Being prepared really isn’t that complicated, it just takes a willingness to do something about your situation. If you haven’t started prepping, it’s time to start taking the decisive actions you need to take to keep yourself and your family safe.
Here are 10 ideas that can help get you started:
Part of truly being prepared for anything means knowing exactly what threats you’re going to face and then analyzing how those threats will affect you in the future. By performing a realistic threat assessment, you can get a better idea of what threats you’re facing and learn how to prepare for those threats in the future.
2. Planning for the most likely SHTF Scenarios.
When you’re just getting started in the world of prepping, preparing for an EMP or an asteroid hitting the earth is probably not the best course of action. While both of those scenarios are scary, the probability of them happening is actually pretty low. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t prep for these things, I’m just suggesting that you prep for the most likely dangers first.
Performing a SWOT Analysis is a great way to determine how prepared you really are. A SWOT Analysis is a simple, but useful method of pinpointing your Strengths and Weaknesses. Performing one will also help you identify Opportunities that you can exploit, and Threats that you might face in a SHTF situation.
4. Living Debt Free… Is it part of your survival plan?
It’s great to be prepared for an end of days scenario, but what happens when you’re faced with a foreclosure or the possibility of living on the streets? Is that not a survival situation? To be truly prepared for the worst, we must also think of our financial security. That means paying off debt, living within your means, and starting an emergency fund.
No matter what survival situation you may ultimately find yourself in, there’s one thing that you’ll likely find; survival is going to be hell on your body. One of the best things you can do to ensure your survival, in just about any situation, is to make sure your body and your mind are trained and prepared to survive. That means motivating yourself to get off your butt and get in shape.
To really be able to rely on your knowledge when things go bad, you need to run through your survival techniques in a number of real-world scenarios and environments. The more you train in real world situations, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to perform these skills in a high-stress survival situation.
Survival isn’t glamorous, and it’s nothing like what’s depicted on T.V. Survival shows. It is downright brutal, and will beat the hell out of you not only physically, but emotionally as well. Don’t overlook the importance of cultivating a mindset that will allow you to face life’s greatest challenges.
8. Survival Intelligence – Power of Information
In a survival situation, knowledge is going to be a critical factor in determining the outcome of your situation. The ability to be able to predict what will happen during an emergency is an important part of being prepared. Start gathering a list of trusted resources and information sources that can help you prepare for whatever the future has in store.
Many preppers talk about the prospects of bugging out; but how many of them have the skills, or the strength to actually do it? It’s one thing to talk about bugging out; it’s another thing to carry your gear 10-15 miles a day in dangerous and unforgiving conditions.
During a SHTF situation, maintaining a sense of normalcy is going to be a very important concern when dealing with children. With children, comfort items can go a long way in helping them feel as safe and secure as possible. Don’t overlook how important it will become to give them a sense of comfort and control during a stressful SHTF situation.
Well we all know about economic collapse, our incomes are shrinking, the dollar is becoming worth less daily, the real barter items are not gold nor silver, because that too is depreciating. The common daily items we use to make our lives more comfortable will be the high demand barter items. What would you pay for a bottle of Asprin to get rid of a chronic splitting head ache? Trade a few of those gold coins for that? I believe a massive Electric Grid Outage will have the largest impact of SHTF. Every thing as we know it, will come to a screeching halt. An EMP, Terrorist Nuke or Computer Hack can take a lot of the grid out. Are you prepared with Potassium Iodide to saturate your Thyroid gland, so no bad radiation destroys it and they rest of your body? Stock up NOW, just in case. Imagine how many gold coins people will pay for a 60 day supply of Potassium Iodide. Be the hero in your neighborhood and buy a case of it.. Yep Prepare now with Water, Lots and lots of Food, Shelter, Guns and Ammo, lots of Ammo.
Working on the bob’s and pretty resourceful. Gleaning what I can. TY for all the terrific tips!
