First Steps to Prepping

Do you recall how you became interested in prepping? Was it a personal experience from a localized disaster that you were not prepared for, or perhaps watching a catastrophic event on television? Maybe you fear the economic crisis in Greece or exodus of thousands of people from troubled countries who might reach the shores of America? Maybe it was triggered by a stock market shutdown due to a computer glitch?

Whatever the reason or motivation that started you into prepping, the good news is these are all issues you are thinking about. You might be eager to carry this concern forward to the next logical phase. Here are some initial planning steps to get you pointed in the right direction.

Establish a Knowledge Base - If you wanted to learn how to change the oil in your car, shoot a gun or know how to do yoga, what would you do first? You might buy a book on the subject, look up information on the Internet, watch a YouTube video or possibly sign up for a class to learn how-to, firsthand.

Develop an OnGoing Plan - Get a big notebook! In this prepping journal you will want to start jotting down copious thoughts, ideas, concepts, basic planning lists, evaluation of gear or prepping assets, to-buy gear lists, and a rudimentary budget to carry it all out over time. While prepping is an expedient activity, hopefully the disaster won’t happen tomorrow. Unfortunately, it might be next week.
Start by asking yourself basic questions that relate to your situation: What kinds of problems are you likely to encounter? Will you bug in or out, meaning will you stay put in your fortress or take off?

Learn and Earn Skills - You may be an experienced outdoors person or have completed Delta Force training in the Army, which certainly would have provided some background skills, but more than likely you’re an accountant, an elementary school teacher or mechanic at the local garage. You need to assess the skills you possess and those of your team, which can include family, friends or like-minded individuals. Everyone has a role. This will help you determine what other skills you need to acquire.
Can you shoot firearms and reload them without blinking? Can you put up a tent in a windstormor light a campfire in a downpour? Can you pry open a can of beans without a can opener? Do you know how to set a broken bone or sew up a deep laceration? Read the rest of prepping steps.

Also - watch out for “friends” who will want to piggyback on your preparedness.

We have some acreage; a buddy told me one day that if the SHTF she would leave the suburbs, come out to our farm, and live with us. This is how that conversation went:

ME: Okay, you can help us with the livestock; cleaning the barns, giving shots...
PAL: No, ewwww, they poop, shots - ewwww...I couldn’t do that!
ME: Then you can help us grow food.
PAL: No, ewwww - I sunburn so easily - I hate bugs...I couldn’t do that!
ME: How about learning to spin and helping me weave cloth and take care of the clothing supply?
PAL: No, I’m not “crafty”, and I hate doing that stuff.
ME: Well, how would you contribute?
PAL: I could put out cat food for the barn cats.

I told her she’d best plan on hunkering down where she lives now.

You hit a key with tools. It’s all fine and dandy if you can make something with modern tools. The trick is making a tool out of natural items that can be used to make other things when you don’t have access to a modern tool.

If things really got bad that is a skill few have and many would die before gaining those skills. It’s best to practice now before you need to for real. Then pass the knowledge to the younger people.

The same thing with food. A lot of people have seeds they can plant. If the food supply collapses, they will starve before the crops grow. Find the local edibles, a clean natural water supply and how to catch critters without the use of modern implements. Learn what makes a balanced meal off the land. Also learn to cook without the use of modern appliances. Also, fire from things you find on the ground.

Study your area and know the resources available. Junk yards and landfills are filled with material to make things. Some areas are rich in natural resources. Most of all, don’t be near a city. That’s were bands of marauders will come from to take your stuff.

If a person can learn as you say to live like they did long ago, they can handle anything between a complete breakdown and civilization.

Medicine is another big problem. Once it’s gone, many people have will not make it. Like in the old days, many things that are currently treatable will be death sentences.

Hopefully none of this will every be needed. I used to think so but these antifa guys and others really seem hellbent on ending civilization.

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