Be careful of the traps if you are just beginning

[MarshallDodge]

My wife and I started preparing a couple years ago and while I am not an expert, I can see where others could be lead astray.

My thoughts on the subject:

The KISS (Keep It Simple) principle is our motto.

Here are some things that I believe are "must haves" in the event of a collapse or emergency:

Water
Food
Shelter
Heat
Medicine
Defense


Store what you eat, and eat what you store. I hear of people going out and buying 10 cases of SPAM and I wonder what would happen if things collapsed. Are they really going to eat 10 cases of SPAM? Do they eat SPAM everyday? Some people have allergies to certain foods, whole wheat for an example, so before you purchase a truckload of items for your food storage, you should try the items and incorporate them into your daily diet.

A lot of us eat perishable items like milk, eggs, cheese, and stuff from the freezer. You may want to think again about these items being available when the power goes out. I am blessed to live in an area where I can have chickens and raise a garden. We have fresh eggs anytime we need them. My neighbors down the road have dairy cows so milk is not that far away. If you do not have access to these items then you need to plan accordingly.

Finally, don't purchase things out of fear. It's not time to spend your nest egg so that you can be fully prepared by next week. I know people that have been preparing for the end of the world since the 60's.

Start slow by putting together a 72 hour kit and build on it.

[m4junkie]

Definitely good advice.

Thanks for posting this.

[Vic303]

First In--First Out for a storage concept. That way you be sure to rotate your stocks. Be aware that some foods to not store well in metal cans from the factory (acidic fruit juices and tomato sauces ). Their lifespan seems shorter than normal. Having had 1 of each of those cans fail recently in my storm shelter, it was a nasty mess to clean up and cost me an otherwise pleasant evening.

Unless you plan on dropping a couple grand on Mountain House goods and not using them for 15+yrs, you really DO need to eat what you store, and store what you eat. This is even more important if you have small kids--as they can be notoriously picky eaters, and the stress of an 'event' may be enough to put them off normal foods to say nothing of long term storage items. It's important to keep some 'comfort food/snack' items, especially for kids, as once you can get them eating, it is often easier to keep them at it. Who cares if they eat dessert first in that case?

Finally, if you plan on storing whole dry foods like rice, beans and wheat berries, you'd better practice cooking with them, and encorporating them in your weekly diet. Otherwise your gastric system may just revolt if you have to eat them for an extended period.

[EzGoingKev]

Finally, don't purchase things out of fear. It's not time to spend your nest egg so that you can be fully prepared by next week. I know people that have been preparing for the end of the world since the 60's.
<No political references in this forum>

Two important things I think would be good are reference material and tools.

Books on medicine/first aid, what types of plants you can eat, etc. When I was a kid I had an old Boy Scout manual that might have been my father's from the 50's that had more knowledge than anything.

Having a shovel, axe, and some hand tools, ZIP TIES & DUCT TAPE would be great to have.

[bkb0000]

this might be a stretch for some people, but try to learn a trade- even if just the basics. roofing, framing, masonry, cattle herding, furniture making, sewing, leatherwork, blacksmithing, anything. get comfortable with hand tools, so when you're out in the woods with your family watching the mushroom clouds looming above your former residence in the distance you'll at least be able to construct some form of crude shelter.

my $.02

[PA PATRIOT]

My wife and I started preparing a couple years ago and while I am not an expert, I can see where others could be lead astray.

My thoughts on the subject:

The KISS (Keep It Simple) principle is our motto.

Here are some things that I believe are "must haves" in the event of a collapse or emergency:

Water
Food
Shelter
Heat
Medicine
Defense


Store what you eat, and eat what you store. I hear of people going out and buying 10 cases of SPAM and I wonder what would happen if things collapsed. Are they really going to eat 10 cases of SPAM? Do they eat SPAM everyday? Some people have allergies to certain foods, whole wheat for an example, so before you purchase a truckload of items for your food storage, you should try the items and incorporate them into your daily diet.