We’ll be camping on and off. Getting ready to start carrying the bobs in the trunks of the cars…we’d have to do a bit of driving then hiking. Tobacco is key for trades. The Potassium Iodide is key too. Small med kits and dried food.
I live in the mississippi delta this is the best place to bug out when SHTF lots of game and fish i lived here all my life and taken camping trips for weeks at a time
MOVE TO THE COUNTRY GET OUT OF THE CITY
What about Government drones spying far and wide.
As an Australian living in a wealthy country we are hundred of miles away from threats. Or so we think. The Australian Government is one of the most intrusive nanny states in the world. The media is left wing, the Politicians are lying left wingers. And the population is disarmed. We are screwed down under.America sees Australia as some sort of utopia, but it aint, its overtaxed, super expensive and corrupt. I implore Americans to fight for your freedoms and retain your gun rights. We have fallen asleep in Australia ( a dangerous thing to do considering 300 million Muslims and China is on our doorstep) Both left and right of politics collude to make gun ownership extroadinarily difficult. My family has started preparing with food and survival equipment. Australia cannot continue down the path its going something will give sooner or later. Good luck and dont take your right to self protection lightly, In Australia the criminals and Police are armed to the teeth, ordinary Australians do not, we are sitting ducks.
If the world falls apart, china will storm Australia and colonize the country and extract the resources.
What you said is SO true Trog. Australia is the most red-taped country in the world. America, fight for your right to bear arms! There is something wrong when a government, like Australia, disarms its own law abiding citizens so they can’t defend themselves.
Hope it never happens but I have told both my Daughters If someone touches off a nuke anywhere in the world head for home. I live in the country. They both live in large cities. Also told them on the way home pick up any non pershibable items they can get thier hands on like cookies,soup,crakers convenience store type stuff. Everyone else will be sitting on thier hands wondering what will happen next. They have (My Daugters) been told by me dont wonder just head for home. I have GNS&AMMO.
How can I stop my girls from moving to a huge city?
My missus is one of the biggest threats to mankind, I’d like to know how I can prepare myself for when she get up in the morning. Cheers.
Tombs – that was funny! But in all seriousness, I think people get carried away as the article points out about trying to prepare for some massively, catastrophic event, rather than something a little more realistic. This was good information just for getting people more focused again.
I have found just tackling a few items on the list every week, eventually leads to being further along than a lot of others.
Practicing some basic scenarios, or heck, even doing some camping at least gets you a little more prepared then the average joe.
okay i am a otr driver. i may be over a thousand miles from home when shtf. what recomendations if any do ya’ll have besides water
I work about an hour from home in an outdoor environment with travel consisting of equal curvy country roads, gravel roads and interstate. When considering getting home after an event a few of the best decisions I’ve come to is to have a bug out bag in my vehicle with contents to sustain me during light travel to keep me moving. Emphasize items like the sawyer micro water filter for $20 that allows me to filter and purify water while I move instead of having to stop and build a fire etc… Also since a person in good physical condition can walk about 10 miles a day it is a plus to own a simple trail bike that can be peddled through traffic jams etc. and will greatly speed up your travel.
I’m presuming you want to get home above but you could just as easily stay put and live out of your truck if you have a sleeper etc… Invest in a mobile solar power kit from harbor freight to keep your batteries charged as much as possible after fuel is depleted. Buy a $5 metal oil lamp/ lantern from Walmart and a few liters of lamp oil. This would heat / light a truck cab for weeks / months. Stock pile canned meat packed in oil such as tuna. Keeps for years and oil can be pushed in lantern.
Of course before settling in to your rig try to locate it somewhere safe near a good natural water supply. Keep fishing gear on hand etc…
If you can’t afford a solar kit maybe buy a few of those yard lights that use solar power to charge AA batteries for its light. Buy equipment that use AA batteries. Take a long time to charge but can be used sparingly.
