Top 9 Mistakes Of Prepping

http://www.commonfolkusingcommonsense.com/2010/06/07/top-9-mistakes-of-prepping/ ^

[Red in Blue PA]

1. Following the wrong advice: Many new survivalist become fixated upon the advice given by others. They read the latest preparedness book or blog post and automatically assume the advice given is best them, without considering their individual needs, skill level or location. In order to be self-reliant you need to learn to think for yourself.

2. Not eating what they store: Many new survivalist fill their pantry with unfamiliar foods, thinking they will adapt their diet “when the time comes” this is nonsense. You need to learn how to prepare and use these foods now, so they become a familiar staple.

3. Relying only on their food storage: Many new survivalist think once they have their one year supply of survival foods, that’s the end. Don’t get me wrong, having a deep larder is important, just don’t overlook the possibility of needing to replenish your supplies, and obtaining the skills and resources needed to do that.

4. Not storing enough salt: Many new survivalist fail to store this staple in the quantities needed. Don’t discount the importance of salt. I suggest at least ten pounds of iodized salt per person as a minimum.

5. Building an arsenal: I see this all the time. Many new survivalist spend thousands on weapons and related gear, yet have only a two-week supply food and no water filter. This is stupid. I love guns and gear as much as the next person – but I know food and water are more important to my survival. Sure; we need weapons to protect what we’ve put away, just don’t neglect the other stuff.

6. Relying on bugging out: I’m not a fan of the “grab a bug out bag and head for the hills survival strategy”. In most cases you’re better off staying where you are. Having a bug out bag is a good idea, just don’t make bugging out your only plan or first priority.

7. To much stuff not enough skill: Many new survivalist believe they can be saved though buying. This fantasy has been promoted by self-serving survival gurus for years to fill their pockets with cash. Sure supplies are useful and some are needed – just don’t become dependent on stuff instead develop your skills.

8. Storing only one type of food: More than a few new survivalist have made this mistake. I can’t remember exactly where I read it, I think it was on another survival blog – but the author suggested his readers store hundreds of pounds of wheat and nothing else. While wheat is the backbone of my food storage, storing only one type of food, no matter how versatile is foolish.

9. Not taking care of pet needs: Many new survivalist fail to consider the needs of their pets. If you have pets you must plan for their needs by laying back the necessary supplies to keep them fed and healthy.

[William Tell]

anton said: "... I wasn’t likely to come upon a person who would have enough to barter for a pistol after a while."

That's a good point. The person with enough to barter is liable to be one of those "survival nuts" who put away ammo by the pallet-load. He may need it for spare parts.

How many cartridges for a pistol? How many eggs for a cartridge?

The relative values of a lot of items might be roughly what they are now; except for the incredibly declining dollar.

[Armedanddangerous]

We have a dollar general and family dollar stores. Avoid the cheap PANASONIC batteries. Their batteries save you the trouble of using them and come already burned out.

[Armedanddangerous]

you can never have enough ammo. And remember, it is the best trading material outside of food and water that you can have.

[naturalized]

Oh, please. Dire straights are no excuse for acting like an animal. Plenty of people have died under worse circumstances without rejecting human values. And pretending to quote the Bible to justify it is despicable.

[PapaBear3625]

Take a look back at an earlier total collapse of a civilization, when the Roman Empire collapsed leading to the Dark Ages.

When that happened, the populace divided into two parts. The tiny percentage which was prepared to fight and defend what was theirs became "lords". The majority became "serfs" who were the effective slaves of the lords.

[fireforeffect]

Normally, if some one is bitten or, worse, eaten by a pig(s); the pig(s) are destroyed and disposed of. They are not used for food. This presumes that the lot owner knows that a body has been eaten by the hogs.

Pigs are carnivores and will happily eat people. When my father was a boy, one of his chores was to sit with a rifle when his father went into the hog lot.

[Ellendra]

Hard to tell sometimes if they’re joking or not, some people just enjoy posturing like that.

However, I do still think it would be easy to poison looters like that.