Steps Taken When Prepping

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  • NVG

    Marksman
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    12   0   0
    Jul 28, 2014
    148
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    SEast
    When I started my preparing journey, a few years ago, I started off by prepping for 3 mo's at a time. It seemed a bit overwhelming so I adjusted to 2 months for each step. This was for food/water in my immediate group. What was your steps or allotted time frame you guys worked at?
    Thanks, NVG
     

    Enkrypter

    Sharpshooter
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    9   0   0
    Dec 27, 2011
    591
    18
    New Palestine, IN
    I started a while ago.

    Always wanted a home with a basement. Seen a few twisters and they freaked me out. Not having one was no longer an option. So we moved last October.

    We always have extra food around the house. I would not call it prepping, just the depression era style of keeping food around that was taught to my mother by my grandmother. We about about 3 months of food on hand at any given time. You might not like it towards the end, but you'll have food in your belly.


    Then I started collecting key provisions:
    Extra garage fridge and freezer, coleman camp stove with several cans of propane sitting on the shelf... Backup generator, flashlights all over the house, no less than 500rnds of ammo (generally way more) in every caliber I have a gun for, and other stuff like that.

    Prepping is a journey. You don't have to go all out at once and if you do it right, your spouse may not ever know you're doing it.

    This month I put in a security system and two outdoor HD video cameras with NightVision.

    My next goal is to remove the electric range from the house and convert it to gas. Gas tends to flow when power is out and we simply prefer cooking with real fire. In the winter if your furnace and power is out you can use the stove and oven to heat your house. I had done this at our old house right before we moved, so now I need to do it again. Prepping generally costs money, but it's not a race. Don't go broke doing it. Prepping, like all things in life, is about moderation and like I said, it's a journey.

    Lost a stove, gained a man-cave/T-shelter.

    Pro tips for new preppers:

    If you don't enjoy walking to the mailbox or taking the trash out to the street when your wife asks, bugging out should not be your focus. If you are a bugout person, you should be spending most of your summer backpacking and hiking on the trails in the woods. I love my hammock and camping, but I have no illusions of living in the woods when I have a perfectly good serta at home with a roof over it. Prepping at home is where you should start. Then work on your mobility options. Soetimes this may mean listening to your doctor and losing 40lbs. Friends and family are essential!

    Start with simple stuff, a couple $2.00 cases of water, flashlights, batteries, a couple cans of soup or green beans, medical supplies, and blankets. You can do it for as little as $5.00 extra dollars every time you're at the grocery.

    Protection is essential. Get a gun, get a knife, learn martial arts, learn some kind of defense, just learn to defend your life and liberty. You don't need a fancy alarm system on your house when you can get man's best friend/alarm system. I personally have both. (three of the kind you have to feed every day and one you punch a code into when you leave the house) Dogs are the best alarm system money can buy. The right kind will also protect your kids and family.

    If you're not a gardener and don't have the desire, don't start here. Start with planning for not being able to leave your house for 1-2 weeks and being able to live comfortably off that stock pile. Then you can get more extreme.

    You can spend the rest of your life prepping for things that may never happen, or you can live your life responsibly. No one should live in constant fear. I don't live in constant fear, but I'm also not a fool. Everything in moderation.
     

    NVG

    Marksman
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    12   0   0
    Jul 28, 2014
    148
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    SEast
    I think the 3 month goal was just a bit much for me at first. Once I made a 2 month list out, it was far easier to cope with. I did try dabbing in a few ventures and proved to be great ideas- chickens and raised gardens. Thinking of beekeeping next ???
     

    lester

    Sharpshooter
    Industry Partner
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    0   0   0
    Jun 8, 2008
    393
    18
    Greencastle
    When I started my preparing journey, a few years ago, I started off by prepping for 3 mo's at a time. It seemed a bit overwhelming so I adjusted to 2 months for each step. This was for food/water in my immediate group. What was your steps or allotted time frame you guys worked at?