Sorry… Meant used in lantern not pushed. :-)
Hey everyone, I am new to this world of prepping. I feel completely overwhelmed on how to get started. The list provided seems like a start. What would be considered the most important task to learn first? I live in the city, I’ve never been camping, fishing, never shot a gun. I’m completely lost. Hopefully it’s not to late.
It’s never too late Tiff, I was in your shoes a few years ago. Just start slowly and go steady…as Karen Hood says “buy just one or two extra cans of the food you regularly eat every time you do groceries and date and rotate them..use the oldest first ect..” That way it isn’t too expensive and it is useful even if SDHTF. It’s easy to get into, Just read the SAS survival guide and watch some Woods Master Videos and you’re all set to start. It is not something that you learn all at once. Practice makes perfect…practice whenever you can…practice starting fires (with spark, flame and friction), making different knots and how you would use them (reef, hitch, bowline ect)..get your hands dirty practice snares and stalking prey, food preservation, wild edibles ect. Slowly learn everything you can about medicine, food, defense and you will be fine…Life is 10% what happens and 90 % how you react to it.
AOC
First aid course
One of the things I have done is to download apps from Itunes onto my Iphone. Example- Army Survival manual, air force survival manual, weather channel,wiki how, berries & herbs,flashlight, rec cross first aid, police scanner and a gps. All apps were free. They may come in handy as long as I can use the phone. I am also a 23 yr army vet, 15 yr scout leader, marksmanship instructor and certified archery instructor. Ii live in the MS delta.
what good is an education if you dont apply it. what you dont know could kill you. so what these people are saying is knowledge is power in times of despair. armed with nothing but knowledge, and surviving the longest. skills that can find food water weapons shelter and avoidance when threatened.
Get one or more types for your laptop – Byzantium is one
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/how-wireless-mesh-networks-work.htm
Build a library on your laptop
Free Books are abundant on the net and amazon kindle
http://ready4itall.org/the-free-preppers-library/
http://ultimatepreparednesslibrary.com/
Build a paper library as well – Books need no electricity, get a solar charger for the basics…
Be Well :-)
It’s like anything we learn; just take baby steps and you’ll get there! There are still lots of things I feel I need, but I try ti just keep at it. I also have to consider that I’m handicapped,live alone and am not young any more. We all have to take into consideration what our own situation is first and then move forward.
I live in North ms 100 miles from the nearest large city I’ve been prepping for years I have chickens hogs cows fish ponds two large creeks with dams on my property barns and a shop filled with tools and underground facilities . I’ve installed solar power at my shop which also has living quarters . I’ve stored food seeds I’ve built an electric tiller with solar recharging .I have wood and natural gas for heating and cooking and convection a/c at my shop medical suplies spare parts for my jeep ham radio and I still add somthing every week plus a WELL stocked arsenal . I ain’t bugging out nowhere !!!!
I am new to the site and unprepped. I am a single mother and I do not have a lot of money. I feel that its coming – a SHTF situation. And I am overwhelmed. I need to be prepared to take care of my 9 yr old and myself. My mother who is 65 and father who is 55 live about 15 miles from us. We are located in the panhandle of northwest Florida. Surrounded by water and military bases. I feel if we were bombed we would be hit first. But if it were a power grid situation, maybe it would be easier to get to my Mom and Pops. They have guns and ammo. Their neighborhood is prepped to some extent. My neighborhood is mostly military and family. I know the land. We are close to a couple cities but far enough out to not be in immediate danger. Bridges would have to be passed by city people to get out here. I have been through every hurricane that has hit the Gulf Coast in the last 40 years…never left and survived up to two weeks with no power…on my own then. After reading all the posts and the article, my first step is buying potassium iodide tablets, Sawyer Micro Water Filter, source of solar lighting powered by AA batteries with a solar charger(?), canned food (note expiration date rotations), medicines, 1st Aid class, learn how to start a fire, know how to tie knots and when to use them, have fishing gear, know herbs and uses, basic tools, radio, read & learn, what else??? Like I said I am new to this. But I know I need to start preparing.
