playing Middlesbrough at the Riverside many people would go on Manchester United’s reputation and select them to win the fixture. In reality with United only picking up one win in the last 4 seasons away to Middlesbrough in the Premiership this may not be such a good pick.

So how can you improve your premiership predictions?

Firstly take advice from professionals. And by this I don’t mean these tipsters that are offering their special insider knowledge for a fee all over the internet. I mean bookmakers. Bookmakers don’t like losing money so will reflect this in the odds they offer for the winner of fixtures. Many bookies display their odds in decimals, but don’t worry about figuring this out just know that the lower the number the more likely the bookmakers believe the particular outcome will happen. Don’t take this to be gospel however, bookmakers can be wrong sometimes.

The second step is research form. This doesn’t necessarily mean going back over months and months of data to find out if a team will win or not but seeing the results of the last six home games, last six away games and the last six home and away game record combined will give you an idea of whether a team is playing well or suffering a loss of form.

Thirdly we want to check if the team we have in mind are struggling with any injuries or suspensions to key players. The team we fancy may be on a hot streak at the moment but if the next game they play they will be without their star defender through suspension and their top goal scorer picked up a knock in training we need to know about this. There are no one man teams in the premiership but missing key players upsets the balance of teams and can cause unexpected results. We want to expect these unexpected results.

Finally it is well worth looking at previous results between the two teams playing each other. Bogey teams exist and can continue inexplicably through various incarnations of a team. A quick look at the head to head record between two teams can quickly reveal any recurring results and are well worth bearing in mind when making selections.

There are absolutely no guarantees with football predictions, particularly premiership predictions as the premier league is widely respected as one of the most competitive in the world. However if you follow the tips above you will improve your chances at making the correct selection where others wont.

Accra, the capital of Ghana situated in West Africa is a sprawling city housing the modern and the old. Shanty towns share space with modern architectural constructions in this city of contradictions. With a lively market and vibrant commercial hub, Accra is an exciting place to visit this vacation. Cheap flights to Accra are available throughout the year for your convenience.

Accra along with Tema constitutes the country’s major industrial and commercial centers. Though the smallest region, it is the most densely populated. The National Museum is a major tourist attraction. Its exhibits reflect the heritage from the pre-historic times to the modern era. The National Theater is another huge crowd puller with its unique and contemporary architecture.

When you are here, do not miss the truly amazing attractions such as the Center for National Culture, the Independent Square and the Kwame Nkruma Mausoleum. The fishing port at James Town is always teeming with visitors curing to have a glimpse of the fish catching process.

Cheap flights are available for you to get to Ghana at any time of the year. The climate is warm and tropical throughout the year and it is important to carry light cotton clothing to make you comfortable in the 38°C temperature that prevails right through the year. Rains last from April to June and again from September to October. It is undoubtedly the best time to be here to escape from the harsh heat that beats down relentlessly in summer.

Booking cheap flights to Accra should not be a problem but it is advisable to book flight tickets in advance to avoid last minute hassles. If you want to see Ghana in its entire festival splendor, you should come here in the months of August and September. Many communities in Accra celebrate their first harvest during this time. It is an event worth watching for its colorful liveliness.

As there are limited operators flying to Accra frequently, booking tickets at least two months in advance will be a sensible thing to do. Flights fill up quickly, especially around Christmas time. If you plan to fly directly to Accra, be prepared to shell out some big bucks. Stopover flights can be slightly inconvenient by they can save you lots of cash which you can use to shop for some great local merchandize.

Total knee replacement is generally performed in older patients with osteoarthritis. For the first time in India, a new prosthesis for young patients with osteoarthritis will be introduced. This prosthesis made of a wonder material called Zirconium, a ceramic coated metal ensures longer survival of the prosthesis after implantation. The introduction of this prosthesis will hopefully encourage more number of young and middle aged Indians and Westerners to undergo knee replacement in India.

Advantages of Zirconium

1) The significant advantage of Zirconium knee implants is that it is considerably harder. On testing it lasts 85 times longer in tests that simulate the stresses inside the actual knee. Additional advantages are scratch resistance.

2) When it is wet, ceramic can glide smoothly along plastic, making for smoother motion than with metal-on-plastic. As a result, the Oxinium total knee replacement will not generate the quantity of plastic wear debris that cobalt chrome will, and the implants should last considerably longer. Zirconium is one of the six most biocompatible elements know to man. So, your immune system will more easily tolerate your new implant.

