Top 10 Ways to Begin Prepping

This post is the show notes for my first Podcast (that has now been lost in the abyss of the internet. New show coming soon) Be easy on me! I am still learning and excited to bring you more content this way.

Understand that there is no way to prepare for every possible scenario. What is my worst case scenario may not be yours. These are my Top 10 Ways to Begin Prepping. A few tips to get your started. This list is exhaustive and may be the beginning of a series.

I prep for:

Possible job layoff.
You never know when the company your spouse works for will decide to downsize.

Weather
For North Idaho it’s snow. In 2008 we had one storm stall over us and dump 36 inches of that white stuff in one day.

Economic Collapse
If you have been watching the news for any length of time you know our country is in trouble. I’m not going to get political here, but if you want to chat please feel free to e-mail me.

Worst Case Scenario
For me this is death of The Principal or one of my kids. Last year The Principal was off work for almost 6 months. We were fine financially as well as food storage wise.

We started prepping about 5 years ago.  I am listing these in order of OUR importance. This will be different for you. Please use it as a guide.

#1 Gather Supplies for an Emergency Kit

AKA 72 hour kit. This is the go to kit for power outages, etc… If you watched the news during Katrina or Sandy you know it can be more than 72 hours for government response.

• Easy to cook food. Think camp stove ready
• Manual can opener
• Bottles of water
• TP
• Extra blankets if it’s winter
• Candles and matches
• Flashlights
• Extra Batteries
• Prescription medications
• First aid kit

 

#2 Water

We purchased 6 55 gallon barrels from Craigslist. We lined them up under the eave of the house for rain water collection. PLEASE check your local laws.
We also purchased a hand pump for the well. Water is the priority for sanitation and human or animal consumption. We lose power we lose water and toilet. You can Youtube hand well pump and build this for much less than we paid.

#3 Food

I started couponing and putting back canned food. Food that we don’t normally eat so the suggested rotation won’t be that easy. That said, I don’t think we have 2+ years, or whatever the shelf life of some canned goods claim. We have also purchased a few of the long term storage food stuffs. There are many brands. Pay attention to calories to serving size ratio.

#4 Self Defense

If the power is out for longer than a couple of days people will start to get brave. Especially if you are in the city or suburbs. Self defense doesn’t have to be a firearm. Although, it is what I chose. I also have a concealed carry permit.

#5 Cash

We make sure to carry some cash at all times. If you are at the store and the power goes out your debit card will be worthless.

#6 Full Gas Tank

Again. No power no debit card. Or if prices start to go higher than they are now, lines could be long. I rarely let my tank go below half.

#7 Phone Charged

I am OCD about my phone being charged. The first time mom got sick, in 2008, I didn’t have a car charger. My cell phone died in the middle of calling siblings about her scheduled open heart surgery. I always have a back up to my car charger. This little portable one is good. I also have a this solar one in my preps.

#8 Car Emergency Kit

We have basically a scaled down version of the 72 hour kit in the car. We travel mountain passes either direction from us. You never know when they might be closed for avalanche control or snow removal.

#9 Emergency Radio

This technically should be in your 72 hour kit, but I didn’t want it to be overlooked. We have one that hand cranks and has a solar panel for charging. It also has a cell charger outlet on it.

#10 Faith

This should be number one I suppose and this sounds cliche. Heaven forbid you NEED any of the above. You prep for the worst and hope for the best. He knows where our world is and isn’t surprised. Just keep the faith.

Here is a list of 72 hour kit:

photo credit

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