    When I was starting out, my approach to prepping has always been influence by the rule of threes. I still try to use this approach to maintain balance. I consider what I need for 3 minutes, 3 hours, 3 days, 3 weeks, and then 3 months. I don't move on to another increment until I've mastered the present one. I do this to prevent myself from having too much of one thing and not enough of another -- 6 years worth of ammo but only 3 days of ramen...
     

    KittySlayer

    Grandmaster
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    4   0   0
    Jan 29, 2013
    6,473
    77
    Northeast IN
    My first step into prepping was reading an article on Altoid tin kits. Researching and putting a kit together started me down the path.

    When I was starting out, my approach to prepping has always been influence by the rule of threes....

    You gotta get out of the chair and make the first step. Your rule of threes works well as the initial steps should be baby steps.

    Don't be afraid to make mistakes or go slightly out of order.

    Sometimes because of finances, storage space or marital harmony you have to be flexible.
     

    PistolBob

    Grandmaster
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    4   0   0
    Oct 6, 2010
    5,387
    83
    Midwest US
    As soon as we see fresh green bean for 99c a pound or less, we buy a bushel (28 lbs) and can them in quart jars...no salt. Won't find them that price until early summer. The ones Kroger carries are grown just north of Columbus Ohio in Dublin, I called the farm and they are non-GMO beans,
     

    6mm Shoot

    Expert
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    0   0   0
    Oct 21, 2012
    1,136
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    I started out preparing for what ever comes with my camping gear. In it you have everything you need for a given emergency. To start out I had food for a week. That was added to as money allowed. At this point we no longer buy pouches from Mountain House and buy the large cans from Honey Ville to make what we like. As far as bugging out we have no such plans. If we are ever ordered to leave we have a 32' travel trailer that is set up to go at any time and it is stocked for 30 plus days with food and other such stuff.

    The same could have been said for my hunting guns. I had hunting hand guns, rifles and shotguns long before I ever had any defensive guns. I never felt I was under gunned using them to protect the family and myself. Most people have more stuff for emergency events in their homes than they think. If you have a tarp, it can be turned into a tent. It also can be used as a short term roof repair. You probably have many such things in your house that could be used in a emergency. If you don't have them you need to get them. Tarps, tools, tape, rope and other such things.
     

    MohawkSlim

    Expert
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    2   0   0
    Mar 11, 2015
    992
    28
    15th Street, Bedford
    The first step is to assess your needs & usage and then apply that to the most likely scenario. After that's done, go with secondary and tertiary likely scenarios.

    Focusing on what could be needed is a lot more effective than just, "I'll buy a little of this here and there because that's what the internet says I need." I had a lot of people in my circle who were really big on buckets of mylar-bagged grain and that sort of thing. "Bro, you don't eat buckets of grain now.... why would you eat them once the zombies attack?" There are a lot of prepper-specific products out there that nobody uses day-to-day. Why people buy them just for prepping makes no sense to me.

    I do like the others so far on this thread. Spend an extra $5 at the grocery or gun store this week. Could be two cans of soup and a gallon of water. Could be a box of ammo. That little stuff really adds up. Save $5/week for big ticket items like a water purifier or body armor. After a year or two the cupboard is full and the big ticket items are punched.

    ...and all the while work on fitness/health, training and networking.
     

    IndyDave1776

    Grandmaster
    Emeritus
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    12   0   0
    Jan 12, 2012
    27,286
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    When I was starting out, my approach to prepping has always been influence by the rule of threes. I still try to use this approach to maintain balance. I consider what I need for 3 minutes, 3 hours, 3 days, 3 weeks, and then 3 months. I don't move on to another increment until I've mastered the present one. I do this to prevent myself from having too much of one thing and not enough of another -- 6 years worth of ammo but only 3 days of ramen...

    Exactly. It can be very tempting to do well with the things you like or are good at and ignore those which are less appealing and/or seem tedious without proper regard given for objective fact-based prioritization.
     
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