3) Lastly, patients who are allergic to nickel, the metal most often used in the current implants, cannot currently receive total knee replacements. The ceramic implant, however, can be implanted safely in patients with nickel allergies, since it uses a zirconium alloy with no nickel. Implants made of Oxinium have been implanted in larger number of patients in the UK Australia and the US with great success.

Who would benefit most from an Oxinium (zirconium) total knee replacement?

Three types of patient have been identified as the “best” candidates for an Oxinium total knee replacement.

“Younger” patients: Because Oxinium knee implants offer significantly less wear compared to cobalt chrome implants, they are expected to last considerably longer. In the past, orthopedic surgeons have advised patients less than 65 years of age to wait to have knee replacement surgery because the life span of the cobalt chrome knee implants is only 10-15 years. Now, surgeons have a viable option for a younger patient who previously would not be a candidate for a total knee replacement because the Oxinium knee implants should last much longer. Therefore, a patient under the age of 65 who has advanced arthritis of the knee no longer has to suffer for years until he reaches an appropriate age for total knee replacement surgery.

“Active” patients: Patients, who desire to return to an active lifestyle, including sports, dancing, gardening, or other strenuous activities, may also benefit from an Oxinium knee replacement. As a result of their high activity level, this patient population will put more “wear and tear” on their knee replacement, which can cause the implants to wear more quickly. An Oxinium knee is better able to tolerate this high activity level and last longer that the traditional cobalt chrome knee. Metal allergy patients: Because Oxinium is one of the most biocompatible materials known to man, it is the only choice for patients who exhibit metal allergies. Patients who have needed total knee replacement surgery, but could not tolerate the cobalt chrome implants due to their nickel content, can now have the surgery they need to return to an active lifestyle without the fear of an allergic reaction.

The first patient will be a middle aged Housewife with osteoarthritis. Whereas normal knee prostheses cost about 80,000 rupees, this new prosthesis may cost about 1. 25 lakhs, but it is comparable to the best in its category. The higher cost will be offset by the longer survivorship of the implant. A Total knee package is available for Indians and foreigners with normal and long life prostheses at affordable costs.

No one knows when the next earthquake, hurricane or other natural disaster will hit. Civil unrest can occur in a very short period of time and require that you have the means to stay indoors for at least 72-hours, or perhaps even longer.

But what if you had to remain inside for a week? How about a month? While every household should have some type of emergency preparedness supplies, how many households have enough supplies to last one or two months in the event of an emergency? Many households stock extra pantry items such as canned foods along with emergency lights, batteries, blankets, first aid kits, and other emergency supplies. However, the most important items in your survival stash needs to be food and water.

When creating a food storage strategy, consider some of these benefits of freeze dried food:

1. Long-term shelf life

Purchasing #10 cans of freeze dried food will keep for 25 years depending on the storage temperature. All the major freeze dried manufacturers make #10 cans which is a standard method of food storage. Cans in storage can be rotated for backpacking and camping trips, or just rotated as part of your normal meal preparation. Even smaller containers such as #2 ½ cans from AlpineAire have a 15-year shelf life, and small 2 and 4-person serving freeze dried food pouches last 7 years.

2. No cooking required – just add water

Many preppers underestimate the benefits of having freeze dried food that can be prepared quickly and easily by just adding water. While hot water is desirable for the best taste, in case of an emergency, cold water will provide the same nutritional benefits. The last thing you want to do in a survival scenario is to worry about different meal combinations as you want to dedicate all of your energy to keeping yourself or your family safe.

3. Food has intrinsic value

Food is a universal currency during a survival scenario. You can trade it for other necessities such as medicines, protection, or transportation. Your food value also never goes to waste as you can rotate the food that you purchase in and out of your food storage. Finally, buying food now with a long shelf-life locks in the cost of food now so in the event of severe price inflation, your supply of freeze dried food has already been paid for.

4. Other considerations

• Food storage gives you peace of mind knowing that you are prepared in the event of a disaster.
• You can supplement your freeze dried food supplies with canned foods and foods you use regularly but have 1-2 year shelf life so that it can function as both food storage and an extended pantry.
• Do not forget to stock up on your most favorite items such as coffees, teas, hot chocolate, candies, and whatever else you view as a luxury or comfort food. In times of crisis, these food items will help lift your spirits.
• Consider whether you need to have smaller, more portable food storage units if the types of disaster you are preparing for may require you to move quickly. A six month supply of food storage is great to have in your basement, but if you cannot stay at home during an emergency, you need the ability to collect your food and move quickly.

In summary, serious thinking about how an emergency scenario may affect you should lead you to consider, amongst everything else, that food is a key element to your disaster planning.