Set-aside money each week to "pay" your self-reliance insurance. Help your family understand that just as we pay for insurance on the car in case we have an accident, self-reliance insurance protects you in case of an emergency. Explain you are building a General Store in your home. A storekeeper has to sacrifice to purchase their first inventory to stock their store, you may also need to sacrifice for now to establish your own General Store. Your General Store is your self-reliance insurance.
Teach your family about General Stores. Your explanation may go like this:
In the old General Store you could purchase everything from an ice cream cone to garden seeds, from fabric to medicines, from nails to eggs. It was truly one stop shopping. In the quest to be self-reliant, we work to fulfill the mission of the old General Store in our own home.
Imagine being able to throw together a meal for dad’s boss on short notice or making a cake last minute for a friend's birthday. Just think how great it would be to always have the supplies needed for school - even though you forgot until you are ready to leave in the morning.
After a natural disaster our distant relatives show up to be housed, fed, and clothed, and although store shelves have been cleaned out by desperate shoppers, we are able to invite them in and provide for their needs.
Imagine if mom lost her job just as you were ready to leave for college. Wouldn't it be great to be able to "shop" at our own General Store to stock your dorm room with food, hygiene items, and supplies?
Now discuss as a family an area or two where your family could save money. Decide how much you will set aside for preparing.
Decide together departments you will include in your General Store, food, medicines, tools, kits, paper goods, etc. Think about a big box store and the items in each aisle as you create your own. You can make a game of having children spy sale items in stores and ads and together decide if the sale is a good one and if the items are needed on your store shelves at home.