A lot of us eat perishable items like milk, eggs, cheese, and stuff from the freezer. You may want to think again about these items being available when the power goes out. I am blessed to live in an area where I can have chickens and raise a garden. We have fresh eggs anytime we need them. My neighbors down the road have dairy cows so milk is not that far away. If you do not have access to these items then you need to plan accordingly.

Finally, don't purchase things out of fear. It's not time to spend your nest egg so that you can be fully prepared by next week. I know people that have been preparing for the end of the world since the 60's.

Start slow by putting together a 72 hour kit and build on it.

Revived the very first post of this section as it is sound advise when it comes to food storage. Wife had two of her long time friends over last night who are both Mormons and two of the nicest ladies one would ever meet.

I decided to ask how these Mormon ladies (Mormon's are known to be professional food preper's) how their pantries were set up and a in depth conversation on food prep's occurred and all I can say is that these ladies were dead serious about what a food pantry should contain and how the rotation system and record keeping should work. They also will only store what the family already eats with no exotic store purchased freeze drieds and such. (This was strongly emphasized over any other point)

These girls were hard core food preper's and invited us to their next canning session with the rest of their crew (No strings attached, No religious conversion talk). So I will compare how they do food prep's against my system and make corrections if me and the wife feel it works for us.

My wife has know these girls for years and has learned much on the canning and jarring of meats, fruits and veggies from them so I hope we can learn new ways to refine are system and make a few new preper friends a long the way.

[Gatorbait]

Or is it more PC to call it a zombiepost?

IMHO, there is prepping...and then there is prepping.

I think that canning is one of the cornerstones of sustainablity in prepping. I think that when someone crosses over from buying the ready made stocks, and begins producing products in a non-electrical environment, they have really started to prep. Most people have never really thought about the long term aspect of prepping. Those who have, usually have a canner or two. Now is a great time to get the canning supplies you need, and get good practice. The canning industry is pretty small, and I think we will start seeing that the supplies may not always be available, and crazy prices for canners on fleabay. Used canners are fetching good prices already, and I would bet that All-Americans will soon start to fetch premiums once more people start to get into it.

Look forward to seeing your canning posts!

Cheers,
gb

[cjnuckols50]

Yep. Good advice. I've seen it and done it. Also I would throw this is in: buy quality items. Esp when it comes to tools, firearms, clothing or packs. The cheap stuff that you got to save money will fail you and you're just as screwed.

[PA PATRIOT]

We have been buying all the supply's need for canning and jarring and the prices over the last four or five months have been going up a little each month.

Expect to screw things up a bit as one starts out so buy a little more then what you think one would need and get started. It took me and the wife two years of canning to finally get the technique right so don't get discouraged if you mess things up a bit the first year.

And if you had not considered it plant a few fruit trees (Buy the largest in size the nursery has and the variety which can handle the weather/season of your area) and get them in the ground as soon as the frost is gone. Those just planted trees will take a few years or more to produce good yields so even if your not going to can or jar this year at least your trees will have time to mature.

Also check the internet for groups who do canning/jarring in your area and it is always better to learn from a established canner then trying to learn from a book.

We doubled the size of are raised beds this year so they is going to be some serious work getting everything stored up.

[eo500]

OP, great post.

IMHO the biggest trap I see people (including myself at times) fall into is thinking that prepping is about collecting a big-ass pile of stuff. Let's face it, we all like getting new gadgets and toys, but many people don't even know how to use what they have. 99% of the time skills are more important than things so I am always trying to add to my "stockpile" of skills.

The second biggest trap I see is people focusing on one thing that interests them and neglecting others. Some people might be "prepping" and have two of every firearm ever made, but no means of storing, collecting, or purifying water. In a perfect world, I'd have unlimited resources and could have everything. But living within my limited budget, I need to force myself to seek balance in my preps. I find using "days supply of" thinking helps when I evaluate my stockpile. When I go to the store and buy food, I try to purchase everything for a particular meal. When I have more food days than toilet paper, I get more TP on my next trip to the store. You need to plan your work, and work your plan.

The third trap I see others and myself in particular struggling with is neglecting fitness. I need to lose weight, build endurance, and strength. Being able to move quickly over great distances may be the greatest survival tool of all.