Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be wealthy and be able to purchase a bunker to start prepping. You don’t need pallets of freeze-dried food in the basement or a Hummer for bugging out. That way of prepping is unrealistic for all but those who have money to burn.
Most preppers are regular folks like you and me. We don’t have a lot of money, but we have a lot of common sense. We are concerned about the future and have the wisdom to prepare.
I gathered these ideas from the amazing members of the Prepping group on Facebook. They are a strong and knowledgeable group of preppers who know what it is like to start prepping from nothing.
Have a look through these categories and find what you will find useful. You might want to bookmark this page as a reference. This is not a comprehensive list!! Nor is it a list of instructions. Please research the ideas if they look like something you could add to your prepping skills. Items that are underlined are links to items I have personally purchased and used, and I can vouch for them. If I have forgotten anything, please leave a comment at the end of this blog.
Thank you, my friends, and Have Fun Prepping!!!
Before You Begin
Take an inventory of what you have so you can know what you need.
Don’t listen to media influencers about what you need for prepping. Often, they are paid for promoting those products.
Set goals. Think before you prep!.
Think about what sort of disasters would take place in your area. Hurricanes? Blizzards? Tornados? Power outages? Floods? Plan for what happens in your area before trying to plan for a SHTF situation.
Some plan first for one day and then for one week.
I recommend planning for first for a three-day emergency and then for three weeks.
Three days, Three weeks, Three months, Six months, One year.
Follow the LDS guidelines for food storage. They’ve been doing this for longer than we have!
Prepare yourself physically for the disasters you might face. You will need physical strength and stamina in a difficult situation.
Prepare yourself mentally to have a mindset of handling challenging circumstances. Mental preparation may also include intermittent fasting to help you if you need to ration food, and finding methods of controlling your emotions. Being calm is a superpower in troubling times.
I recommend developing a strong relationship with God. You will find that spiritual strength will help you to weather very difficult circumstances.
Water
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Find a spring locally for fresh water.
A life straw is useful if you don’t have potable water. A Berkey type gravity fed filter is good to have, too. Here is a link to some water filter options.
Know how to purify water with bleach, purifying tablets, boiling, hydrogen peroxide, and pool shock.
Make your own Berkey water filter.
Buy the ceramic filter. Buy two 5gallon plastic buckets
Buy a spigot and a threaded coupler. 1/2”- 1”.
Drill a hole in the bottom of one bucket. Install the coupler and the ceramic filter.
Drill a hole in the lid of the second bucket, install the coupler.
Drill a hole at the bottom of the second bucket and install the spigot. Stack the bucket with the filter in it on top of the bucket with the spigot.
Pour water into the top bucket. Gravity will pull it through the filter and. It will drip into the bottom or second bucket. Open spigot and hold a glass under it.
Drink a glass of your freshly filtered water. For a fraction of what a Berkey filter would cost you.
Thanks to Robert Abbott for these instructions.
Food
A caveat: Only purchase for storage what you will eat. Don’t get anything that is not part of your regular diet, no matter how cheap it is!!!!!!
Food storage is like a savings account. You will have it there and will not have to spend any money if you need it if trouble comes.
Remember that active people usually need 2000-2500 calories a day. You can get by on less.
If you don’t know how to cook everything from scratch, please start learning now.
Beans: Soak overnight. Rinse and add fresh water. Boil for a few hours until soft. Watch the water so it does not get too low or you will burn your beans.
Rice: 2 cups water to 1 cup rice. Boil water. Add rice. Bring back to boil. Reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes. You can also turn the heat off altogether, and cover the pot with a thick towel. The rice will be ready in about the same time. And you will save fuel!
Some new preppers start their food storage by buying a little extra at the grocery store every week.
Hardtack is easy to make with flour, salt, and water. It lasts a very long time. This link shows you how to make hardtack.
Learn to identify what seem to be weeds. Many plants are edible or medicinal.
Learn to bake bread.
Make sourdough (wild yeast) and poolish (purchased yeast)
Dry goods are easy to store - beans and rice are beginner storage items.
Freeze your rice for 24 hours before putting it in jars or mylar bags. This kills any creepy crawlies that want to eat your rice
Learn how to make your own noodles. They are easy and delicious.
Dehydrate frozen vegetables for long term storage
Oxygen absorbers and Desiccants are not expensive, and can extend the life of your food supply. Don’t put oxygen absorbers in sugar or salt. You will end up with a rock.
Learn to grow and preserve food..
Growing a garden is going to be your key to long term vegetable supplies.
Learn how to water bath, pressure can, and dehydrate food. That is a key to building long term food storage.
Do not forget to get salt, sugar, honey, and spices. They make all the difference in your cooking.
If you are down on your luck, there is no shame in going to a food pantry. They are often generous in what they give.
Shelter and warmth
Have appropriate clothing for the winter stored. You can get winter clothes and old blankets at thrift stores.
Hygiene
A bucket toilet can be made out of a 5 gallon bucket, a plastic bag, some kitty litter, and a pool noodle seat.
Healthcare
A good first aid kit is a must! we got the Everlit Survival Upgraded Survival First Aid Kit and it is compact and not very expensive.
Arrange to have at least a 90 day supply of prescription medications. More if possible.
It is worth it to take a Red Cross course in first aid and CPR.
Gardening
Gardening is a year round proposition. There are many books available to help you here, and contact your local extension office for classes and advice.
Plant the land you have available.
Seeds can be gotten cheaply at Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Walmart. For longer storage, we purchased the Augason Farms Vegetable Garden Seeds in a No. 10 Can. They last for at least 4 years, are non-hybrid and non GMO so you can save seeds from your garden.
Container gardening and patio gardening are the key to growing food when you don’t have much land. You can even grow herbs, leafy greens and some vegetables on your windowsill indoors. There are many options for indoor growing.
Plant fruit trees now if you have the land. This pays off later.
Vehicles
Prepare a Get Home bag for your car.
Always make sure you have a full tank of Gas so you have enough fuel for a long distance bug out.
Bushcraft/Camping
Time to take camping trips to practice your bushcraft skills.
Get to know the terrain and resources in your home area. You will need this knowledge for checkpoints and potential cache stash areas.
Get used to sleeping outside.
Learn how to start a fire without matches. Fire starters are not expensive, and can save your life.
The more you know, the less you carry - Mors Kochanski
Skills to Develop
Foraging is a very important skill to learn as you can find both foods and medicine in the wild.
If you have a firearm, take time to learn how to use it accurately.
Alternatively, you could gain skill with a slingshot or with a bow and arrow.
Martial arts would also be a useful skill to develop, and would help with your physical fitness
Learn how to sew, at least to repair your clothing when it tears, and make sure you have a sewing kit with strong needles and thread.
Miscellaneous
Turn off your power and water for a few days, and you will know what you need to prepare!!
Use the $5 coupons from Dollar General to buy batteries.
Don’t be the lone prepper. Find some like-minded friends so you can share experiences and ideas. It is hard to go it alone.
Have Fun Prepping!
Ruth
PS. I'm an Amazon Affiliate and there are associate links in this post. While I do benefit from a (very) small commission if you purchase through the links, you are under no obligation to purchase anything. Thanks!
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