Faith, hey relax a bit and realize where you are at, resources you already have at your disposal. I live in Pensacola, and the entire woods around this area and Alabama are completely edible, you can just about look everything you need up online, great books out there. Do not panic, its a killer, fear is a good motivator though. Start small, look for others near you that have skills, also as far as making fires, things like that there are so any resources out there, online, books on amazon, survival card decks, edible plants card decks, make it a game for you and your child …..
I’ll soon be 70, need a knee replacement, and don’t get around very good anymore. I won’t be able to bug out, and I’m sure there are many others like me. I live in the city, in an apt. complex highest floor. I imagine everyone will have the same ideas you post on this site. How can any one place be safe, really? If the enemy wants you, they’ll sure find you, using infra-red lights for those hiding in the woods, don’t you think? Maybe the safest thing to do would be hold down wherever you happen to be, for several weeks, until things become a little safer. With everyone panicking, the enemy will know exactly where to look for you. The only thing I know to do, given my circumstances, and with no place to go, is to store up on water, canned/freeze-dried food, lanterns, matches, potassium iodide pills, baby wipes, the usual first aid stuff, won’t name them all, and stay inside, off the streets. But that is pretty scary, in itself. People will go crazy and do anything to obtain water or food when things shut down/close. I wonder if they will bust in my door. That is a possibility, I think, and I cannot defend myself. Any other suggestions for this type situation? I’ve heard the gov. will be checking for hoarders, and if they are found, they will take every bit of the things you stored for survival. Really, no one will be able to trust Anybody during a time like this. People will turn against each other. It will be crazy, to say the least. We won’t even recognize this world. Sure, I could shoot somebody if they force their way in, but really…I’ll just get shot back, anyway, against a mob. Please tell me the best I can do in a situation like this. I am trying to prepare. Not freaking out. Just trying to survive like everyone else. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. I’m still trying to figure out how I could cook safely without electricity. Need help on that.
Sounds like you’ve thought of a lot. At the end of the day all you can do is your best. Unless you have means of relocating out of the city now, maybe a relative in the country? Or gardening skills? Sewing? Something like that might be welcomed with like minded folks you could reach out to. Just a thought. Good luck. We’re all just doing what we can, nobody knows the future.
As for cooking I’ve got a Sterno stove with several Sterno cans. Pretty easy to set up, but it’s basically good to heat up thinks like soup or water. If you have a balcony get yourself a grill. Some apartments don’t allow grills but I’d get one anyway, even if it’s just a small one that uses charcoal., which would be easier and safer to store than propane. My dream item is a solar cooker. If you can swing that (about $400) you can use it whenever it’s sunny. That would depend a lot on your climate though. Check them out online.
Sir, I like the article, one thing though, I know you talked about SHTF w/kids…..myself personally wont leave y dogs behind, cats go feral and can fend for themselves….what is your take on that???? thank you.
I love my dogs too, and would welcome them with me, I would also eat them both if I had too! Not as a hunger pain, but as a starvation preventer
Good article. Many great comments. If you survive the initial event of any SHTF scenario, your biggest long term threat will be other people. For this reason, the most important prep in my opinion is a remote property that is easy to defend. All other preps will be much safer, you greatly reduce your need to bug out, and you don’t need to transport your preps with the Golden Herd roaming around. One other very important thing that is not mentioned much is the need to psychologically prepare for the wide scale death and gore that will occur. You need to be prepared to commit violence without a thought because hesitation will get you killed. Bodies could lie in the streets for a long time. Packs of dogs will eat them. Cities could easily burn when fire departments are defunct. There will be little to no law. Gangs will rape and pillage. Be prepared to see, hear, and smell death first hand. Remember, if SHTF, it will be worse than you can imagine.