I was
talking to someone the other day about the economy and where things are headed,
they think like I do that we are running
out of time (their timeline was even shorter than mine). So I asked, “how
prepared are you for what is coming?” thinking they were completely prepared
with the 6 core areas of preparedness. They said they have lots of guns and
ammo and enough reloading supply’s to last a very long time. That is defiantly a
good thing. Having a means of protection is going to be very important for what
is coming. Then I asked how much food storage did they have. I was sure they
would say at least a years’ worth so imagine my surprise when they said “oh we probably
have a months’ worth of food in the house.” “Really” I didn’t even bother to
ask about Water, Heat, Lights, Sanitation
or skills.
I think a
lot of people get so caught up in just one or two aspects of prepping that they
overlook a lot of the other things that also need to be done. What good is 5
years of food if you have no way to protect it? What good is a mountain of guns
and ammo if you have no food to keep up your strength? What good is guns and
food if you are sitting in the dark and freezing? Chances are when it all hits the
fan you will not be able to run to the store and pick up what you need to
survive for an extended period of time. And even if you can get to the store what’s
to say there will be any thing left.
Prepping
requires a broad range of things, some of what you need is food, water, heat,(if you live in a
cold climate) sanitation, lights, a way to cook and skills. I am going to highlight
some areas we need to be prepared in, and at a later date I will be going into
more detail about each item.
Food- this doesn’t have to be expensive freeze dried stuff. I store what we eat and eat what
we store. I don’t want to try and introduce new and different foods in a crises
situation. Familiar food will be a comfort when everything is going crazy. If
at all possible grow as much of your own food as you can (not only cheaper but
much more healthy for you.). Can, freeze, or dehydrate as much of it as you
can. Just remember that if you freeze it there is a possibility of the power being down
and your freezer not working, so canning and dehydrating are the better
options. If money is tight do this in small steps on my Food Storage Challenge
I have it broken down into two categories the first is the most important, it
is the very basics the second is important but doable without.
Water- If the grid is down there will be no
running water; it takes power to run the water plants. You need at least a
gallon of water per person per day. More than likely though, you will need at
least 2 to 3 gallons when you factor in cooking, cleaning, flushing toilets. And
don’t forget pets. If you have access to ground water (ponds, creeks ditches
ect.) be sure to have a way to filter and sterilize the water. And again you
don’t have to run out and buy expensive bottled water. You can store water in
juice containers, soda bottles, empty canning jars, and even old water bottles.
I don’t recommend using milk jugs they are thin and don’t last as long, also if
they are not perfectly clean the old milk in the water will ruin it.
Off Grid
Heat- Living
in Colorado that is a big concern for us. How can you heat your house without
power? A wood stove is ideal but some
people are unable to have a stove so you will have to find alternatives. Be
careful about ventilation when considering your heat sources, some buildings
have windows which will not open, and this must be considered when thinking
through your heat sources. And remember it is easier to heat just one room as opposed
to the whole house.
Cooking- You will
need alternative ways to cook even the propane stoves have to have power to
work. You can light the stove top with a match but the oven has electric sensors
and will not work without power. Think about solar ovens, wonder ovens, BBQ grills, and rocket stoves.
Light-Oil lamps are very affordable and you can use Kerosene in
them which is less than ten dollars a gallon. You will go through a lot of batteries
if all you use flashlights, so be sure
to have lots of candles, oil lamps, solar powered lights and other light
sources.
Sanitation-What
happens if you can’t flush your toilets? Here are a few options. An outhouse, self-composting
toilet, A five gallon bucket lined with heavy duty trash bags with a toilet
seat attached Wood ash, Kitty litter, or sawdust can be sprinkled in the buck
to help control odors. Also remember Toilet tissue, feminine hygiene, diapers if you have babies, Baby wipes are great to have on hand.
Medical-If you can’t get to the doctor or
get medical help can you treat yourself? Be sure to have a well-stocked first
aid kit and know your basic first aid. Also have some good first aid books on
hand, don’t forget prescription Meds these may be harder to get, but talk to your
doctor to see if you can get a little extra for your first aid kits. Also look
in to herbal remedies that use plants that are native to your area.
Safety-Personally,
I believe every family member old enough to handle a firearm should be taught
safety factors and target practice. Adult members should also have holsters
(either concealed or otherwise) for ease of carry for when things go south.
Safety should be more than just firearms. It also includes such things as
situational and strategic awareness, home and property security,
communications, and property security, communications, and local relations
(friends, neighbors, community.)
Learn
Forgotten skills- Be able to do things on your own, food preservation
(canning, drying and smoking are some) grow a garden, sewing, soap making, hunting; growing
and butchering your own meat, things that make you less dependent on someone else. Don’t forget to stock up on
books with information on these things; you may not be able to get on the
computer.
You need to be physically fit, when the hard times hit you will have a lot more
to do, and will be under a lot of stress, if you are healthy you will be able to
deal with things a lot easier.
I know money is tight for every one and it is hard
to put back any preps. It does
take dedication
and sacrifice, but I am willing to do without
the vacations, eating out and other things I do with out, to make sure that I
will be able to take care of my family when it all goes south. Most everyone can
save money somewhere so they can get a little more preps. You can go here for110 ways to save money
.
This is just a start for getting prepared, read my Food Storage Challenges I
cover all these items. I believe we are running out of time. Now is the time to
get prepared, DON’T BE CAUGHT UNPREPARED.
